by Simon Capp
16 April 2009

I guess it's not just the three Cs in the "city": cocaine, cocktails and cornflakes... sooner or later you have to strap the boots on and find yourself some "Soccer in the City". My first attempt at this was joining an ex-pat team in November, though I quickly lost interest with the near arctic conditions. After a few training sessions in -5c , smartly decided that I could trade frost bite and hypothermia for hot coco and bedtime stories. So that promising team was shelved in the meatpacking district.

But the need for a glamour replacement could not be abated, so a few weeks back I joined new team, and am here to report there is "Soccer in this City". This bunch has all the hallmarks of what makes glamour, the French guy with the Warwick Capper shorts, the Russians, some token yanks and yours truly.

But for those who have not visited Manhattan, scrap that, everyone knows that Manhattan is one skyscraper followed by a larger skyscraper. So the "pitches" I have visited are some very interesting places and they come with their own sets of challenges:

Pitch 1 – Nike Field

There is China Town (Nike Field) - Insert joke about cheap Asian labour and Nike here! This pitch is down town, so a match down in China town, would involve a harrowing A, E, C train, from midtown, and then a trek across the village. But that's no issue, just ensure that you are not hungry at kick off! Because the wafting smelling of fried pork, and salted duck will inspire dribbling of the wrong kind.

Pitch 2 – Pier 40

Oh and the Pier 40 Pitches, 2 of them. This huge pier was built into the Hudson, so it has its own set of issues. Firstly you have to worry about pilots landing on you, but more concerning is the wind and the temperature! Ouch cold. But the fatalities are great, pitch on bottom level, surrounded by a car park! Oh Pier 40 is in Chelsea.

Pitch 3 – Central Park

And there is a soccer pitch in Central Park - haven't played there yet... its for finals. So the only time I can get to see real grass, is when I call the "man" who delivers in 40mins (or it's free)

Warm up for this new team seems pretty simple. It involves having a bitch about one of three things: Your cabdriver who almost killed you, the weather - when is summer coming, or three that referee is hopeless. It's a common sight to see some investment banker, hang his thousand dollar Armani Exchange suit on the fence for some hobo to pee on. And some pimp try and flog you some "happy times" after your harrowing 4-1 defeat. You see glamour is glamour whereever you are. So here I am, trying to sprinkle some whites love... in Manhattan!