On Loan From Botafogo To Cottman Ave FC
The best part about working for a company in Virginia is the business trip to Virginia. I get to mix a little business with pleasure. Its good to see my coworkers, but the obligatory in office appearance allows me to see my family and my friends! This week is one of those weeks. I’m hoping to see as many people as possible.
Saturday, I drove up to Philadelphia. I was excited to see everyone, but I might have been most excited to play soccer. On Friday, Herczeg asked if I’d like to play on one of his teams. I hadn’t played an organized game since the spring. I was dying for some competition. I only needed a jersey. “Just bring your Botafogo jersey.” The team is based in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is black and white stripes; a very slick kit. Done.
I arrived late to Herczeg’s place, so I drove up to fields in scenic Northeast Philly just off Cottman Avenue. Neil grabbed a ride with us, and I was finally glad to meet him. He organized the team, and was glad to have me play. Besides being a few minutes late, I didn’t have any shin-guards, but we didn’t have time to stop. It was close to kickoff.
I was told the field sucked, and there would be no subs. When we pulled up, there was a full squad and the field was OK. It wasn’t The Emirates, but it wasn’t dirt either. Its good they had a full team because I needed to start on the bench. I needed to stuff my socks with boxer shorts, or the Ref wouldn’t let me on the field.
We proceeded to play a decent first half. My guest teammates played solid defense, but we didn’t create many chances on goal. I played in the midfield and at fullback. I had a few good sequences, but any offensive surge was left without support. We regrouped at half-time and improved in the second half. The offense picked up some, but we couldn’t finish. Unfortunately, we lost 2-0. If we played the entire game like we did in the second half, we’d have had a better chance of a win. It felt great to get back on the field and into some healthy competition. I’m not in Soccer shape, but I love giving my all on the pitch. Normally, I’d be dead tired, but we had some drinking to do.
Back down in Center City, we assembled a good group of friends. McCartan, Jeff, Rob, Dennis, Shoppe, Neil and a few others joined us at Herczeg’s. I enjoyed catching up with everyone. Rob has himself a new dog. Jeff started blogging. Dennis thwarted some Pirates outside Singapore. After the PBR was gone, we walked to Paddy Whacks. Its a new Irish Pub off South Street. It wasn’t really my scene. Almost immediately, I saw some people from La Salle I didn’t need to see. The music was a bit cheesy, and it slowly got crowded. After Alex arrived, we rallied to the Dark Horse. It was here we ordered excessive amounts of Carlsberg and Guinness. We attracted the unwanted attention of some nearby ladies. Couldn’t they see we were talking about the World Cup? Soon we pushed money into the jukebox for raucous tracks from My Morning Jacket, The Stones and some guitar rock that I can’t remember. Our demise continued back at Herczeg’s with a concert loud rendition of Tennessee Jed. Somewhere in the conversation, I almost convinced myself to travel back for Wilco & Neil Young.
On Sunday, I was extremely sad to leave. As I’ve said, living far away from such great friends is hard. Its never a dull moment in the City of Brotherly Love. I think we had a good evening that mixed running and beer. Without the running, we might have let the beer completely take over our minds and bodies. I can’t wait for the next visit. Hopefully, I’ll be asked to bring my Botafogo jersey.
