In a sport in which players come and go at an astonishing pace, it isn't often when one can return to a former club as a conquering hero.
Juan Pablo Angel lived that moment at a River Plate home match at El Monumental on Sunday night.
For three seasons Angel was one of the key players for River Plate as a scoring terror in the Argentina Primera Division. He filled the net and the hopes and hearts of the River Plate supporters.
Sunday turned out to be the first time that Angel returned to the stadium where he forged so many memories and scoring so many goals for the Argentinean powerhouse.
You might say that a river -- River Plate, that is -- runs through his heart.
"It was a great feeling," Angel said after practice on Monday morning. "Obviously a lot of memories went back to my head. It was great to be back to see old friends, to come back to a place where I enjoyed great times. It was beautiful. The whole experience was great."
Angel, the Red Bulls striker and captain, admitted it was an emotional experience. When he played at River with such stars as Marcelo Salas and Javier Saviola from 1997-2000, Angel was nicknamed Angelito. Fans showed their appreciation and adoration by wearing angel wings.
"You try not to get too emotional, but I think it was great experience for me to be back here," he said. "I did not come to watch River Plate play for almost nine years. It was a great to see the club, old people, old friends."
During his tenure at River Angel scored 46 goals in 96 matches, almost a goal every other game strike rate.
River supporters did not forget what Angel accomplished and what he meant to the team. On Sunday night, he was asked for his autograph and to have his picture taken with fans. In fact, he needed a police escort to get from one end of the stadium to the other side, according to the Red Bulls.
"People were going crazy over him," said Herman Naumann, who owns a meeting planning company and has helped coordinate the Red Bulls' two-week stay in Argentina. "They were saying, 'Come back!'"
"It is great that people still remember you," Angel said. "They welcome you back again. I wasn't expecting that. Overall, it was a great experience for me. The love from the supporters, the club, the way they treat me. Fantastic. I couldn't ask for more."
Asked what was his most memorable moment wearing the red, black and white, Angel replied, "It was a lot of moments. We won championships here. We won derbies, important games. I always said that my experience with River Plate was going to be the best one because I always wanted to play for this football club. It was a dream come true. I remember everything that happened to me here."
Prior to the game, Angel visited his old team's locker room. "I just went to say hello," Angel said. "I had a lot of friends here. I wanted to wish them well. Thank God they won the game."
The final score was River Plate 2, Banfield 0. It certainly was far a memorable match, but it was worth three points. Colombian international forward Radamel Falcao scored an insurance goal in the 83rd minute. Angel, a former member of the Colombian national team, talked with his countryman before the kickoff.
"When I played here, he had arrived to the club to play with the lower divisions in the [club's] academy," Angel said. "So I didn't have a chance to see him play. Obviously he's doing great, scoring goals. He's a great guy, a great kid."
Falcao turned 23 on Feb. 10, about the age when Angel forged his reputation at River Plate. Angel moved on to Aston Villa in the English Premier League in 2000 before he joined the Red Bulls in 2007. Angel, now 33, has scored more goals (33 in 47 games) than any other player the past two MLS seasons.
He is only nine goals away from breaking the Red Bulls/MetroStars team record of 41, set by Giovanni Savarese during the team's first three MLS seasons.
Angel probably doesn't need to set a record to make Red Bulls fans to appreciate him. He already has accomplished that. Setting a record will solidify his place in club and MLS history, not unlike what he did with River Plate.
The trip to El Monumental started off the Red Bulls' venture to Argentina in style. Tuesday, they will take on Velez Sarsfield in a preseason encounter -- at 9:30 p.m.
Not surprisingly, coach Juan Carlos Osorio scouted the first team only hours after he flew into Argentina on Saturday to prepare the Red Bulls on the team's tendencies. The team will eat breakfast at 6 a.m.
The trip to South America might also have already settled one preseason debate. There has been talk already as to who is the fastest Red Bulls player. Midfielder Dane Richards and forward Dominic Oduro have been mentioned as the leading candidates, but so far, no match race has been planned.
However, there is a winner when it comes to water sports. As part of an after training swimming pool session at the Sheraton Pilar Hotel, the Red Bulls held a series of unofficial races. Defender Andrew Boyens, a New Zealand international, emerged as the best swimmer. He defeated defender Kevin Goldthwaite not once but twice. He won the butterfly and also the mini-medley (freestyle and backstroke).
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
