Soccer Spectating Report: Boston Breakers Home Opener

I only managed to watch one soccer game in the past week but I watched it live and in person at Harvard Stadium in Allston, MA.

Boston Breakers 1:2 Western New York Flash (17 April)

Western New York are a WPS expansion team but they have several good players (including some from defunct WPS champions FC Gold Pride) such as Canadian international star Christine Sinclair and rookie and #1 draft pick Alex Morgan.  They also have the best player in the world, Brazilian international Marta, but she was not available for this game.  Sinclair and Morgan seemed to be constantly attacking the Breakers’ nets and the Flash definitely played the better game.  In the first half there were several close calls including one shot that got past Alysa Naeher but was fortunately cleared at the last moment by Breakers’ defender Stephanie Cox.  Western New York’s inevitable first goal came in the 64th minute on a counterattack by the ever-pesty Morgan who fed the ball to Sinclair for the goal.  Gemma Davidson put it out of reach in the final minute of the game.  In stoppage time, Breakers fans did get to cheer Kelly Smith’s goal but it was too little, too late.

My companion for this game was my 3 1/2 year old son Peter.   Heading home from child care on Friday night we passed Harvard Stadium and saw it being set up for the Breakers.  From that moment on, Peter asked over and over again to go to the Breakers’ game.  I figured that we’d end up walking around the stadium, visiting the concession stands often and leaving the game early.  Surprisingly, Peter was entranced by the game, watching the whole thing and asking lots of questions.  He even made us move down to the front row so he could peek over the wall for a better view.  Late in the game he started cheering and shouting for the Breakers and every time the Flash approached the net he would shake and yell “Stop black team, STOP!”  His attention wasn’t totally undivided as he liked watching the drummers in the hardcore supporters section, the frisbee dogs at half-time, and taking dozens of pictures with my camera, but I was pretty impressed.  He enjoys playing soccer with  his friends in the playground which often ends up with them tackling one another to the ground and piling on.  He noticed that the Breakers and the Flash did not tackle one another like this, so perhaps it will inspire a new era of clean soccer tactics at child care.

Previous posts:

• Boston Breakers (18 July)
• Football at Fenway (22 July)
• Forming an Association with Football (8 Aug)
• This Week In Soccer (15 Aug)
• Soccer Week in Review (20 Aug)
• Soccer in Excess (25 Aug)
• Soccer Week (3 Sep)
• Slow Soccer Week (10 Sep)
• Soccer Weekend (13 Sep)
• Fútbol & Voetbal (20 Sep)
• Soccer Heartbreak and Gut Punches (27 Sep)
• Sister City’s Soccer (4 Oct)
• International Draws (13 Oct)
• Footy Report (18 Oct)
• End of Summer Soccer (27 Oct)
• Soccer Update (8 Nov)
• Socceraholic (15 Nov)
• Thankful for Soccer (29 Nov)
• 30 Day Football (Soccer) Challenge (13 Dec)
• The World of Soccer (20 Dec)
• Soccer Holiday (3 Jan)
• Soccer Spectating Report 2-9 January (10 Jan)
• Soccer Spectating Report 10-23 January (24 Jan)
• Soccer Spectating Report 24-31 January (1  Feb)
• Soccer Spectating Report 1-14 February (14 Feb)
• Soccer Spectating Report 15-21 February (21 Feb)
• Soccer Spectating Report 22 February-20 March (21 Mar)
• Soccer Spectating Report 21-30 March (30 Mar)
• Soccer Spectating Report 31 March-4 April (4 Apr)
• Soccer Spectating Report 5-10 April (12 Apr)