Yeah, Yeah, Another Soccer Post

I know in my previous post, I mentioned that I had bought a 2016 Topps Baseball Blaster and that I'd post about that box. Well, it wasn't an exciting box. I did get a few Mets, which were nice, but as for the hits, I ended up getting rid of several of them before I even had a chance to scan them.

This concludes the baseball portion of this post. Soccer fans, you're going to love this, especially if you're a Chelsea fan.

So, last night was the second day of the 2016 Suncoast Invitational, a pre-season tournament hosted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies, featuring six Major League Soccer teams.

It was a double header that started at 4pm. The first game was between D.C. United v. Philadelphia Union. The match I was looking forward to was the nightcap, New York City FC v. Montreal Impact. Each of those clubs featured my 2 favorite soccer players, who also happened to play for my favorite team, Chelsea FC in the English Premier League.

When I started actively following Chelsea 10 years ago, I was immediately drawn to Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard as my favorites on the team. While I love watching them on TV each week, I never dreamed that I'd see the club play in person. That still hasn't happened, but last night I was able to see Lampard and Drogba in person on opposing teams. Unfortunately, neither of them played, but it was still a thrill to see them.

If you know anything about me, then you'd know some scanned autographs are to be expected. I will not disappoint.

I got to meet Didier Drogba first as he arrived to the stadium. When I ordered a card of him to get signed, I made sure to find one of him in a Chelsea kit. When the card arrived, I had no idea that it would be in Japanese. It's also slightly smaller than a standard card. No big deal, I think it's a nice looking card, especially since it is now signed.

Here's the back of the card.

I have no idea what the serial code is for.

Unknowingly, a security guard captured the moment that I met Drogba with his cell phone. He told me he did it and then asked for my number so that he could text it to me.

Inside the stadium, I spotted Frank Lampard signing autographs for many fans. I managed to squeeze myself in a tight spot and get Frank's attention.

I have already updated my Daily Autograph site, which these cards will not be posted until April of 2018.

I was amazed when I saw those preview pages. I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to have both of these Chelsea legends autographs in my collection.

There's no way I could top this day. I joked last night to a fellow collector that I could retire from collecting after the success I just had. By the way, those weren't the only autographs I got last night, but I'll save those for my website...in April 2018.