USA & Canada September 2011

A ten day trip to the USA and Canada to see three football matches, one NFL game in Miami and five baseball games.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1 Atlanta Silverbacks 1.

The last home game for the Strikers in the regular season.

On a warm but breezy Florida evening a decent crowd, given as 4,688, assembled at the Lockhart stadium to see the Strikers confirm their place in the NASL (2nd level) play-offs.

The Silverbacks had long since given up any hope of making them being rock bottom for a while.

Although they did look in better shape than when I watched them back in June.
Particularly Nicholas Colaluca who scored their goal with a great run and shot in off the post.

That was in the last minute and it gave the Silverbacks the lead but straight afterwards sub. Garrado crossed for Shriver to slide in the equaliser.

Before all that the Strikers had passed the ball better and created chances - all missed.
In the second half it had been a more even contest culminating in the action in the last few minutes.

The attendance was boosted by a large number of kids who also spent time in the fan park across the road from the ground.

The stadium itself, also home to the old version of the Strikers, comprises lots of open seating of a semi-permanent style.
For this game only one side and one end was open for the fans.

Miami Dolphins 13 Houston Texans 23.

My first ever live NFL game, at the Sun Life stadium in Miami.

I sat next to Bill - I knew his name because the lady who I bought the ticket off (outside the stadium - $50 for a $87 ticket) had told me I would sitting next to him.
Bill helped with some of the nuances and I felt able to appreciate the importance of ‘defense’.

As it turned out the Texans were better at that, and also in attack.

But for a while the home team, under pressure having lost their first game, kept the score fairly close.
They were helped by over 100yds rushing by Daniel Thomas (you could see why these running backs only last about 5 years in the sport)

Then in the final quarter the Texans ran down the clock and easily held on for the win.

By then most of the crowd had left - to negotiate their way past the hundreds of tailgaters.

Overall the experience was certainly noisier than a typical baseball game, with a far larger crowd (51,000) and more razzmatazz.

However the sport itself doesn’t flow as well due to the frequent stoppages.
And sometimes its not easy to see the play partly due to the mass of forwards and also due to the large numbers of people along the sidelines.

Though I might plan to see a few more games it didn’t make me want to watch much live NFL.
Although the college games, also given plenty of prominence on TV, probably offer a better experience, atmosphere and larger crowds.

I’d managed to find somewhere to park outside of the expensive regulated places and fortunately my car hadn’t been towed away when I returned over 3 hours later.
I then found my way back up the I-95 to Fort Lauderdale for some fish & chips plus a frozen margarita in Champps.

In a parallel universe you could see yourself enjoying a Fort Lauderdale lifestyle... the yachts, the
surroundings and the sunshine.

The weather, despite the usual slight possibility of thunderstorms had stayed warm and dry.

Florida Marlins 6 Atlanta Braves 5.

Back to the Sun Life for some baseball and there was quite a transformation as the stadium was
orientated for another sport and there is far less people around.

The official attendance of over 20,000 meant there must been about 10,000 hiding somewhere nearby.

The good news for the fans is that the Marlins will have a new state-of-the-art baseball specific stadium ready for next season.
And it will have a retractable roof - which would have been handy on this evening when the rain started to fall later in the game.
However they played on, perhaps this being Florida they knew it wouldn’t last long (it didn’t)

Though there weren’t many fans to see the actual game it had a dramatic conclusion and
a good number of home runs including two by Stanton of the Marlins.

The Braves had overtaken the Marlins lead when scoring 4 runs in the seventh and it looked like they would prevail.

But with two men out in the bottom of the ninth the home side were about to lose when a Braves fielder failed to hold a drive allowing a runner to get to first base.

Then Omar Infante smashed a two run walk-off homer for the 6-5 win.

The result dented the Braves chances of making a Wild Card spot despite being very well positioned.

At least this time there was not much traffic to negotiate as I drove back to my hotel near to Miami airport.

From Miami via Charlotte to Toronto.

Toronto 1 Tauro (Panama) 0.

Just one goal - a brave header from Dutch striker Danny Koevermans - decided the outcome of this Concacaf Champions League group game.

Toronto had Torsten Frings as sweeper and they edged the first half although the smaller visitors showed better passing skills in the second period, without creating too much.

The BMO field is part of the Toronto exhibition complex and the stadium, open medium sized seating, offers excellent views of the city skyline.

The home ultras amongst the 10,000 mainly congregated at the right hand end whilst there was a handful of away fans including a bull mascot.

I took the streetcar back to my hotel in the Spadina area.

Toronto Blue Jays 2 LA Angels 7.

Back to baseball and a visit to the Toronto Skydome (or Rogers Centre)

The roof was closed to keep out the rain from the 15,000 fans inside.
By chance I sat in the non-drinking section (preferable to the all-you-can-eat area) up on the cheaper 5th level.

The Angels went ahead and added runs at regular intervals with only a single HR and a late run as replies.
The visiting pitcher, Haren, threw for 8 innings before getting hit by a drive.
He had done enough to secure the win.

Subway back to my hotel via 7-Eleven for some beer and nuts.

I would definitely look back on Toronto as a place to re-visit with its vibrant city centre, vast range of restaurants and impressive Royal Ontario Museum, in which I spent about 3 hours prior to the ballgame.

Cleveland Indians 11 Chicago White Sox 2.

Not too far away across the Great Lakes is Cleveland.

Where in the afternoon I visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Like many people I was dismayed that some of my musical favourites (e.g Capt Beefheart and Arthur Lee of Love) hadn’t made it onto the list of inductees.
But you can’t deny the experience provoked spine tingling memories of music from the last 50 years for this visitor.

Meanwhile in the evening I watched the ‘Tribe’ hit two quick home runs only to be pegged back by the White Sox in the fifth.
But after that they dominated with Cabrera scoring a three-run homer and Travis Hafner making his 1,000 hit.

The Indians inner-city stadium is in the newer style with dark green seats and great views of downtown Cleveland. Nearby is the Browns NFL stadium.

Pittsburgh Pirates 4 Cincinnati Reds 3.

I took the Greyhound to Pittsburgh passing through some fairly depressed areas (e.g Youngstown) during the three and a half hour journey.

This time it proved difficult to get a reasonably priced downtown hotel so I ended up at the airport and commuted to the ballgame from there.
At least they have an impressive dedicated bus lane for most of the route.

Despite a morning of persistent rain the weather relented for an enjoyable evening of baseball in the PNC Park, another centrally located stadium.

Prior to the game I indulged in scallops wrapped in bacon washed down with a couple of pints in a bar near the ground.

In the game the Pirates went ahead but the Reds (who had a decent number of fans) fought back and it stayed close.

The drama came in the ninth when, with the bases loaded the Pirates pitcher hit the batter and the Reds got the tieing run.

But with the tension being cranked up by the playing of Keira Knightley’s speech from one of the ‘Pirates’ films the fans waved their (free) t-shirts and raised the black Pirate flags.

And as it should be in American sport pinch hitter Ryan Ludwick hit the walk-off single and we had the textbook rousing finish.

Via Charlotte to Tampa.

Tampa Bay 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 0.

The last match in the regular NASL season for these two teams.

It was mostly a case of positioning for the play-offs (6 of the 8 teams made it so getting through was hardly too onerous) and some Florida pride.

Tampa Bay FC play at the Al Lang stadium (or Progress Energy Park), a small baseball stadium in St Petersburg.
Don’t expect a great view as the only stand is wrapped around one end and part of a side.

The crowd was typically well filled with kids and a small group of ‘ultras’ from either side.

They saw the home side take charge following the sending off Puerto Rican Arrieta after an over-the-top tackle.
Two second half goals sealed the victory.

Fort Lauderdale at times showed good passing but they were generally second best.

Tampa Bay Rays 5 Toronto Blue Jays 2.

Also in St Petersburg Tropicana Field (another enclosed dome) hosted the Rays in their quest to qualify for a Wild Card place in the American League.

The Rays had at one time been nine games behind Boston in that race but now they were closing in on an unlikely qualification.

And it was a great start for the home side with two quick home runs including one inside the ballpark after a Jays fielder collided with the backboards.

Although the visitors got two runs back Tampa went further in front with another homer and as Boston were losing the home fans had plenty to celebrate.

And it subsequently transpired that Tampa would make it to the Wild Card place with a late win against the Yankees (after being 7-0 down), as the Rod Sox went down to the Orioles on the night of the 162nd games.

Afterwards I headed back to my hotel, had a couple of beers and some food in a Hooters-like restaurant whilst watching some NFL, before having a welcome early night.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/913458241

Ukraine September 2011

This was a long weekend trip to the Ukraine to see two games including a visit to Dynamo Kiev for their league game against Illychivets.

Vorskla Poltava 3 Chornomorets 1.

The Vorskla stadium is in the older style with a track, curved ends and an array of open seating.

The turnout on this Saturday afternoon was moderate, 4000, on a cool but thankfully dry day.

They saw the home side take their time to get going.
But when the away goalie was sent off for bringing down a home player it became easier.

Albanian Januzi headed in from a corner and Vorskla added two more in the second half including a nice left shot from Rebenok.
The team from Odessa just had a late consolation.

Overall the local team, who have progressed to the group stage of the Europa League this season, had a comfortable win.
Their strength seemed to be more as a counter attacking team.

Poltava itself, a four hour train ride east from Kiev, probably doesn’t detain tourists for too long although the vodka at around 40p a shot is great value.
And there is an excellent hotel (the Palazzo) to take care of visitors, who included the Chornomorets players.

Dynamo Kiev 3 Illychivets 1.

Local hero Andrei Shevchenko came on for the last half hour of this one and soon got the crowd chanting ‘Sheva’ ‘Sheva’.
He looked in good shape and showed some of those skills from the past, especially when dribbling past a couple of defenders to set up a cross that just eluded an incoming forward.

Not that Dynamo really needed much help as they had scored early on, added a second, and got the benefit of a bizarre own goal by Butko.
The Dynamo goalie even gifted the visitors their consolation when he contrived to miss a long shot from Kozhanov.

The home side, backed by three groups of ultras, were easy on the eye showing attractive passing skills and a sharpness and quality that always looked too much for Illychivets.
Even so the away side, backed by about 50 fans, did have a good chance near the end of the first period, with the score at 1-0, but this time Shovkovskiy’s legs saved the shot.

The Valery Lobanovsky is another uncovered stadium but in a location both centrally located and neatly surrounded by trees making it feel cosier than many.
There is also a nice gateway entrance and a statue of the great coach on the way to the stadium itself.

On this Sunday evening walking back through the main Kreshchatyk street the area was mostly sealed off from traffic leaving space for the strolling public to enjoy the street entertainment and the colourful lights of this historic city.

This being Ukraine further down the street were the political protestors.

Incidentally the next day I walked over to see the construction going on at the Kiev Olympic stadium which is scheduled to host the final of the 2012 Euros.
And it certainly looks like being an impressive stadium although to this layman they will need a few more months to complete the development.

More pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/893727545

Romania & Ukraine August 2011

Romania & Ukraine August 2011.

Not quite the original plan in a number of ways.

The Romania v Argentina game, that was to open the redeveloped National stadium, was cancelled when the South Americans pulled out.

Dinamo Bucharest were playing behind closed doors, Steaua were playing in different locations and my planned game at Targu Mures game was re-scheduled to an inconvenient time.

So I was left with 4 league games and one Europa League fixture plus a trip to Odessa.

Starting with CS Mioveni 0 Astra Ploiesti 1.

Mioveni is about 130 km from Bucharest and close to Pitesti where I stopped for a look around.

The central pedestrianised area was pleasant enough in the sunshine and many people were out enjoying the weather.

Meanwhile in Mioveni there was a small carnival going on.

Near to which was the central, green and yellow, Dacia stadium.

Appropriately named, not only because of my rental car but also because their main factory is in Mioveni.

Like my car the Mioveni team lacked some acceleration and perhaps a little quality.
Astra always looked in control especially after a controversial headed winner on 20 minutes.

The linesman, given plenty of grief afterwards, signalled that the ball had crossed the line - it was hard to tell from my seat.

The game had plenty of robust tackles and rather too many stoppages.

The men who stood out tended to be in the away side - Argentinian striker Miranda and the Senegalese N’Doye.
Certainly the home side’s Brazilian Roberto Ayza was not the best player from that country,.

So Mioveni, only formed in 2000, struggled to score despite having more possession and just to compound the frustration had a man sent off near the end.
By then the home crowd (a decent 4500) were reconciled to their fate.

I negotiated my way along some bumpy roads and then the motorway back to Bucharest.

With Dinamo Bucharest playing without spectators I next opted for the Concordia game.

Concordia Chiajna 0 Vaslui 3.

Despite being close to Bucharest I didn’t find it easy to locate Chiajna ending up going virtually off-road to the stadium.

Once there it was played in a neat, small and somewhat stylish ground decked out in yellow & green.

The game started fairly even but once Vaslui scored (a Wesley header on 33 minutes) they tended to be in control.
Concordia lacked ideas and were caught on the break a couple of times as the visitors wrapped up the win late on.

The excellent away ultras - some 50 or 60 who had made the very long journey from the east of the country - went home happy.

Steaua Bucharest 2 Univ Cluj 1 played at Astra Ploiesti.

Steaua were playing this game in Ploiesti because of a dispute over them using their own stadium.

The ground is of an inner city type with houses almost attached to the stands.
There is a mix of covered and open seating and the fans are typically close to the action.

A number of the Cluj players, presumably being ex-Dinamo, received plenty of grief.

The away team started well with striker Anthony Nwakaeme (Nigeria) a definite threat.
But as has become a trend the game changed when Steaua scored after Costea had his first effort saved.

That gave Steaua the confidence and they consolidated the lead when sub Rusescu rifled in a 25 yarder.
Although Cluj replied immediately it made no difference to the result.

Surprisingly for me I made it back to the centre of Bucharest in an hour without getting lost.

Vointa Sibiu 1 Targu Mures 1.

My fourth game in the Romanian Liga 1 was played in the very attractive city of Sibiu in Translyvania.

In a way it was a relief to get away from Bucharest and the traffic, lack of good signs and the, at times, manic drivers.
Not that the driving standard was much better anywhere else.

Vointa have made a very quick rise up the Romanian leagues and they are now in the top level for the first time (in this incarnation)

There side comprised only Romanian players unlike the opposition who had a Brazilian and Ba from Senegal.

The municipal ground, a fifteen minute stroll from the historic centre, has a track, covered main stand and curved open seating around the rest of the stadium.
From the main stand there are views of the surrounding mountains.

On another warm evening (they even stopped for drinks after half an hour) the two sides probed until Ba brought down a home forward and Vointa had a penalty.
Unfortunately Antohi’s shot went wide.

The next significant action was the red card for Claudio Bunea of the home side after a reckless tackle.
On 75 minutes Astafei converted when put through but the home side, encouraged by the local fans, forced an equaliser with about five minutes left when defender Forika, up for a corner headed in.

The home fans cheered their team and though they didn’t scored again it was a well deserved draw for the ten men.

I’d missed the Tarja Turunen and Lacuna Coil concerts taking place over the weekend in Sibiu.
but had seen a decent game & afterwards I was back in the centre to sample the local wine.

Steaua Bucharest 2 CSKA Sofia 0 in the Europa League.

Played in Cluj as Steaua continue their tour of ‘home’ games around Romania.

Probably not too many made it from the capital but plenty did turn out (20,000) from the nearby regions on a warm evening.
They stamped their feet to create quite a racket in an atmospheric stadium, albeit with three sides.

The Sofia fans also played their part including unveiling a banner criticising the Steaua president - which went down particularly well.

With the final in Bucharest the Europa League represents a unique opportunity for the five Romanian teams to play a final in their own country.
Being the best supported local club Steaua obviously would like a piece of this action.

And they are likely to progress further after this match although probably not to the final.

The goals came from defender Galamaz and Brazilian Tatu.

Steaua survived some near things but merited the win.

At one time it looked like we might have a ‘Malmo’ situation with the Sofia fans letting off fireworks but after some stern warnings (‘the Bulgarian fans will go out of the stadium’) it settled down.

With a hotel about 200m from the ground I could dispense with the car and stroll to and from the stadium.

Chornomorets Odessa 0 Volyn Lutsk 0.

A diversion to the seaport of Odessa, via Timisoara in Romania, to watch the home side play at the Spartak stadium before they move into their redeveloped central stadium.

The Spartak comprises just two sides of mostly opening seating with a small, raised, covered VIP area.

The game itself was watchable with the very tall Lutsk team looking especially dangerous on crosses but neither side could create much from open play.

The ‘woodwork’ was hit 3 or 4 times but it ended goalless and brought to end my personal scoring run of over 70 matches.

Odessa provided plenty of attractions including some quality beer from a micro brewery and a pre-game meal of caviar and irish coffee - not my usual refreshment.

In port was an italian training ship, some of its occupants would no doubt be searching out the local entertainment.

more pictures at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/868595969