By Dylan Butler
When David Price’s cell phone rang last week and the question was posed to him, the New York Freedoms head coach didn’t hesitate. His answer was quick and definitive.
“Yes.”
Even though he hadn’t checked with his team, there was no other answer to give. Not when the question is, “Would you like to play Juventus in a scrimmage?”
Price wasn’t sure what incarnation of the Italian superpower would be on the field at Rutgers July 30. Would it be the reserves, or maybe a youth squad?
No matter, the answer was the same.
And then, they got off the bus one by one.
Pavel Nedved.
Edgar Davids.
Alessandro Del Piero.
David Trezeguet.
Gianluigi Buffon.
This was not a Juventus team, this was THE Juventus team.
The same Juventus team that three months earlier was at historic Old Trafford in Manchester, England battling Serie A rival AC Milan for the European championship.
The same Juventus that took on Manchester United the next day in front of 79,005 fans at Giants Stadium as part of the hugely successful ChampionsWorld Series, which saw several of the world’s greatest soccer teams and its top players compete right here on American soil.
“It was surreal, really,” said Freedoms captain Kevin Daly. “For all of us it was a highlight, if not the pinnacle of our playing careers.”
As a member of a Leeds United youth team, Daly played against Manchester United and its future stars David Beckham, Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt in the FA Youth Cup Final (Daly’s Leeds team defeated Man U, 4-1 on aggregate to win the crown).
But that was before the players went on to stardom with the Man U senior team as well as the English national team. This was far different.
“It was a chance of a lifetime,” said Daly, one of the best defenders in St. John’s history who won the NCAA championship in 1996. “It was a privilege to be on the same field.”
Although it was only a scrimmage, the Freedoms did hang with mighty Juventus for about a half hour, Daly said. Then Marcello Lippi’s team scored twice before halftime and four more times in the second half.
When Davids entered the game in the second half, Price had enough. He walked to the fourth official and came out of semi-retirement to play the final 15 minutes.
And when the final whistle blew, Price sought out the Dutch superstar and in a tongue-in-cheek-type manner, asked Davids to exchange jerseys.
Davids obliged and will bring back to Turin a New York Freedoms jersey in his bag, while Price will cherish his souvenir from the memorable scrimmage.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, it was an incredible time for us,” said Price, a native of Liverpool. “For myself, it was the biggest game I’ve ever played in.”
Meanwhile at about the same time in Maspeth, Scholes and three other Manchester United players arrived at the Metropolitan Oval for a soccer clinic for 30 lucky Brooklyn Knights players.
Along with Kieran Richardson, David Bellion and Quinton Fortune, the players walked onto the famous pitch (OK, so it’s not as pristine as Old Trafford, but the Met Oval is about as close as you can get to hallowed soccer grounds in the United States) and gave a 45-minute clinic that few of the youth players who participated will soon forget.
Oh yeah, and then there was my highlight as I joined several thousand of my best friends at Giants Stadium last Thursday for an exhibition match between Manchester United and Juventus.
For the crowd of 79,005, it was a chance to finally see the world’s best players in person instead of having to get up at ungodly hours to watch matches from England and Italy live on television.
The crowd set a record for a soccer game played at Giants Stadium, surpassing the previous mark of the 78,972 who saw the Women’s World Cup in 1999.
I was also fortunate enough to attend a game between Barcelona and Juventus four days earlier at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. Played in front of 30,000, it was a game that ended in a 2-2 draw and was then decided in a meaningless penalty kick round (won by Barcelona, 6-5).
But this was extra special.
Maybe it was because it was Giants Stadium with a noisy sellout crowd — including the greatest soccer player of all time, Pele — who arrived several hours early for this match.
Or maybe it was that American goalie Tim Howard, a local boy from North Brunswick, N.J., was making his Manchester United debut after four-and-a-half memorable seasons with the MetroStars.
Whatever the reason, it was memorable for almost everyone who squeezed into Giants Stadium that night.
There was Ryan Giggs’ brilliant bending free kick (bend it like who?) and a wonderful goal by Ruud van Nistelrooy that saw one of the world’s top strikers receive Juan Veron’s chip off his chest and, in stride, strike a volley past backup keeper Antonio Chimenti. And there also were a couple of superb saves by Howard, who is looking to be the third American keeper to start in the English Premier League.
“I thought he was excellent. I thought he showed the attributes which we recognized in the boy,” Manchester manager Sir Alex Ferguson said of Howard after his club’s 4-1 win over Juventus. “He’s very, very agile, he’s brave, he’s quick. He has very good strength and it was a very good debut for him tonight.”
But Price and Daly weren’t there. They both offered the same rationale.
“I hate Manchester United.”
Soccer rivalries run deep.
Besides, they’ve already been there and done that.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
