The last time the Rangers and the Italian club Azzuri met in the spring of 2006 over at Hillsboro Stadium, the match was a heated, controversial affair. The Azzuri were shown a straight red card for dissent, they tried to pick a fight with our own Jim Snyder, they protested virtually every call and harassed the referee from whistle to whistle...and then pleaded with him not to report the sending off. Despite the 0-0 tie (the two Ranger goals were disallowed for "offsides"--a pair of dubious calls at best), the match left a foul taste in the mouths of some of the FC77 players and provided the manager with enough ammunition to send out a...shall we say spirited?...bunch of rallying emails to the squad in the two weeks before the match. I won't reprint them here, but they were awesome. Trust me. With only a contingent of ten players, the Azzuri inquired with the home side if we would spot them a few players. As keeper Steve Berg said, "They asked if we would loan them some players, so I told them I wasn't the manager...but I think I know the answer to that one already." That answer was no. With twilight becoming darkness by 5:00, the match was forced to be played with short 35 minute halves, but the teams prepped the field in short order and were ready to play when referee Ken Koopman started the proceedings. A few remaining players from the previous 0-30 Division 2 match offered to fill the ranks of the Italians and so, buoyed by their new on-loan players, the match kicked off a little before 4:00.
'Gers were joined for the afternoon by new player "Dan", an experienced sweeper friend of Brian Bauman. Short of strikers and well-stocked with defenders for once, Brian was shifted from his typical enforcer role and moved up front with James McConnachie...and the manager's tactical genius was soon proved when Brian and James plowed through the ranks of the opposition and Brian scored within the first 240 seconds. "Now that's a spicy meatball!" Rangers played an aggressive, up-front match, often keeping the ball in the blue end for five-ten minutes at a time. James McConnachie fired a half-dozen shots at the woodwork and was unlucky to keep his goal-scoring streak alive. The play was often physical and tenacious, but the Italians only mustered a few medium to long distance shots that Steve easily saved. 'Gers also welcomed back Scott Anderson, playing for the first time this season after a protracted knee injury. Scott immediately picked up where he left off last season and filled gaps in the front and back lines when called upon and charged hard after every ball.
With a 1-0 lead at the half and looking comfortable in front (it really was unbelievable at least two or three more shots didn't find the back of the net), Rangers hurried back onto the field after a brief break to try and salvage as much of the second half as possible before the match was called on account of darkness. A couple of early right side misses seemed to signal another score for FC77 when the match took a strange and unfortunate turn. One of the on-loan players for the Azzuri poked through the right side and fired a hard shot at our keeper, equalizing the game with about twenty minutes to go. Disgusted by the turn of events, Rangers protested vigorously and, although the goal stood, the reserves soon pulled themselves off the pitch. Regrettably, the damage was done and the Yellow and Black could not find the match winner before it became pitch black. It was an especially bitter pill to be forced to swallow, considering the history between the two squads and the fact that they used to drub us 0-8 back in 2005.
Thanks to the Vogel girls for acting as our Junior Rangers for the evening. Rangers conclude the Fall 2007 campaign next Sunday vs. FC Banfield--and only FC Banfield, I've been promised--at the Montessori Earth School. Ranger supporters, family and friends are encouraged to attend...and bring flashlights and glow sticks.
Sean Ingersoll
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