The Barrister
I know the Yachtsman has been the sole purveyor of footy coverage on DGWU Sports for, well, forever. At risk of incurring some serious wrath from El Scizz, the end of the Sabres season had brought on a renewed interest in the Beautiful Game. Summer brings baseball in NYC, for sure, though I'm frankly more excited for trips out to New Jersey for Red Bull games than for trips just down the 7 line for Mets games. Throw in a few great results for Liverpool (seriously, 5th place?). and I find myself rather focused on soccer and suddenly at peace with the idea of the Sabres off-season.
This personal soccer revival has been brewing for the past few weeks, likely as part of me understood the Sabres post-season run would be time-limited (and the fact that Sabres-obsession basically trumped any real attention to Liverpool since, like, February). It really came to a head about a week or so ago when I saw a tweet from DGWU favorite Phil, from Black & Blue & Gold, about FC Buffalo's upcoming trip to Brooklyn to play in a qualifier for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. I confess that, as soon as I thought about catching this game, I knew I was going to need a tutorial on the team. Keeping up with this new team in the Buffalo sports scene is pretty hard for an expat, though having heard months back that the business side of this new squad was being led by Nicholas Mendola, I can't say I'm surprised by what I've found since.
Cutting right to the chase, everything I've seen about this team has made me all warm and fuzzy inside as I am further impressed at how well the team has marketed itself to be quintessentially Buffalo. Take, for instance, this interview with Mr. Mendola and fellow team founder Donny Kutzbach (in Spot Coffee no less...the original, real deal, Spot, too... God, I miss that place)...
This personal soccer revival has been brewing for the past few weeks, likely as part of me understood the Sabres post-season run would be time-limited (and the fact that Sabres-obsession basically trumped any real attention to Liverpool since, like, February). It really came to a head about a week or so ago when I saw a tweet from DGWU favorite Phil, from Black & Blue & Gold, about FC Buffalo's upcoming trip to Brooklyn to play in a qualifier for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. I confess that, as soon as I thought about catching this game, I knew I was going to need a tutorial on the team. Keeping up with this new team in the Buffalo sports scene is pretty hard for an expat, though having heard months back that the business side of this new squad was being led by Nicholas Mendola, I can't say I'm surprised by what I've found since.
Cutting right to the chase, everything I've seen about this team has made me all warm and fuzzy inside as I am further impressed at how well the team has marketed itself to be quintessentially Buffalo. Take, for instance, this interview with Mr. Mendola and fellow team founder Donny Kutzbach (in Spot Coffee no less...the original, real deal, Spot, too... God, I miss that place)...
How can you not love these guys? Putting aside the jealousy I have for guys my age who (A) had the opportunity to buy a sports team and then (B) actually had the balls to do it, I have this overwhelming pride for fellow Buffalonians who just seem to "get it," and who translate that into a legitimate effort at making Buffalo a better place. As a resident of Buffalo proper growing up, I never quite understood the suburban phobia of the world within the city limits, and I think it's great that Nick alludes to that as he encourages fans to come out to games. Indeed, efforts like this can have, I think, an unquantifiable effect on a community - particularly one so eager to get behind any team that bears the name of the Queen City. What's so great, really, is the apparently shared recognition within the organization that any progress for Buffalo is cumulative, and that you can't just wait around for things to happen. While not the only example of grassroots, progressve entrepreneurship in Buffalo, FC Buffalo is certainly running with the concept, and you gotta be impressed with the thoughtful vision Nick and his partners have for the team.
The City-centered approach to this team's identity coarses through much of the material one finds at the end of some basic google searches. "For Our City," a team slogan, is evidence of this. For the unabashed fan of all things Buffalo, I am instantly hooked and already making plans for t-shirt and scarf purchases. What's more, this focus on City-Team cohesion is reminiscent of football traditions throughout the world - the idea of your home's identity being so wrapped up in the community's pride for the local football team. Of course, Buffalo fans already do this so well with the Bills, Sabres and Bandits, and FC Buffalo is smart to use this as a template for its business model. While we, as fans, are sometimes used to teams and players that seem so far away from the commonfolk - almost to such an extreme that sports exist in some kind of other-worldly bubble - this amateur squad is making the concerted effort to push the curtain aside and embrace the greater community. They may not have the star power of a higher level MLS or A-League club, but that might just be what ends up making this whole vision get this team off the ground.
The City-centered approach to this team's identity coarses through much of the material one finds at the end of some basic google searches. "For Our City," a team slogan, is evidence of this. For the unabashed fan of all things Buffalo, I am instantly hooked and already making plans for t-shirt and scarf purchases. What's more, this focus on City-Team cohesion is reminiscent of football traditions throughout the world - the idea of your home's identity being so wrapped up in the community's pride for the local football team. Of course, Buffalo fans already do this so well with the Bills, Sabres and Bandits, and FC Buffalo is smart to use this as a template for its business model. While we, as fans, are sometimes used to teams and players that seem so far away from the commonfolk - almost to such an extreme that sports exist in some kind of other-worldly bubble - this amateur squad is making the concerted effort to push the curtain aside and embrace the greater community. They may not have the star power of a higher level MLS or A-League club, but that might just be what ends up making this whole vision get this team off the ground.
Like many of the great European clubs that thrive on players eager to leave 100% on the field for the sake of their hometown fans, it really seems like FC Buffalo is thoroughly focused on perfoming at the highest level, and for all the right reasons. Buffalo loves its athletes, all the more so when fans can get a clear sense that the players are willing to work hard and express affection for the fanbase. With the organizational tone set by Nick, affirmed by the player interviews in the video above, FC Buffalo has no shortage of those qualities for which the Buffalo sports fan yearns.
I could go on and on, but I think you all get the point. Even the fact that they're named (at least in part) after Wolf Blitzer doesn't get me down on them... in fact, the resulting fan club "The Situation Room" more than makes up for the mouth vomit that rises up when I think about Wolf's tendencies to ruin news with bearded ego.
Which brings us to the game coming up this weekend in Brooklyn. Now that this team has, via the wonders of the interwebs, gotten me hooked and ready to fall in love with yet another Buffalo sports export, I am pretty amped to see them live this Saturday. Before naysayers start hopping up and down, I realize that The Blitzers have a lot to prove, especially since they are, admittedly, in the rather lowly ranks of the NPSL. But, after many conversations with the Yachtsman about the need for U.S. Soccer to develop and support national and local infrastructure to support the game - stuff like elite youth academies that submerge players in the very fabric of the game and multi-tiered national tournaments that foster excitement for the game top-down - it feels pretty good that Buffalo is getting in on the effort. Besides, even if this is their first foray onto the US Open Cup stage (albeit on the qualifying stage), I'm in the mood to dream about what this Buffalo team can accomplish, for their city.
So, in the spirit of further educating myself (and any of you readers who need it) about this team so I won't get down to John Dewey High School on Saturday, clueless as to what I'm watching, I'll be back on DGWU throughout the week to discuss the following topics (subject to my laziness and/or workload):
- Some history on the US Open Cup and where this qualifying match fits in with the tourney structure;
- What to expect from some of the key FC Buffalo players this weekend;
- How the "Brooklyn Italians" rank in the world of head-scratching team names, and how their history is nevertheless a beautiful thing; and, of course
- Plans for pre-game drinking, including possible linkups with roadtripping members of the Situation Room (Beer Island looks like an early favorite).
And, on the day of, make sure to keep your eyes glued to twitter for DGWU's game updates, photos and reactions. Which, after a few tasty brews with the Coney Island sand between my toes, should be good times.
I could go on and on, but I think you all get the point. Even the fact that they're named (at least in part) after Wolf Blitzer doesn't get me down on them... in fact, the resulting fan club "The Situation Room" more than makes up for the mouth vomit that rises up when I think about Wolf's tendencies to ruin news with bearded ego.
Which brings us to the game coming up this weekend in Brooklyn. Now that this team has, via the wonders of the interwebs, gotten me hooked and ready to fall in love with yet another Buffalo sports export, I am pretty amped to see them live this Saturday. Before naysayers start hopping up and down, I realize that The Blitzers have a lot to prove, especially since they are, admittedly, in the rather lowly ranks of the NPSL. But, after many conversations with the Yachtsman about the need for U.S. Soccer to develop and support national and local infrastructure to support the game - stuff like elite youth academies that submerge players in the very fabric of the game and multi-tiered national tournaments that foster excitement for the game top-down - it feels pretty good that Buffalo is getting in on the effort. Besides, even if this is their first foray onto the US Open Cup stage (albeit on the qualifying stage), I'm in the mood to dream about what this Buffalo team can accomplish, for their city.
So, in the spirit of further educating myself (and any of you readers who need it) about this team so I won't get down to John Dewey High School on Saturday, clueless as to what I'm watching, I'll be back on DGWU throughout the week to discuss the following topics (subject to my laziness and/or workload):
- Some history on the US Open Cup and where this qualifying match fits in with the tourney structure;
- What to expect from some of the key FC Buffalo players this weekend;
- How the "Brooklyn Italians" rank in the world of head-scratching team names, and how their history is nevertheless a beautiful thing; and, of course
- Plans for pre-game drinking, including possible linkups with roadtripping members of the Situation Room (Beer Island looks like an early favorite).
And, on the day of, make sure to keep your eyes glued to twitter for DGWU's game updates, photos and reactions. Which, after a few tasty brews with the Coney Island sand between my toes, should be good times.
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