While the former Metro Stars prepare for the 2nd leg of their Eastern Conference playoff with New England, another old Meadowlands fixture Tony Meola continues to ply his goalkeeping trade, far from the prying eyes of the global media. Kind of like his old MLS club, really. From MISL.net :
Tony Meola returned to indoor soccer for the first time since he played with the Buffalo Blizzard in the 1994-95 season. The US National Team veteran played the entire game in goal this past weekend for New Jersey, recording ten saves in a 7-4 win over the expansion Orlando Sharks. The Kearny, NJ native surrendered two goals (four points) and withstood a flurry of Orlando shots in the final two minutes to preserve the first-ever win for the expansion Ironmen.
I always think fondly of those heady days in U.S. Soccer, circa 1994, when the best known American players were Alexi Lalas (“the guy with the red hair”), Cobi Jones (‘the guy with the dreadlocks”), and Meola (“the Italian goalie”).
They just don’t make stars like that anymore.
I never thought I’d see the day when the buffalo blizzards were mentioned on CSTB.