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

Jr. Red Bulls get the home win

If you're wondering what happened Saturday night, here's the news out of RBHQ:

RED BULLS U17s WIN 3-1 OVER INTER MILAN
 RBNY tops the defending Italian Serie A U17 champions

NEWARK, NJ (Saturday, August 23, 2008) - The Red Bulls U17's hosted the defending Italian Serie A U17 champions Inter Milan on Saturday night at Lubetkin Field on the campus of NJIT.   Dylan Mencia scored the opener and Giorgi Chirgadze netted the final two goals for the Red Bulls in the victory.

"It was definitely a great night to play," said Red Bulls U17 coach Paul O'Donnell. "The boys were very excited playing a top level team and every one of their players could play, but I think tonight we showed on any given day we have quality as well. The boys came to play and they were outstanding tonight. 
I think definitely the mentality going into this game and being focused for 80 minutes, for the full game. I think at times the competition we play is not always Inter, it's not always these top teams from around the world , but if we come focused to games and have the mentality that this is a high level game, a pro level game, it's something we have to take into the next game and continue to take that on as we move forward."

Inter Milan took the early lead in the 23rd minute when Guiseppe Angarano went down the left side and pulled Red Bulls keeper Paul Brandon out of the net inside the box and crossed it to Filippo Fracaro, who hammers the pass into the right side of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Red Bulls Dylan Mencia leveled the score in the 40th minute when he took a pass inside the 18-yard box and fired a curling shot that beat Inter Milan goalkeeper Di Gennaro to the right side in the 40th minute

The Red Bulls took control of the game in the opening minute of the second half as Giorgi Chirgadze scored his first of the match when he left-footed a shot inside the 18-yard box off a high bounce and put it over Inter Milan goalkeeper Di Gennaro into the net to put the Red Bulls up 2-1. Chirgadze scored his second of the match in the 49th minute when he unleashed a laser beam from 30 yards out on the left side and it went through he outstretched hands of the Inter Milan keeper Di Gennaro.

Scoring:
Inter Milan 1-0--1
RBNY 1-2--3       

Summary:
Inter Milan        Filippo Fracarro (Guiseppe Angarano), 23rd minute
RBNY - Mencia, 40th minute
RBNY - Chirgadze, 41st minute
RBNY - Chirgadze, 49th minute

Officials
Referee - Mark Geiger
Assistant Referees - Ryan Doe Reas, Neil Barbulescu
4th Official - Mike Corin
Weather- 75 degrees and clear

- Tom Meagher

Little Nerazzurri come to Newark Saturday

For fans of the Big Grass Snake, from the official Red Bulls propaganda machine, an event tomorrow night in Newark:

RED BULLS U-17'S TO FACE INTER MILAN ON AUGUST 23
 Teams to square off at NJIT IN Newark at 8 PM

 SECAUCUS, NJ (August 18, 2008) - The New York Red Bulls Under-17 team will take on one of the best youth clubs in the world when Italian Serie A powerhouse Inter Milan travels to New Jersey on Saturday, Aug. 23.

The match, which will be held at NJIT in Newark, NJ, is one of two exhibition games for Inter’s youth squad, which captured the 2007-08 Italian Serie A Under-17 championship.  The Allievi Nazionali (which means "Junior Nationals") will play the Red Bulls on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 8:00 p.m.  Admission to the event is free.

"Although we are still in the process of selecting a squad for next year’s US Development Team, we feel the opportunity to test our players against the Italian U17 champions, Inter Milan, will be a valuable experience for our players and coaching staff,” stated Bob Montgomery, Red Bull New York Director of Youth Programs.

"Inter Village", the main event of Inter Milan’s trip to the United States, will take place August 23-24 in New York City and will give young players an opportunity to learn directly from youth coaches from the Italian champions. The event will be held at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village, NY and features games, clinics, and free Inter Milan merchandise.

The event details are being coordinated by Inter Club Facchetti of New Jersey, a newly-formed group of fans of Inter Milan in the Garden State. Aldo Tripicchio founded it this past January and is currently the club’s president. They had their inaugural dinner in February, and have high hopes for the success for the group, as well as helping Inter continue to create a strong presence in the United States.

Inter Milan’s Allievi Nazionali not only boasts last season’s Serie A championship, but they have one of their own making a name for himself at the next level. Mario Balotelli ("Super Mario") is one of the top young prospects in the world, and at the age of 17, made his debut with Inter’s senior side last season. He scored two goals in league play and added four more in the Coppa Italia, and is expected to make earn his first cap with the Italian national team after he turns 18 years old.

Inter Milan (officially named "F.C. Internazionale Milano") is one of the premier clubs in world soccer, having won 16 Serie A championships, two European Cups (1963-64, 1964-65) and three UEFA Cup titles (1990-91, 1993-94, 1997-98). Millions of their fans around the world have witnessed the club making history over the last three years as they have captured three consecutive league championships for the first time in their 101-year history. In the upcoming 2008-09 season, Inter fans will continue to have high standards with former Chelsea F.C. (English Premier League) manager Jose Mourinho in charge of the club.

If you make it to the game, take a couple of snapshots and let us know how it goes.

- Tom Meagher

"We don't have power as a community yet."

In today's Herald News, Passaic city reporter Karen Keller has a story about what's become a familiar scenario for densely-populated towns with growing legions of soccer fanatics:

The city has one dedicated soccer field, at Dundee Island Park, and it's not regulation size, he said. The stadium near Route 21 and Aycrigg Avenue is large enough but can't be used for soccer matches in the fall because of football season, he said.

Meanwhile, officials of the 3.1-square-mile city say they recognize the soccer-field problem and are telling the coaches to be patient.

So this league with 12 teams and more than 200 kids has to scramble to find appropriate fields, often carpooling to other towns to find space. It's a similar scenario to one faced in Paterson as well.
The sport is growing, demographics are changing but there's only so much space.

In a country where we're dying for soccer infrastructure to develop our players, how do we make the next step to convince our cities and recreation leagues that proper facilities are desperately needed and not just a niche sport like cricket? What's the best way to make the argument?

- Tom Meagher

Behind the scenes for Barcelona

I wasn't going to go, but at the last minute, the spirit moved me, and I braved the traffic to see the Red Bulls/FC Barcelona match Wednesday night. Here's a few highlights:

Children in Barcelona kits queue up to march onto the field at Giants Stadium during pre-game goodwill ceremonies.

 

 

More photos and news after the jump....My apologies for the layout. I'm tired of wrasslin' with it.

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The Garden State: America's soccer incubator

Even with North Jersey's much-discussed diversity and its legacy of standout players (Reyna, Meola, Ramos, Rossi, etc., etc.), sometimes its long history as a bastion of soccer gets forgotten. Thanks to The Global Game blog and an article in the New York Times, we can get a glimpse at the sports' deep roots here.

New Jersey boasts its own self-contained soccer culture in West Hudson, the western section of Hudson County between Newark International Airport and the Meadowlands, an urban island bounded by the Passaic River and New Jersey Turnpike. Tellingly, the small collection of bedroom communities now fully absorbed in the New York conurbation lies just eight miles northwest of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which processed more than 12 million immigrant arrivals between 1892 and 1954. Extending the pocket, which centers on Kearny, 10 miles to the north brings Paterson, the “Silk City,” into the picture. An even shorter jog to the south includes Harrison, where construction on Red Bull Parkstarted earlier this year, and Newark.

I knew the broad strokes of John Turnbull's story, but it included a number of historical nuggets that were new to me. For instance, did you know that Paterson FC not only had two appearances in the U.S. Open Cup final, but that it took the trophy in '23?

For anyone even vaguely interested in either America's soccer origins or North Jersey history in general, the article is worth a read. It is also

And the links are worth taking the time to explore at your leisure, including a chapter on Paterson's 21st Avenue from an oral history from about 10 years ago conducted for a project for the Library of Congress.

It also has a link to a delightful YouTube video of the Sport Clube Portugues and Newark's Portugese Ironbound district. Check it out and let me know: what are some of the tidbits of Jersey soccer lore that are worth reminding ourselves of?

- Tom Meagher