MIDDLETOWN — With a minute left in injury time, hometown Cedar Stars FC pushed forward for a potential tie-breaker.
A shrill chant of “CSA! CSA! CSA!” rose from dozens of children in the stands at Faller Field, all wearing their green game jerseys, in support of the Cedar Stars Academy veterans who had played before them.
As the referees took official time off, Christian Henry served a free-kick from the left touchline that fired halfway into the box. Gunnar Studenhofft – with Cedar Stars’ only goal in the 25th minute – had his back to goal as he managed to get a chunk of the ball before it slammed onto the turf.
Ikiel Collins-Brown – something of a crowd pleaser, a Monroe-Woodbury High School graduate playing on the familiar grass – found himself unsupervised in a tiny room on the left wing. The ball flew towards him and with a mighty swing he ripped off a right-footed shot that flew harmlessly over the cage. A collective groan rose from several hundred fans as they braved two hours of light rain hoping for a perfect end to a historic night.
“The ball went up and I said, ‘I’ve got to get there,'” said Collins-Brown. “You’re in the game… there’s a lot of pressure. Everything goes so fast. In retrospect, I had a little more time to do something with the ball… but I love it.”
Men’s Soccer::Kingston Stockade ready to fight for the title
The 1-1 draw between Cedar Stars and defending conference champions Hartford City FC will surely end up as a footnote to the importance of the event: men’s semi-pro football made its debut in Middletown.
“This is my home,” said midfielder Sam LaTorre, who played for Warwick in high school and collegiately at Marist. “I love it.”
This expansion program was created to provide a home for players like LaTorre, Collins-Brown and many athletes on the Cedar Stars roster. Jim Lagarde coached hundreds of players from the talented Hudson Valley at his Orange County football academy. He realized that so many were returning home from college ball and had no way of keeping the beautiful game alive.
“They had nowhere to go back to,” Lagarde said.
So Lagarde followed the lead of Kingston Stockade FC, which debuted in 2016, and established a franchise in the National Professional Soccer League, which is part of the multi-tier US professional leagues. Cedar Stars FC opened the game with a win in Syracuse a week ago and Saturday saw the first of five home games at Faller Field, better known as the site of the State Boys High School Championships. And on July 1st, Cedar Stars will host Kingston Stockade.
Most of the 26 players on the Cedar Stars roster had played for schools in the Hudson Valley. There was plenty of familiarity for the fans, who shouted support for players they’d seen for Monroe-Woodbury, Warwick, Middletown and Burke Catholic, as well as collegiate teams from Marist, SUNY Ulster and Mount Saint Mary.
The young CSA kids proudly marched into midfield to accompany the players at the pre-game ceremonies and the playing of the national anthem. A dozen of them patrolled the sidelines, ball in hand (or on foot), eager to replace a faulty boot. Others watched the action attentively or hopped carelessly through the metal grandstands.
“It’s pretty wild,” LaTorre said, admiring the kids’ enthusiasm, “because I used to be one of them. Some of them look up to us as role models and we want to show them what we can do and they could be like us.”
For an opening night, the experience should get a passing mark, but there’s room for improvement. Some fan-friendly sound effects would be a nice addition, and the mix of pounding halftime music and muted video scoreboard ads needs an audio balance. Perhaps a presentation of youth skills at half-time would keep fans entertained.
Hours before kick-off, Lagarde – wearing his promoter’s cap – said he was expecting up to 2,000 fans, but the rain and lack of awareness that the team even existed helped limit crowds to several hundred. Stockade regularly draws crowds of up to 1,000 at Dietz-Stadion, but that club has a six-year lead over their new rivals. It shouldn’t be long before a fan club springs up and the familiar chants from European professional sports emerge. Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!
“I have a feeling something’s brewing here,” Collins-Brown said.
“I think we’re going to surprise people,” Lagarde said.
When the game was over, families greeted the players and some sleepy young fans were carried out by their parents at nine o’clock. On the sidelines, Collins-Brown appeared startled when a friend approached him for a big hug.
“This is where I grew up,” said Collins-Brown. “I live here. That is all for me.”
This is home, the best place to be.
kmcmillan@th-record.com
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR