Today’s Friday so you know what that means? Yup, Part 3 has officially arrived! In case you are new around here, a few weeks ago I started a mini soccer series where each week I am featuring one of our previously completed seasons here in Germany. I thought it would be a good idea to pay tribute to our first 3 years and dive into the details of each season so you all can read about what we experienced and learn exactly what went down.
In case you are just jumping on board now, feel free to browse my opening thoughts, Part 1, and Part 2 before moving on. Trust me, it’s more entertaining this way!
If you’re a Just Kate veteran and have returned this week hoping for more juicy drama and jaw-dropping moments like we had in our first two seasons, I hate to disappoint you but this is not one of those stories. I think the Man upstairs thought we needed to take a serious break from the Malone Lifetime Movie drama. And let me tell you…it was much needed!
Let’s rewind to the Spring of 2017
When Ryan was given the news about his contract termination in Stuttgart, I was already back in the States hashing out the final details for our June wedding. When Ryan called me to explain the situation, of course, I was crushed for him. But at the time, we didn’t even give it much attention…we had a wedding to get ready for, people! Being the Bride, and planning our wedding from afar, I’m sure you can imagine how crazy those final few weeks were when I returned to America. Normally, the idea of us being jobless and therefore, homeless, would have totally freaked me out. To be honest, it probably would have caused me to go prematurely grey. However, with all of the wedding nonsense going on around me, I actually didn’t even give it much thought (haha). At this point, I put all of my focus on the wedding, and Ryan put his focus on getting us ready to move and finding a new team.
Ryan’s agent spent a few weeks working his magic and it wasn’t long before teams started showing interest and the initial talks about the terms of the contract began. On the morning of our wedding day, I was in the middle of getting ready when Ryan called me. His agent was sitting there with a contract in hand and was waiting on Ryan to approve it. After Ryan and I talked about the offer for approximately 3 minutes, we both just said, “Yup, sounds great!” (haha) and Ryan told his agent he’ll have the signed copy on his desk the following day.
The Season
Right off the bat, Ryan felt great about the team that he was on. He saw a lot of talent in his teammates, thought the team shared a great chemistry and was certain they would all have a good year. When the season began over the summer, they started out very strong, taking home 10 points after their first 4 games (3 wins and 1 tie). The team continued to perform fairly well throughout the entire first half of the year and ended up sitting in 4th place when they entered Christmas break.
The second half of the year also went reasonably well! The team had a little difficulty finding their groove in the beginning, but they still ended strong and finished in 6th place. Personally, Ryan finished the season with 30 games under his belt totaling over 2,500 minutes and scoring 10 goals. As a defensive midfielder, he was incredibly proud of those accomplishments and even more proud of the achievements his team had. Overall, I think most everyone would agree that the team was successful that year and that they were pleased with how the season went. I know…pretty boring, right?!
Ryan’s Experience
Overall, it’s safe to say that Ryan had not been this happy (consistently) until this particular year. I have also never seen him more comfortable or confident in his career. Previously, I had always seen Ryan as two different people: the happy, positive, outgoing, self-assured person he was in his daily life, and then the shy soccer player who battled frustrations, disappointments, and constantly questioned himself. Then, when our season began at Lok Leipzig, on the pitch, he finally became the man that he always was in his everyday life: confident, bold, driven, and always in the world’s best mood.
Whenever we talk about our first year with Lok, Ryan has nothing but great things to say. For the first time in his career, he was truly a consistent player and this helped him so much. Not only so he could improve skill-wise, but also for his mindset. Although Ryan’s team had a strong year, and he personally had a successful season, Ryan’s fondness for the club runs much deeper than that. It’s more than what place the team finished in or how many goals he scored throughout the year. It’s about the great relationship he has with his coaches and the individuals who work at the club, as well as the love he has for every member of his team. Lok Leipzig has been unlike any other club we have been a part of. It’s like one big happy family where everyone respects each other, looks out for one another and is incredibly loyal. Ryan has felt right at home here and feels as if he has truly found his place.
My Thoughts
Looking back on last season, I’m not sure there is one thing that I wished would have turned out differently. I have absolutely zero complaints, criticisms, or things that I would change. It’s funny… when your whole life revolves around your “job”, the experiences that you have at work can make or break how you and your family do personally. And I think that is something Ryan and I face every day. During the first two seasons of his professional career, he certainly had his struggles (as you already know haha) and that caused him to be on a roller coaster mentally and emotionally day in and day out. However, with this past year in Leipzig, professionally Ryan was thriving. He had one of his best seasons yet with virtually no setbacks or major issues. Therefore, emotionally and mentally, he was his absolute best self, which made us as a family thrive as well.
Currently…
As our fourth season in professional soccer just began, I couldn’t be happier knowing that we are here in Leipzig for a second season. Aside from all of the amazing things we experienced in terms of soccer, Leipzig will always be a special place for us. It’s the first place we moved to after we got married, it’s the place where we adopted our Husky, Jax (aka our firstborn haha), it’s the place where Just Kate was born, and it’s the place where we became a true family. We have fallen in love with the city, made good friends, and have really come into our own here as “German residents”.
Not to mention, we are incredibly happy with where we live and just the overall flow of our things at the moment. Ryan is lucky to have a job that feels like a dream, I have been lucky to be able to work from home, and we are both lucky to get more “family time” than most people do. We have the ability to wake up every day and go to the beach or head out for a bike ride with our dog, we can sit out on our terrace in the afternoon playing cards with a cocktail in hand, or we can take day-trips around Germany when Ryan is blessed with an off-day. The small luxuries that come with these careers are something we definitely don’t take for granted! If our lives here in Germany were a book, this past year would have been the turning point in the story. The “ah-ha” moment where we look at each other and say, “This right here…this is why we came to Germany and this is what we struggled for.”
Like I mentioned last week, Lokomotive Leipzig was the light at the end of the tunnel for us, the train that picked us up in the dark and helped us find the light. Coming here brought us both back to life and we are so grateful that we found each other. And by “each other” I mean us and the club (haha). The opportunity to be a part of this organization could not have come at a better time for us and it was a season that will never be forgotten.
Furthermore, I am so thankful that we are here for at least one more season. After all, it’s the first time we’ve stayed with a team longer than a single season, so basically, this is quite the luxury for us (haha). Currently, we are about one month into the 2018/2019 season and we have our fifth game coming up this Sunday, so wish us luck!
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend!
Once again Kate I am amazed and SO SO proud of you.