NEW YORK RED BULLS (Red Bull Arena)

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, NEW YORK RED BULLS 4-3 REAL SALT LAKE CITY, ATTENDANCE: 18,604

Season 2013/14 began competitively with a game 3,000 miles away from home. The seeds of this trip were sown last Christmas when, after watching Everton succumb to a goal from Fat Frank, resulting in a home defeat by Chelsea, my friend and I sat in the pub discussing potential January reinforcements.

She questioned the possibility of Tim Cahill, who had recently left, returning on loan for 10 games like Landon Donovan did a couple of years back. I thought it very unlikely and said the only way we would ever see Tim Cahill play again is if we went and watched him play for the New York Red Bulls.

There was a pause, we looked at each other and you could see the respective cartoon light bulbs begin to flash. Game on.

The Major League Soccer announced their fixtures in January so flights and hotel were booked and it was off to the 'Big Apple'

Since the World Cup in 1994, football, sorry soccer, has grown in popularity but is still lacks behind the major American sports, though a recent ESPN survey did rank soccer as the 2nd most popular sport with 12-24 year olds. This could possibly down to the influx of Latin American migrants, where Soccer obviously rules.

The MLS began in 1996 and currently has 19 teams and the average attendance is around the 18,000 mark indeed the crowd tonight was just over that figure but if you compare that to the Baseball, where we were last night, that crowd was around 44,000.

I remember watching soccer in the USA in it's early days when I was a student, staggering in around 3am in the morning, and used to find it funny at some of the names I was watching, such as Mo Johnston and Preki, both ex-Everton, both not the best players ever to pull on a blue shirt.

However things took a turn for the better with the arrival of David Beckham in 2007 and since then, coupled with the USA national teams having some great runs in the World Cup, the MLS is no longer the footballers graveyard it was once perceived as. Big names such as Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane and the aforementioned Cahill now ply their trade in the USA.

So it was Tim that effectively brought us to the purpose built Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. It was a 20 minute or so train journey out of Manhattan to Newark, which was $5 each way, and a free bus was laid on to take you from Newark station to the ground.

The ground is a typical new build stadium, built in the middle of nowhere, and there is very little in the surrounding area. Our pre-match drinking took place in a bar on Newark station, where the barmaid was impressed by my selection of 80's indie music on the jukebox. She particularly enjoyed The Smiths, so there!!

Tim Cahill

It took just 11 minutes to see what we had seen him do on numerous occasions for Everton, when Tim Cahill ghosted in to score a trademark header, from a Thierry Henry cross.

Fabian Espindola scored a cheeky penalty when he chipped the ball over the diving 'keeper to give the Red Bulls a 2-0 lead.

The Red Bulls really should have extended their lead with a few other decent chances but on the stroke of half time they conceded a penalty, duly converted by Alvaro Saborio (right).

It was Saborio who then took the game by the scruff of it's neck by scoring two further goals in the second half to complete his hat-trick and give Salt Lake a 3-2 lead with just 8 minutes to go.

However the homesters were not to be denied and Espindola scored his second penalty in the 89th minute to level things up. A draw seemed a fair result but The Red Bulls were not finished and Dax McCarty scored a diving header in the fourth minute of stoppage time to take all three points in dramatic fashion.

Espindola scores with a
cheeky chip

My first (and probably last) taste of MLS 'soccer' was an enjoyable experience. Although the pace and intensity was not there, the standard of play was surprisingly good. It was great to see Tim Cahill play again and even better to see him bag a goal.

Cahill was always superb in a royal blue Everton shirt and gave nothing less than 100% every game. Time waits for no man, but It was a genuinely sad day when he left last summer. He will always be one of my all time favourite Everton players.

After a visit to Salzburg and now New York, I think the "Red Bull hat-trick" will be completed at Leipzig at some future point. I think their clubs in Ghana and Brazil may be somewhat out of the question for now!!!

                         

                

POLLOK (League Champions Cup Final 2013 @ Newlandsfield Park)

POLLOK - LEAGUE CHAMPIONS CUP FINAL, HURLFORD UNITED 0-3 AUCHINLECK TALBOT, ATTENDANCE: 783

Season 2012/13 finally concluded with one last trip to Scotland. Glasgow was today's destination as Hurlford United took on Auchinleck Talbot in the League Champions Cup Final at Pollok.

As is usually the case for most of the cup finals in the West Region, Newlandsfield Park was the choice of venue for the final.

The ground is situated adjacent to Pollokshaws East train station and is more or less landlocked by flats and a supermarket.

The ground is yet another fine example of a Scottish Junior ground. Opened in 1928, Newlandsfield Park has a capacity of 4,000 and the large stand can hold up 1,500. The social club is outside the ground but I chose the 5 minute walk to the local Wetherspoon's for my pre-match beverage.

The format of the competition has changed where before it was the West Region's Cup Winners and League Champions, it is now just the Champions. Today pitted the Super League Premier Champions (Auchinleck) against the Super League First Division Champions, (Hurlford). Today was the first all Ayrshire final since clubs from Ayr were admitted into the competition in 2002.



Hurlford provide a guard of honour for
2013 Junior Cup Winners Auchinleck



Auchinleck came into the game fresh from winning Scottish Junior Football's top prize, the Junior Cup itself, after beating Linlithgow Rose 1-0 at Livingston last Sunday.

It would be a big ask for Hurlford United for to win today and so it proved as they were comprehensively outclassed by Auchinleck, who gave the impression of of team that did really have to go through the gears to win the match and trophy.

Two first half goals from Ray Montgomery (22 & 27) put the 'Bot in control. Any hopes Hurlford had of a comeback were dashed on 55 minutes John Craig was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge. An own goal 11 minutes from time sealed the win for the Beechwood Park men.

An enjoyable finale to season 2012/13, spent in very good company, even if the game was a little anti-climatic.

   



2013 Evening Times Cup Winners - Auchinleck Talbot



In a shock move I've claimed my seat back and returned to the fold at Goodison Park for Roberto Martinez's debut season, so this is going to curtail my groundhopping a little.

It's goodbye for now, Thanks for reading.

Chris :)

LESMAHAGOW JUNIORS (Craighead Park)

WEST OF SCOTLAND REGION CENTRAL DISTRICT DIVISION ONE , LESMAHAGOW JUNIORS 4-1 DUNIPACE JUNIORS, ATTENDANCE: 284



Nae Paper!

Another weekend, another trip North!

I was part of a travelling party of four Groundhoppers heading to Scotland. Before we set off we took a vote as to our destination, the options being either Larkhall Thistle or Lesmahagow Juniors. The vote on the latter was carried unanimously.

Both games were a straight shoot out for the runners-up spot, behind Greenock Juniors, and the promotion to the West Superleague First Division that went with it.

Lesmahagow held the upper hand in the sense that if they did the business then it would not matter what Larkhall did. If the 'Gow drew or lost then it was up to Thistle to take advantage.

After a "pit stop" in the Wetherspoons in Lanark, we made it to the ground in good time despite the postcode that was given on most channels being wrong (the ground is actually about a mile down the road).

Craighead Park is simply one of best grounds I have been to this season. From the main road you walk down into this glorious amphitheatre....

The covered stand was full of local youths adding to the atmosphere with a large flag and a loudspeaker, not unlike what you get in the Bundesliga.

Dunipace started the brightest and probably shaded the opening period. A Craig Reade penalty (pictured left) gave the visitors the lead after 28 minutes, which they held onto until the break.

News filtered through that Larkhall were winning, which meant as it stood it would be them who were promoted. That must have made Robert Irving's half time team talk pretty straight forward.

Whatever was said did the trick. John Logan (47) and Kris Jarvie (57) put the homesters in front and after that the result was never in doubt. Jarvie bagged his second with five minutes remaining to get the party started before a Colin Boylan penalty (87, pictured right) sparked wild celebrations.

There was a pitch invasion at the climax of the game as fans and players celebrated as one. Someone even let off a smoke bomb, which seem to be de rigueur at games these days.

Another top day in Scotland and I managed to maintain my reputation for "eating all the pies" as I bagged the last pie at Half Time!!!



The Lesmahagow players celebrate their promotion





 



GLENAFTON ATHLETIC (Loch Park)

WEST OF SCOTLAND CUP SEMI-FINAL, GLENAFTON ATHLETIC 3-2 ARTHURLIE, ATTENDANCE: 281

As seems to be the norm, the last few weeks of the season can be stretched out with visits North of the Border, as the Junior season complete their usual backlog of fixtures. This year is no exception and, with fixtures scheduled for the next three Saturday's, season 2012/13 can safely be extended into June.

Today was a trip to New Cumnock, in Ayrshire, recently 'voted' as Scotland's most dismal town http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-21955916 though I found the views around this former mining town rather pleasant in the late May sunshine.

Formed in 1930, the club played on a colliery pitch until moving to the purpose built Loch Park in 1960. The ground is situated on land close to where the "Afton Water flows gently" into the River Nith.

The ground is just off the main road in the town and has a large main stand and rest is terracing, though most of this is overgrown, giving a sense of age to what is not, in football terms, a very old ground.

Both Glenafton and Arthurlie compete in the West of Scotland Superleague Premier Division, finishing the season in 4th and 6th place respectively. Three points separated the teams in the final table and Arthurlie won the league encounter at Loch Park back in September.

However Glenafton were not to be denied today and they won through to the final by the odd goal in five, despite playing the second half with 10 men.

Glenafton took control from the kick off and Ryan Millar gave the homesters the lead after six minutes before Ross Robertson doubled their lead after 12.

James Marks headed home after 42 minutes to halve the deficit, then right on the stroke of half time Jack Steele was given a straight red card for a challenge on 'Lie goalkeeper Kevin Macklin.

As expected with a  man advantage, Arthurlie came out for the second half all guns blazing and it was no surprise when Stephen McKeown equalised after 55 minutes. However rather than being the catalyst for a 'Lie victory the game swung back in favour of Glens and they created the better chances. With ten minutes remaining Gus Cochrane blasted home to book Glenafton's place in the final.

With "pit stops" in Dumfries and Auldgirth, it was a great day out, spent in great company.