Saturday, August 27, 2011

2006 - US Soccer Hall of Fame


2006.08.23

The US Soccer Hall of Fame was located in Oneonta, New York, 30 minutes from Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
The Hall was established in 1950, with the Hall of Fame and Museum opening in 1999.
The museum featured the Hall of Fame, a library and interactive soccer area...
My boys spent much of our time in the museum in the interactive area, specifically the small indoor field on which kids could play 3v3 games. There were also skills challenges for heading, dribbling, and shooting...
The displays were great with information on all aspects of soccer in the US, with a nice NASL display and a large MLS display featuring all the current teams. Outside the gift shop the first year jerseys of the MLS were on display, I had forgotten how bad they were...


The giant soccer ball bursting through the wall of the museum

The entrance...The hall of fame would close it's doors in 2010 due to financial difficulties...one of the problems was the location, although located 30 minutes from Cooperstown, few baseball fans are going to go the the soccer hall of fame, and their is little else besides the Oneonta minor league baseball team to see, although it is a beautiful area. I am glad we had the opportunity to visit...
In my opinion it should be located next to a current stadium in a busy tourist area (New Jersey, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago...).. Situated next to a stadium it would attract fans attending the games...

NASL display with nice Cosmos jersey

2v2 soccer

Dribbling skills challenge

MLS display

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

2007 - Red Bull


Brian Plotkin
Chicago Fire - MLS (2006-2008)
Columbus Crew - MLS (2008)

Jozy Altidore
US National Team - (2007-
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
Red Bull NY - MLS (2006-2008)
Villareal - Spain (2008-2011)


Dema Koavlenko
Chicago Fire - MLS (1999-2002)
FC St. Pauli - (Germany 2001-2002)
DC United - MLS (2003-2005)
Metalurh Zaporizhzhya - (Ukraine 2006)
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2006-2008)
Real Salt Lake - MLS (2008)
LA Galaxy - MLS (2009-2010)

Bakary Soumare
Mali National Team (2009- )
Chicago Fire - MLS (2007-2009)
US Boulogne - (France 2009- )

Jerrod Laventure
Haitian National Team - (2007- )
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2006-2007)


Elie Ikangu
Red Bull NY - 2006-2007

2007.09.01 - From the pages of Mike's book...after the Red Bulls - Chicago Fire game players from both teams were kind enough to meet with fans at the players entrance to Giants Stadium..

Friday, August 19, 2011

2008 - Red Bull v Houston Dynamo

2008.08.24 - Giants Stadium - NY Red Bull v Houston Dynamo

The Red Bulls played without three starters, but it didn't seem to matter as New York claimed their third victory in a row, and are undefeated in five matches...defeating the Dynamo 3-0...

Juan Pablo Angel and Dane Richards put the Red Bulls up 2 goals before the game was a half hour old, then Mike Magee continued his goalscoring streak on the hour mark.

Angel opened the Red Bull's scoring in the 8th minute, powering a header at the edge of the six-yard box past Dynamo keeper Pat Onstead. Magee passed the ball to Dave van den Bergh, who whipped a cross into the box that led to Angel's sixth goal in six games...

Magee took a long pass from Diego Jiminez, making his first MLS start, and took a touch around Onstead for his fourth goal of the season and third in as many games...

An apparent 85th minute goal by John Wolyniec as called back for an offside infraction....
Dane Richards
Centerfold: Juan Pablo Angel celebrates after scoring on DC United Aug 10 - signed by Angel...

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

2008 - NY Red Bulls autographs


Hunter Freeman
Colorado Rapids - MLS (2005-2006)
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2007-2008)
Toronto FC - MLS (2008)
IK Start - (Norway 2009-2010)
Houston Dynamo - MLS (2011- )


Brian Mullan
US National Team (2004-2007)
LA Galaxy - MLS (2001-2002)
San Jose Earthquakes - MLS (2003-2005)
Houston Dynamo - MLS (2006-2010)
Colorado Rapids - MLS (2010- )


Dwayne De Rosario
Canadian National Team (1998- )
- Concacaf Gold Cup 2002, 2007, 2011
San Jose Earthquakes - MLS (2001-2005)
-MLS Cup - 2001, 2003
- MLS Cup MVP 2001
Houston Dynamo - MLS (2006-2008)
- MLS Cup - 2006, 2007
-MLS Cup MVP 2007
Toronto FC - MLS (2009-2011)
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2011)
DC United - MLS ( 2011- )


Brian Ching
US National Team - (2003- )
-2006 FIFA World Cup
- 2007, 2009 Concacaf Gold cup
Los Angeles Galaxy - MLS (2001)
- US OPen Cup 2001
Seattle Sounders - USL (2001-2002)
San Jose Earthquakes - MLS (2003-2005)
- MLS Cup 2003
- MLS Golden Boot 2004
Houston Dynamo - MLS (2006- )
- MLS Cup 2006, 2007


Sinisa Ubiparipovic
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2007-2010)


Danny Cepero
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2007-2010)
2008.10.18 Red Bulls v Columbus Crew...Cepero starts in his first game in the MLS...in the 83rd minute, Cepero sent an 81-yard free-kick down field. The ball bounced at the top of the 18-yard box and bounced over the Crew keeper Andy Gruenbaum for the Red Bulls 3rd goal of the game..It was the first goal scored by a goal keeper in MLS history...

2008.08.24...Autographs obtained following the Red Bull v Houston Dynamo game at Giants Stadium..quite a surprise to see DeRo and Brian Ching come out to talk with the mix of Red Bull and Dynamo fans at the players entrance...

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

2008 - NY Red Bulls autographs


Diego Jiminez
Tecoman - (Mexico 2004-2005)
Tecos - (Mexico 2005- )
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2008-2009)
Morelia - (Mexico 2011)


Juan Pietravallo
Velez Sarsfield - (Argentina 2000-2002)
Olimpio - (Argentina 2002-2003)
CD Leganes - (Spain 2003)
Gimnasia La Plata (Argentina 2004)
Alteico de Rafaela - (Argentina 2004-2005, 2010- )
Quilmes - (Argentina 2005-2006)
Nueva Chicago - (Argentina 2006-2007)
Belgrano - (Argentina 2007)
Veria - (Greece 2008)
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2008-2009)
Olhanense - (Portugal 2009-2010)


Kevin Goldthwaite
San Jose Earthquakes - MLS (2005)
Houston Dynamo - MLS (2006-2007)
Toronto FC - MLS (2007)
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2007-2010)
Portland Timbers - MLS (2011- )


Geoff Cameron
US National Team (2010- )
Houston Dynamo - MLS (2008- )


Dave van den Bergh
Dutch National Team (2004)
Ajax - (Netherlands 1995-1997)
Rayo Vallecano - (Spain 1997-200)
FC Utrecht - (Netherlands 2000-2006)
Kansas City Wizards - MLS (2006)
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2007-2009)
FC Dallas - MLS (2009)


David Roth
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2008-2009)


Chris Megaloudis
Puerto Rican National Team (2008- )
2010 Caribbean Championships
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2008)
Sevilla FC Puerto Rico - (Puerto Rico 2009-2010)
FK Radnicki Obrenovac - (Serbia 2010)


Michael Palacio
NY Red Bulls - MLS (2008)
FK Radnicki Obrenovac - (Serbia 2009-2010)

2008.08.24...Autographs obtained following the Red Bull v Houston Dynamo game at Giants Stadium...

Monday, August 15, 2011

World Cup USA94 - Upper Deck Cards


Fernando Clavivo - Cle Kooiman

Mike Lapper - Mike Sorber

Peter Vermes - Checklist

Mark Chung - Checklist

Alexi Lalas - Janusz Michallik

Upper Deck produced trading cards for the 1994 World Cup entitled "Contenders", issued in sets that provided text in English/Spanish, English/Japanese, English/German, English/Italian. The sets differed in the number of players profiled from each country such that the English/Spanish version had 28 US members, while the other sets only had 17 US members...
The US/Spanish set
1 Tony Meola
2 Des Armstrong
3 Marcelo Balboa
4 Fernando Clavijo
5 John Doyle
6 Alexi Lalas
7 Thomas Dooley
8 John Harkes
9 Tab Ramos
10 Hugo Perez
11 Cobi Jones
12 Chris Henderson
13 Roy Wegerle
14 Eric Wynalda
15 Cle Kooiman
16 Brad Friedel
17 Ernie Stewart
18 Jeff Agoos
19 Paul Caligiuri
20 Mark Chung
21 Frank Clopas
22 Dominic Kinnear
23 Janusz Michallik
24 Joe-Max Moore
25 Brian Quinn
26 Mike Sorber
27 Peter Vermes
28 Mike Lapper

The US Contenders set (280 base cards) also featured cards of the US Women's National team, Bora's Fantasy Team (Walmart only), World Cup Superstars, Walter Ioos Portraits, Stand Out Performers, Hot Shots, Player of the Year, Road to the Finals, Golden Boots, Future Stars and Honorary Captains - Bill Clinton, Drew Bledsoe, Mickey Mantle, Calbert Cheaney, Dan Marino, Michael Jordan, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Russell Maryland, Joe Montana...

Sunday, August 14, 2011

2001 -O'Neill Peart - NY Metrostars

O'Neill Peart - 2001 NY MetroStars
Played in four international friendlies against FC Falke (Germany), Benefica (Portugal), Flykir (Iceland) and Amica Wronki (Poland)

Friday, August 12, 2011

2004 - MetroStars Autographs

Fabian Taylor
Harbour View (Jamaica  1999-2008, 2011)
MetroStars (MLS 2004)
Notodden FK (Norway 2008-2010)

Jamaican National Team (2000-2007)

Seth Stammler
MetroStars (MLS 2004-2005)
New York Red Bulls (MLS 2006-2010)

2004.04.17 Giants Stadium - Fabian Taylor

2004.05.24 Montclair, NJ Seth Stammler appeared as a guest at the Montclair Soccer Club tournament. Stammler sat at a table under a canopy in the middle of the park by himself. Our team was set up nearby and the boys spent most of their down time hanging out by Stammler, who was very gracious to their requests. One boy had both shoes, shingaurds, jersey (everything he had with him) signed....

2004 - Freddy Adu 1st goal

2011.08.12...It was announced today that Freddy Adu would be coming back to the MLS and the Philadelphia Union...Once hailed as the boy who would be king, Freddy Adu has wandered the European futbol wasteland traveling from Portugal where he played for Benefica, in what appeared to be the acceptance of the American soccer player, to being loaned out to AS Monaco (France), Belenenses (Portugal), Aris (Greece), Caykur Rizespor (Turkey)....Freddy Adu is coming home...

Adu started his storied career with DC United (2004-2006) before moving on to Real Salt Lake (2007). Played for the United States National Teams (U17, U20, U23 and Men's National)...

We all got caught up in what Adu represented. An American player (of Gahnaian descent) who at age 14, would compete in the MLS and show the world that we too could produce world-class players...Adu even had the endorsement of Pele...

After a tough road, Adu comes to Philadelphia with renewed energy and to demonstrate that he is still capable of playing the game at a professional level, at the tender age of 22, an age when many players across the world are still hoping to get their chance...I often wondered if we did Adu a disservice by expecting too much of a young boy, to carry the weight of American soccer on his shoulders...When Adu left for Europe the weight was shifted to Jozy Altidore, and will be shifted to another young player, and another...we all get caught up in the dream, because it is fun to dream, as if we are a part of their lives and careers...

Good Luck Freddy, welcome back...


2004.04.17 MetroStars v DC United, Giants Stadium

14 year-old Freddy Adu scored his first career MLS goal, making him the youngest player to score in an MLS game by almost 2-full years...Adu was born in Ghana and came to the United States at age 8. At age 14 he became one of the youngest players to sign a professional contract in the US, becoming the youngest player to appear in the MLS, April 3, 2004 when DC United faced the San Jose Earthquakes. Adu stayed with DC United until 2006, when he was traded to Real Salt Lake for the 2007 season. Adu signed with Benfica, making his debut with the team in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match.
Adu has been a member of the US National Team since 2006...

The MetroStars would win the game 3-2 behind 2 goals by Fabian Taylor, as the MetroStars would go on to score 3 goals within a 13 minute time period in the second half.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

2005 - Claudio Reyna

2005 Claudio Reyna - Adidas +10 Impossible Is Nothing campaign mini poster (8.5 x 11.5)

The Adidas 2006 World Cup ad campaign in which the best football players recruit teams for a series of football challenges. The football players search for 10 lucky people to play with them against their rivals. +10 is all about team...
The Adidas +10 world map (without Reyna)

Thursday, August 4, 2011

2006 - NY Cosmos autographs


Giorgio Chinaglia
Italian National Team (1972-1974)
1974 World Cup
Massese - Serie A (Italy)
Internapoli - Serie A (Italy)
Lazio - Serie A (Italy)
NY Cosmos - NASL (US)
1981 NASL MVP
193 goals, 213 games
4-time leading scorer
NASL Champions 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982
US Soccer Hall of Fame 2000

Julio Cesar "Romerito" romero
Paraguayan National Team (1979-1986)
Sportivo LuQueno (Paraguay 1977-1980)
NY Cosmos NASL (US 1980-1983)
NASL Champions 1982
MVP, Leading Scorer 1983
Fluminense (Brazil 1984-1989)
Barcelona (Spain 1989)
Puebla (Mexico 1989)
Olympia (Paraguay 1989)

Carlos Alberto Torres
Brazilian National Team (1964-1977)
1970 World Cup Champions
Fluminense (Brazil 1963-1965, 1974-1976)
Campeonato Carioca Champions 1974, 1975
Santos (Brazil 1966-1974)
Flamengo (brazil 1977)
NY Cosmos - NASL (US 1977-1980, 1982)
NASL Champions 1977, 1978, 1982
California Surf - NASL (US 1981)
2003 US Hall of Fame

Hubert Birkenmeier
NY Cosmos 1979-1984
NASL Champions 1980, 1982

Andranik Eskandarian
Iranian National Team (1975-1978)
1978 World Cup
NY Cosmos - NASL (US 1979-1984)
NASL Champions 1980, 1982
NY Cosmos - NASL indoor (US 1984-1985)
NY Express - MISL (US 1986-1987)
NJ Eagles -APSL (US1989-1990)

2006 saw the introduction of the NY Red Bull...Prior to the start of the game, Red Bull management brought out former New York area players...

Before this I had seen a man in the parking lot, long overcoat, hands in pocket, head hung low, just walking alone...I did a double take...it looked like Chinaglia...it was.
We approached and he was gracious in signing the book. Following him a bus had pulled in and several Cosmos players started leaving the bus and heading for the stadium, and we were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time...