Author Archive: PeterLowry
The Lowry Lowdown: My 2012 MLS Best XI and Why
Goalkeeper: Jimmy Nielsen (Sporting Kansas City) the obvious choice. Nielsen and Sporting Kansas City had an incredible 0.79 goals against average and 15 shutouts this season. I remember playing in KC’s old crappy baseball stadium that was so narrow it was more like playing pinball than soccer. But with their new impressive stadium and stingy [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: An inside look at player trades and transfers in football
Let me start off by saying I’ve never been traded. I was expansion-drafted by Portland, which is an entirely different story, but I’ve been almost traded a half dozen times that I know about. Many of my teammates, however, have fallen victim to trades over the years. As a player your primary thoughts and objectives [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: The Truth About Injuries
The question is not if you will get an injury as a professional athlete but rather when and just how severe will it be? The average professional soccer player puts in tens of thousands of hours playing soccer in the streets and parks, on youth teams and as a professional. It takes years of time [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: On Referees, Bad Calls and Mistakes
It’s happened before and it will happen again. Bad calls, missed calls and mistakes on the part of referees are as much a part of the game of soccer as is the ball being round. The officiating of a game can substantially affect outcomes, seasons and jobs of players and coaches alike. I wouldn’t dare [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: The Best MLS Food Cities
One of the benefits to playing a sport competitively is the seemingly endless hunt for proper nourishment. Over the years my passion became the search and consumption of local cuisine as I traveled around the world playing soccer. I use to tell people eating was my hobby and there were certain MLS cities I looked [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: Best XI Soccer Players on Twitter
Everyone loves Twitter and their social media links to the world, but there are times when people need new people to follow. With that in mind here is a list of my favorites for all of you to additionally enjoy. [slideshow auto="undefined" thumbs="on"] Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano): As one of the most followed celebrities on Twitter, [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: On Playing With Cuauhtémoc Blanco
For those of you who weren’t aware, Cuauhtémoc Blanco is perhaps the most recognizable Hispanic athlete in the world. His stardom is on par with the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Oscar De La Hoya. A few years ago when Blanco and I were both with the Chicago Fire, I was able to fully grasp [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: The Wild Story of my First MLS Start
After a seemingly prolific youth career and bountiful collegiate accolades, I found myself vying for a roster spot on a very good Chicago Fire team. With midfielders like Justin Mapp, Chris Rolfe, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Logan Pause, John Thorrington, Patrick Nyarko, Steve King and other hungry young pro’s all vying for starting roles, it was always [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: A Scandalous Portland Timbers Story
We all had reason to celebrate after the Portland Timber’s first MLS home game last season at Jeld-WEN field. The win was a first ever MLS franchise victory and home opening win against my former team the Chicago Fire. It was a momentis occasion for the organization and soccer in Portland. The day after the [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: The 10 Hardest Players I Ever Played Against
There are players you look forward to playing and others you hate to match up against. During my career I have been privileged to play against some of the best competition in the world. Here is a list of the 10 toughest guys I played against and the teams they were on. [slideshow auto="undefined" thumbs="on"] [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: Partying in MLS
Going out and partying as a professional athlete has its perks and its pitfalls. As an athlete your job is your body: what you put into it and how much you can get out of it. We tend to fall into a monotonous routine of eating, sleeping and playing until we get an occasional night [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: MLS WAGS
For those of you who don’t know, WAGS means wives and girlfriends, and you have to be crazy to be one in MLS. Most Major League Soccer players aren’t millionaires. The vast majority of us don’t get paid enough to spoil you like WAGS in Europe, where contracts are guaranteed and wages are much higher. [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: Playing Against David Beckham
One of the most common questions people ask me is if David Beckham is as good as people say he is. My reply is always a resounding, “Yes!” He can put the ball on a freckle from fifty yards away if he wants to. If you upset him, he will take over a game and create more chances [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: Game Day
As a player you really look forward to game days. All week you have practiced, competed, and prepared for this one day. A single 90 minute period in time that can change your career and future for the better or worse. At a professional level as Billy Shankley once famously said “Football isn’t a matter [...]
The Lowry Lowdown: On Road Trips
Travel is an integral part of playing in Major League Soccer. Teams play in 18 major cities ranging from Los Angeles to New England and from Montreal to Houston. Even though teams play all over North America and in almost every major metropolis, the travel isn’t what you might think. On the road we travel [...]
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