Carlyle Foosball Table by American Heritage

You might be aware of the great and glorious game of Foosball (a.k.a. Table Soccer, Table Football and Fussball... yes, Fussball!). A great past time for friends and family alike, Foosball tables bring the fun and excitement of soccer to your basement or game room. The subject of this blog post is the Carlyle Foosball Table by American Heritage, and how I kicked major you-know-what in a recent game between myself and Family Leisure's Web Developer, Josh. But before I give you the play-by-play of our intense game of Table Soccer, let me give you some background/history and rules of the game. First off, according to the all-knowing internet, the concept of Table Football goes back to the 1790's. I couldn't find any verification of this other than one online source, so repeat that fact at your own peril! But several sources indicate the game we now recognize as Foosball was created in 1921 by Evan Dube in the United Kingdom, which he patented in 1923. Also, according to the all mighty internet, an uncle of Dube noticed the game while visiting the U.K., and brought it back to the U.S.A., where he applied for a U.S. patent in 1927. From here, the game evolved into the great table sport we know today... there's even an International Table Soccer Federation! Maybe you're not familiar with the game of Foosball. If not, here a few basic rules recognized worldwide:

1. No spinning the rods; flick or snap your wrists to shoot and pass
2. First to 5 goals wins, but first to 7 or 9 is acceptable
3. Best of 5 or 7 games is typical
4. A goal is a goal, even if you score on yourself
5. Coin flip for the first serve
6. You serve the ball through your team's side hole
7. Team that is scored upon serves next
8. A foosball man must touch the ball before a score can count
9. If the ball flies off the table, the last team scored upon serves
10. Same applies to "Dead Balls" that stop on the board outside the reach of foosball players
11. You can call a time out if you have possession of the ball
12. Never touch live foosballs on the table - you will forfeit the possession to the other team
13. You can have the ball immobile for 15 seconds only -  this means you can't sit on the foosball, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on the opposition

So on to my intense game of Foosball (such a cool name) with Josh. We actually played rock paper scissors for the first possession, which Josh won with a great play of rock to my scissors. (Note to self: Josh always calls rock.) I can tell you the Carlyle table is impressive, with a wood-paneled design that will look great in any game room. So Josh received the first serve, which bounced off a side rail, right into one of my forward's grasp. I tried a shot, which Josh blocked, and quickly returned for a goal. Josh: 1 Conor: 0. I was able to serve next, which helped, for after a few passes I snapped in my first score. Josh: 1 Conor: 1. You know what they say about riding a bike? Well this was the moment where all of my college foosball training came back to me. Those long nights that involved beverages and loud fellow students prepared me for this moment! With several flicks of the wrist, and some great defensive stops, I found myself up 4 to Josh's 1 point. He was desperate, and it showed, sweating and yelling like we were in an intense game on the pitch (that's what they call a soccer field in Europe). When I snapped that final shot in, scoring my ultimate 5th point, Josh deflated, saying nothing as he returned to his desk totally dejected. Hopefully he doesn't hold this victory against me!