Stadium Series: Angel Stadium, Anaheim

Despite being opened in 1966 and being the fourth oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball, Angel Stadium is classed as a modern-style ballpark, and has been home of the Los Angeles (formerly California and Anaheim) Angels since opening. The modern-style classification is based on a 1950s and 60s trend of baseball clubs building purpose built, baseball only stadiums, moving away from the multi-purpose stadiums that had been the norm before that time.

Angel Stadium, which was originally known as Anaheim Stadium (and currently known in full as Angel Stadium of Anaheim) is as you would expect, located in Anaheim, California, only a couple of miles away from Disneyland. Th stadium has a seating capacity for baseball of 45,477. In 1980, the NFL team the Los Angeles Rams moved into the stadium, much to the chagrin of many baseball fans who had become accustomed to the excellent sightlines and closeness to the pitch. With the Rams as tenants, many seats were moved further from the action, and while attendance records were set, a lot of fans were unhappy about the lack of atmosphere in the stadium. The capacity at this time was 64,593 for baseball and 69,008 for football.

The Rams relocated to St Louis in 1994, and as such, the stadium was renovated again to become a baseball specific venue. Work was completed in time for the 1998 season, and saw a return to the stadium that Angels fans had grown to love. The most notable moment in the stadium’s history was the 2002 World Series. Game 7 was played in Anaheim, and saw the Angels win their first Championship. An urban legend had said that the stadium had been built on an ancient Indian burial ground, and this win saw the “curse” lifted.

One of the main features of the stadium actually sits in the parking lot. The 230 feet tall “Big A” sign and marquee which has become a symbol of the club. The halo atop this structure lights up for every Angels win and has led to the term “Light up the Halo!”

Seattle v San Francisco

Seattle Mariners 3-4 San Francisco Giants
Major League Baseball Interleague Play
Safeco Field
Tuesday 24th July 2018

The final sporting excursion of our trip is the big one. I adopted the Mariners as “my” baseball team about six or seven years ago, long before I even knew of Kaitlin’s existence! As luck would have it, they’re both her “local” major league team and at home while we’re in town. Kaitlin’s dad threw me a surprise by buying us tickets to this game and I’m really quite looking forward to this one.

The Venue

Safeco Field is incredible. It really is a fantastic stadium that is impressive almost every way you look at it. After five years of planning, the stadium opened in 1999 and seats 47,715 in a baseball configuration. The seating is over five levels, and was designed to give the best possible sightlines for baseball in all areas of the field. The main feature of the stadium is the retractable roof, which for a sport that can and often is rained off, seems like a fantastic idea.

The roof doesn’t form a fully climate controlled indoor arena, and has been designed to act as more of an umbrella for the stands and playing field. It is often closed on colder dry nights as well in order to conserve heat inside the stadium. The stadium is also used once per season by the Washington Huskies college football team, with capacity reduced to 30,144 for football. It was also host to Wrestlemania XIX in March 2003, which still holds the stadium’s attendance record of 54,097.

I’m so glad I’ve managed to visit this fantastic facility, as it is genuinely impressive to see. I’m a big fan of the “retro-modern” trend in American stadiums, where elements from days gone by are incorporated with state of the art facilities. Walking up to the stadium to see it’s brick façade, you’re immediately taken in, and once inside are treated to a first class experience.

The Teams

Baseball’s structure is even more complicated than the usual conference and division structure prevalent in North American sports. Major League Baseball teams play in either the National League (formed in 1876) or the American League (formed in 1901). There are fifteen teams in each league. From 1903 until 2000, the two leagues existed entirely separately, but worked in co-operation with each other. Since 2000, they have technically been one organisation, but retain some individualities such as the designated hitter rule, used in the American League, but not the National League. The two league champions come together at the end of the season to play the World Series, to declare an overall MLB Champion.

The Seattle Mariners were founded as an American League expansion team in 1977. They in effect replaced the Seattle Pilots, who had controversially been relocated to Milwaukee in 1970. A lawsuit by the city, county and even state eventually led to the formation of the Mariners. The team have played in the AL West Division since their inception. The team did not have a winning season until 1991, when club legend Ken Griffey Jr. was in his third year with the team. The Mariners are one of seven current MLB sides never to have won the World Series, and one of just two sides (along with the Washington Nationals) never to have even played in the World Series.

They have won their Division three times, most recently in 2001. That 2001 season saw the Mariners win 116 games and set the AL record for most wins in a season and is ties with the 1906 Chicago Cubs as the most regular season wins in MLB history. The Mariners have not reached the playoffs since, and with the Buffalo Bills reaching the 2017 NFL playoffs, the Mariners hold the unenviable title of the longest playoff drought in the four major North American sports leagues. This season has started well for them though, as they sit second in the AL West 5 games behind the Houston Astros, and 2 games ahead of their nearest wild card challengers.

You could easily write a book on the history of the San Francisco Giants, and in fact many already have, so I’ll summarise it as briefly as I can. Founded in 1883 as the New York Gothams, they became the New York Giants three years later, and have always played as members of the National League. Playing out of the legendary Polo Grounds, they were one of the most successful teams in the early years of professional baseball. In 1957, the Giants’ crosstown rivals the Brooklyn Dodgers were in advanced negotiations to move to Los Angeles, but were told by the NL that unless a second Californian team was found, the move would be blocked on travel cost grounds. More negotiations followed, and the Giants controversially moved to San Francisco for the 1958 season. The Giants struggled on the West Coast with only sporadic playoff appearances in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, but memorably won three World Series titles in the space of five seasons in the early 2010’s to return the team to the upper echelons.

The Giants won five World Series titles in their time in New York in addition to seventeen National League Pennants. After moving to the west coast, they won only three more NL Pennants in their first 52 years in San Francisco. In 2010, the Giants won their first World Series since 1954, and followed it up with further triumphs in 2012 and 2014. Their eight World Series titles trail only the New York Yankees, St Louis Cardinals and Oakland Athletics. They are tied with the Boston Red Sox for fourth most championships. They are involved in a very tight NL West Division this season, with four of the five teams vying for the division title. They are currently 5.5 games back on division leaders the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also sit just 4.5 games back in the Wild Card race.

The Game

This was a game where neither side were able to take command. Three times the Giants took the lead in the top of an inning only to to be pegged back by the Mariners immediately in the bottom of the same inning.

The first scoring came in the third when Giants second baseman Chase d’Arnaud hit an infield single allowing Kelby Tomlinson to run in for the score. In the bottom of the third, the Mariners levelled things up when center fielder Guillermo Heredia smacked a 397 foot home run just over the center field barrier. I was hoping to see a home run tonight and it was a particularly satisfying hit.

The Giants once again took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Tomlinson reached base with a single to center field, which allowed Brandon Crawford to score, with Austin Slater also managing to reach third base. The Mariners reacted by pulling starting pitcher Roenis Elias, replacing him with Chasen Bradford, who saw out the remainder of the inning. The Mariners were back on level terms at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth, when a sacrifice fly from Denard Span allowed Nelson Cruz to run in the tying run.

There was no scoring in the fifth, but the sixth inning started in spectacular fashion with an incredible 445 foot solo home run from Hunter Pence. The Giants were unable to add to their lead though, and once again saw the Mariners level the game after going behind earlier in the inning. A base hit single from Ben Gamel, who had been brought into the game to replace Heredia allowed Span to run in to tie the game.

With no runs scored in the seventh or eighth, the game entered the ninth inning finely poised. Mariners closer Edwin Diaz was brought in to pitch with much fanfare and looked to have put the game into his batters’ hands. But a hit from Pablo Sandoval with two outs caused confusion for the Mariners, and an errant throw from Dee Gordon allowed Steven Duggar in to score the go ahead run. The Mariners were unable to level one last time, and it was the sizeable visiting support who went home happy.

This was my first taste of Major League Baseball and I had a fantastic night even despite the score. I can see it becoming a fixture of our trips to the States.

The Pies

The food, the food, the food. We were absolute gluttons and had quite a lot to eat and drink. I started with a classic Mariner Dog, which was the best hot dog I’ve ever eaten in a stadium. Kaitlin started with pulled pork mac n cheese, which got a great review from her. We then each had a fantastic slice of pepperoni pizza, which went down a treat. We finished with the famous Grounder’s Garlic Fries. They are everything they promise to be and more. The food selection at Safeco is really outstanding, and if I ever return, I look forward to sampling even more.

Admission: $78 (approx £59)
Programme: $3 (approx £2.25)
Pie: Hot Dog, pulled pork mac n cheese, pizza, garlic fries, all $8 (approx £6)
Bovril: Beer $11 (approx £8.40) Unlimited soft drink £12 (approx £9)
Attendance: 40,276

Stadium Series: Art Crate Field, Spanaway

Part of our holiday has been Kaitlin showing me around her old haunts. Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, was where she went to high school, and something that has always fascinated me about American culture is the incredible emphasis placed on high school sports. As a result, Bethel High School, despite having an enrolment of around 1,700 students, has a stadium with a maximum capacity of 3,500. Art Crate Field is that stadium.

The stadium is an impressive multi-purpose facility with two large seated, cantilever roofed, stands, concession stands and a huge scoreboard. The synthetic turf pitch, able to hold football, American football and lacrosse is surrounded by a full size 8 lane running track. There is an impressive electronic scoreboard at one end of the pitch. Facilities like this aren’t unusual in American high schools, which is mind boggling to me.

Bethel (known as the Braves) play in the South Division of the 4A South Puget Sound league in Washington’s West Central District. 4A is the highest classification in Washington High School sports. League winners compete in a state wide tournament at the end of each season to determine a State Champion. Bethel were boy’s basketball champions in 2005 and Kaitlin played clarinet in their pep band at the game! Mike Blowers, who had a ten year career in Major League Baseball, Caesar Rayford, who played for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, former UFC fighter Rick Story and 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope are Bethel alumni.

Several other local schools also use the facilities, seen as the jewel of the crown in the Bethel School District. The stadium is named after Art Crate, who was an important figure in the early days of the Bethel School District.

Tacoma v Salt Lake

Tacoma Rainiers 2-3 Salt Lake Bees
Pacific Coast League Pacific Conference
Cheney Stadium
Sunday July 22nd 2018

Our American adventure continues with something a little different. Widely referred to as America’s National Pastime, this is my first experience of a live baseball game. Just fourteen miles from my in-laws’ house, it seems like a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The Venue

Cheney Stadium was first constructed in 1960, and was built in just 42 days. The speed of the project was necessitated by the proclamation by the San Francisco Giants that they would move their AAA class affiliate to Tacoma if the town had a stadium ready for the start of the 1960 season. The stadium has hosted AAA teams in the PCL continuously since 1960, with the Rainiers becoming the tenants back in 1995. The stadium is also home to the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders reserve team, playing in the USL.

The stadium was fully renovated in 2011 and currently has a seated capacity for 6,500 spectators, with unreserved standing areas taking the capacity to well over 7,000. Most spectators are housed in banked seating concentrated around the diamond, while there are luxury suites that offer spectacular views over the ballpark. There are also party decks and a large grassed area for spectators located in the outfield. It’s a pretty excellent ground, and boasts some of the closest seats to the action at any baseball stadium in the country.

Ticket prices do vary, but for every Sunday game during the Rainiers’ season, the club implements the Chick-fil-A Bring the Herd promotion, which means our tickets today were $11 each, and included a meal at the stadium, a voucher for a Chick-fil-A meal and a hat. It’s great to see local clubs partnering with sponsors in this way to try and connect with the locals.

The Teams

Minor League baseball is played in several classes, and works as an organised farm system, theoretically giving a player pathway from the lowest level all the way up to Major League. Triple-A is the highest class, with Double-A, Class A-Advanced and Class A below. There are also short season leagues and designated rookie leagues, but I don’t want to muddy the waters too much with all that information. The Pacific Coast League is one of the two official Triple-A leagues (the International League being the other.) The Mexican League also plays at a Triple-A Standard. Since 2006, the PCL and IL champions play in a one-off Triple-A Championship game. Triple-A teams are affiliated to Major League teams, and can have up to 15 players on their roster who are signed to the MLB team at any time.

The Tacoma Triple-A baseball team originated in 1960, when the San Francisco Giants moved their Phoenix affiliate to the town. They have also been affiliated to the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics before their current affiliation with the Seattle Mariners began in 1995. The 26 miles between Tacoma and Seattle is the shortest distance between any major league team and their Triple-A affiliate. The Rainiers name was adapted in 1995, taking inspiration from the defunct PCL side the Seattle Rainiers and the imposing nearby Mount Rainier.

The side have won the PCL Championship five times (being declared co-champions twice, in 1978 when the playoff with Albuquerque was rained out, and in 2001 when the championship series was cancelled in the wake of 9/11.) Their most recent championship came in 2010, when despite having to play all of their playoff games away from Cheney Stadium due to renovations, they swept Memphis 3-0 in the Championship Series. This season, the Rainiers are in playoff contention, but have lost their last five games and are 6 games back on division leaders Fresno, and will need a strong second half of the season.

The Salt Lake Bees were founded in 1994 as the Salt Lake Buzz, and were originally affiliates on the Minnesota Twins. In 2001, the team changed affiliations to the Los Angeles Angels and their nickname to the Stingers. They became the Salt Lake Bees at the start of the 2006 season, and remain the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. The Bee related names come from the bee being a long standing symbol of the state of Utah.

The Bees have never won the PCL Championship, but have won the Pacific Conference on four occasions, most recently in 2013. In 2002, Los Angeles’ Angels World Series clinching pitcher John Lackey had played the first few months of the season in Salt Lake before being called up. The Bees have had a fairly good start to the season, and are also in second place in their division, just 1 game back on El Paso. This is the third game of a three game stand between these two teams, with the Bees winning the first two.

The Game

Today’s game has been designated as the annual Pink at the Park day at Cheney Stadium. Tacoma’s players and coaches are wearing special pink jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game to raise funds for the Carol Milgard Breast Center, whose aim is to subsidise mammogram screenings for medically under served women in the South Sound region.

The Rainiers got off to a great start, taking a lead in the first inning, when Ian Miller ran in a run off a single hit from Cameron Rupp. The home side kept the lead until teh fourth inning when Salt lake tied things up. Eric Young Jr’s ground ball to right field allowed Jose Fernandez to get home for the score. In the bottom of the same inning, the home side retook the lead when Seth Majias-Brean’s sacrifice fly allowed Kirk Nieuwenhuis to score.

The Rainiers were looking good but suffered an almost total meltdown in the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Bryan Evans was relieved after six solid innings, but Tacoma’s pitching fell completely by the wayside in his absence. Three separate Tacoma pitchers completed the seventh inning which saw Salt Lake turn in two runs to take their first lead of the game, a lead they would not relinquish. Singles from Joe Hudson and Michael Hermosillo allowed Eric Young Jr. and Ben Revere to score. Tacoma brought in Ryan Garton to pitch the eighth inning, and he had an extremely successful go of it, pitching only 15 times to put three Bees players out.

Despite Garton’s impressive eighth inning, Tyler Higgins replaced him for the ninth. Salt Lake failed to add to their lead and gave Tacoma the chance to try and get something from the game. With runners on first and second with two outs, catcher Cameron Rupp had the chance to be the hero for the home side, but he was unable to muster anything, and was struck out in an anti-climactic finish.

This was my first experience of live baseball, and I really enjoyed myself. Kaitlin’s friend had brought her dad to the game, and he was sitting next to me today. As a relative novice to the game, having a man who has been watching and playing the game for sixty-plus years to tell me what was going on was absolutely wonderful. I had a great day, and I’ll definitely be back to see the Rainiers the next time I’m back in the area.

The Pies

Ok, so no pies, but as part of our ticket package, we got what is known as a “Group Express Meal”. This meal contained the ballpark staples of a hot dog and a bag of Tim’s Cascade “Chips” aka a really fantastic bag of crisps, plus a bottle of water. The hot dog in the meal deal was definitely smaller than the $8 dog that was on offer, but what I’m going to assume was no less tasty. There were so many food options around the concourse areas, and while again it was pretty expensive, it was a really impressive array. A beer at the ballpark is an American institution, and various beers were available for $8. I naturally tried a couple!

Admission: $11 (part of the Chick-fil-A Bring the Herd promotion) (approx. £8.30)
Programme: Free
Pie: Hot Dog: $8 (approx. £6)
Bovril: Soft drink: $4.50 (approx. £3.40) Beer $8 (approx £6)
Attendance: 7,003

Historical Grounds: Tontine Park

Despite being defunct for 96 years now, Renton FC are one of the most memorable names from the early days of Scottish football. They were much vaunted as the proclaimed “Champions of the World” in 1888 when as reigning Scottish Cup Champions, they defeated FA Cup winners West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at Cathkin Park (known as Hampden Park at the time.) Renton, for most of their history, played at Tontine Park in the village.

Renton moved into Tontine Park in 1878, after playing their first six years at South Park. Initially the ground had no stands, and the only structure was a pavilion situated about 100 yards away from the pitch, adjacent to one of the corners. By 1886, the ground had become fully enclosed and a new pavilion was erected closer to the playing surface. A small grandstand was built in the next couple of years, being present for the home ties the club played in the 1887-88 Scottish Cup winning season. The first league match played at the ground was a 2-2 draw with St Mirren in August 1890.

By 1897, Renton had been expelled from the Scottish Football League they helped to create. The last league match played at Tontine was a 3-1 defeat to Leith Athletic in October 1897. The club continued to play in minor leagues, including the Western League until 1922 when they finally went bust and folded. The site of Tontine Park was sold to the local council for housing that still stands to this day, with the streets in the development carrying the Tontine name. The centre circle of the pitch at Tontine Park is commemorated in one of the gardens in the housing scheme.

Today, football is played in the village on a site across the road from the original ground. Local youth side Renton Craigandro have recently taken over the lease of what is alternately known as Tontine Park and Wylie Park (I’ve always known it as the Tontine since I played there as a youngster.) The football legacy is still strong in this village, and the people of Renton will never forget Tontine Park and when they were World Champions.

Orange County v San Antonio

Orange County SC 3-0 San Antonio FC
United Soccer League Western Conference
Championship Soccer Stadium
Saturday 14th July 2018

Kaitlin and I are on holiday! We arrived in Washington State yesterday evening, and flew to Southern California with her family this morning. With the next three days mapped out with excursions to San Diego Zoo, Disneyland and Universal Studios, today is the only chance to get to see a game while over here. As luck would have it, Orange County are playing at home this evening, only a 25 minute drive from the hotel. Let’s see what American “soccer” has to offer.

The Venue

Championship Soccer Stadium (or Championship Soccer Stadium at Orange County Great Park to give its full name) is as suggested, a soccer specific stadium located in Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California. The stadium was constructed as phase one of a multi-million dollar sports complex in Great Park and was officially opened in 2017.

The stadium consists of three seated stands, two running the full length of the pitch, and one behind one of the goals. The other end of the ground is used as a fan zone area, with merchandise and one of the many concession stands inside the ground. There are executive and hospitality boxes as well as premium view seats dotted around the main stand, with the seated end being designated as general admission with attractively low admission prices. The stadium has an overall capacity of 5,000, with admission prices varying depending on the location of the seats.

This stadium has been exceptionally designed, and is a wonderful example of a modern football ground. There’s plenty of clubs in Scotland and the rest of the UK who could look at this when building their own ground.

The Teams

The United Soccer League (USL) is designated as Division II in the United States soccer pyramid, although there is no promotion to Division I (Major League Soccer). There are currently 33 clubs playing in two geographic conferences, and the league will expand by five teams next season, although they will also lose FC Cincinnati, who will move to MLS as an expansion club. The teams will play a 34 game regular season before the top eight in each conference go onto the playoffs.

Orange County SC originated in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, linked to the major league women’s side of the same name and the Orange County Blues, a leading LA area youth and amateur setup. The side became known as the Orange County Blues in 2014, before the current name was adopted before the 2017 season. The club have played their entire history as a member of the USL, and were Western Conference champions in 2015. The club are officially affiliated with Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC and their Argentine midfielder Nicolás Czornomaz is on loan at OC. Goalkeeper Luis Lopez also arrived from LAFC on Thursday and gows straight into the side tobight. Orange County also count loan players from three other MLS teams as a part of their ranks this season. Former Danish international Thomas Enevoldsen is currently the league’s joint top scorer.

Orange County are having a pretty good season so far, and are sitting comfortably in the Western Conference playoff positions. The currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference with 30 points from their 18 games, and are in postion to make the playoffs as things stand. Their US Open Cup participation was limited to just one game, as they were defeated 4-2 by Premier Development League side Golden State Force in the second round.

San Antonio FC were formed in 2016 and are owned by the Spurs Sports and Entertainment group, also owners of NBA heavyweights the San Antonio Spurs. They are based at the 8,296 capacity Toyota Field and have been USL members since their inception. They are affiliated with MLS side New York City FC.

Their season has been up and down so far, and the team currently sit in tenth place in the Western Conference with 22 points from sixteen games. The club do have games in hand over the teams above them in the league table, and will be hopeful of an upturn in league fortunes. They enjoyed a decent run in the US Open Cup, defeating fourth tier Midland-Odessa 4-0 in round two, before knocking out fellow USL side Colorado Springs Switchbacks on penalties in round three. They cam unstuck in the fourth round, when they were beaten by MLS side (and Texas rivals) FC Dallas. The narrow 1-0 defeat was heralded as a fantastic performance by the side.

The Game

It was a fairly slow start to the game, with both sides seeming tentative and spending the first ten minutes or so feeling each other out. San Antonio had a corner cleared easily by the Orange County defence after five minutes, and three minutes later, Mark Segbers cross from the right forced San Antonio keeper Diego Restrepo into a save. Segbers was causing problems for the visitors with his pace and touch, and with fourteen minutes played he sent another dangerous ball into the box that was cut out before it could reach a team mate. San Antonio had a couple of chances of their own around the twenty minute mark. Firstly, Mikey Lopez’s free kick was cleared before it reached the head of Éver Guzmán, and three minutes later a cross from Darnell King was met by Alex Bruce, who saw his shot blocked.

Orange County began to take control of the game, and with 25 minutes played, Michael Seaton found himself in a good position inside the box. He cut the ball back to Segbers who forced Restrepo into a good save. Three minutes later Mats Bjurman floated a free kick into a dangerous area, but Walker Hume headed the ball over the bar. On the half hour mark, Aodhan Quinn shot from just outside the San Antonio area, but the ball was easily held by Restrepo. OC were ahead just two minutes later though when Quinn took advantage of some slack defending and played in Thomas Enevoldsen. The former Denmark international struck a low shot past Restrepo into the back of the net.

OC continued to push after taking the lead and with 35 minutes gone Seaton made a powerful run from the midfield and played in Enevoldsen again. The Dane’s shot was heading towards goal, but a superb block from Cyprian Hedrick kept the deficit at one. San Antonio were struggling to get their foot on the ball but did have a decent chance before halftime when King worked well down the right wing before knocking the ball inside to Guzmán. The Mexican striker hit a low, hard shot but Luis Lopez in the OC goal was equal to it. The home side very nearly doubled their lead two minutes before the break when Enevoldsen made a great run down the right hand side. His shot was blocked and heading wide when Segbers caught up with it and tried an audacious flick that Restrepo only just managed to keep out. OC went into the break well deserving of their one goal lead.

The second half started with major controversy when Seaton was released and found himself bearing down on goal. Restrepo raced out of his box to meet him but mistimed his tackle and took the striker out. It looked for all the world like the keeper would be sent off, but the referee bottled it and showed only a yellow card. The OC players were furious, and made matters worse by totally wasting the resulting free kick. OC were still the better side but seemed to take some time to settle after what they perceived to be a major injustice. Just after the hour, Seaton worked his way into the box again with a strong run, but saw his shot saved after being forced wide. From the resulting corner though, the lead was finally doubled. Walker Hume’s header was cleared off the line and it looked like San Antonio had cleared the danger. But the ball was fired back into the box and knocked in at the front post by Bjurman.

OC were good for their lead, but going two behind sparked San Antonio into life. A freekick from deep on the left was headed back across goal by Hedrick on 66 minutes, but the home side scrambled it clear. Three minutes later, Segbers broke on the counter, but after playing in Enevoldsen, the Dane fired his shot well over the bar. San Antonio continued to press without really threatening the OC goal. With 83 minutes gone, it looked like Bruce was through on goal and knocked the ball over the onrushing Lopez but before he could catch the ball to finish, the whistle had gone for offside. Five minutes later, Segbers launched another counter attack, playing in Giovanni Ramos-Godoy, but the substitute was wasteful with his effort.

As the game entered stoppage time, San Antonio launched one last attempt to salvage something from the game. They won a free kick about 45 yards from goal and Ryan Roushandel surprised everyone by taking a strike. Lopez just about managed to turn the ball over the bar. From the resulting corner, Seaton headed clear. San Antonio saw another corner cleared two minutes into stoppage time to set off one of the finest counter attacking moves I’ve ever seen. Segbers picked the ball up midway inside his own half before driving forward sixty yards leaving multiple defenders in his wake. He cut the ball into the box where it was picked up by substitute Amirgy Pineda. He almost immediately squared the ball off again to Seaton who drilled the ball low into the net to add a third, very much deserved, goal. It really was one of the best counter attack goals I’ve ever witnessed in all my years watching football, and a stunning way to round of the game.

The Pies

We had been to Olive Garden for dinner before driving to Irvine, and as a result I was far too full to even attempt any food. They were selling hot dogs and burgers as well as an extensive (and expensive) drink and snack selection, including a couple of guys wandering round the stands selling popcorn and churros. It’s expensive to eat and drink at American sporting events, but the face on offer does look fairly high quality.

I’m also going to mention that this game was designated as “Gnome Night” which meant we left with one of these natty little garden gnomes. He will be gong straight onto our mantlepiece when we get home.

Admission: $18 (approx. £13.50)
Programme: Free online
Pie: Hot Dog $6 (approx £4.50), Burger $8 (approx. £6)
Bovril: Lemonade $4 (approx. £3), Large (700ml) beer $12 (approx. £9)
Attendance: 2,712

Stadium Series: Tacoma Dome

The Tacoma Dome is more of an arena than a true stadium, but given that it is the largest (by volume) wooden domed arena in the world and is large enough to hold American Football on a full size field, I’m willing to overlook that technicality.

The Tacoma Dome opened in 1983 and was inaugurated with a concert by David Bowie on August 11th that year. It can seat up to 23,000 people, and unlike similarly sized arenas, has little in the way of fixed seating. Instead, the venue can be configured for a variety of different sports and events in a way that can maximise the seating capacity. The arena holds 17,100 for basketball, 20,0824 for indoor soccer and around 10,000 for American Football.

The Dome played home to the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA for the 1994-95 season, while the KeyArena was under renovation, and also to the Seattle Sounders for the 1994 season. The arena has also been home to two minor league hockey teams over the years and is a frequent home for Washington State high school sports finals. The venue is used frequently for large scale indoor concerts.

The Dome strikes a familiar figure in the Tacoma skyline with it’s distinctive shape being one of the most noticeable features of the city. The shape has also led to it being known colloquially by locals as “the Tit of Tacoma.”

Historical Grounds: The Original Hampden

It’s an unassuming site, situated across from Queen’s Park Recreation Ground and just off Cathcart Road. But this is where the first ground to be adorned with the Hampden Park name once sat.

In 1873, Queen’s Park FC moved from playing across the road in the “Reccy” to their new home stadium. Named Hampden Park due to it’s proximity to Hampden Terrace, the new ground would be home to Queen’s for the next ten years.

It’s incredible to think that this was where the first Scottish Cup Final was played back in March of 1874. Queen’s Park defeated Clydesdale 2-0 that day in a truly historic moment in Scottish Football. It would go on to host nine more Scottish Cup Finals (including four replays) and six Scotland internationals. The first international being held at the ground was the famous 7-2 win over England in March 1878.

Queen’s Park vacated the ground in 1883 in order for what is now the Cathcart Circle railway line to be built on part of the site. Hampden Bowling Club (named to keep the legacy of the site alive) sits on the remainder of the footprint that is not occupied by the railway lines. It’s amazing to think that when you’re on a train on the way to the current Hampden that you pass over the site of the original stadium, where so much history took place.

Historical Grounds: Hamilton Crescent

Hamilton Crescent is a bit of an outlier in the Historical Grounds series, as it is still very much in use for it’s original purpose. Opened in 1862 as home for the newly established West of Scotland Cricket Club, who still call the ground home to this day, it is one of the most widely used cricket grounds in Scotland. It is a frequent venue for the Scottish Cup Final in cricket, and has hosted many international games and touring teams over the years. Situated in the heart of Partick, surrounded by beautiful, historic buildings in their own right, Hamilton Crescent is a gorgeous setting for a game on a summer’s day.

The interest for this blog though has absolutely nothing to do with cricket. No, the reason I’m classing Hamilton Crescent as a Historical Ground is down to the fact that on the 30th November 1872, Scotland played England in the first ever international football match.

While both nations had played “representative” fixtures against each other in the preceding years, the Scottish players were mainly London based ex-pats, and Scottish teams had no input into these games. Following a series of challenges in the media, the English FA decided to send a team to Glasgow to play a Scottish team. The match was scheduled for St Andrews Day, and Hamilton Crescent was chosen as the venue.

After a 20 minute delay to the scheduled 2pm kick off, 4,000 spectators saw Scotland and England play to a 0-0 draw. All eleven players on Scotland’s team played for Queen’s Park, who were very much the top team in the country at the time. It may have been a 0-0 draw, but the first international football match is a historic moment that will forever seal the legacy of Hamilton Crescent.

East Kilbride v Dumbarton

East Kilbride 1-3 Dumbarton
Pre-Season Friendly
K-Park Training Academy
Saturday 30th June 2018

With competitive action in Scotland now starting in mid July, it means that pre-season games are now starting at the tail end of June. It’s a good opportunity to see some bigger clubs for discounted prices, and today’s fixture is giving me the chance to get a first look at Dumbarton’s new look squad before their assault at League One, as well as another look at potential Lowland League challengers East Kilbride

The Venue

Situated in the picturesque Calderglen Country Park, K-Park Training Academy was opened in 2011 by the East Kilbride Community Trust. The charitable organisation intended the venue to be a state of the art training and community sports venue. East Kilbride FC began playing here in 2011, and continued to use it as their home venue when they were accepted as founding Lowland League members in 2013. I was actually here for the club’s very first home game as a senior club, when they defeated Whitehill Welfare 1-0 back in August 2013.

K-Park was supposed to be a temporary home ground for the club before moving to their own purpose built facility, but delays have meant that they continue to call it home. In partnership with the EKCT, who still own the facility, a covered enclosure behind the goal at the clubhouse end was erected by the club last year.

In addition to the new enclosure, spectators are housed in the single grandstand the runs almost the entire length of the pitch on the entrance side. The stand has 400 seats in four rows, and provides good cover in most weather conditions. The official capacity of the ground is capped at 660. The main clubhouse buildings are highly impressive, housing multiple changing rooms for both the main pitch and the small sided pitches at the complex. There are also significant catering and corporate facilities. The separate pie hut is just across from the main buildings and doubles as an entrance hut.

The Teams

East Kilbride have kept a good core of the side who finished second in the Lowland League last season, with Kieron Gibbons, Bryan Prunty and Adam Strachan being their most high profile departures in the playing department. More crucially however was the resignation of manager Billy Stark, who left to take up the position of Under 19 manager in the Scotland setup. Former Albion Rovers boss Brian Kerr, himself a former Scotland international, took the reins in May.

Kerr has signed several players from SPFL sides in order to strengthen his side for another title challenge, with Jamie Longworth coming in from Stenhousemuir, Anton Brady joining from Queen’s Park and Graeme Holmes making the switch from Albion Rovers. Drew Ramsay and Graeme McGregor have also signed from Lowland League rivals East Stirlingshire, and with many of Kilby’s big names staying with the club, their fans can definitely feel positive about the season ahead.

Dumbarton’s squad following relegation from the Championship will be almost unrecognisable, with only captain Andy Dowie, Craig Barr, Stuart Carswell, Kyle Hutton and Calum Gallagher being retained from last season’s squad along with the management team of Stevie Aitken and Iain Durrant.

Aitken has made use of a partnership with stadium sponsors C&G Systems to sign players on part-time contracts, while C&G offer them full time employment on the railways. It has proved to be a fruitful partnership so far, with several players who were full time last season signing on. Former Dumbarton favourite Ross Forbes has signed from Morton, nine years after his wildly successful loan spell at the club. Goalkeeper Grant Adam has joined from Forfar, while defenders Cammy Ballantyne, Willie Dyer and Ross Perry have signed from Dundee United, Brechin City and Albion Rovers respectively. The summer signings have also included Bobby Barr from Raith Rovers, Ryan Thomson from Stranraer and Rory Loy from Falkirk. With only thirteen players confirmed as signed, expect a large number of trialists to feature for the Sons today, as Aitken looks to complete his squad.

The Game

Speaking of trialists in the Dumbarton team, the Sons had one in their starting line up. This trialist did turn out to be the familiar figure of Iain Russell, though, aiming to earn an extension to his deal from the back half of last season with a strong pre-season showing. It was a cagey start to proceedings as was to be expected in the early pre-season. Ross Forbes put in a good cross for Dumbarton with three minutes gone, but Matt McGinley in the Kilby goal punched clear well. The home side had their first real chance with ten minutes played when Ross McNeil found himself one on one with Grant Adam. The usually reliable striker fired his shot well over the bar though to keep the game goalless.

As both sides began to get a feeling for the game, there were some half chances being created. With thirteen minutes on the clock, Forbes sent a speculative long range free kick only just wide of the post. Four minutes later at the other end, Sean Winter found himself in space at the angle of the box and forced a decent save from Grant Adam. Forbes was causing some issues for the Kilby defence, and with 21 minutes gone, he again tried his luck from just outside the box, but saw his shot fly just over the bar.

Following a water break in the baking heat, Dumbarton began to take control of the game. Their efforts were rewarded in the thirty third minute when Ryan Thomson picked the ball up around the halfway line and drove forward. After beating a couple of defenders, Thomson hit a low, hard shot that was pushed away by McGinley. The rebound was met by Calum Gallagher who fired the ball into the net. Just a minute after the restart, Thomson almost doubled the lead but saw his effort from twenty yards saved well by McGinley.

Dumbarton continued to press for the remainder of the half, and could count themselves a bit unfortunate not to be further ahead at the break. Russell attempted an overhead kick that was cleared away, while shortly after, Bobby Barr’s charging run into the box was broken up by an excellent blocking tackle by Fabio Capuano. The visitors went into the break with their slender lead.

East Kilbride started the second half brightly, but Paul Woods was unable to force the ball over the line after some good work from Craig Malcolm shortly after the break. Their bright start was nullified with 48 minutes gone though when Dumbarton doubled their lead. Forbes played a good ball into Cammy Ballantyne on the right wing and the right back got to the byeline before cutting the ball back into the danger zone. Thomson rushed onto it and slotted the ball past substitute keeper Jacob Kean.

Two minutes later, Dumbarton won a corner which was headed towards goal by Andy Dowie. The ball broke off a Kilby defender to Russell, who attempted a second overhead kick of the game and saw it fly only inches over the bar. A raft of substitutions for both teams changed the pace of the game, and the hosts began to come back into it. With just under an hour gone they had a goal back. Graeme McGregor, on as a substitute played Sean Winter through on the right wing. Winter took on Willie Dyer and floated a cross towards the back post that was met by the head of Woods, who directed the ball past Dumbarton’s trialist sub keeper Jamie McGowan.

The goal lifted the hosts and just a minute after scoring had another chance but Malcolm could only strike his free kick off the wall. Dumbarton created a couple of chances just after the hour, with Stuart Carswell, on as a half time substitute, hitting a beautiful half volley from 25 yards which Kean saved well. Ballantyne, who was having an impressive first game in Dumbarton colours, then saw his cutback cleared off the line.

With around 15 minutes to go, Kilby were very much on the front foot, with Malcolm forcing another decent save from McGowan. Four minutes later, Malcolm again broke through with a powerful run but poked his shot harmlessly wide. The home side had another chance with nine minutes to go when Woods found himself with the ball inside the box. The Kilby winger had his shot blocked by Ross Perry and couldn’t get a proper hold of the rebound.

As the game came to a conclusion, both sides had chances with Winter shooting just wide for Kilby and Russell forcing a save from Kean for the Sons. But despite East Kilbride having the better of the last half hour, it was Dumbarton who had the final say. With the final whistle approaching, teenage trialist Kieran Campbell sprung the offside trap and squared the ball to Russell who only had to tap the ball into the empty net to seal victory.

The Pies

There was a full catering service on today, and the pie hut seemed to be doing a roaring trade in hot dogs in the sunshine. Midway through the second half, a committee man came along with a couple of pies for a friend in the crowd. Said friend didn’t actually want a pie, so I ended up with a tasty free pie. I’ll never say no to that!

Admission: £6
Programme: None
Pie: £1.80
Bovril: £1.50
Attendance: 165 (approx)