August 1, 1999: Arsenal Sell Their Striker of the Future -- and Make Their Future

August 1, 1999: Arsenal Football Club sell Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid.

They had little choice but to sell him, in spite of all the promise he had. So they made the best deal they could. It turned out to be the best deal in team history.

Nicolas Sébastien Anelka was born on March 14, 1979, in the Paris suburb of Le Chesnay, France. A son of immigrants to France from their Caribbean island colony of Martinique, the forward played for 12 different soccer teams in 7 different countries, but always wore out his welcome, earning him the nickname "Le Sulk."

In 1997, Arsène Wenger, a native of Strasbourg, France, and manager of North London team Arsenal, purchased Anelka's contract from hometown team Paris Saint-German for £500,000. In 1998, not yet 19 years old, he helped Arsenal win the Premier League title, and scored in the FA Cup Final to complete "The Double."

In 1999, he looked like the next great soccer superstar, but he demanded a big contract, and said that if he didn't get it at Arsenal, he'd put in a transfer request. Arsenal called his bluff, selling him to Spanish giants Real Madrid for £22.3 million.

It was the greatest deal in Arsenal history: Not only did the Gunners get 44 times their money back, but that purchase price paid for their new training ground, London Colney, costing them £10 million; and for the man who actually became the next great Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry. They bought him from Turin, Italy giants Juventus 2 days after selling Anelka, costing them £11 million. He became their all-time leading goalscorer, and helped them win 2 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, and reach the Final of both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League).

Anelka helped Real Madrid win the UEFA Champions League in 2000, but, being the most imperious club in the sport, they refused to put up with him, either. He helped Istanbul team Fenerbahçe win the Turkish Süper Lig in 2005, then returned to London, helping Chelsea win the 2009 FA Cup, and the League and Cup Double in 2010. But they couldn't put up with him, and sold him to Juventus, whom he helped win Italy's Serie A in 2013. He was even a player-coach in China, with Shanghai Shenhua, and in India, with Mumbai City, his last team as a player.

With Chelsea

He wasn't much better for his country. He was not called up for the 1998 World Cup, which France won. He did help them win the UEFA European Championship in 2000 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001, and to reach the Final of the 2006 World Cup. But he was part of France's disastrous crashes out of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, and was never selected again.

Thierry Henry, remembered as "The King," is honored with a statue outside Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal since 2006-07, his last season with the team. In a way, the stadium is also his monument, as much as it is that of Arsène Wenger, or Dennis Bergkamp, or Tony Adams, or any other Arsenal legend.

Nicolas Anelka, remembered as "Le Sulk," has no statue. His monument is the Arsenal Training Centre at London Colney, where young players at the club are taught to be as talented as Anelka, and more mature.

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August 1, 1999 was a Sunday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Bret Saberhagen outpitched Orlando "El Duque" Hernández. Bernie Williams went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs, and Paul O'Neill went 3-for-4 with an RBI. But Derek Jeter went 0-for-5.

* The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. In the top of the 13th inning, with the Mets out of pinch-hitters, pitcher Pat Mahomes had to bat for himself, and singled home the winning run. His son, Patrick Mahomes, became a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

For the Mets, Rickey Henderson went 0-for-3 with 2 walks and a stolen base. For the Cubs, Sammy Sosa went 0-for-6. I guess the steroids weren't working that day.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 12-4 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers, 8-5 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Florida Marlins, 2-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-3 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-1 at Riverfront Stadium (then named Cinergy Field) in Cincinnati. Barry Bonds went 1-for-4.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-4 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Mark McGwire hit his 597th career home run. I guess his steroids were working that day.

* The Anaheim Angels beat the Minnesota Twins, 2-1 at Edison International Field of Anaheim (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim).

* The Texas Rangers beat the Kansas City Royals, 12-5 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 10-3 at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium). Tony Gwynn went 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBI. He never needed steroids.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 4-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 10-6 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the Network Associates Coliseum).

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at the new Safeco Field in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-2 with a walk. His streak over, Cal Ripken Jr. did not play.

July 26, 2014: Arsenal Play In New Jersey

Thierry Henry and Jack Wilshere

July 26, 2014: For the 4th time, Arsenal Football Club of North London came to North America.

The 1st was in 1972. On May 31, days after an FA Cup Final defeat and a year after winning the Football League and FA Cup "Double," they played the Miami Gatos of the old North American Soccer League at the Orange Bowl. Arsenal won 3-2, on goals by Charlie George, John Radford and Ray Kennedy. Attendance: A mere 4,725.

But they came back to this continent the next year anyway, possibly hoping that Canada's status as a nation still in the British Commonwealth would help attendance. If so, I can't find a reference to how many came out. On May 23, 1973, they played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, against a team called Toronto Select. Charlie George, the 1971 FA Cup Final hero, scored again, in a game that ended, as a later song would say, "One-nil to The Arsenal."

They stayed away for a long time. On August 6, 1989, they returned to Miami, apparently forgetting that Florida is hot as hell, especially in the Summer. At the Dolphins' new stadium (then named Joe Robbie Stadium, now named Hard Rock Stadium), they came as newly-crowned Champions of the Football League Division One, predecessors of the Premier League.

They played Club Atletico Independiente, of Avellaneda in the province of Buenos Aires, the defending champions of Argentina. This was for the Zenith Data Systems Challenge Trophy, a phony "world championship." David "Rocky" Rocastle scored from open play in the 1st half, and from a penalty in the 2nd half, giving The Arsenal a 2-1 win. Attendance: 10,042, the vast majority of them Hispanics rooting for the South American team.

It would be a quarter of a century before they returned. They came to New York, held several events in The City during the week, and played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey, home of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls -- then featuring Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, Thierry Henry.

Because of my membership in the NYC Arsenal Supporters, I had the opportunity to be among the early birds eligible for the group's ticket offer, putting us in the upper deck of the North Ward, opposite the Red Bulls' supporters' section in the South Ward. It cost me $60 (about $75 in 2022 money), but I knew it would be worth it. Since I became an Arsenal fan in 2008, I have had online wisenheimers, some of them even Arsenal fans, taunt me by saying, "You've never seen your team in person!" That is no longer true.

People really did come from all over the world, not just all over the country. It was natural that people would come from London, elsewhere in England, elsewhere in the British Isles. But when the game was actually played, there were banners for fan clubs from Australia, China and Africa. This was huge. If someone had decided to move this game to the 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands, I guarantee it would have sold out.

Instead, it was played at Red Bull Arena. In North Jersey. My old stomping grounds. (Okay, mine were Bloomfield and Newark, not Harrison, across the Passaic River.) As they would say in London, The Arsenal were on my manor.

I got there early enough to see Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger give an interview. It was a thrill just to see him. It was a bigger thrill to hear a crowd announced as 25,219 -- most of them Arsenal fans, not (or not just) Red Bulls fans, give him a standing ovation right before the game, and sing his song, to the tune of "Guantanamera": "One Arsène Wenger! There's only one Arsène Wenger!" Especially given how much certain people claiming to be Arsenal fans have abused him, both in person and online.

Henry and Wenger

I arrived in time to watch pregame warmups. Due to the World Cup, several players who had played in it were allowed to stay home and rest, without having to make the flights and the appearances. From Champions Germany, midfielder Mesut Özil, forward Lukas Podolski and centreback Per Mertesacker stayed home.

This was not a tragedy for me: I had previously seen Özil play for Real Madrid against AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in 2012; and had seen Poldi and the 6-foot-6 Mertesacker play for Germany against the U.S. at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington in 2013.

Also not making the trip, due to their participation in the World Cup, were forwards Olivier Giroud of France and the newly-acquired Alexis Sánchez of Chile; midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of England; and centrebacks Laurent Koscielny of France, Thomas Vermaelen of Belgium (Arsenal's official Captain) and Johan Djourou of Switzerland.

Despite having played for England, midfielder Jack Wilshere did make the trip. So did midfielder Santi Cazorla of Spain. They proved to be among the most popular players on the team, and interacted with the fans more than any other players.

The World Cup-induced shortage forced Wenger to bring a lot of young reserves, and put some players in unusual positions. Here was the starting lineup:

1 Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny of Poland.
25 Right back: Carl Jenkinson of England.
45 Centreback: Isaac Hayden of England.
18 Centreback: Nacho Monreal of Spain, normally a left back.
3 Left back: Kieran Gibbs of England.
35 Right wing: Gedion Zelalem of the U.S.
8 Central midfield: Mikel Arteta of Spain, Captain for the day.
10 Central midfield: Jack Wilshere of England.
16 Central midfield: Aaron Ramsey of Wales.
19 Left wing: Santi Cazorla of Spain.
7 Forward: Tomáš Rosický of the Czech Republic, normally a midfielder.

Zelalem, born in Germany to Ethiopian parents, grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He was only the 3rd American ever to play for Arsenal, after Frank Simek in 2003 and Danny Karbassiyoon in 2004. As a result of this game, he also became the 1st player from a CONCACAF nation to play for Arsenal in any CONCACAF nation, let alone his own.

Since this was a friendly, permissible substitutions were limited only by the size of the roster. For the 2nd half, Wenger made these changes: In goal, Szczesny off, Emiliano Martinez of Argentina on; at RB, Jenkinson off, Héctor Bellerin of Spain on; at CB, Hayden off, Ignasi Miquel of Spain on; at RW, Zelalem off, Number 20, Mathieu Flamini of France on; at CM, Arteta off, Number 34, Francis Coquelin of France on; and at CM, Ramsey off, Number 24, Abou Diaby of France on.

In the 71st minute, Wenger replaced Rosicky at forward with Number 38, Chuba Akpom of England; Cazorla on left wing with Number 53, Kristoffer Olsson of Sweden, and Wilshere in central midfield with Number 56, Jon Toral of Spain.

Only Gibbs and Monreal played the whole game -- ironically, 2 men who usually play the same position.

For the Red Bulls: Luis Robles of the U.S. was in goal, Chris Duvall of the U.S. was at right back, Jámison Olave of Colombia and Ibrahim Sekagya of Uganda were at centreback, Roy Miller of the U.S. was at left back; the midfielders were Lloyd Sam of England, Dax McCarty of the U.S., Tim Cahill of Australia, and Ambroise Oyongo of Cameroon; and the forwards were, of course, Thierry Henry of France; and Bradley Wright-Phillips of England, son of Ian Wright, who set Arsenal's team record for career goals, 185 -- broken by Henry, who raised it to 228.

Subs: 46th, Armando Lozado of Spain at CB for Olave, Eric Alexander of the U.S. at LB for Miller and Andre Akpan of the U.S. at FW for BWP; 57th, Peguy Luyindula of France at FW for Henry; 62nd, Matt Miazga of the U.S. at CB for Sekagya; 63rd, Michael Bustamante of Colombia at MF for Cahill; 70th, Ruben Bover of Spain at MF for McCarty; 78th, Kosuke Kimura at RB for Duvall; 81st, Ryan Meara of the U.S. in goal for Robles, and Connor Lade of the U.S. for Sam (with the South Ward fans chanting, "We got Lade!"). Only Oyongo played the whole game.

Listed time for the kickoff was 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time -- meaning Arsenal fans back in London had a kickoff time of 10:00 PM. A small price to pay for those of us having to watch the traditional 3:00 PM Saturday kickoff at 10:00 AM -- leading to the title of a San Francisco-based Arsenal blog, 7AM Kickoff.

There was a light rain falling for much of the day, and maybe they waited a few minutes for it to stop. It did. At 5:12 PM on July 26, 2014, Henry kicked off, and, from that moment onward, anyone who has ever said that I've never seen Arsenal play live has been a liar.

As we would say in American football, these bellends keep "moving the goalposts."

Being an exhibition game, the action wasn't especially intense. No one wanted to get hurt -- and, given both teams' tendencies toward an "injury crisis," this was understandable. The point for the Red Bulls was to give themselves some credibility alongside one of the world's most beloved sports teams; the point for The Arsenal was to grow their brand in the U.S.; and the point for both was much more to put on a show than to win. This was not a Herman Edwards contest: Playing to win the game was secondary.

In the 32nd minute, Henry took a corner kick. Sekagya got to it, headed it, and it landed in front of BWP, who put it past Szczesny. There would be no "One-nil to The Arsenal" song today; it was 1-0 to the Jersey Boys.

Given their experience -- even for the kids -- Arsenal were not fazed. In the 38th, Zelalem passed to Wilshere, who fired at goal, but Robles made a great save to stop him.

Henry was no longer the best player in the world, as he was while with Arsenal from 2002 to 2006, but he still had a lot of moves. When he was subbed off in the 52nd minute, he got as good an ovation as he ever has.

Shortly thereafter, Diaby got the ball. Following a broken ankle in the 2005-06 season -- and he was injured on purpose by Sunderland's Dan Smith -- injuries had rendered the hope that he would be the "next Patrick Vieira" for Arsenal impossible. He was beloved by Arsenal fans, but he always seemed to play poorly when I watched on TV. He didn't seem to grasp that you're supposed to pass to the guys wearing the same color shirts. As Yogi Berra would say if he were a soccer fan, Even when he can play, he can't play.

Which makes what happened here a great irony: Diaby charged toward the north goal, right under us, and fired a shot past Robles. Tie ballgame! The 1st Arsenal goal I had ever seen, and it was by Diaby!

No, it wasn't: The linesman ruled it offside. Incorrectly, I thought. Some things never change: Even in meaningless games on other continents, The Arsenal get screwed over by the officials.

Aside from that, the officiating wasn't bad. There was very little in the way of dirty play. Cahill was shown a yellow card at the end of the 1st half, and Kimura received one in the game's final minute.

In the 79th, Akpom broke away, and it was just he and Robles. A shot, and Robles made a kick-save with his left foot that, across the Passaic at the Prudential Center, New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur would have appreciated.

Since this was a friendly, and there were no injuries, there was no stoppage time at the end of either half. Final score, New York Red Bulls 1, Arsenal 0. Or, as it would be written in world soccer circles, Metro 1-0 Arsenal.

I left the game disappointed at the result. But thrilled at the entire experience. I saw The Arsenal play in New Jersey, something that would have been unimaginable 10 years earlier, and incredibly unlikely even 6 years earlier when I started watching them, just as the growth of international TV coverage of soccer was in mid-explosion.

I saw Arsenal shirts in the Ironbound bars, in Newark Penn Station, and on New Jersey Transit trains.

I saw a team that knew that, due to finances, I couldn't go to see them, so they came to see me.

The Yankees, the Devils, and any other team I support have never had to do that, because they're close. The Arsenal are not.

Yet they came to me. And I was there.

I will always be grateful to them for that. There have been times when I've watched them when I've regretted following this sport. But I have never regretted making them my team.

Arsenal returned to North America in the Summer of 2016, played 2 games in California. On July 28, they beat the MLS All-Stars, 2-1 at what's now PayPal Park in San Jose, home of MLS' San Jose Earthquakes, on goals by Joel Campbell and Akpom. And on July 31, they beat C.D. Guadalajara of Mexico, a.k.a. "Chivas," 3-1 at what's now Dignity Health Sports Park in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, home of MLS' L.A. Galaxy, on goals by Rob Holding, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Akpom. Despite his success in these friendlies, Akpom never impressed Arsenal management, who loaned him out to 6 teams in 5 years, before selling him in 2018.

In the Summer of 2019, Arsenal came to America to participate in the International Champions Cup. As a warmup, on July 15, they went to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado, and beat the host team, the Colorado Rapids -- also owned by Stan Kroenke -- 3-0. Goals were scored by Bukayo Saka, James Olayinka and Gabriel Martinelli.

On July 17, they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 at Carson, thanks to an own goal and an 88th minute winner by Eddie Nketiah. On July 20, they beat Fiorentina of Florence, Italy, 3-0 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, with Nketiah scored 2 and Joe Willock 1. And on July 23, they played Real Madrid at FedEx Field in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland, home of the NFL team now known as the Washington Commanders. Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in a 2-2 draw, but Real Madrid won the game on penalties, 3-2.

Arsenal had intended to come back for the Florida Cup in 2021, but a COVID breakout canceled that. So they tried again this Summer, and just wrapped up a 3-0 trip. On July 16, they beat Liverpool-based Everton 2-0 at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, with goals by Gabriel Jesus and Saka. On July 20, they went to Exploria Stadium in Orlando, and beat MLS' Orlando City 3-1, with goals by Martinelli, Nketiah and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. And on July 23, they clobbered West London's Chelsea, 4-0 at Camping World Stadium (formerly known as the Citrus Bowl) in Orlando, with goals by Jesus, Martin Ødegaard, Saka and Sambi Lokonga.

Overall, Arsenal's record in the United States is 10-2. In North America, 11-2. Not too shabby.

UPDATE: In the Summer of 2023, Arsenal beat the MLS All-Stars, 5-0 at Audi Field in Washington. They played in New Jersey again, at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, and lost to Manchester United, 2-0 in front of 82,262 -- though that sellout, which I predicted 9 years earlier, was achieved with a lot of Man U fans. And it did not include me. And they beat FC Barcelona, 5-3 before 70,223 at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles. This made Arsenal's record in the State of New Jersey 0-2, and in the other 49 States combined 10-0. That wouldn't bother me so much if I weren't from New Jersey!

FedEx Field in Landover is now Commanders Field. Exploria Stadium in Orlando is (now Inter&Co Stadium.

Arsenal played in America again in Summer 2024. On July 24, at Dignity Health Sports Park, they drew 1-1 with Bournemouth, and then won 5-4 on penalties: On July 27, the beat Manchester United, 2-1 at SoFi. And on July 31, they lost to Liverpool, 2-1 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

*

July 26, 2014 was a Saturday. This games were played in Major League Baseball that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-4 at Yankee Stadium. Chris Capuano had a good start, and Brian McCann and Carlos Beltrán hit home runs, but the bullpen blew it. In his last season, Derek Jeter went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-2 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-6 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Antonio Bastardo melted down in the top of the 10th inning, including giving up a home run to Nick Evans.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-0 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. How many Rays pitchers does it take to pitch a shutout? This time, 5.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals, 1-0 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Johnny Cueto pitched 7 innings of 4-hit ball, and 2 relievers completed the 4-hit shutout.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-0 at Target Field in Minneapolis. Chris Sale pitched 8 innings of 5-hit shutout ball.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-5 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers, 5-1 at Globe Life Park (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Houston Astros, 7-3 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-1 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-0 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Matt Shoemaker pitched 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and 2 relievers completed the 4-hit shutout.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 5-0 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco. Clayton Kershaw pitched a 3-hit shutout. But the Giants went on to win the World Series.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

July 22, 2010: The New York Football Challenge

Dane Richards (left) and Wayne Bridge

July 22, 2010: The New York Football Challenge begins at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. As Tony Reali of ESPN's Around the Horn would say, "And by football, I mean futbol!"

The host New York Red Bulls, with newly-signed superstar Thierry Henry, the Arsenal legend, took on Arsenal's arch-rivals, fellow North London team Tottenham Hotspur, a.k.a. "Spurs."

In 1961, Spurs won the Football League and the FA Cup tournament, becoming the first English team in the 20th Century to "win The Double" or "do The Double." They also won the FA Cup in 1962, 1967, 1981 and 1991 -- but that's it for major trophies. They've since won the League Cup in 1999 and 2008, but teams that consider the League Cup a "major trophy" can hardly be called a "big club."

Spurs fans also like to talk about their hooliganism. But there was no way they were going to be able to pull any of their usual stuff at Red Bull Arena: The home team has a great security system, searching for weapons and tossing out anyone outside the designated supporters-club sections (in other words, anyone inside the "family sections") that gets out of line. Besides, do they really think London is tougher (or "harder" as they would say) than New York and New Jersey? It is not.

Anyway, both teams went through the 1st half with most of their starters, including the newly-signed Henry, who scored his first goal for his new team. It wasn't a vintage "Henry... What a goal! What a goal!" shot, but it counted just the same. A lot of Tri-State Area converts to the Arsenal cause (a.k.a. Gooners, from the team's nickname the Gunners, from the cannon on their crest) went mental, watching the greatest player in team history (some would still say that's Dennis Bergkamp) score for their real home team.

Henry had already been embraced by the Metro fans, and he embraced them in return. He told reporters that he even took the PATH train from Manhattan to Harrison. I wonder how many people recognized him? He did do a Gillette razor commercial with Roger Federer and Tiger Woods, although for most U.S. broadcasts, that ad was Federer, Woods and Derek Jeter.

Anyway, Metro's Number 14 didn't get the treatment Pelé got when he came to play for the New York Cosmos from 1975 to '77, but Henry did have the advantage of the increased TV coverage from the NASL's time, being that, aside from the '70 World Cup where he led Brazil to victory, most Americans hadn't really seen Pelé up until '75.

In contrast, with Premier League action from England, La Liga action from Spain, Serie A action from Italy, and Bundesliga action from Germany now available via satellite, and Henry's appearances in the 1998 and 2006 World Cups for France (winning the former as a substitute and reaching the Final of the latter as an already huge star), most Americans who care about sports know who he is, having seen him play on TV, first for Arsenal and then for Barcelona.

In the 2nd half, Red Bulls manager Hans Backe took out Henry, and some other starters, including the goalkeeper, the Senegalese wizard Bouna Condoul, replacing him with Greg Sutton.

Two big mistakes. Not only did those substitutions take out our best offensive player, but switching goalies was a bonehead move. Sutton may have been Canada's Number 1 -- that is, the starting goalkeeper on their national soccer team -- but he was no match for Spurs, whose manager Harry Redknapp left in his starters, including Robbie Keane, Gareth Bale and Luka Modrić. Keane and Bale both scored in the 2nd half to give Spurs a 2-1 win.

Needless to say, the Spurs fans were their usual selves, thinking they were "taking the piss on our manor." Dimwits, they were losing against the starting lineup of an MLS team! An MLS team! This, after they managed only a scoreless draw against the San Jose Earthquakes in their last game, and the Quakes, at the time, were only 5th in the MLS West! At least the Red Bulls were 2nd in the MLS East!

Most Europeans who observe the MLS say that it's about as good as England's second division, "The Championship." (No, I don't know who named it that, or what drugs he was on at the time. Nor do I know who named their third and fourth divisions "League One" and "League Two.") So, last night, Spurs were losing against MLS starters, and only beat MLS scrubs. In an exhibition, or, as soccer fans would say, a "friendly."

And they took the piss? They're lucky there wasn't a fight: The New Yorkers and New Jerseyans would have mussed 'em up but good, the dirty chumps. Wait, sorry, forgot to "speak English" there: The locals would have given them a right hiding, the bloody bastards!

The Challenge continued the next night, as another English club, Manchester City, takes on Sporting Clube de Portugal, a.k.a. "Sporting Lisbon." With Red Bull Arena being right across the Passaic River from the Portuguese-heavy (and Brazilian-laden as well, due to the language) Ironbound section of Newark (it's a 15-minute walk from Market Street and Ferry Street bars across the Jackson Street Bridge to the Arena), Sporting were a natural for this weekend, led by Portugal national-team stars, striker Liédson and goalie Tiago.

Man City, also stuck with Second Team Syndrome behind Manchester United (which barely beat MLS expansion team Philadelphia Union 1-0 the preceding Saturday), had recently been bought by Arab investors, making it the richest sports team on the planet. In the 2010-11 season that was about to begin, City won the FA Cup for the 1st time since 1969. The next season, they won the League for the 1st time since 1968, and went on to become English soccer's next great dynasty. But all that was yet to come.

In 2010, they featured 2 former Arsenal stars, the much-admired Senegalese/French midfielder Patrick Vieira, and the formerly-cheered, now lustily-booed-with-good-reason, Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor. But in this game, City lost 2-0 to Sporting, as Yannick Djaló scored both goals.

And on Sunday, July 25, there was a doubleheader, which I attended. Sporting and Spurs drew 2-2, while the Red Bulls beat Man City 2-1.

The standings for the Challenge worked like this: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 1 point for each goal scored. With 2 losses and 1 goal, Man City got 1 point. For a win, a draw, and 3 goals, the Red Bulls got 6. With a win, a draw, and 4 goals, Sporting and Spurs each got 8 points. But Sporting had the superior goal difference, +2 to +1, and so Sporting were declared the winners and were awarded the trophy. No Player of the Tournament was named. Attendance for the doubleheader was 23,228, probably a sellout when freebies were counted. (Red Bull Arena officially seats 25,000 even.)

*

July 22, 2010 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals, 10-4 at Yankee Stadium. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez hit home runs. A-Rod had 4 RBIs, and he and Mark Teixeira each had 3 hits, supporting CC Sabathia.

* The New York Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Hiroki Kuroda pitched 8 innings of 5-hit shutout ball, supported by a home run from Matt Kemp.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles, 5-0 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Carl Pavano -- yes, Yankee Fans, that Carl Pavano -- pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres, 8-0 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. Tim Hudson pitched 7 innings of 4-hit shutout ball.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Colorado Rockies, 3-2 at Sun Life Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida. Ronny Paulino's singled drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-2 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 7-1 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-2 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Over 11 innings, Phillies pitchers, including Cole Hamels over the 1st 8, allowed just 1 hit. Placido Polanco won it with a home run in the top of the 11th.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels, 3-2 at Rangers Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3-0 at Chase Field in Phoenix. Matt Cain pitched 8 innings of 3-hit shutout ball.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners, 8-6 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle. The Mariners scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th to send the game to extra innings, but an RBI double by Eric Patterson won it for the Sox in the top of the 13th.

* And the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians, the Houston Astros, the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays were not scheduled to play.

May 15, 2004: Arsenal Finish the Premier League Season Unbeaten

The usual starting lineup. Top row, left to right:

Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Edu Gaspar,

Jens Lehmann, Lauren Mayer, Sol Campbell, Kolo Touré.

Bottom row, left to right: A mascot, Ashley Cole,

Freddie Ljungberg, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires.

May 15, 2004: Arsenal defeat Leicester City, 2-1 at Highbury, and complete an undefeated Premier League season.

Only once before had an English team gone through an entire top-flight season without a League loss: Preston North End, in the 1st Football League season, 1888-89. And that was a season of 22 games. Arsenal in 2003-04? As the announcer on that day's broadcast, Jon Champion, said at the final whistle, "Played 38, won 26, drawn 12, lost exactly none!"

Arsène Wenger, from Strasbourg, France, had been named manager of Arsenal in September 1996, having won a League title as a player for RC Strasbourg, and as a manager for AS Monaco, and national cups for Monaco in France's Football Federation (even though Monaco, however small, is a separate country) and for Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan. In 1998, he led Arsenal to win the Premier League and the FA Cup, "The Double." He led them to another Double in 2002.

Arsène Wenger, 2002

In 2002-03, Wenger was mocked for saying he dreamed of going an entire League season unbeaten. When it didn't happen, oh, how the English media and fans of other teams laughed at the Frenchman. But a year later, in 2003-04, he did it. No other manager has. Like those Preston pioneers, the 2003-04 Gunners became known as "The Invincibles."

Arsenal had won the FA Cup in 2002-03, but a loss to Blackburn Rovers on March 15 and another to Leeds United on May 4, with 2 League games to go, cost them the title, throwing it to Manchester United. Between them, Arsenal and United had won 12 of the last 15 titles in the English top flight. (The Football League Division One became the Premier League in 1992.)

Arsenal beat Southampton and Sunderland in their last 2 games of 2002-03. At the time, few people cared. But those 2 games would become part of the most remarkable streak in English soccer history.

The main lineup: Goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann of Germany; right back, Lauren Etame Mayer (usually just "Lauren") of Cameroon; left back, Ashley Cole of England; centerbacks, Sol Campbell of England and Kolo Touré of the Ivory Coast; midfielders, Freddie Ljungberg of Sweden, Captain Patrick Vieira of France, Gilberto Silva (usually just "Gilberto") of Brazil, and Robert Pires of France; and forwards, Dennis Bergkamp of the Netherlands and Thierry Henry of France.

The season began with the FA Community Shield, formerly named the Charity Shield, the annual season opener, not counting in League standings, between the previous year's League and Cup winners. (If a team won both, "The Double," then the 2nd-place team is invited.) The game was scoreless, and United won on penalties. There seemed little foreshadowing in it, and, compared to what came, it was soon forgotten.

The 1st 4 games of the 2003-04 Premier League season weren't very notable: Arsenal beat Everton at home, Middlesbrough away, Aston Villa at home, and Manchester City away. After the previous season, their greatest goalkeeper ever, David Seaman, saw his contract run out. He signed with Man City, as Arsenal signed Lehmann. As the game against Man City proved, he had aged a lot overnight, and by the time the teams played again later in the season, he had retired.

Then came 2 threats to the Gunners' ambitions. The 2nd was expected. The 1st was not. Portsmouth, of Hampshire on England's South Coast, came in to Highbury on September 13. The English media treated their manager, Harry Redknapp, once a pedestrian player for West Ham United, as a jolly good bloke. In truth, he was one of the dirtiest managers in League history.

Teddy Sheringham, who drove Arsenal crazy with local rival Tottenham Hotspur, and then with competitive rival Manchester United, scored for Portsmouth in the 26th minute. In the 39th, Pires was tripped in the box by Steve Stone. To this day, Arsenal-haters insist that this was a "dive" by Pires. They are idiots. Henry converted the penalty, and Arsenal had a draw.

Then they went to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. The game was scoreless after 90 minutes, when United's Diego Forlán made a pathetic, obvious dive. Since it was Old Trafford, and since the opponent was Arsenal, the penalty was awarded.

Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, also a notorious diver, took it, but it clanged off the crossbar, and the game ended 0-0. Veteran English centerback Martin Keown, who had seen so much United chicanery, got in van Nistelrooy's horselike face, and the teams had to be separated. It is one of a few games that is known as the Battle of Old Trafford.

"Count Keown" vs. "Ruud Van Horseface"

Surviving such a close call seemed to spark Arsenal. They beat Newcastle United at home, beat Liverpool away on a stunning goal by Pires, beat Chelsea at home, survived a close call to draw with Charlton Athletic in South London, and crushed Leeds United away.

Then came the 1st North London Derby of the season. It had been 10 years since Tottenham Hotspur, or "Spurs," had beaten Arsenal at Highbury. They took a 1-0 lead, but Pires equalized, and in the 79th, a Ljungberg shot was deflected high into the air, but came down in the net. This is my favorite Bergkamp moment, and he didn't even touch the ball: The deflection just begins to come down, and he raises his fists, as he realizes before anybody else in the stadium that it's going in.

This was followed by a win away to Birmingham City, draws at home to Fulham and away to Leicester City, a win over Blackburn Rovers, a draw away to Bolton Wanderers, a 3-0 home demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day, and they closed the calendar year winning away to Southampton. They were now halfway through the League schedule: Played 19, won 13, drawn 6, lost none.

The new year began with Everton holding them to a draw in Liverpool, but this was followed by 9 straight wins: Home to Middlesbrough, away to Aston Villa, home to Manchester City, away to Wolverhampton, home to Southampton, over Chelsea in West London, home to Charlton, away to Blackburn, and home to Bolton. That was 29 straight unbeaten to start the League season, through March 20. This tied the record set by Leeds United in 1973-74. They ended up losing 4 games.

Writing in The Times on February 9, Rick Broadbent wrote, "Some people refuse to appreciate new Arsenal. They still believe this is the side that Nick Hornby said stood for boring and lucky and dirty and petulant and rich and mean. The truth is, it is a privilege to watch new Arsenal. They are Prozac for those used to the prosaic."

Arsenal weren't totally unbeatable. They rarely take the League Cup seriously, and were knocked out of it by Middlesbrough in the Semifinal on February 3. In the Group Stage of the UEFA Champions League, they lost 2 and drew 1, before winning 3 straight to top their group, including a 5-1 defeat of Internazionale Milano, making them the 1st English team ever to beat "Inter" at the San Siro. (In a 2008 CL match, they became the 1st English team to beat AC Milan there.)

They got past the CL's Round of 16, eliminating Celta Vigo, including their 1st win ever in Spain. But the Quarterfinals began on March 24, and this began the most difficult part of the season. It was an All-London matchup, against Chelsea. Arsenal managed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, which seemed to be a good sign. Then, on March 28, came the home game against Man United, and Henry gave them a 1-0 lead, but Louis Saha scored in the 86th to earn United a draw. That was 30 straight to start, a new record, and, despite back-to-back draws, there seemed little reason to worry.

But the next game, on April 3, was also against United, in the FA Cup Semifinal, on neutral ground at Villa Park in Birmingham. Arsenal had been cruising through the Cup to this point. They won 4-1 away to Leeds United in the 3rd Round, won 4-1 home to Middlesbrough in the 4th round, and beat Chelsea 2-1 at home in the 5th Round. Unlike the 2 League games against Portsmouth, the Quarterfinal away to them was easy, a 5-1 win.

But in the Semifinal, Paul Scholes scored in the 32nd minute, and that was it: Arsenal, still thinking about a "European Treble" of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, were out of the Cup.

On April 6, the home leg of the CL Quarterfinal was played. Chelsea had recently been bought by Russian energy baron Roman Abramovich. Whether he was spending his wealth on bribing officials to look the other way on his players' misdeeds is still, for all the evidence, speculation. Whether he was spending it on bringing in great players from around the world was obvious. But it was the rather pedestrian left back Wayne Bridge who scored in the 87th minute to help Chelsea advance.

Given that Chelsea then lost in the Semifinal to AS Monaco, who then lost in the Final to Portuguese team FC Porto, managed by Jose Mourinho, the 2003-04 Champions League is considered by many to be the great missed opportunity in Arsenal history. The next season, Chelsea hired Mourinho away, and what was essentially a 2-team League became a 3-team League.

Four straight big games that Arsenal had failed to win. Knocked out of 2 competitions in 3 days. Only the League, and the chance at an unbeaten season, remained. But in the next game, Arsenal trailed Liverpool 2-1 at the half, at home. It looked like it was all falling apart. But Pires equalized, and then Henry completed a hat trick with 2 candidates for the goal of the season, and Arsenal had won, 4-2. This was followed with a draw away to Newcastle United, and a 5-0 home walloping of soon-to-be relegated Leeds United, with Henry scoring 4 goals, for 33 down, 5 to go.

Thierry Henry, 2002

On Sunday, April 25, 2004, Arsenal were scheduled to play Spurs, 4.7 miles up the road at White Hart Lane. Newcastle had beaten Chelsea in the day's early game, meaning that Arsenal could clinch the League title with only a draw. They jumped at the chance, with superb goals by Vieira in only the 3rd minute of the game, and Pires, who always seemed to score against Spurs, in the 35th.

But in the 58th, Jamie Redknapp, son of Harry, hit a screamer of his own. In stoppage time, referee Mark Halsey ruled that Lehmann had pushed Robbie Keane during a corner kick, and awarded a penalty. Keane took it, and it was 2-2.

Before the game, Wenger had told his players that, if they get the point they need, they should not celebrate on the pitch, but rather wait until they were in the dressing room. But, as Henry later said, after the equalizer, the Spurs fans "celebrated like they won the World Cup Final." (As a part of the France team that did just that in 1998, he would know, as would Vieira and Pires, and 2002 Brazil winner Gilberto.)

Play resumed, and when Halsey almost immediately blew his whistle, the Gunners basically said, "To hell with it, we're the Champions," and partied along with the Arsenal fans who'd made the trip up the Seven Sisters Road to celebrate. The song, dating back to the 1971 title clincher in the old Football League Division One, went up:

We won the League (We won the League)
at White Hart Lane! (at White Hart Lane!)
We won the League at White Hart Lane!
We won the League at the Shithole!
We won the League at White Hart Lane!

The title was especially sweet for Sol Campbell. He had been Tottenham's Captain, but his contract ran out in 2001, and they made no effort to re-sign him. So he went to Arsenal. He had now won a Double in 2002, another FA Cup in 2003, and had won the League at White Hart Lane -- playing against Tottenham.

Sol Campbell, 2002

The title was won. The unbeaten season was still to play for. Fans of teams who have achieved much, but not an unbeaten season, accuse Arsenal of having "played for draws" the rest of the way. Which is stupid. They were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Birmingham City on May 1, and a 1-1 draw away to Portsmouth on May 4. But they beat Fulham 1-0 at Loftus Road for the 37th straight. (Fulham were renovating their usual home, Craven Cottage, and playing home games at the home of their West London neighbors and arch-rivals, Queens Park Rangers.)

May 15. One to go. Home to Leicester City, already relegated. It shouldn't have been too hard. But Paul Dickov, who had started his career with Arsenal, scored in the 26th minute. As Sky Sports announcer Alan Parry said, "That wasn't in the script now, was it?"

But they had come too far to blow it in the last game, at home, against a relegated opponent. A Bergkamp pass came to Cole in the box, but Cole was practically given an American-style football tackle by Frank Sinclair. Referee Paul Durkin correctly awarded the penalty. (It was the last game for the retiring Durkin, who had also officiated in major Arsenal wins in the 1998 FA Cup Final and the title-clincher against Manchester United in 2002.) Henry took it, becoming the 1st Arsenal player to score 30 goals in a League season since Ronnie Rooke in the title season of 1948. In the 66th minute, Captain Vieira, appropriately, closed it out: Arsenal 2-1 Leicester.

Patrick Vieira, 2004

At the final whistle, Parry said, "Make a note of the date: May the 15th, 2004. History has been made. One of the greatest achievements since English football began: Arsenal have gone through an entire League campaign without losing. The first time it's happened for over 100 years. Played 38, won 26, drawn 12, lost exactly none!"

The streak was actually 40 straight, counting the last 2 games of the season before. They broke the old record of 42, set by Nottingham Forest in 1977-78. They ran their streak of unbeaten matches in the League to an all-time record 49, before a Wayne Rooney dive would give Man United a dubious penalty and a dubious win at Old Trafford the following October 24.

Arsenal have not won the Premier League since. They've won the FA Cup in 2005, 2014, 2015 and 2017. They've reached the Final of the League Cup in 2007 and 2018, and of the UEFA Champions League in 2006. They've seriously challenged for the League title -- contrary to what a bunch of fools will tell you -- in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2016. (UPDATE: And 2023, and 2024.) But they haven't won it.

Manchester United have won the "European Treble": The Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League, in 1999. Manchester City have won the "Domestic Treble": The Premier League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup, in 2019. But nobody else has been "The Invincibles." Only The Arsenal have done it.

One more note about United: Having knocked Arsenal out in the Semifinal, they won the FA Cup a week later, defeating South London team Millwall, 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium (now the Principality Stadium) in Cardiff, the Final's temporary home while the new Wembley Stadium was being built in West London.

United Captain Roy Keane accepted the Cup, not from a representative of the royal family as is usually the case, but from the manager of the England national team at the time, Sven-Göran Eriksson. So the championship of England was played in Wales, won by a manager from Scotland, with the trophy accepted by a Captain from Ireland, from a presenter from Sweden.

*

May 15, 2004 was a Sunday. Football was out of season. There were 2 games played in the NBA Playoffs. The Indiana Pacers beat the Miami Heat, 94-83 at the Conseco Fieldhouse (now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis. And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs, 88-76 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.

There was 1 game played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 4 was played in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2 at the Wachovia Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia. But the Lightning would win the series in 7 games, and beat the Calgary Flames in the Stanley Cup Finals.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners, 13-7 at Yankee Stadium. Donovan Osborne started for the Yankees, and didn't have much. The Yankees got 2 home runs from Alex Rodriguez, and 1 each from Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams. Derek Jeter went 1-for-7.

Here's what Yankee pitcher Gabe White allowed in the top of the 13th inning: Double, intentional walk, sacrifice bunt, a 2nd intentional walk, a 2-RBI double, a 3rd intentional walk, hit a batter to force a run home, and a 3-RBI double, before finally getting 2 more outs.

* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 7-4 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston. Once-and-future Yankee Andy Pettitte started and won for the Astros.

* The Anaheim Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-4 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. Bronson Arroyo allowed 3 hits over 8 innings, and Keith Foulke completed the 4-hit shutout.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 9-7 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-1 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-1 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-6 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins, 4-0 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. Chris Carpenter allowed 4 hits over 7 1/3rd innings, and and 2 Cardinal relievers completed the 5-hit shutout.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies, 16-5 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-0 at Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field) in Phoenix. Claudio Vargas allowed 6 hits over the 1st 7 innings, and Luis Ayala finished the 7-hit shutout.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the San Diego Padres, 7-5 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Todd Van Poppel allowed 5 hits over 6 innings, and 3 Reds relievers completed the 6-hit shutout.

* And the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Francisco Giants, 6-4 at SBC Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco. Barry Bonds did not play in this game against his former team.

May 7, 2006: The Highbury Farewell & the Tottenham Lasagne

May 7, 2006: The rivalry between the professional soccer teams of North London takes its strangest turn ever.

Arsenal Football Club (a.k.a. "The Arsenal") and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (a.k.a. "Spurs") are separated by 4.7 miles in North London. To put that in perspective: Imagine that, in New York City, the Yankees and Mets played each other regularly, and that, while the Mets played in Flushing Meadow as they actually do, the Yankees played in Astoria, instead of the South Bronx.

The relationship is similar -- or it would be, if the Mets, instead of being the successors to the baseball version of the New York Giants, were a continuation of the same team: Great long ago, but only sporadically so since the Yankees first began winning, perennially getting humiliated by the more successful club, treating every win over the more successful club like you'd just won a world championship, and collapsing just as glory seems within your grasp.

But Met fans think the Yankees have unfair advantages: Money (true), getting the benefit of the doubt from the officials and the league office (don't make me laugh), favorable treatment by the media (don't take drugs). Tottenham fans think Arsenal have these advantages, and one more: Arsenal "bribed their way into the First Division in 1919." (It's been over 100 years: Not one shred of evidence has ever been found to back up this fact that "everybody knows is true.")

Therefore, both Met fans and Spurs fans claim a moral high ground over their local rivals. This results in a huge superiority complex and a huge inferiority complex at the same time.

Even the mottoes are similar: The Mets' is "Ya gotta believe!" while Spurs' is "To dare is to do."

I've mentioned before that the Mets are the Tottenham of New York, and that this might not be fair... to the Mets. Tottenham have not won their league since 1961, while the Mets, who started in 1962 as a replacement for the Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers (who left for California in 1957), have now won their league 5 times. (The real "Tottenham of New York" is hockey's Rangers, complete with their idiot thug fans: They talk as much trash as Yankee and Arsenal fans do, but they don't get the results to back it up.)

Tottenham have won England's top division of soccer (or, as they say, "football") twice, both times clinching at their home ground of White Hart Lane: In 1951 and 1961. They beat the same opponent both times: Sheffield Wednesday.

Arsenal have also twice clinched England's top division of soccer (or, as they say, "football") at White Hart Lane: In 1971 and 2004. They beat the same opponent both times: Tottenham.

Arsenal have won the League 13 times, including 6 times since Spurs' last title: 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002 and 2004.

Tottenham have won the FA Cup, England's national tournament, 8 times. This is actually a very impressive total. But they haven't won it since 1991, when they beat Arsenal in a Semifinal. They haven't even been to a Final since, going 0-3 in Semifinals, including losing to Arsenal in 1993 and 2001. Arsenal have won the FA Cup 14 times, more than any other club, including 9 times since Spurs last did: 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

Because of their association with the old Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, in what's now Southeast London, Arsenal have always had a cannon on their club crest, and are thus known as the Gunners. Their fans, known as Gooners, like to say that Tottenham Hotspur, named for early 15th Century English rebel Henry Percy, a.k.a. Lord Harry Hotspur, are "forever in our shadow."

But every so often -- currently, we are in one of those moments -- the lopsided advantage in honors that tilts toward Arsenal looks like it might be reversed, what Spurs fans call "a power shift in North London."

A decade ago, there was one of those moments. But it ended up getting flushed down the toilet. Almost literally.

In 2005-06, Arsenal had their best Champions League campaign ever, reaching the Final. That Final, still the closest Arsenal have ever come to winning the European Cup (the UEFA Champions League format kept the name for the trophy), turned out to be the last appearance in Arsenal's colors for Dutch forward Dennis Bergkamp, French winger Robert Pires, English centreback Sol Campbell (who controversially transferred from Spurs to Arsenal 5 years earlier), and, controversially, English left back Ashley Cole.

Cole had grown up as an Arsenal fan and in Arsenal's youth system, but had been "tapped up" by West London rivals Chelsea, and would go to them due to new owner Roman Abramovich's spending spree, which had gotten Chelsea the 2005 and '06 Premier League titles. Cole has been known as "Cashley" to Gooners fans ever since.

But the 2005-06 season was the end of an era for another reason: It was the last season for the Arsenal Stadium, a.k.a. Highbury. The new Emirates Stadium -- some call it The Emirates, some by the area's former name Ashburton Grove, some cheekily call it New Highbury -- was going up, 500 yards away, and would open in the summer, the product of the success Arsenal had enjoyed in its 1st 10 years of management by the Alsatian genius, Arsène Wenger.

Arsenal wanted very badly to end the last game at Highbury with a win. It was against Manchester area club Wigan Athletic, and was expected to not be hard, but Arsenal have a history of losing the occasional game that they really should win.

But it wasn't just sentiment: Arsenal went into the season's League finale in 5th place in the Premiership, with Tottenham in 4th. All Spurs had to do in their game, which was away to East London club West Ham United, was match Arsenal's performance on that final day of the Premiership season, and it would be Spurs in the 2006-07 Champions League, with Arsenal "relegated" to the UEFA Cup -- unless, of course, Arsenal could win the CL Final, as the defending champion is always invited back.

The night before, Tottenham manager Martin Jol had secluded his players at a hotel, the Marriott Canary Wharf, in London's financial district, a.k.a. The City. This is not unusual: Many managers do things like this, even before home games. American football head coaches, in both the professional and the collegiate ranks, also do this. The players would have a nice dinner the night before the game, and get a good night's sleep, and would have a nice short bus ride to the stadium, all away from the prying of fans and the media.

What did Scottish poet Robert Burns say? Translated into modern common English, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray."

In the middle of the night, 10 Spurs players woke up, vomiting, and/or having diarrhea: Robbie Keane, Edgar Davids, Michael Carrick, Aaron Lennon, Michael Dawson, Lee Barnard, Calum Davenport, Teemu Tainio, Lee Young-Pyo and Radek Cerny.

Someone decided to blame the lasagne they'd eaten for dinner that night, and after the whole thing was over, some Spurs fans started a conspiracy theory (shades of their delusions about 1919) that the Marriott chef was an Arsenal fan, and had purposely poisoned the Spurs players! It became known as Lasagne-gate.

In the morning, several Spurs players were still, uh, indisposed. So club chairman Daniel Levy called the League office, and asked League chairman Richard Scudamore to postpone the game.

Nothing doing: With 1 League game to go, all teams were to play their games at the same time, 3:00 PM. This was a change from past policy, to avoid teams whose League place had already been decided from laying down on the job, thus giving gamblers some easy pickings and paying customers a less than honest performance.

Levy protested: We have sick players, so can't the game be postponed until tomorrow? Or even until tonight, just to give us a few more hours to recover? Scudamore asked if Spurs had 11 players who could play. Well, yes, but... Then the game would go on. If Spurs wanted to postpone, they could refuse to play, but an inquiry would be held, and Spurs would likely lose that appeal, and the penalty for refusing to play would be a deduction of points, which would make a win in the rescheduled match meaningless.

West Ham officials said they were willing to accept a postponement, so long as it wasn't too close to the following Saturday, when they were to play Liverpool in the FA Cup Final (which Liverpool went on to win). Unlike Spurs, West Ham were not threatened with a points deduction for going along with the postponement (which makes sense, since it wasn't their idea).

But the police were afraid of what additional time to drink that day would do, considering the reputation that both Spurs' and the Hammers' fans had for hooliganism, including against each other. (A fight between fictionalized versions of hooligan firms from those clubs opened the 2005 film Green Street.) So the cops said they would allow the game to start no later than 5:00 -- an extra 2 hours, not much of a help for the last 2 players who still needed rehydration, Carrick and Lennon.

Carrick and Lennon

In the end, the game kicked off on time, at the traditional English football starting time of 3:00 in the afternoon, and only one of the affected players, backup goalkeeper Cerny, did not make it into the game, although Carrick had to be subbed off after 63 minutes, Lee (for fellow affectee Barnard) in the 78th, and Tainio (for fellow affectee Davenport) in the 87th.

*

That season was Wigan's first-ever season in the Premiership, and they had achieved midtable respectability, finishing 10th. An Arsenal win shouldn't have been assumed, but it was well possible. West Ham were about Wigan's equal, finishing 9th, and were hosting Spurs -- hence the Canary Wharf hotel, not far from the Hammers' Boleyn Ground, a.k.a. Upton Park.

Pires scored the Highbury opener, and, for the last time at that ground, the song "One-nil to The Arsenal" was sung -- by both Arsenal fans at Highbury and West Ham fans, learning by radio and text message, at Upton Park.

But Wigan struck back, and led 2-1. Spurs fans, getting calls and messages on their mobile phones, found out, and were ecstatic. And when Jermaine Defoe scored in the 35th to match Darren Fletcher's goal for the Hammers in the 10th, meaning Spurs were looking at a draw while Arsenal were losing, it looked like it would be Spurs' day.

It wasn't. Arsenal's superstar French forward Thierry Henry scored a hat trick, tallying in the 35th, the 56th, and the 76th with a penalty that was the last goal ever scored in the ground's 93-year history. Feeling that history, after putting the ball in the net, instead of launching a ghastly celebration, he bent down and kissed the grass. The final score was Arsenal 4-2 Wigan Athletic.

Of course, it wouldn't have mattered if Spurs had also won. But West Ham came from behind, and won 2-1 on a goal in the 80th minute by Yossi Benayoun, a midfielder from Israel.

Arsenal finished 4th, 2 points ahead of Tottenham, and qualified for the Champions League; Tottenham, finishing 5th, went to the UEFA Cup.

*

The remains of the supposedly offending lasagne were sent to a laboratory, and tested. As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with it, at least not medically. The virus that spread among the Spurs players was real, but it had nothing to do with food.

Still, Spurs fans blame that lasagne, and the chef that served it. Just like the Yankees-Red Sox "Curse of the Bambino," the lasagne contagion never really existed, but it has taken on a life of its own, because the afflicted team's fans believed it. And so, to spite them, ever since, Arsenal fans have sung, to "Volare":

Lasagne, whoa!
Lasagne, whoa!
We laughed ourselves to bits
when Tottenham got the shits!

Which matches another Arsenal chant. I don't know how far back it goes, but it was already in place in early 2007:

Q: What do you think of Tottenham?
A: Shit!
Q: What do you think of shit?
A: Tottenham!
Q: Thank you!
A: That's all right! We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham! We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham! We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham! We are the Tottenham haters!

Indeed, Tottenham didn't finished higher than Arsenal in the League between 1995 and 2017. They then did it 4 times in a row, before Arsenal took over again in 2022.

For talk among their organization, and talk among their fans, and talk among the media, all combined, and then divided by results, Tottenham Hotspur are arguably the biggest joke franchise in sports on planet Earth, any sport, any country.

Lasagne-gate may have been the highest moment -- or the lowest, if you prefer.

*

May 7, 2006 was a Sunday. The American version of football was out for the season. There were 2 NBA Playoff games that day, each a Game 1 of a Conference Semifinal. The Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-86 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. And the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks, 87-85 at the AT&T Center (now named the Frost Bank Center) in San Antonio.

There were 2 Stanley Cup Playoff games that day, both in the Conference Semifinals. The San Jose Sharks beat the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1 in a Game 1 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose (now named the SAP Center). And the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, in their last season under that stupid name before they became simply the Anaheim Ducks, beat the Colorado Avalanche, 3-0 in a Game 2 at the Arrowhead Pond (subsequently renamed the Honda Center).

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Texas Rangers, 8-5 at Ameriquest Field (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Chien-Ming Wang was the winning pitcher. Hideki Matsui went 2-for-3 with a home run, 3 walks and 3 RBIs. Derek Jeter went 0-for-5. Alex Rodriguez went 2-for-5. Future Yankee Mark Teixeira went 2-for-5 for the Rangers.

* The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves, 13-3 at Shea Stadium. John Smoltz outpitched José Lima. Brian Jordan and Jeff Francoeur homered for the Braves, Carlos Beltrán for the Mets.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 10-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. The steroids didn't quite work for David Ortiz, who went 0-for-4, but had an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Jason Varitek hit a grand slam.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants, 9-5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand hit home runs for the Phils, while Barry Bonds (the 713th of his career) and Mark Sweeney hit them for the Jints.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins, 9-1 at Dolphins Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Angels, 3-1 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Houston Astros, 5-3 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-8 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 at Petco Park in San Diego.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-2 at the McAfee Coliseum (as the Oakland Coliseum was then known).

* And the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners, 2-0 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle. CC Sabathia pitched 8 innings of 7-hit shutout ball, and Bob Wickman completed a 9-hit shutout. Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.