Sept. 26, 1965 – Philadelphia Ukrainians 1:2 Boston Tigers, ASL game (Att.: 5,000)
Post by frankdellapa@gmail.com
Jorge Piotti’s 89th-minute goal broke the deadlock as the Boston Tigers defeated the defending ASL champion Ukrainians.
The Tigers started as the Boston Metros in 1964, needing 2,000 average attendance according to club official Gino Carpinteri. The team evolved from the Boston Italia team that played home matches at Malden Stadium and North End Park competing against New England Soccer League clubs such as Cambridge SC, Dorchester Germania/Norwood Kickers, Fall River Sports, Lawrence Hungarians, Madeira Sports (New Bedford), Newton SC, Portuguese Sports, Providence SC, Revere Pines Ramblers, Worcester Scandinavians, et al.
The Metros/Tigers imported talent such as Argentinian Francisco Catroppa, Peruvian Olympian Nestor Caceres, Mexico’s Francisco Di Reda, Hector Fernandez, Sanchez Garcia, Manuel Lopez, Hector Marinaro, Carlos “Topolino” Metidieri, Jorge Miguel, former U.S. national team goalkeeper Henry Noga, Jorge Piotti, future Yale and Boston Minutemen coach Hubert Vogelsinger.
The Umberto Atria-coached team included local players such as Hartford forward Sal Scata and Iran-born Bob Mehrabian; plus Ralph Ciampa; Sal Gulino, Ignazio LoCoco; Sal LoGrasso; Frank and Phil Mirisola; Mario Russo; Ed Zimiti.
Scata made his Tigers debut in a 4-4 draw with New York Inter (preliminary to a Santos-Inter match) at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 5, 1966.
The Tigers lost, 2-0, to Hapoel Petah Tikva at Manning Bowl on Sept. 12, 1965. Hapoel Petah Tikvah had defeated Hartford, 2-1, the day before. Tickets for the Lynn match were available at the Beacon Street law office of GM Dom Russo, according to The Boston Globe. In 1964, the Metros had played host to Liverpool FC at Everett Stadium and Hamburg at Chelsea Memorial Stadium.
Carpinteri had promoted a name the team contest, announcing the Boston Metros on April 4, 1964, and would go on to design the logo for the Boston Minutemen. Carpinteri, from Canicattini Bagni, Sicily, moved to the U.S. in 1948 and worked as an illustrator at the Globe. Former Soccer Hall of Fame historian Sam Foulds told me he believed Carpinteri was probably the best soccer player he had seen in the Boston area from the 1950s on.
TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY