2011 Upper Deck MLS

Over the past three decades, I've played basketball, football, baseball, tennis, volleyball, handball, racquetball, and even a little teatherball.  I've bowled, golfed, and messed around with a bow & arrow.

But the one thing I've never played is the most popular sport in the world: soccer. 

As a kid, I had zero interest in the sport, because I thought you had to run too much.  And while my friends played in adult soccer leagues, I was playing FIFA on the Sega Genesis, N64, and the PlayStation systems.

So today's $64,000 question is... why am I busting a pack of soccer cards?  It's simple... I really... really... really want an Alex Morgan card.

My first thought was to grab one off of eBay, but her cards were selling in the $5 to $10 range after her popularity peaked when Team USA took home the gold medal at the Summer Olympics.

That's when I decided to pull the trigger and buy a box of 36 packs (6 cards per pack) for $25 delivered.  It's been awhile since I've posted on this site, so I decided to save the first pack out of the box for all of you.  Here's what I pulled:

#24 Drew Moor

#82 David Beckham

#164 Nick LaBrocca

#183 C.J. Sapong

#89 Michael Stephens

#149 Fredy Montero

Unfortunately, I didn't pull the Morgan... but at least I recognized one name in the pack. Mr. Beckham is one of the biggest names in the game. Or at least I think he is. Either way, he's married to one of the Spice Girls.

FYI: A few packs later... I pulled this:

#198 Alex Morgan

I know what you're thinking... what's so great about her?  Well... have you seen her Sports Illustrated body paint photos?  Here's one to grab your attention:

Not bad right?  Plus it doesn't hurt that she attended and played four years at UC Berkeley.

Oh... one more thing.  Kudos to Upper Deck for their great collation and amazing base card design.  When I was finished with all 36 packs, I was sitting with a complete, 200 card set in front of me.

I've been a Topps guy my whole life, but I've got to admit the hobby isn't the same without Upper Deck and their MLB, NFL, or NBA licenses.

Happy Sunday and sayonara!