Croatian Soccer Tournament

[JureM]

For the guys that were there or live up in Canada...who won the tournament? How was it? Did a lot of people show up to watch? How about the quality of the soccer?

I haven't been going since my team (NY Croatia) folded up shop a few years back.

[Zvonimir]

Yeah, does anyone know who won?

I was there for about 1 1/2 hours on Saturday...watched a good chunk of Hamilton vs Toronto...Toronto got a red in the second half but then took a 1-0 lead with not too much time left on the clock...

There were teams from local area as well as Chicago, San Jose, Florida, Cleveland, Windsor...

I bailed from the tourney once I heard they weren't showing the Croatia-Hunagry game there and raced back to Monahan's in Oakville to watch...

[Ljubuski]

Crven Bijeli Plavi Chicago won, as most predicted.

I don't see the point in mentioning this thing. It's a total joke, as teams who enter now such as Toronto Jamaica (Croatia) hardly even carry any Hrvati.

And soon the National team will go the same route, the way some people want it. I heard Toronto Jamaica started calling the uprava Communists and Jugoslavs because they forfeited a game for coming late. And these guys are supposed to be the most storied club? A total joke.

The U.S. teams kicked ass this time around.

Anyways, I shouldn't even be bothering talking about this, it's such a joke and an insult to this forum.

Cheers

[Zvonimir]

Crven Bijeli Plavi Chicago won, as most predicted.

I don't see the point in mentioning this thing. It's a total joke, as teams who enter now such as Toronto Jamaica (Croatia) hardly even carry any Hrvati.



Watching Kitchener warm up, I think they could be called Jamaica as well...... :nono: :cool1:

[Uskok]

I haven't been going since my team (NY Croatia) folded up shop a few years back.


At our tournament in California (memorial day weekend), there was a team from NYC called "Polet"? Didn't recognize anyone, and there soccer wasn't that great........ what's the story with them?

[JureM]

At our tournament in California (memorial day weekend), there was a team from NYC called "Polet"? Didn't recognize anyone, and there soccer wasn't that great........ what's the story with them?

I have no idea about that team....are you sure it wasn't the NY Hajduk guys? NY Hajduk is just a bunch of guys from Long Island who play in the Long Island 3rd division, it could be the same team just going with a different name.

How many teams show up out west for the tournament? I heard that San Jose brought a team this year to the East coast tournament...woops, Zvonimir mentioned San Jose..lol.

[JureM]

Crven Bijeli Plavi Chicago won, as most predicted.


Cheers


What else is new...the tournament seems to becoming nothing more than a broken record. WHo did they beat in the finals?

Though I remember Hamilton 2 years ago having to forfiet the whole tournament in Cleveland because they forgot their passes. These teams have to remember that rules are rules, Toronto knows what time they are playing a game and should be there on time to play, no team should get preferential treatment...Hamilton knows that you have to have passes for your players in order to play...it goes on and one. What can you do?

[Ljubuski]

Abolish the tournament.

It's a disgrace, and an insult.

[BaD^bLu^BoY]

the australia/new zealand tournament is coming up soon :yeldance:


is the quality of football alright at the tournies over there?

[JureM]

the australia/new zealand tournament is coming up soon :yeldance:


is the quality of football alright at the tournies over there?


I haven't been in about 4 years or so, but, the tournament used to have a very good quality of football...Toronto Croatia and Chicago CBP-Jadran were always the best teams and won it the most times (41 Tournaments and I believe between the 2 of them they have half the titles). But, you'd always have some nice teams from Ontario (Kitchener, London) and the States..Cleveland and even New York...New York had a stretch where it seemed like we always made the semi-finals but lose to Toronto (those bastards!!!).

The biggest problem over the last 10 years or so is that teams like Toronto and Chicago bring in ringers just so they can win the tournament. One year I believe it was Toronto (could have been Chicago) they used some Hajduk players (no starters mind you). It becomes stupid when that stuff happens because they'll use players that never play with their teams the entire season.

A few years back, the World Universtiy games were in Buffalo, New York and one of the teams used some Croatian guy that played with the Australian team because he desided to stay after the games to visit reletives in the States. I believe his parents were from Zadar (Privlaka) but I don't know the guys name.

The tournament in its heyday (when Croatian was struggling to be free of Yugoslavia way before the war for independence) would draw masses of people each year no matter what city it was in...now you don't get near as many people as in the past which is kind of sad because this tournament used to be a way where Croatians from Canada and the US (mostly the Central and Eastern Parts) could get together and meet each other. Now, its not like that anymore. Alot has to do with the win at all costs mentality..a lot has to do with the old goats that run the tournament (the Croatian National Soccer Federation of the USA and Canada) because they all want to stay in power and they don't want the younger generation taking over and helping run things. Its pretty pathetic because these guys have been around from the begining and are getting older and if they want this thing to continue they need to start passing the batton to the younger people so they can understand what it takes to run one of these things.

I will say this, it is (or at least used to be) a well organized tournament...you're talking 24 teams playing over an entire weekend (20 minute halves).....people who aren't Croatian and come watch always come away impressed that we Croatians are so tight a group and we can organize such a big tournament.

[dinamovac11]

Damn, what is it with all of these long posts Jure? I have trouble reading your posts when they are just one line....let alone this. :yuck:

:zany:


A few years back, the World Universtiy games were in Buffalo, New York and one of the teams used some Croatian guy that played with the Australian team because he desided to stay after the games to visit reletives in the States. I believe his parents were from Zadar (Privlaka) but I don't know the guys name.

What a big suprise that is. :rollani:

[JureM]

Damn, what is it with all of these long posts Jure? I have trouble reading your posts when they are just one line....let alone this. :yuck:



It's a long weekend and I'm board...oh and don't worry, most people ignore your posts even if it had one word in it. :laugh: There's nothing on TV...I went for my run....the girlfriend is away...so, you get my long posts as punishment. :reddance:

[dinamovac11]

It's a long weekend and I'm board...oh and don't worry, most people ignore your posts even if it had one word in it. :laugh: There's nothing on TV...I went for my run....the girlfriend is away...so, you get my long posts as punishment. :reddance:

I quit the forum.

[JureM]

I quit the forum.


Cool...don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. :bday:

[Uskok]

I have no idea about that team....are you sure it wasn't the NY Hajduk guys? NY Hajduk is just a bunch of guys from Long Island who play in the Long Island 3rd division, it could be the same team just going with a different name.

How many teams show up out west for the tournament? I heard that San Jose brought a team this year to the East coast tournament...woops, Zvonimir mentioned San Jose..lol.


12 teams, San Pedro Croat won again (they're the Toronto Croatia of the west), infact, a majority of US national team starters played for S.P. Croat in the late 90's .... they'd pick up UCLA's best players on a regular basis.
S.P. Croat and Los Angeles Croatia are extremely storied franchises, as everywhere else, interest in soccer has regressed in L.A.'s Croatian community in recent years.
My cousin loves to tell a story of how Kobe Jones was his reserva for four years ..... he started NK Skabrnja which fielded 5 U.S. N.T. starters for several years (Jones, Donovan, the greek with the goatie - forget his name, ect.) Our soccer legacy out west is very impressive.

P.S. - Still, nobody comes close to Montreal Croatia 1992 - '94.

[JureM]

12 teams, San Pedro Croat won again (they're the Toronto Croatia of the west), infact, a majority of US national team starters played for S.P. Croat in the late 90's .... they'd pick up UCLA's best players on a regular basis.
S.P. Croat and Los Angeles Croatia are extremely storied franchises, as everywhere else, interest in soccer has regressed in L.A.'s Croatian community in recent years.
My cousin loves to tell a story of how Kobe Jones was his reserva for four years ..... he started NK Skabrnja which fielded 5 U.S. N.T. starters for several years (Jones, Donovan, the greek with the goatie - forget his name, ect.) Our soccer legacy out west is very impressive.

P.S. - Still, nobody comes close to Montreal Croatia 1992 - '94.


Great stuff...I never knew that about who played with those guys out there. I heard of the San Pedro team but is NK Skabrnje from San Pedro as well? My tetak is from Skabrnje so I bet some of the people are related to him.

Yep, I remember that Montreal team because they took some players off of NY Croatia. :angel:

[Omolje]

Yes us Croats have contributed much to the game in North America, one thing i would love to see one day is a big book to comemorate al the good these clubs have done both for Croatia and sport. Imaigne a autobiography ful of pics and history from all our clubs across the continent.

[Ljubuski]

You're right it would be nice to commemorate the Croatian tournament throughout the years.

Problem with the publishing such a book however is that we couldn't possibly get enough interpreters to produce the required languages...

We'd need Croatian, English, French, Somali, Spanish, Protuguese, Polish, Hebrew, Jamaican, Ghanese, Mandarin etc. etc.

Have a nice day.

ps. And people wonder why nobody wants to go anymore. That Savez is just as bad as the one in Zagreb.

[CroatTommy7]

Thats a great idea Omolje.

[JureM]

You forgot the ever popular Cro-English because half the guys there forgot Croatian and can't speak English...in other words, they're not fluent in any language. :roll:

[Ljubuski]

It was a joke man, but also trying to make a point.

Cheers

ps. Thing is the dances are getting more and more people and more and more crazy. Funny how it works. And we gots some nice ladies.

[JureM]

It was a joke man, but also trying to make a point.

Cheers

ps. Thing is the dances are getting more and more people and more and more crazy. Funny how it works. And we gots some nice ladies.


I know it was a joke...I just got the wrong smilie on...don't know how that happened.

Well, we always had some nice ladies after all, they are Hrvatice...