One Love: Soccer for Life

[Alberto7]

Just got this book for my birthday so I thought I would share my impressions of it. For those who don't know it, this is the book of photographs by Levon Biss made with the cooperation of UMBRO. The photos all have in common some aspect of soccer, from people playing it to the food vendors at the soccer stadium.These are accompanied by famous soccer quotations. Biss visited some 26 countries and got some amazing shots. He did visit Canada and we are represented by a couple of pictures of U-9 girls teams in Falgarwood Toronto, U-11 boys teams also in Toronto and local football in Pinery Park Toronto. There is also a very cool shot of a couple of Whitecaps players(# 15 and # 20) jumping for the ball in a game against the Atlanta Silverbacks at Dekalb stadium.

The most photographed countries are China, Japan and South Africa. Also a lot of beach soccer and shots from the Homeless World Cup in Sweden. I especially liked the England U-21 team shots. We never see any players, but the team bus and the locker room before the game with all the kits waiting for the players. This is what is great about this book. It shows people of all ages and sizes playing the game. From the beaches of Uruguay to the streets of Moscow. This is not just about the pro game but about the game on all levels.

The only negative thing (if I can call it that) is that since it was made with UMBRO's cooperation, you basically see players and fans only wearing UMBRO kits or playing with UMBRO balls.

Well worth the $39.95 canadian.