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Soccertown USA documentary


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#1
Metrohoboken

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Great documentary on local NJ soccer roots  SOCCERTOWN, USA

 

https://youtu.be/havPy5C2XIU

 

In the 1870s, Scottish immigrants brought soccer to Kearny, New Jersey. A few years later, they brought it to Brazil. While the game was spreading across Europe and South America, it was being played in the streets, parks, and playgrounds of a small town just across the meadows from New York City... but a world away. And in the 1980s, when the flame of American soccer was flickering, it was three kids from Kearny who helped save it. SOCCERTOWN, USA is the story of Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola, who grew up with a passion for the game in a country that didn’t share it. It’s the story of the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, when these childhood friends formed the backbone of the United States team that willed its way to famous victories and inspired the generations that would come after. But it’s also the story of a town – an American town – in which we can see the past, the present, and the future of the world's game. SOCCERTOWN, USA premiered last year at the Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. The plan this year was to go to some other festivals, then find distribution. World events have… overtaken that plan. Since we can’t travel and show our film – and since there are a lot of people (like us) looking for something to watch right now – we decided to make this “educational cut” available for free. We hope you enjoy it.

 


Bradley Wright-Phillips "I prefer it at Red Bull Arena, but it was OK. I could imagine it being good for a baseball crowd.


#2
Eleazar

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it was good. i think some of those interviewed showed up at RBA when Harkes-y was coaching Cincinnati when they were in USL.

 

lol 


RIP Guillermo Romulo, Alexander Francis Orig, Celenio Eleazar, and my Mom, Resurreccion Eleazar.

 

RIP Cesar Castello, Mike Vallo, Glenn Stampiglia, Bob Paquette, and Warren Lee

 

 

 


#3
sabremike

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it was good. i think some of those interviewed showed up at RBA when Harkes-y was coaching Cincinnati when they were in USL.
 
lol 

Oh I remember THAT game alright...
Let's Go Buffalo!!!

#4
Eleazar

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yeah. very memorable. 


RIP Guillermo Romulo, Alexander Francis Orig, Celenio Eleazar, and my Mom, Resurreccion Eleazar.

 

RIP Cesar Castello, Mike Vallo, Glenn Stampiglia, Bob Paquette, and Warren Lee

 

 

 


#5
cBr

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Does anyone have a link to the shorter doc from espn ? It was similar but not as long IIRC. It may have been made by us soccer or MLS

5 year plan


#6
DHatch

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Does anyone have a link to the shorter doc from espn ? It was similar but not as long IIRC. It may have been made by us soccer or MLS

you got somewhere to go?   :o



#7
ig101

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Wow this was an amazing documentary, thank you for posting it!



#8
Metrohoboken

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finished it last night - really enjoyed it

 

also, if you have not seen it.  30 for 30 The Two Escobars 

About the Columbian player tragically killed after scoring an own goal v US in 94 World Cup

 

http://www.espn.com/...he-two-escobars


Bradley Wright-Phillips "I prefer it at Red Bull Arena, but it was OK. I could imagine it being good for a baseball crowd.


#9
RedBullScouse

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Great to watch...I loved the flashback to a time without soccer moms.   I played on a travelling team in Bergen County the 70's.   We weren't one of those "rich kid" teams they talked about.   We were a mostly blue collar team with the same kind of chip on our shoulder, and were very good, almost dominant, relative to our "rich kid" competition.   Our coach thought it would be a good idea to scrimmage the Scots, who played in a different league.   After 5 minutes, they were  up by 3 and played the rest of the game with 9 or 10 guys, and stuck some field player in goal,  just to keep it interesting.  Pretty sure the final score was double digits for them, and maybe we scored one.


"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Iron Mike

 

Bitch covered my plaid?
The sorrow inside me grows.
I need my plaid pitch.

"It goes without saying that when things don't go your way they just don't go your way. " - JCO

"He can't kick with his left foot, he can't tackle, he can't head the ball and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that, he's all right.”
George Best, on David Beckham


#10
Metrohoboken

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Great to watch...I loved the flashback to a time without soccer moms.   I played on a travelling team in Bergen County the 70's.   We weren't one of those "rich kid" teams they talked about.   We were a mostly blue collar team with the same kind of chip on our shoulder, and were very good, almost dominant, relative to our "rich kid" competition.   Our coach thought it would be a good idea to scrimmage the Scots, who played in a different league.   After 5 minutes, they were  up by 3 and played the rest of the game with 9 or 10 guys, and stuck some field player in goal,  just to keep it interesting.  Pretty sure the final score was double digits for them, and maybe we scored one.

nice!

This may require a thread split 

 

Your reference to time without soccer moms caused me to think - there were plenty of soccer moms at the kearny games - just not prototypical soccer moms.  (not saying the below was done by anyone from Kearny)

 

- What was the most outrageous thing:

 

1) you have seen a soccer Mom do?

 

2) what is one of the crazier things you have seen done on the field?

 

 

 

1) what is one of the crazier things you have seen a soccer Mom do?

Fight broke out and then expanded to others.  A mom (from our team ?) ran into the middle of the field swinging their pocketbook like a mace!!!!!

 

 

2) what is one of the crazier things you have seen done on the field?

 

This might have been the start to the above.

Forward on our team was like Amado Guevara - talented but hot temper.

Weak ankles that defender kept intentional kicking when he was standing in front of him.  He told him you do it again that is it.  Guy kicked him.  He turned around and punched him (maybe bottom of palm) in the nose.  Explosion of blood. 


Bradley Wright-Phillips "I prefer it at Red Bull Arena, but it was OK. I could imagine it being good for a baseball crowd.


#11
Metrohoboken

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should I thread split this before any one posts?


Bradley Wright-Phillips "I prefer it at Red Bull Arena, but it was OK. I could imagine it being good for a baseball crowd.


#12
RedBullScouse

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nice!

This may require a thread split 

 

Your reference to time without soccer moms caused me to think - there were plenty of soccer moms at the kearny games - just not prototypical soccer moms.  (not saying the below was done by anyone from Kearny)

 

- What was the most outrageous thing:

 

1) you have seen a soccer Mom do?

...

My displeasure with soccer moms isn't really about that stuff.   There have always been assholes.  Its about the culture of these kids being coddled, and playing the game because its made so easy for them to, not because they actually love it.    I couldn't imagine ever, for example, going to a game and forgetting my cleats or shin pads and having my mom bring them to me.   That happened all the time with kids I coached.  First off, I would never forget that stuff - my head was thinking about nothing else all day except practice or the game.  My mom didn't even know I was at practice or had a game most of the time.     I went to Pele soccer camp the summer before my freshman year.   My cleats  were worn down pretty bad (hand me downs  to begin with, and I had worn them almost a full year already) and I was slipping all over the place.   The coach told me I needed new cleats or couldn't play.    Did  I call my mom and ask her to buy me a new pair and bring them to me?  Of course not.   I did the right thing and stole a pair off some kid.    This is why our  current World Cup teams suck.  /End old man rant


"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Iron Mike

 

Bitch covered my plaid?
The sorrow inside me grows.
I need my plaid pitch.

"It goes without saying that when things don't go your way they just don't go your way. " - JCO

"He can't kick with his left foot, he can't tackle, he can't head the ball and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that, he's all right.”
George Best, on David Beckham


#13
Metrohoboken

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My displeasure with soccer moms isn't really about that stuff.   There have always been assholes.  Its about the culture of these kids being coddled, and playing the game because its made so easy for them to, not because they actually love it.    I couldn't imagine ever, for example, going to a game and forgetting my cleats or shin pads and having my mom bring them to me.   That happened all the time with kids I coached.  First off, I would never forget that stuff - my head was thinking about nothing else all day except practice or the game.  My mom didn't even know I was at practice or had a game most of the time.     I went to Pele soccer camp the summer before my freshman year.   My cleats  were worn down pretty bad (hand me downs  to begin with, and I had worn them almost a full year already) and I was slipping all over the place.   The coach told me I needed new cleats or couldn't play.    Did  I call my mom and ask her to buy me a new pair and bring them to me?  Of course not.   I did the right thing and stole a pair off some kid.    This is why our  current World Cup teams suck.  /End old man rant

That is a rant!

stole a pair! 

 

Thinking about the game all day - for sure!   Documentary says they were doing the same thing kids self organizing, going to the courts etc.

We did this a bit ourselves but harder when more spreadout.  

 

When coaching a few years ago I read/heard some ideas about starting practice with pick up or end with pick up.  Kids ask - what are the rules.  I told them ITS YOUR GAME - make up the rules but everyone needs to agree.

Kid looked stunned but then like it

 

as far as forgetting cleats and shinguards - 

I kept extra shinguards to give out because I know how it is to be disorganized as a kid. 

But at some point kid needs to learn no shinguards no game.  


Bradley Wright-Phillips "I prefer it at Red Bull Arena, but it was OK. I could imagine it being good for a baseball crowd.


#14
Eleazar

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My displeasure with soccer moms isn't really about that stuff.   There have always been assholes.  Its about the culture of these kids being coddled, and playing the game because its made so easy for them to, not because they actually love it.    I couldn't imagine ever, for example, going to a game and forgetting my cleats or shin pads and having my mom bring them to me.   That happened all the time with kids I coached.  First off, I would never forget that stuff - my head was thinking about nothing else all day except practice or the game.  My mom didn't even know I was at practice or had a game most of the time.     I went to Pele soccer camp the summer before my freshman year.   My cleats  were worn down pretty bad (hand me downs  to begin with, and I had worn them almost a full year already) and I was slipping all over the place.   The coach told me I needed new cleats or couldn't play.    Did  I call my mom and ask her to buy me a new pair and bring them to me?  Of course not.   I did the right thing and stole a pair off some kid.    This is why our  current World Cup teams suck.  /End old man rant

 

 

Truly, you are scouse to the core. lol 


RIP Guillermo Romulo, Alexander Francis Orig, Celenio Eleazar, and my Mom, Resurreccion Eleazar.

 

RIP Cesar Castello, Mike Vallo, Glenn Stampiglia, Bob Paquette, and Warren Lee

 

 

 


#15
DHatch

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Great to watch...I loved the flashback to a time without soccer moms.   I played on a travelling team in Bergen County the 70's.   We weren't one of those "rich kid" teams they talked about.   We were a mostly blue collar team with the same kind of chip on our shoulder, and were very good, almost dominant, relative to our "rich kid" competition.   Our coach thought it would be a good idea to scrimmage the Scots, who played in a different league.   After 5 minutes, they were  up by 3 and played the rest of the game with 9 or 10 guys, and stuck some field player in goal,  just to keep it interesting.  Pretty sure the final score was double digits for them, and maybe we scored one.

I grew up in North Arlington and played for Kearny Thistle in the 70's and 80's.  You probably played us (thistle) and not the scots. The scots were the older (18 and over) club teams as i recall.   Yeah, we did always think those north bergen county teams were the spoiled rich kids, lol.  Wyckoff Torpedoes and i believe Allendale kickers or strikers(?) were 2 of the teams that came to mind.  I believe we played in the "Northern Counties soccer Association"   We always played our indoor tournaments at rockland community college every year too.






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