Growing Up On The Kop - #5

by Will Johnson

During my last year in Holland while I was on loan to De Graafschap, I made a very good friend who I learned many valuable lessons from. Thrown together in a small old house next to the stadium with no mode of transportation, we got along right off the bat. We called it, "The Ghost House." Telling me stories from his native Argentina and of his 8 years of experience playing in every tier of Italian football from Serie A to Serie C1, we grew close. The office workers didn't care much for foreigners and chose to stick close with the Dutch players and when we asked for rides to the grocery store they always had an excuse. We ended up walking a couple of miles each way but it turned out to be a blessing as I learned many things during our walks from my new friend.

Nicolas Cinalli had injury problems his whole career and was finally healthy when he joined De Graafschap for the 2007/2008 season. With a couple of knee surgeries and a shoulder surgery behind him, he was finally fit for the first time in a few years. He worked harder than anyone I have ever seen before trying to promote himself to the number one goalkeeper from his backup position. He trained so hard every training session that the Dutch players thought he was crazy and often made jokes about him in a language that he of course couldn't understand, but I could. It didn't bother him when I told him these stories and only fueled his fire. He never did get the number one spot that season and ended up breaking the titanium plate in his shoulder during a reserve game. He played through the pain which doctors later said was impossible and at the end of the season had to have another surgery.

I visited him hours after the surgery and got to deliver the good news that everything had gone very well. They said this was his last chance as there was no more bone to screw the plate into if it broke again. With his wife pregnant with their first child, he flew home to Argentina for the birth, but only for one week. With this being his last chance, he headed back to The Ghost House to start rehab while his wife and newborn daughter stayed behind. De Graafschap brought in another goalie last summer and Nicolas was now the number three. By Christmas they got rid of the backup and Nico was now the back up again.

This week, Nico played his first professional game in more than two years against FC Twente in the quarterfinal of the Dutch Cup. After 120 minutes, in injury time of the extra 30 minutes, Nico was finally broken and they lost the game 1-0. Heartbreaking no doubt, but I know, for him to be able to come back and play in a game of such high quality and intensity was worth all the hard work and pain. I'm sure that the taste of playing that game will motivate my good friend to train even harder.

Saturday night was awesome with our first test against an MLS opponent - we came through flying with a 3-0 win. Some clinical finishes by Escalada and Yura put the game out of reach for 10-man DC United. The referee lost control of this physical and choppy match very early on and although we were happy with the win, we know that we can play much better. It's still preseason and that's why we are here, to get everyone on the same page and to really sharpen up as a team. The highlight of the night was Bomma's free kick in the last minute... with the goalie cheating to the side of the wall, he put it right in the top corner on the other side and all I could say was, "Got him, got him good."

I have no doubt everyone in the stadium appreciated the world-class strike. It is only one preseason game and we will have to raise the bar to a whole new level for the regular season but still, very happy with the result. Two more great games to come this week against Charleston and the new-look TFC.

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Q: What kind of effect do you think David Beckham's temporary departure from MLS will have on the league?

A: I think the league will be just fine without David Beckham. He did many great things for this league and brought an amazing amount of exposure but the majority of that is over. Its pretty obvious from his comments and more importantly, his performances that he cares a whole lot more about playing for Milan than L.A.
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Q: If you could change one thing about Rio Tinto Stadium, what would it be?

A: That's easy: a training pitch. We don't have a training facility at the stadium which we desperately need.
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Q: A lot of so-called "experts" are picking Real Salt Lake to win the Western Conference this season. Would you agree that RSL is the team to beat this year and who is your choice to win the Eastern Conference?

A: We were an 11-11-11 team last year that made the playoffs for only the first time and failed to win two games in a row so to call us favorites may be a bit of a stretch. I love our team and what our coaching staff is doing with the potential of our team but those are the facts we have to change and we have a lot to prove. I think it will be a very exciting year for RSL and we do have the potential to win the whole thing.

I'll go with my hometown team of Chicago to win the East. They have an abundance of very talented and experienced players. You can't count out Columbus and I really like the new-look TFC, but I'm going with Chicago.
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I want to wish Alex Nimo good luck on his loan to Portland and hope he gets some good experience.

Have a great week everyone and keep fighting Marcia, everyone is pulling as hard as possible for you!!!