A Tale of Two Farewells

It was the end of a legacy that started ill-fated from the beginning in 1996.  The first home game of the NY/NJ Metrostars, in front of 46,826 screaming excited fans at Giants Stadium, ended in a last minute defeat on an own goal by their 11-year Italian veteran star, Nicola Caricola.  Since that fateful day, the Ghost of Nicola Caricola has been ever present through the franchise’s 13-year existence.

They had their best ever year during the 2000 season as a shining  new soccer star developed before our eyes when Clint Mathis exploded on the Soccer scene.  Thrilling and brash with a knack for scoring big goals in big games, he made a statement to the NY Fans by unveiling his “I LOVE NY” t-shirt after scoring in LA against his former team, the (pre-Beckham) LA Galaxy.  He finished the 2000 season scoring 13 goals and assisting on 13 others, including a game where he scored a league record 5 goals in Dallas as the Metros defeated the Burn 6-4, clinching the playoffs in the process.  He went on to lead the Metrostars to the Eastern Conference Championship, and they came one victory shy of their first ever visit to the MLS Cup.  After leaving the Metrostars after the 2003 season, he returned to NY, and finished his stint with the Metro/Bulls by setting the team goal scoring record in 2007 with 45 Goals in 110 Games played.

Today, they are known as the New York Red Bulls, and their ill-fated existence hasn’t changed from those early days, just the name.  The highlight of the 2007 season was the first game for David Beckham’s LA Galaxy in front of a crowd of 66,000+ fans at Giants Stadium on August 18, 2007.  The largely pro-Beckham fans were quickly converted as Juan Pablo Angel converted a freekick in the 4th minute.  Beckham setup the Galaxy’s responses in the 6th and 8th minutes, giving them a 2-1 lead.  But, mere minutes before halftime Clint Mathis scored his record breaking 45th goal which tied the game at 2.  The Red Bulls built off the momentum before the half, and their 17 year old phenom, Jozy Altidore scored giving the team a 3-2 lead, and then a 2 goal cushion in the 70th minute, scoring his second.  The Galaxy came right back and tied the score at 4-4, before the Cherubic Assassin scored his second goal 2-minutes from time and sent the fans home ecstatic with a thrilling 5-4 victory.

The 2008 season featured a sub-.500 team backing into the playoffs, and finishing on a run to their first ever MLS Cup appearance, where they lost to fellow Eastern Conference rival, the Columbus Crew 3-1.  Despite the organization’s promoting it as the best season in team history, the strong finish lead by the players just masked the coaching deficiencies which were the demise of the 2009 season…the second worst in team history (1999 was the worst).  The only real bright spot during the Red Bull’s ownership was the signing of Juan Pablo Angel  as their second designated player.  In his first season with the Red Bulls he scored 19 goals, and he went on to become the team’s leading goal scorer setting the standard for Designated Players by letting his play on the field speak louder than any words or promotions off the field.  He beat Clint Mathis’s team scoring record by scoring his 46th goal in 2009. He currently stand at 48 goals scored with 11 assists in only 80 games played, and he’s set to add to his scoring title in 2010 in Red Bull Arena, the team’s new stadium set for debut on March 27, 2010.

The 2009 season ended with the team finishing below .500 and being disqualified from the playoffs weeks before the end of the season, prompting the resignation of Coach Juan Carlos Osorio.  Former Assistant Coach Richie Williams took over and instilled a little pride into the team, and they played better at the end.  But, they still faced the prospect of closing out the season and closing out their tenure at historic Giants Stadium with nothing to play for but pride.  And, they were facing a Toronto FC team needing a win to get in the playoffs.

Red Bull threw a decent party inviting several ex-players to attend their last ever game at the Meadowlands.  And, on October 24, 2009, 21,305 fans came out to bid farewell to both the stadium and the dismal 2009 season in the hopes of starting fresh in a new stadium.  The team gave the fans an exceptional thank you and a proper sendoff to the place of so much disappointment and underachievement by demolishing Toronto FC 5-0 (2 goals scored by the Cherubic Assassin).  It was an inspirational end to a bad season which left every fan in anticipation of the 2010 season.  Bravo!

While on December 27, 2009, a team like the NY Giants with 84 years of history, and whose name is prominently on the stadium, played their last game in the stadium’s 34-year history, needing to win to make the playoffs, and playing a team out of the playoffs, rewarded their vocal and loyal fans by crashing to an embarrassing and utterly insulting 41-9 lose (one of the worst loses in stadium history).  The team played with absolutely no balls or imagination, and don’t deserve to be in the playoffs.  The defense that set foot on that field today is an embarrassment to Giants’ Defenses throughout history.  Totally unacceptable.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Farewell and good riddance to Giants Stadium!

Peace
G