Big names: Miami F.C. midfielder Robert Baggio Kcira was named after the Italian great Roberto Baggio.
Souvenirs: T-shirt, $25. Knapsack, $60. Wool hat, $30.
Food: Nathan’s hot dog, $4.50. Foot-long, $5.75. Domestic beer (Bud), $8. Premium beer (Corona), $8.50.
Vendor’s response to “What’s really good?” “The burgers.”
Were they really good? No.
Cool thing: View of the Atlantic Ocean and Coney Island’s amusement park rides, including the parachute drop lit up with “Cosmos.”
Fan perspective: Jennifer Gualotuna and Lino Tineo of Jackson Heights were to be married in three weeks and attended the game with a group of 10 friends for a surprise bridal shower. “You’re closer to the players; there’s a more family atmosphere,” their friend Daniela Carpio said of the N.A.S.L. experience. She wasn’t pleased at having to pay $25 to park, though.
Result: Miami F.C. 3, Cosmos 0.
Can I still go? The N.A.S.L.’s fall season runs deep into October, followed by playoffs.
Brooklyn Italians, N.P.S.L.
There was a time, not so long ago, when the Brooklyn Italians were as good as it got for New York soccer. The team, founded by Italian immigrants in 1949, won the U.S. Open Cup in the pre-M.L.S. days in 1979 (as the Brooklyn Dodgers) and did it again in 1991. Now the team plays at Long Island University’s soccer field, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, as a member of the National Premier Soccer League, considered among the best amateur leagues in the country.
Date of visit: June 7.
Opponent: TSF (The Sports Factory) of Wayne, N.J.
Cheapest ticket available at game time: $5, general admission.
Attendance: About 60, though about 100 could have squeezed onto the bleachers in a pinch.
Security: None.
Pregame: Players working out.
National anthem: A recording from the album “61 World National Anthems.” Yes, they played the right one.
Big names: The players are mostly college students, many from local universities like St. John’s and St. Francis.
Souvenirs: T-shirt, $15. Hoodies, $25. Frisbee, $3.
Food: Soda, $1. Chips, $1.
Vendor’s response to “What’s really good?” “If you’re a kid, the ring pop.” Red was recommended over blue and green.
Were they really good? Your correspondent is not a kid, but his daughter said “Yes.”
Cool thing: It is easy to hear the on-field chatter, including the referee’s patiently explaining a call to an exasperated coach. After a red card, one player leapt a low barricade and exited through the crowd.
Fan perspective: Lana Bernardi, the mother of the Brooklyn goalkeeper Michael Bernardi, who has played with the team for three years, made this assessment after the game: “One team was tougher. The other was more skillful.” Asked which was which, she replied, “I can’t tell you because then I’d be saying the Italians were less skillful.”
Result: 0-0 draw.
Can I still go? Better hurry. Brooklyn Italians host TSF on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in an N.P.S.L. conference semifinal.
F.A. Euro, P.D.L.
The Premier Development League is a sprawling developmental league with dozens of teams, from Maine to Arizona. F.A. Euro has teams for players as young as 10. The P.D.L. team, which plays at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium, is the flagship squad.
Date of visit: June 27.
Opponent: Reading (Pa.) United.
Cheapest ticket available at game time: Free admission.
Attendance: Eventually 40, in a stadium that holds 2,000. With a half-hour until game time, there were exactly two people in the stands. Their reasons for attending could not be ascertained, as they spoke only Greek and Albanian.
Security: None.
Pregame: Recorded pop music, including Deadmau5, TI and the Swedish House Mafia.
National anthem: Recording of the United States Army Ceremonial Band.
