[Dave Marino-Nachison]

On Saturday I headed out to Richard Montgomery HS in Rockville, Md., to watch Real Maryland play the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in third-division action.

My main purpose was to watch Giuseppe "Joe" Funicello, with whom I've had a friendly correspondance over the past few years. Turned out, however, that this match had quite a few other former YAs on display -- along with a handful of other notable players.

Also turning out for Maryland was Sean Rush, who was reported to have signed in Italy out of high school (though I'm not sure he ever played there).

And Pittsburgh had Joe Zewe, who has played in Denmark and the Faroe Islands; Justin Evans, who played a bit in Poland; and Jeff Hughes, who had a short stint with 1860 Munich.

(Who knows, maybe I missed someone?)

For me, Funicello was the best of this bunch and probably one of the best on the field. He played 90 minutes at left back and had a great match; a tough tackler who always got into position to make a clean play, very quick, clean with the ball, and tenacious -- he's not a big guy (maybe 5' 8" or so) but threw himself at balls in the air and usually won them.

Also, I'm not sure he's a natural lefty but he seemed pretty comfortable in that spot. Definitely looked capable of playing at a higher level. Nice guy, too.

It wasn't as easy to watch the others from where I was sitting, but here are some quick thoughts on them:

• Evans: The longtime vet (including MLS experience) seemed solid and efficient.
  
• Hughes: 6' 1" is big for a left wing. In terms of his build and movements, he reminded me a bit of a Quaranta type. I can see why a German team might have been interested in him as a 19-year-old. He came on as a second-half sub.
  
• Rush: Played mostly right wing, sometimes swapped with (MLS vet) Ghebru. Quick with some good skills, but seemed to have a little trouble connecting with his teammates this time out.
  
• Zewe: Looked like quality, but Pittsburgh didn't have a great night in the offensive third and so he wasn't getting good service or great options once he had the ball. I didn't get a great sense of his overall ability. A solid athlete.

It was a deserved 2-1 win for Maryland.

As an aside, I'd certainly recommend this type for match for entertainment purposes. Adult tickets were $15 and concessions (no beer) were very inexpensive. Get out and support your local USL team if you can! They'll be very glad you did.

[mschofield]

Originally Posted by Dave Marino-Nachison

On Saturday I headed out to Richard Montgomery HS in Rockville, Md., to watch Real Maryland play the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in third-division action.

My main purpose was to watch Giuseppe "Joe" Funicello, which whom I've had a friendly correspondance over the past few years. Turned out, however, that this match had quite a few other former YAs on display -- along with a handful of other notable players.

Also turning out for Maryland was Sean Rush, who was reported to have signed in Italy out of high school (though I'm not sure he ever played there).

And Pittsburgh had Joe Zewe, who has played in Denmark and the Faroe Islands; Justin Evans, who played a bit in Poland; and Jeff Hughes, who had a short stint with 1860 Munich.

(Who knows, maybe I missed someone?)

For me, Funicello was the best of this bunch and probably one of the best on the field. He played 90 minutes at left back and had a great match; a tough tackler who always got into position to make a clean play, very quick, clean with the ball, and tenacious -- he's not a big guy (maybe 5' 8" or so) but threw himself at balls in the air and usually won them.

Also, I'm not sure he's a natural lefty but he seemed pretty comfortable in that spot. Definitely looked capable of playing at a higher level. Nice guy, too.

It wasn't as easy to watch the others from where I was sitting, but here are some quick thoughts on them:

• Evans: The longtime vet (including MLS experience) seemed solid and efficient.
  
• Hughes: 6' 1" is big for a left wing. In terms of his build and movements, he reminded me a bit of a Quaranta type. I can see why a German team might have been interested in him as a 19-year-old. He came on as a second-half sub.
  
• Rush: Played mostly right wing, sometimes swapped with (MLS vet) Ghebru. Quick with some good skills, but seemed to have a little trouble connecting with his teammates this time out.
  
• Zewe: Looked like quality, but Pittsburgh didn't have a great night in the offensive third and so he wasn't getting good service or great options once he had the ball. I didn't get a great sense of his overall ability. A solid athlete.

It was a deserved 2-1 win for Maryland.

As an aside, I'd certainly recommend this type for match for entertainment purposes. Adult tickets were $15 and concessions (no beer) were very inexpensive. Get out and support your local USL team if you can! They'll be very glad you did.

So YA has a legends league now?

[Dave Marino-Nachison]

Originally Posted by mschofield

So YA has a legends league now?

Well, look -- I can't really deny that this is technically OT. If a mod wants to move, I won't grouse.

I just figured that these are guys we've spent some time discussing over the years, most of whom nobody has seen (or ever will see) play and people might like to know what kind of players they are.

Plus, some could end up YAs again and at least there would be some kind of scouting report out there.

But if this fits better in the USL forum, fine by me.

[mschofield]

Originally Posted by Dave Marino-Nachison

Well, look -- I can't really deny that this is technically OT. If a mod wants to move, I won't grouse.

I just figured that these are guys we've spent some time discussing over the years, most of whom nobody has seen (or ever will see) play and people might like to know what kind of players they are.

Plus, some could end up YAs again and at least there would be some kind of scouting report out there.

But if this fits better in the USL forum, fine by me.

sorry, i meant that as nothing more than a quick joke.

[Dave Marino-Nachison]

Originally Posted by mschofield

sorry, i meant that as nothing more than a quick joke.

No sweat and no apology neccessary.

Thanks for reading.