The International Fixture

Another symptom

Here's some further evidence of the growing sickness of football obsession. When trying to plan what vacation days to request for 2009, the first things I thought of were not Christmas or Thanksgiving. No, instead, I immediately wondered, "What's the dates of the Champions League final and the UEFA Cup final? I'll definitely need those days off."

For those of you also planning vacation days, the dates are May 27 and May 20, respectively.

- Tom Meagher

Pre-Cup fever

For fans of America's domestic league, tomorrow marks the crescendo of a long and tumultuous season. As I'm sure you already know, the 2008 MLS Cup final will feature the incredibly unlikely matchup of the New York Red Bulls against Supporters' Shield winners the Columbus Crew.

Unlike the last few years, when the same familiar, dominating teams made it to the final, this year's game has the potential to be a classic. The absolutely dreadful form of the Red Bulls could make this a fairy tale kind of a game. If they play smart and with grit and determination, the Red Bulls could pull off an upset that few could have expected even three weeks ago.

I haven't been this excited for an MLS Cup since 2000, when my favorite Kansas City Wizards made it to the final against the Chicago Fire. There will be similarities in these games. The Wizards took a small clutch of supporters with them to RFK Stadium. Despite their best in the league defense, they struggled with firepower, relying on a cherry-picking Scandanavian striker named Miklos Molnar to get their goals. The Chicago Fire that year were an all-around powerhouse and brought a large and loud group of supporters to the game. Similarly, I think we'll see the Red Bulls (whose defense had been shaky until the last couple of playoff matches), will be expected to lose. Columbus officials are promising 1,000 supporters at the Home Depot Center. But with many of the Red Bulls playing their best soccer of the season, I think this game will be closer than anyone guesses.

Who knows how it will turn out? This may be a game that eight years from now we're remembering as one of the most exciting and entertaining in the league's history. That 2000 MLS Cup was a nail-biter. The Fire outshot the Wizards and probably deserved the win. But an opportunistic goal from Molnar and a defense anchored by Tony Meola and Peter Vermes shut out the favorites. And let's think back to the standouts who played in that game and think where they are now. Some of the leaders of American soccer today had their place on the field and on the sidelines. Current U.S. coach Bob Bradley coached the Fire then, relying on Peter Nowak to lead the team on the field, supported by the likes of Carlos Bocanegra, Dema Kovalenko, Ante Razov, Zach Thonrton and DaMarcus Beasley. For the Wizards, Mo Johnston and Preki were the veteran players who, along with Meola and Chris Henderson, pushed the team to victory.

Tomorrow's final, which starts at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, promises to be a thrill for either team's supporters. And regardless of who wins, they can both take heart that after yesterday's state-of-the-league address by Commissioner Don Garber, both squads will be playing international soccer next year in the CONCACAF Champions League.
And as for my Wizards who struggled mightily in the playoffs against the Crew but didn't survive the first round? They'll get a shot against Mexican powerhouse clubs in the fan favorite SuperLiga. So it's not all bad. Unless you support a team that missed the playoffs and both big club competitions. Like David Beckham's LA Galaxy.

So where will you go tomorrow to watch the MLS Cup final?

- Tom Meagher

Is it time to go pro?

I know many New Jersey soccer fans are gearing up for Sunday's MLS Cup, hoping and praying and crossing their fingers that the Red Bulls can pull off the unexpected and win big. Some people will be gorging themselves on watching soccer. Others will brave the elements and head out to their frozen local pitches and get in a good kickaround.

And some hopeful players will go and try out for the Ironmen. The Newark-based Xtreme Soccer League side will hold open tryouts on Saturday at Turf City in Wayne.

The tryouts will start at 7 p.m. If you think you've got the skills (and the $50 fee), you could be the next Tony Meola and play for the Ironmen.

Are you going to go tryout? If so, drop me a comment and let us know how it goes.

-Tom Meagher

The new Cup

Does anyone else find it amusing that for the first time in its 13-year history, the MLS Cup is now, actually, a cup?

The original cup:

The new-er cup we all know and love:

The newest MLS Cup:

- Tom Meagher

From Highlander to Survivor to Newark

I guess not all reality television is bad. There's a nice story in today's Star-Ledger about Ethan Zohn, a former pro soccer player who took his winnings from Survivor and started a non-profit to use soccer to help battle AIDS in Africa.

Before competing on Survivor, Zohn played for Highlanders FC   in Zimbabwe (where, according to Wikipedia, Andrew Shue of the ultra-wholesome and uplifting soccer film Gracie also once played). There, Zohn saw first hand the ravages of AIDS sweeping through Africa.

He spent some of that time playing pickup soccer with local children in the parking lot of a hospital. After the game, he wondered why a group of kids would choose a hospital parking lot to hang out in.

"A nurse told me they were AIDS patients," he said.

So Zohn started Grassroot Soccer United to raise money to fight the disease and raise awareness in Africa. He was also involved in the aforementioned exhibition game in Manhattan a few weeks ago.

The Ledger produced a nice short video on Zohn's stunt of trying to dribble a soccer ball from Boston to DC to raise money for GSU. It's a hoot to see kids dribbling down empty Newark streets. Zohn was joined by members of the NJ Ironmen (which is now apparently part of something called the Xtreme Soccer League).

The story on him and his organization is worth a look when you have a few minutes.

- Tom Meagher

Reppin' the Jerz

If you needed any more evidence as to why The Offside Rules is one of the best blogs on the scene (particularly if you hail from the Garden State or the NYC 'metro' area), I present you this:

the best photo essay on American soccer I've ever seen.

This celebrity soccer match looks like more fun than anyone should be allowed to have on a Thursday afternoon. I hope at least SF made it to Deadly Dragon Sound and picked up some records while he was eating Chipotle and hanging with Meola and the Lalases. What a day.

- Tom Meagher

Sibling rivalry in "The Holy War"

Darren Cooper at The Record delivered a nice story on yesterday's Eastern Christian v. Hawthorne Christian girls fixture. It's a good read about the goalkeeper who gave up five goals and her little sister who played on the opposing team.
These two teams have such a heated rivalry, they call it "The Holy War". And you thought Celtic v. Rangers was bad. Imagine if Artur Boric and Nacho Novo were brothers.

Then early in the second half, it happened. Emily tried a cross that was deflected right back to her, she took one big left-footed crack from the corner of the box and sailed it inside the far post. She smiled and was congratulated by her teammates.

"I will give her credit, it was a good shot," said Liz.

"It was an amazing shot," yelled Emily in a voice that spoke for little sisters everywhere.

It's stories like this that make me wish high school soccer was played year-round.

- Tom Meagher

Best wishes from a legend

This weekend, we went down the Jersey Shore for the first time and stayed with some friends. We got assigned to sleep in our friend's little brother's room. I thought the accommodations were great even before I noticed this little gem sitting in a glass box in the corner.

This is officially the closest I've ever come to seeing Pele or visiting Brazil for that matter. Still, it made my weekend (well, that an Man. Utd's loss at Liverpool that we enjoyed at the very hospitable D'arcy's Tavern).

- Tom Meagher

"It’s just like dancing," he said.

From one of our sister publications: a story on a budding futsal league in North Jersey that plays its own version of the beautiful game.

Throughout history, some of the best soccer players in the world have credited futsal to laying their foundations — Pele, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo are among the many to hail futsal as their teaching base.

Check out the full story in the Hackensack Chronicle to get the skinny on this indoor game.    
If this YouTube video is any indicator, futsal is the game for you if you enjoy endless, ball-hogging and meandering dribbles. Probably best enjoyed during the winter months when some Americans prefer to play inside rather than on a proper pitch.

-Tom Meagher

You've got to start somewhere

While the eyes of most soccer fans around the world are on the latest round of World Cup qualifiers today, for some futbol enthusiasts--particularly American high school students--this time of year has an added significance.

In many parts of the country, high school soccer starts in early September (can anyone tell me why this has traditionally been the case in America? Why not spring?). The Record and Herald News sports staffs have been compiling top 25 lists of the area's best boys and girls soccer squads. The list covers Bergen, Passaic and parts of Morris County (I believe). The best boys team, as chosen by our sage sports scribes, is Ramapo. The best girls are at Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township. Both are Bergen County powerhouses.

But as an added service to readers, the Herald News over the past 10 days has run individual stories on each of the top 10 teams in Passaic County. A couple of Bergen County teams snuck into the list, but if you're curious, here's how they shook out.

Boys Soccer:
1. Clifton
2. Wayne Valley
3. Passaic
4. DePaul
5. Passaic Tech
6. Passaic Valley
7. Wayne Hills
8. West Milford
9. Pompton Lakes
10. Wallington

Girls soccer:
1. Clifton
2. Wayne Valley
3. DePaul
4. Lakeland
5. Wayne Hills
6. Rutherford
7. Eastern Christian
8. Pompton Lakes
9. West Milford
10. Hawthorne

For anyone who has observed Passaic County sports, it should be no surprise that the high school with ties to national team players for three teams in two nations should be the top in the county. With some luck and tenacity, Clifton's girls could also beat even the Immaculate Heart Blue Eagles. The Lady Mustangs will get their shot early, with their season opener will be at IHA on Friday. Think they can pull it off?

As an added bonus question: what three Clifton natives did I refer to in the previous paragraph who have gone on to international success?

How excited are you about local soccer seasons kicking off? Do you really need to watch England versus Croatia when you have DePaul at Wayne Valley Friday night?

- Tom Meagher