Frank Dell'Apa

Professional Soccer

April 23, 1968 – Boston Beacons 3:0 Detroit Cougars at Fenway Park (Att. 4,406). Beacons’ inaugural home match

by

Boston Beacons investors included the Celtics’ Red Auerbach and Red Sox general manager Dick O’Connell. The team had hired coach Jack Mansell a year earlier, but had been unable to make player acquisitions until shortly before the start of the 1968 season. On the eve of the opener, team spokesman Joe McKenney said the Beacons were “hoping for 5,000” attendance. Ticket prices ranged from $1 to $4.50. Leigh Montville’s preview in the Boston Globe noted the crowd would include Cardinal Cushing and the governor, John A. Volpe, and the team would provide a pre-game demonstration of the rules of the game. [Read more…] about April 23, 1968 – Boston Beacons 3:0 Detroit Cougars at Fenway Park (Att. 4,406). Beacons’ inaugural home match

April 21, 1996 – New England Revolution prepare for inaugural MLS home game

by

New England Revolution investor/operator Jonathan Kraft said the team had released additional tickets for the Saturday, April 27 visit from D.C. United. On April 20, the Revolution registered their first victory (1-0 over the New York/New Jersey MetroStars at Giants Stadium). Earlier in the month, the 22,000 initial capacity at Foxboro Stadium had been sold out. [Read more…] about April 21, 1996 – New England Revolution prepare for inaugural MLS home game

April 19, 1927 – Boston SC 3:2 Uruguay, Malden High School Field (Att. 7,000)

by

The game was interrupted by a fight shortly after the Boston team took the lead on a McArthur penalty kick past Uruguayan goalkeeper Mazzalli with 10 minutes remaining. “A regular riot” ensued, according to George M. Collins’ report in the Boston Globe. “It was a hot afternoon and the hot temperaments of the Olympic champions became pronounced as the game progressed. The climax came when Cea deliberately kicked McIntyre and then tried to slam the Boston captain.” [Read more…] about April 19, 1927 – Boston SC 3:2 Uruguay, Malden High School Field (Att. 7,000)

April 17, 2004 – New England Revolution changing of the guard – Joe-Max Moore’s final home game, Clint Dempsey’s first start

by

Joe-Max Moore set up Taylor Twellman for the Revolution goal in the team’s home-opener, but it turned out he would play only one more game before sustaining a career-ending injury. Landon Donovan led the way with a goal and assist on an Arturo Alvarez finish for the reigning MLS Cup champion Earthquakes.

Revolution 1:3 San Jose Earthquakes [Read more…] about April 17, 2004 – New England Revolution changing of the guard – Joe-Max Moore’s final home game, Clint Dempsey’s first start

April 16, 2011 – NEEP Holdings takes control of AS Roma

by

Jim Pallotta came from the North End and his partners from Everett and Peabody (NEEP) to begin an ambitious project that has kept AS Roma near the top of Italy’s Serie A. A major part of Pallotta’s goal to vault Roma into soccer’s elite includes building a stadium ( http://www.stadiodellaroma.com/en ) and several hurdles have been cleared in what has been described as potentially the biggest building project in Southern Europe. [Read more…] about April 16, 2011 – NEEP Holdings takes control of AS Roma

April 15, 1933 – Joe Kennaway becomes first foreigner to earn Scottish Cup winners’ medal. Celtic 1:0 Motherwell (Att.: 102,339)

by

Jimmy McGrory scored off a deflection as Celtic FC won the 55th edition of the Scottish Cup (Celtic’s 14th championship). Kennaway made his international debut as a 21-year-old with Canada in 1926, then attracted Celtic’s attention in a friendly match; Fall River took a 1-0 win over Celtic May 31, 1931 (Celtic’s goalkeeper was John Thomsen, who would die following a clash with Rangers’ Sam English less than five months). Kennaway replaced Thomsen and became Celtic’s starting goalkeeper from 1931-39, then coached Brown University from 1946-59. [Read more…] about April 15, 1933 – Joe Kennaway becomes first foreigner to earn Scottish Cup winners’ medal. Celtic 1:0 Motherwell (Att.: 102,339)

April 13, 1996 – New England Revolution’s first game

by

Tampa Bay Mutiny 3:2 Revolution at Tampa Stadium (Att.: 26,473)

Rob Ukrop gave the Revolution a 20th-minute lead, finishing a Welton cross, Alexi Lalas starting the sequence from central defense. The Mutiny scored on three set pieces, Revolution defender Mike Burns disputing the foul that led to the third goal, saying “the referee (Zimmerman Boulos) knows he made a mistake.” Roy Lassiter’s 25th-minute goal tied the score, the first of his 27 for the season, which remains an MLS record. Ivan McKinley, who would play for the Revolution from 1997-2000, broke the deadlock early in the second half, and U.S. national team defender Steve Pittman converted off a Carlos Valderrama assist for a 3-1 lead, before Ukrop cut the deficit in the 70th minute. Ukrop would not score another goal for the Revolution, and was waived after playing nine games as the team set up roster space for acquiring Joe-Max Moore. [Read more…] about April 13, 1996 – New England Revolution’s first game

April 12, 1925 – Providence 3:1 Boston at Kinsley Park (Att.: 4,000)

by

U.S. national team captain Tommy Florie converted a penalty kick and Tewfik Abdallah also scored as the Providence Clamdiggers took a 2-1 halftime lead, Barney Battles countering for Boston. Abdallah, nicknamed “Toothpick,” moved from Zamalek to Derby County in 1920, becoming the second Egyptian to play professionally in England. Abdallah played for Providence from 1924-26, then moved to the Fall River Marksmen, Hartford Americans and New York Nationals before returning to Egypt to play for Al Ahly and El Mokhtalt, concluding his career with Montreal Carsteel.

The previous day, Battles had scored as Boston took a 3-1 victory over the Ben Millers of St. Louis in the American Professional Championship before a 4,000 crowd at the Walpole Street Grounds.

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY

April 10, 2011 – Harvard 0:0 Haiti (Att.: 11,513)

by

The Haiti Olympic team played earthquake relief fund-raisers at Dartmouth and Harvard in early April. The Sunday game at Soldiers Field outdrew the New England Revolution, which had a 7,970 crowd for a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake at Gillette Stadium the previous night. Haiti’s Wilde Donald Guerrier went on to score a goal against Spain in a 2-1 friendly loss in Miami in 2013, then moved to Wisla Krakow and is now playing for Alanyaspor in Turkey.

On April 10, 2010, the Revolution took a 4-1 win over Toronto FC before a 12,798 crowd. Zach Schilawski completed an 11-minute hat trick, the third hat trick by a rookie in MLS history.

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY

April 9, 2005 – Revolution win home-opener, Deuce hops to it with a Cuauhtemiña

by

After a 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew, my Boston Globe story noted: “Though it is too early to determine trends, the Revolution have shown they plan to perform at a different level than in the past. Even on the uneven surface [yes, they played on real grass in those days] at Gillette Stadium, the Revolution seemed comfortable in controlling the pace and keeping the ball in play, eventually wearing down the Crew.”

Clint Dempsey scored the first goal on a 64th-minute header off a Jay Heaps cross. In the first half, “Dempsey nearly hopped through two defenders but was ruled out of bounds by referee Terry Vaughn. It was a move inspired by Mexican forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who calls the move a ‘Cuauhtemiña.’ [Read more…] about April 9, 2005 – Revolution win home-opener, Deuce hops to it with a Cuauhtemiña