32,000 the week before and now over 62,000 here to see us play."
Messing also remembers 77,000 fans packing Giants Stadium, setting a U.S. record at the time, to watch England international Gordon Banks and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers face the Cosmos. And then there was Pele's farewell game against Santos on Oct. 1, 1977 with Mick Jagger, Henry Kissinger and Muhammad Ali on the field for pregame ceremonies.
Thirty years later, Messing said, the magic was back as David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy took on the New York Red Bulls in front of 66,237 in one of the most thrilling Major League Soccer games in history.
That is also Juan Pablo Angel's greatest memory of playing at Giants Stadium.
"That's obviously a highlight and it's a highlight for the league in years to come," said Angel, who scored the winning goal in a 5-4 victory. "I don't know much about the history of the league, but I'm sure there weren't many games like this -- a full house at Giants Stadium and having a 5-4 score and winning in the last minute the way we did, I think it was an incredible game."
For veteran defender Mike Petke, who grew up on Long Island, Giants Stadium is where he broke into the league as a rookie on the MetroStars in 1998.
"I'm not going to miss the turf, but I had some great memories there, some great wins, great goals, the 9-11 charity match," Petke said. "Clint Mathis scoring the goal of the decade against Dallas on the field, me scoring some important goals there and walking out of the tunnel every day and having the supporters' club right above you screaming at you. It's going to be a nice last game and we're going to say our goodbyes and look forward to the new stadium next year."
The last major international soccer game at Giants Stadium took place on July 26, when the largest crowd for soccer in Giants Stadium history, 79,156, most of which were green-clad fans of El Tri, saw Mexico crush the United States 5-0 in the Gold Cup final. And Saturday night's MLS regular-season finale will be the final game played there.
A new Giants Stadium is being constructed next door and is expected to open for the 2011 NFL season. That stadium, which will seat 82,500, is one of the venues for the United States' World Cup bids, while the Red Bulls move to Red Bull Arena, expected to be one of the best soccer-specific stadiums in the country.
"That being my home for my first five years in the league and now this year, it's going to be bittersweet not to be there anymore," Petke said. "But I'm definitely looking forward to Red Bull Arena."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
