Copa America Day 14 - 2 stadiums and 2 surprises

What happened when one discovered a famous football team one never heard of?
and what happened when one discovered a famous football player one never heard of?

well it happened to me today and I am not sure most football fans (including those in Argentina) have ever heard of Central Cordoba or Tómas Carlovich.

it happened in Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe.

when I told an Argentine friend that I will go to Rosario, she said 'be careful. It is a city of mafias'

when I arrived early this morning, there was a fog and a mist and the city looked deserted and sinister.

I was really looking forward to this visit as many great players and coaches came from here:
players like Leopoldo Luque, Jorge Valdano, Gabriel Batistuta, Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi, and more and coaches like Cesar Luis Menotti and Marcelo Bielsa

Many Argentines said la nuestra (the Argentine style of attacking football with short passes and dribbles) originated from Santa Fe.

before arriving in Argentina, I made mental plan to visit the stadiums of the 2 big clubs in Rosario: Newell's Old Boys and Rosario Central.

Newell's Old Boys (NOB) was formed by the former students of an English high school in Rosario in 1905. They named the club after their football coach, an Englishman named Isaac Newell.  Their stadium is located in a big park in the middle of the city and the name of the stadium is Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.

Rosario Central was formed by English railroad workers in 1889 and their stadium was used in the 1978 World Cup. Only 3 matches were played there and all 3 involved Argentina. They were the matches of the second round and Mario Kempes (who played at Rosario Central before moving to Spain) credited the local crowd and the intim(id)ate atmosphere in helping Argentina win their group and advance to the Final.

Argentina beat Poland 2-0, drew with Brasil 0-0, and then beat Peru 6-0 at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito.

It was the Argentina-Peru match (which was played after Brasil vs Poland so the Argentines knew exactly what they needed to do to top their group) that led to the rule about last group matches playing at the same time

in between mzy visit to these 2 famous stadiums, I went to a park where there was a statue of Ernesto, that Argentine who loved motorcycle. He was born in Rosario. But more interesting to me was the 2 buildings next to the park.

The first was an abandoned railway station.

The second was a delapitaded stadium of Club Atletico Central Cordoba. It was founded in 1906 by railway workers and named after their company, Cordoba Central Railway, that had a train line from Buenos Aires to Cordoba, via Rosario.

I had never heard of this club before and had to look them up. None of their former great players sounded familiar to me. But one got me interested. Tómas Carlovich, el Trinche, was considered by Maradona (who played one year at NOB) as one of the best Argentine players ever. He played in the 70-80´s mostly for clubs in the interior of Argentina.

I found this 8 minute documentary by 2 young fans about Carlovich. He was apparently a real genius but who did not like to leave the province for fame and fortune in Buenos Aires or abroad. He said once he got offer from the Cosmos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZB3GmoC-0&feature=related

off to Santa Fe tomorrow for the quarterfina between Argentina and Uruguay. A clasico.

Copa America Day 13 - Football Carma

I really have football carma.

I am writing this story from Sierras Hotel in Alta Gracia in the Province of Córdoba. Every guidebook will tell you to visit Alta Gracia if you are in the area.

There are the house where Manuel de Falla chose to spend his last years, the house where a certain Argentine named Ernesto lived for 11 years (Ernesto loved to ride motorcycle around South America), and the old Jesuit residence.

The minibus from Córdoba took about 1 hour and costed me 10 pesos (less than 3 USD)

I started my visit in the Old Jesuit Residence and was fascinated to find out that one of the owners was the Viceroy Santiago de Liniers. He was born in France but served in the Spanish army. His claims to fame was in the battle in 1806 to reclaim Buenos Aires from the English invasion.

After the visit to the Old Jesuit Residence, I walked to the House of Falla. According to my map, I would pass a magnificent English style hotel built in 1908. The name was Sierras Hotel.

I walked past the hotel and saw that it is part of Howard Johnson chain. It has a casino as well as a golf course. It looks luxurious.

Then it hit me. This was the hotel that I have read about in the 2 books written about Scotland at World Cup 1978. It got terrible reviews from the players.

I went in and saw a lot of old photos. I asked the receptionist about World Cup 1978 and Scotland and she had no clue.

I read the hotel brochure and found out the hotel was renovated in 2006 so what I saw now was not what the Scotland team experienced in 1978.

Still I tried to imagine the coach Ally MacLeod, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan, Bruce Rioch, Archie Gemmill, Willi Johnston and others sitting in the bar or walking the ground of the hotel.

I decided to stay for lunch. I wished I had something from Scotland with me to take a photo with the hotel.

Toward the end of my lunch, I got an idea. I asked the waitress to bring me a few things from Scotland. She did and I chose this.

Ally's Tartan Army (Scotland 1978 World Cup song)

We're on the march wi' Ally's Army,

    We're going tae the Argentine,
And we'll really shake them up,
    When we win the World Cup,
'Cos Scotland is the greatest football team,
We're representing Britain,
    And we're gaunny do or die,
England cannae dae it,
    'Cos they didnae qualify!
We're on the march wi' Ally's Army,
    We're going tae the Argentine,
And we'll really shake them up,
    When we win the World Cup,
'Cos Scotland is the greatest football team

from the Sierras Hotel in Alta Gracia, cheers.

PS: Scotland was not alone in having a disaster WC in 1978. Mexico lost all 3 games to Tunisia, Poland and West Germany. The Mexico-West Germany match was in Córdoba and the Mexican team also stayed in the Sierras Hotel. They had a 19 year old player named Hugo Sánchez and the final score was West Germany 6 Mexico 0.

Copa America Day 12 - Great Scot!

One of the great things about Copa America is that the European fans I meet here are for the most part the real dedicated fans. You read about Thomas the German. Well there is also Ross the Great Scot.

After arriving in San Juan, I was approached by Ross outside the airport. He was asking to share a ride to the ticket collection place. Along the way, we talked and found out we had a lot in common. We have been to every WC since 1994 and every Euro since 1996 but Ross has been to 3 Copa Americas and 2 African Nations Cups plus more.

Ross is here for the entire tournament but we do not have the same schedule. Often he was ahead of me in getting to a new city. So he would write emails to me with great tips.

Ross is a big Leeds United fan as well as fan of Scotland. Of course I had to ask him about the 78 WC.

In 1978, Scotland came to Argentina for the World Cup and many Scots believed they would win it. About 600 Scots made their way to Argentina. Some of them went the long way to save money: by air to the US and then by land south to Argentina.

Their first game was in Córdoba. June 3, 1978. Scotland vs Peru. And I just love the name of the stadium, Estadio Chateau Carreras.

The Scot team underestimated Peru and lost 3-1. It was so tragic that for Scot fans of a certain age, they can tell you exactly where and what they were doing on June 3, 1978. It was their JFK moment.

After the loss, things got worse for Scotland. Back then it was not usual for fans to wear football kits. But some Scot fans did and when they caused trouble in town, the local media assumed they were the players.

This afternoon, I went to the stadium in Córdoba. The name has changed.

I came for Brasil vs Ecuador.

It was a very entertaining match. Brasil scored first and then Ecuador and then Brasil and then Ecuador and finally Brasil scored twice to put the game away. 4-2 and first place in Group B for Brasil.

As I sat in Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, I thought how Córdoba had a tragic meaning for Scotland. But for another European country, Córdoba was their defining moment.

On June 21, 1978, Austria met West Germany in a meaningless second round game. Both teams had been eliminated. With the game tied 2-2, Hans Krankl scored in minute 87 to win the game for Austria.

It was a rare occasion that Austria beat their neighbors so the Austrians celebrated like they won the World Cup. The Austrians still celebrate today, as seen in these stamps.



Greetings from Córdoba!

PS: in 1980, Switzerland came to Córdoba to play a friendly against Argentina. You can see a short video of that game. Led by Maradona, Argentina won 5-0.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zSSsGQzxxU

Copa America Day 11 - A lost friend

This is a story about a lost friendship.

I have seen matches in La Plata, San Juan, and Salta. But it was the match in Mendoza that I had been looking forward to.

33 years ago. June 11, 1978. Minute 68. Archie Gemmill scored 'that goal'

In 1978, Argentina hosted the World Cup. After a bad start, Scotland faced Holland in the last game of Group 4 needing to win by 3 goals to advance to the second round. The game took place in Estadio Ciudad de Mendoza.

Holland scored first on a penalty and then Kenny Dalglish tied the game just before half-time. At the start of the second half, Archie Gemmill number 15 scored on a penalty to put Scotland up 2-1.

Then 'that goal' happened. In minute 68. Dalglish number 8 received the ball on the right of the penalty box and dribbled but a Holland player poked the ball away to Gemmill. Archie picked up the ball and danced past 3 Holland players before scored with his left foot. 3-1 for Scotland and 1 more goal and Scotland would go to the second round and Holland home.

The dream lasted 3 minutes. Johnny Rep of Holland scored in minute 71. The ball deflected off Gemmill´s leg. Holland won 3-2 and Scotland went home.

see 'that goal' here in youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyJTBrbPIHQ&feature=related

To put things in perspective, many Scots believed Scotland had a great team and believed in their coach Ally MacLeod when he said they would come back from Argentina with the Cup. Such was the euphoria before the World Cup that the elimination of Scotland in the first round of the 78 WC ranked among the biggest dissappointments in Scottish football history.

well there was no Scot in Mendoza the last few days but plenty of Chilenos. With Santiago only 400 km away from Mendoza, one report said about 30,000 Chilenos showed up to support their team.

this is a replica of a famous statue outside of Estadio Nacional

in Santiago, Chile

It was a South American clasico last night in Mendoza. Chile vs Peru for first place in Group C.

I had a ticket in the main tribune. Row 2 Seat 20. The view was bad because I could hardly see anything (see photo below) but I did not want to move. I wanted to watch the benches, the fourth official, the police, the mastcot, the ball boys, etc.

when half time came, I saw that statue again and a group of Chile ladies asked me to take a photo for them with him.

in minute 68, I thought of Archie Gemmill. But the actual game was quite poor. Chile rested many key players to avoid getting more yellow cards and suspension for the quarter-final. Still Chile scored at the end of the game to win 1-0.

As I left, I thought about the current name of the stadium.

 I also thought about that WC in 1978.

Back then I had just emigrated to the US and I used to buy a french soccer magazine named Mondial. In that magazine, I saw an ad for pen pal from a boy in Argentina.

We corresponded for 4 years when in early 1982, he wrote to me to say he had been drafted into the army and that he would go to war. Argentina invaded those two islands that they claimed the English had taken from them. England went to war against Argentina, with support from the US and Chile.

Many soldiers died on both sides and England won. To this day, Argentina is still trying to get these islands back, diplomatically.

I did not hear from my friend for most of the rest of 1982. That summer, the World Cup came to Spain and Argentina with Maradona crashed out in the second round. Italia won.

In early 1983, I finally got a letter from Argentina. My friend wrote that he had survived the war and went on to give me his opinions about WC 82. The day I got that letter was one of the most emotional moments in my life.

Unfortunately, we lost touch over the years. In the last few years, I have been trying to find on the internet the old magazines of Mondial from the late 70's. I hope to find his name and address in one of these magazines.

I have not found them yet but I am still looking.

greetings from Mendoza.

Copa America Day 10 - The Messi-ah has arrived?

Hello from Mendoza.

Yesterday, with Thomas, we went to Maipu near Mendoza, rented bikes and visited some bodegas.
I felt like Jan VUllrich racing through the streets of Maipu.

the most special place we visited was the Wine Museum. The Museum was in an old mansion once owned by Mister Gargantini.

Mister Gargantini was a poor Swiss man from Tîcino and he emigrated to Argentina in 1883 and made a fortune in wines and olive oil in Mendoza. Some said he put wines on the map of Mendoza. He did this with a man from Udine, Italia named Juan Giol.

Later, we visited an olive oil factory and the girl who gave us the tour. well she was a descendant of Mister Gargantini and Mister Giol. We learned a lot from her.

She told us due to the devaluation of the Argentine currency in 1999 let her parents to abandon wine making and concentrated on olive and olive oil. We learned that 98% of their production goes to BRASIL.

by the time we got back to Mendoza, I was so tired and hungry from riding bike for 30 km. I went next door to my hotel to eat some local meat.

and watched Argentina beat Costa Rica 3-0 in Cordoba. The TV kept saying Argentina never lost in Cordoba and they kept showing all the games Argentina had played there. The first time was in 1980 and Argentina beat Switzerland 5-0

After the game, everyone spoke about Messi like he was the greatest. The Messi-ah has returned. Only last week, they were attacking him for all the problems the team had in the first 2 games. Argentine people can be extreme.

With this win, Argentina finished second in their group and will now play the second of Group C in Santa Fe on Satruday night. I will be there. And I hope it will be Argentina vs Uruguay.

This morning, I had to go to a 5 star hotel to scan some documents. It was just 5 minutes form my 3 star hotel. And I got lucky again.

It was a bit embarassing because I had to ask him which shirt number he wears. He said 6. so I found out this is Juan Vargas of Peru and Fiorentina.

It will be Peru vs Chile tonight. This is a fierce rival not just for football reason. Thousands of Chilenos have been here for several days. Santiago is only 400 km form Mendoza.

The winner will take first place in Group C.

5 hours to kick-off...

Copa America Day 9 - Lucky Sunday

I was lucky 3 times today.

first, my flight from Salta to Mendoza took off. When I got to Mendoza, I found out many flights from Mendoza were cancelled due to the volcanic ash from Chile. I was so relieved not to have go to plan B: an 18 hour bus ride.

second, I met Thomas from Germany. I had seen him at 2 games and saw that he was wearing an FC Cologne shirt. I did not approach him until today, when he was in front of me at the check-in counter.

We started to talk and quickly, we realized we have tickets for the same matches in Mendoza and Cordoba.
We then started to trade notes about football travel, football collections, and history of German football.

He has been to one more World Cup than I have. He is an English and Politics teacher so he has the summer off to travel around to see football.

When he told me that he started to attend FC Cologne home games in 1977, I immediately said 'Okudera!' and that really impressed him. We started to play trivia game on football and I learned a few new facts from him (for example, the record for most goals in a Bundesliga match was 6, held only by Dieter Muller of FC Cologne)

We arranged to meet for dinner and this was my third time lucky. Thomas chose a spanish restaurant recommended in his guidebook. It was quite good.

my main course

we shared a bottle of Malbec

you see, early on my trip, I had a bad (bad as in tough) piece of steak in a fancy restaurant in La Plata. I got so mad I decided to stick to what I know, except when I went out with my Argentine friends.

so when I was alone, I would eat at

BK



the golden arch

and these sandwiches were really tasty.

well tomorrow, we will take the bus to Maipu and rent a bike to go around visiting some bodegas.

and tomorrow night, we will find a bar to watch Argentina vs Costa Rica.

Argentina has to win or they will be eliminated.

from Mendoza, this is Lucky Vu

Thomas and me



Copa America Day 8 - Salta

my 22 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Salta was not too bad. I was able to sleep a lot and 3 meals were served. When it was daylight, this was the view most of the time.

The trip was really worth it because Salta is a charming colonial town

and I had room in a great hotel.



When I checked in, they gave me a welcome glass of white wine. I absolutely loved it. They told me it was a local wine from a grape called Torrontés.

this is the wine bar next to the reception of the hotel

The Copa America match in Salta was played at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, named after a priest who worked with the needy in Salta and who was assassinated in 2001.

Before the match, there was a ceremony with folklore dancing.

Unfortunately, Venezuela and Ecuador were not big teams so the stadium was only half full. But I was happy to see a lot of families.

In the first half, I stood at the top and had this view.

In the second half, I went down and had this view.

It was a poor game and Venezuela won on a long shot in the 61st minute.

After the game, I went back to the city center and went to a fancy hotel for a snack. It was the hotel of the Venezuela team and I met the players as they returned from the stadium.

Tomorrow, I am off to Mendoza, by plane. I hope.