the start of the Serie A season in Italy. On Sunday, former New England Revolution player-coach Walter Zenga -- yes, the goalkeeper who favored a green spider web design on his jersey, preferred to wear his baseball cap backwards and once nearly gave up a goal when he ran to the stands to kiss his girlfriend -- leads his new team Palermo against Napoli in the calcio kickoff. All eyes in Sicily will be upon him, with Palermo fans wishing him success and Catania fans still seething that he quit the Elefanti to take the head coaching reins at their island rivals.
Superheroes love a challenge, and the man known as L'Uomo Ragno (Spiderman) certainly has one with the RosaNero. Palermo's owner, Maurizio Zamparini, is known as "the coach killer," having at last count fired 26 coaches since 1987. Last season, Davide Ballardini led Palermo to a very respectable eighth-place finish in Serie A, but just missed Europa League qualification and was soon packing his bags. Ironically, Zenga had seemed to bring stability to Catania, keeping them in Serie A, to most pundits' surprise, during his stint as head coach. That success had put Zenga in the media gossip frame for a job with one of Italy's top teams, Lazio being the name most often mentioned. But as often happens in the wonderful world of soccer, it was the unexpected that happened, as Zenga signed a three-year deal with Palermo and Ballardini headed to Rome to take the reins at Lazio.
While Ballardini was moving from one hot seat to an arguably even hotter one in the Italian capital, Zenga was in hot water with the fans of his former team. While Carlos Tevez may not have endeared himself to Manchester United fans by heading across town to the Eastlands this summer: it's an entirely different matter to cross Sicily. Catania fan web sites have boiled with cyber-venom towards Zenga since his move. But it's not the first time that Spiderman has felt the wrath of the tifosi.
At the 1990 World Cup, Zenga posted five consecutive shutouts as host nation Italy advanced to the semifinals against Argentina. But Spiderman's acrobatic skills failed him on Claudio Caniggia's goal that tied the game at 1-1. Italian fans blamed Zenga for the goal and even railed at his failure to save a penalty kick in the shootout that sent Diego Maradona and company to the final. Derogatory chants of "Argentina" followed him around Serie A grounds for a long time afterward. And, despite posting an impressive 38 shutouts in his 58 appearances for the Azzurri, Zenga's national team career ended abruptly in 1992.
His last game for Italy was typical Zenga. He posted a shutout in a 2-0 win over Ireland and gained two black eyes after receiving an Irish facial from Niall Quinn's elbow. The game was played at the old Foxboro Stadium and it wouldn't be Zenga's last memorable moment on the ground. In 1997, he joined the New England Revolution in MLS' sophomore season. "The Fort" took the Italian extrovert to their hearts and he won team MVP honors despite missing 10 games due to knee surgery (The Revs went 0-10 in his absence).
He retired at the end of the 1997 season, but when Thomas Rongen and the Revs went their separate ways towards the end of the 1998 season, Zenga came back to the Revolution as head coach. For the 1999 season, he headed back to the field as well, becoming the league's first player-coach. His tenure was less than a year, but his fiery antics and the sight of his then camera-toting actress girlfriend snapping shots from the sidelines with abandon meant there was rarely a dull weekend in New England.
After his departure from MLS, Zenga tried his hand at acting back in Italy. But inside the charismatic goalkeeper lurked not a thespian, but a head coach. Successful spells in Romania and Serbia along with coaching stints in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Italy's Serie D prepared the former Inter Milan star for a return to Serie A with Catania in April 2008. Against the odds, he led the Elefanti away from the relegation trap door that year and steered them to a 15th place finish last season.
It is reported that Zenga's dream is to take the reins at his beloved Inter one day. If he can satisfy the voracious appetite of his new boss then he will certainly advance his chances for gaining one of the biggest jobs in soccer. But first, he has to win in Serie A with Palermo. His first chance comes on Sunday. Buon appetito!
FIFA 2010 World Cup
Despite taking the lead at the Estadio Azteca for the first time ever, the U.S. lost 2-1 to Mexico in a World Cup qualifying game on August 12. That defeat extended the U.S. winless streak against El Tri in Mexico to 0-23-1. Four MLS alumni started for the U.S. --
Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey
and
Michael Bradley
. Another MLS alum,
Jozy Altidore
, was a second-half substitute. Next up for the Red, White and Blue on the trek to South Africa is a qualifying doubleheader in September, hosting El Salvador on Sept. 5 and traveling to Trinidad & Tobago on Sept. 9.
In other CONCACAF qualification games on Wednesday, Honduras thumped Costa Rica 4-0 at home. Former LA Galaxy forward Carlos Pavon scored the second goal for Honduras. Another MLS veteran Ramon Nunez started for the Catrachos. Ex-Fire and Crew striker Andy Herron started for Costa Rica. D.C. United alumni Eliseo Qunitanilla played the full 90 for El Salvador in their 1-0 loss at Trinidad & Tobago.
Friendlies
In Wednesday's round of friendly internationals, former MetroStars head coach
Carlos Queiroz
saw his Portugal team prep for their critical World Cup qualifying games next month with a 3-0 road win at Liechtenstein. Hugo Almeida scored a brace for Portugal.
Dedi Ben Dayan, who had a two-season stint with the Colorado Rapids (2005-06), played the full 90 for Israel in the 1-1 tie at Northern Ireland.
Triple-MLS team veteran Junior Agogo scored from the penalty spot for Ghana in the Black Stars 4-1 win over Zambia. The game was played in London.
Elsewhere around the world
In Australia, in Week 2 of the Hyundai A-League, ex-FC Dallas striker
Victor Sikora
scored in the third minute for Perth Glory, but the western Australia side could not hold that lead, going down 2-1 at Wellington Phoenix on Saturday, August 15. Former Revs defender
Tony Lochhead
played the full 90 for the Phoenix, while ex-Crew and Wizards midfielder
Diego
started for Wellington but came out of the game in the 74th minute.
In Brazil, in Week 16 of the Campeonato Brasileirao, on Saturday, Aug. 15, former MetroStars defender Danilo da Silva played the full 90 as Internacional won 2-0 at Santo André. The win moved Internacional into second place in the standings.
In Bolivia, in Week 6 of the Torneo Clausura, former MetroStars midfielder Joselito Vaca rode the pine as Oriente Petrolero lost 2-0 at The Strongest on Wednesday, Aug. 12. On Sunday, Vaca was back in the starting XI as OP won 4-1 at Real Mamoré.
In Colombia, in Week 6 of the Copa Mustang II, former MetroStars striker Sergio Galvan Rey was a first-half substitute in Atletico National's 1-1 tie at Millonarios on Saturday, Aug. 15. Giovanni Moreno scored Nacional's goal, bringing his total to four in the last three games.
In Denmark, former Revs central defender Michael Parkhurst played the full 90 as FC Nordsjaelland continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 tie at Koge on Sunday, Aug. 16. On Monday, after a two-game absence, former Galaxy defender Danny Califf was inserted back into the starting XI by newly appointed head coach Allan Kuhn for FC Midtjylland in the 1-0 loss at Odense BK.
In Ecuador, in Week 5 of the Segunda Fase, El Nacional shutout Liga de Portoviejo 3-0 at home on Sunday, Aug. 16. Former MetroStars and LA Galaxy midfielder Wellington Sanchez played the full 90.
In England, former Red Bulls sensation Jozy Altidore missed the start of the EPL season with Hull City due to a hold up with his British work permit. The Tigers lost in a heartbreaker, 2-1, at Chelsea on Saturday's opening day. Didier Drogba scored the winner for the Blues in the 90th minute. It was the Ivorian superstar's second strike of the game.
Another MLS veteran to miss the big kickoff was Ryan Nelsen. The former D.C. United skipper missed Blackburn Rovers 2-0 home loss to the newly-minted Manchester City millionaires due to a knee injury.
Fresh off signing a contract extension with Fulham, (and traveling back to London from Mexico) former Revs star Clint Dempsey played the full 90 in the Cottagers 1-0 win at Portsmouth. Fulham's goal came from a Dempsey 25-yard bomb that hit Bobby Zamora in the back, redirecting the ball past David James into the Pompey net. Zamora was credited with the goal.
It was not such a fortunate start to the season for the EPL's cast of ex-MLS goalkeepers. Brad Friedel played the full 90 for Aston Villa in a 2-0 home loss to Wigan Athletic. Friedel's backup, Brad Guzan, took his customary position on the Villa Park bench. Across the West Midlands, Marcus Hahnemann was also on the bench for newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 2-0 home loss to West Ham United. After setting a team record for shutouts last season, Tim Howard had a six-pack of goals put past him at Goodison Park as Arsenal destroyed Everton, 6-1. It had been 51 years since Everton lost 6-1 at home, coincidentally outgunned by the Gunners on that occasion as well.
Down a rung in the Championship, former Columbus Crew striker Stern John missed Crystal Palace's controversial 1-0 defeat at Bristol City due an elbow injury sustained on Opening Day against Plymouth. In the first half, referee Rob Shoebridge disallowed a Palace goal that clearly hit the back stanchion before bouncing out of the net. Television replays clearly showed the ball went into the net, but as FIFA still does not allow video replay the referee's incorrect call stood. To add insult to injury, City scored with the last kick of the game.
Further down the English football food chain in League One, Norwich City's soap opera opening week of the season ended in a 1-1 tie at Exeter City with former Colorado Rapids defender Ian Butterworth in charge of the team following the firing of Bryan Gunn as manager. Last Saturday, Norwich lost their home opener 7-1 to Colchester. On Tuesday, the Canaries rebounded with a 4-0 win at Yeovil Town in the Carling Cup, but that didn't save Gunn, who was fired as manager on Aug. 14. Butterworth, the team's assistant manager was appointed caretaker manager.
Colchester continued their winning ways with a 2-1 home win over Andy Welsh's Yeovil Town. The former Toronto FC midfielder came out of the game in the 61st minute.
In France, back from Mexico, U.S. national team captain Carlos Bocanegra played the full 90 as Rennes tied 1-1 at Nice on Sunday, Aug. 16. Rennes Japanese international Junichi Inamoto was ejected in the 77th minute for a second yellow card offense, but Rennes held on for the tie and a road point.
In Germany, on Sunday, Aug. 16, former MetroStars midfielder Michael Bradley did not dress for Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Foals 2-1 win home win over Hertha Berlin. He was "quarantined" from the team on his return from Mexico as a precaution due to his exposure to U.S. teammate Landon Donovan, who reportedly came down with the swine flu virus.
In Bundesliga.2 action on Friday, Aug. 14, ex-Wizards and Chivas USA striker Matt Taylor dressed but did not play in FSV Frankfurt's 4-0 defeat at SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Christopher Nothe scored two goals for Fürth. Former FC Dallas striker Kenny Cooper played the first 72 minutes of 1860 Munich's 2-1 loss at Hansa Rostock on Saturday, Aug. 15.
In Guatemala, in Week 3 of the 2009 Torneo Apertura, former Crew midfielder Mario Rodriguez scored for CD Municipal in a 2-1 home win over Zacapa on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
In Honduras, former Galaxy striker Carlos Pavon scored a hat trick as Real Espana rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Marathon, 3-2 on Saturday, Aug. 15.
In Italy, in the third round of the Coppa Italia on Saturday, Aug. 15, former Revs goalkeeper and head coach Walter Zenga saw his new team Palermo advance to the next round with a 4-2 home win over Spal. On Sunday another MLS alumnus turned Serie A head coach, Roberto Donadoni, saw his Napoli team move on in the Coppa with a 3-0 home win over Salernitana.
In Mexico, in Week 4 of the Torneo Apertura, former Chivas USA striker Isaac Romo dressed but did not play in Querétaro's 2-0 loss at Chivas on Saturday, Aug. 15. In other Saturday action, former MetroStars midfielder Diego Jimenez played the full 90 and picked up a yellow card in UAG's 1-0 win at Chiapas. Former FC Dallas defender Duilio Davino also played the full 90 for Monterrey as they shutout Toluca 1-0 at home.
In Sunday action, former Colorado Rapids defender Alain N'Kong started for Indios de Ciudad Juarez in their 5-0 loss at Morelia. Miguel Sabah, the U.S. World Cup qualifying slayer in midweek, scored two goals for Morelia. 2002 MLS MVP Carlos Ruiz played the full 90 for Puebla in the 1-0 home win over Atlante. Former Chivas USA striker Paco Palencia was a halftime substitute for UNAM in the Pumas' 2-1 home loss to Tigres. Two Pumas players were sent off as the Clausura champions winless start to the Apertura season extended to four games. Another Chivas USA alumnus, Ramon Nunez, got second-half playing time on Sunday. The Honduras international played the final 35 minutes of Cruz Azul's 3-2 defeat at Santos. Ex-Rapids striker Daniel Osorno picked up his second yellow card in as many games in Atlas' 2-1 loss at América.
In Norway, the Tippeligaen resumed normal service after last weekend's break and table toppers Rosenborg continued their winning ways on Saturday, Aug. 15, with a 2-0 home win over FK Bodo Glimt. Former Real Salt Lake defender Willis Forko played the full 90 in the losing effort, while multi-team MLS veteran Thiago Martins was a second-half substitute for BG.
In Sunday action, former FC Dallas defender Clarence Goodson was back in the starting XI for IK Start in the 1-0 home win over Fredrikstad FK. Former Red Bulls defender Hunter Freeman played the full 90 for Start. Former Toronto FC goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos manned the nets for Fredrikstad. Ex-Fire and Wizards midfielder Khari Stephenson started for Aalesunds in the 2-1 home loss to Odd Grenland. An 88th-minute goal by Frode Kippe saw Troy Perkins' Valerenga go down 1-0 at home to Lillestrom SK.
In Scotland, on Saturday, Aug. 15, reigning SPL champions Glasgow Rangers kicked off the new season with a convincing 4-1 win over Falkirk at Ibrox Stadium. Ex-Fire midfielder DaMarcus Beasley dressed for the game but stayed on the bench. Former Toronto FC starlet Maurice Edu is still rehabbing from offseason knee surgery and won't be available until late September, at the earliest.
Former Revs midfielder Andy Dorman's St. Mirren were down to 10 men after just 17 minutes of their 2-1 SPL opening loss at Hibernian with Steven Thompson getting a red card.
At St. Johnstone, former Real Salt Lake striker Kenny Deuchar started for the Johnnies in their 2-2 home tie with Motherwell. Former Toronto FC striker Collin Samuel was a second-half substitute for St. Johnstone.
Performance of the week
Hats off to former Los Angeles Galaxy striker
Carlos Pavon
this week. In World Cup duty for Honduras on Wednesday, Pavon scored the second goal as the Catrachos gained a critical 4-0 home win over hexagonal group leaders Costa Rica. Then back in Honduras league action on Saturday, Pavon bagged a hat trick for his new team Real Espana in a come-from-behind 3-2 home win over league leaders Marathon. Four goals in two games and a pair of table toppers toppled, earns Pavon the POTW.
Mark C. Young is an Emmy Award-winning freelance writer/TV producer who has covered several FIFA World Cups and Olympic Games. He is a contributor to Goal.com and also writes for the blog "No Mas."
