The Republic of Ireland national team made a strong impact on soccer in New England in the early 1990s, drawing significant crowds and displaying the form that took the team to a berth in the 1988 European Championship and quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup. [Read more…] about June 8, 1992 – THEY WUZ ROBBED
Spectators for the Boston Breakers’ home-opener at Nickerson Field included Mayor Menino, the Boston Red Sox’ Nomar Garciaparra and Lou Merloni, former New England Patriot John Hannah, plus Olympian Joan Benoit Samuelson. Homare Sawa scored past Tracy Ducar (Lawrence/North Andover) in the 62nd minute for the Atlanta Beat, which would go on to play in the WUSA final before a 21,078 crowd at Foxboro Stadium Aug. 25, 2001. The Breakers finished in sixth place in their first two seasons, then won the 2003 regular-season title under coach Pia Sundhage before the league folded.
Boston Beacons investors included the Celtics’ Red Auerbach and Red Sox general manager Dick O’Connell. The team had hired coach Jack Mansell a year earlier, but had been unable to make player acquisitions until shortly before the start of the 1968 season. On the eve of the opener, team spokesman Joe McKenney said the Beacons were “hoping for 5,000” attendance. Ticket prices ranged from $1 to $4.50. Leigh Montville’s preview in the Boston Globe noted the crowd would include Cardinal Cushing and the governor, John A. Volpe, and the team would provide a pre-game demonstration of the rules of the game. [Read more…] about April 23, 1968 – Boston Beacons 3:0 Detroit Cougars at Fenway Park (Att. 4,406). Beacons’ inaugural home match
Jim Pallotta came from the North End and his partners from Everett and Peabody (NEEP) to begin an ambitious project that has kept AS Roma near the top of Italy’s Serie A. A major part of Pallotta’s goal to vault Roma into soccer’s elite includes building a stadium ( http://www.stadiodellaroma.com/en ) and several hurdles have been cleared in what has been described as potentially the biggest building project in Southern Europe. [Read more…] about April 16, 2011 – NEEP Holdings takes control of AS Roma
Boston ’s entry in the National Professional Soccer League (which became the North American Soccer League) to be called the Boston Beacons … “after consideration of thousands of suggestions from area sports fans.” [Read more…] about April 7, 1967 – Birth of the Boston Beacons
They were talking about a sports stadium in Boston 50 years ago, but finances, logistics and politics got in the way. In the late 1960s, several sites were being considered for a stadium, from Dedham to Dorchester (Neponset Circle) to Readville to Stoughton to Weston. Other possibilities included East Boston; Fenway; Newton (on the Woodland Golf Club grounds); South Boston (in 1946, Mayor Curley pushed a 75,000-capacity stadium for Columbus Park in Southie); South Station (stadium to be built on “stilts”); Walpole; Westwood-Canton; Wilmington. Also proposed were a $5 million expansion of White Stadium; a facility next to a planned “third harbor tunnel,” paid for by tolls; one of the Harbor Islands. [Read more…] about March 14, 1967 – Sox, Patriots Back Stadium; Rival Planners Offer Help
There had been evidence the U.S. could produce high level goal-scorers and goalkeepers in the early part of the century, as Archie Stark (253 goals), Johnny Nelson (223) and Davey Brown (189) became the top three career scorers in the American Soccer League. New Englanders included U.S. national team captain Tommy Florie (126) and U.S. national team stars Bert Patenaude (118) and Billy Gonsalves (92). Lower-profile scorers also were emerging, such as Arnie Oliver and Freddie Wall. On this day, Wall scored twice as Philadelphia FC handed the Providence Gold Bugs their only home defeat of second half of ASL season with a 3-2 decision. Wall, born in Fall River, finished seventh in the ASL with 22 goals in 25 games, also playing for the Newark Skeeters.
“The Phils’ center-forward almost won the game single-handed when he scored two goals and passed to Wardrop a third,” according to The Boston Globe account. For the deciding goal, Wall outmaneuvered Joe Kennaway, who would go on to be Celtic FC’s starting goalkeeper from 1931-39. [Read more…] about Feb. 16, 1929 – Goal-scorers & ‘keepers