I meant Port Washington vs. Massapequa.
Ohio State and USC aren’t the only regnant, upper-echelon football programs squaring off at the end of this week. The soccer (“football,” as it’s known outside the United States) teams will face each other Friday afternoon in what has potential to be an early-season preview of the Class AA title bout.
The teams, Nassau's elite, grabbed the top two seeds last year. Massapequa went 9-3-3 and stormed through the playoffs en route to their second consecutive championship. Port Washington had a New England Patriots-esque run, going undefeated in the regular season and entering the playoffs as the preeminent favorite. They came up short, though, falling to Syosset in the semi-finals.
Port Washington is 2-0 with non-league wins over Great Neck North and Manhasset (a 6-0 drubbing). Massapequa went 0-2 against the CHSAA (losses to St. Anthony’s and Chaminade) but topped in-conference rival Oceanside last night, 3-2, in the first league match of the season.
And, on Friday, the two locomotives will head full-steam toward each other (or they'll take 10 paces at high noon – 4:30, actually – with “Ecstasy of Gold” playing in the background). Pick a metaphor, but it'll be a showdown and it'll be big.
HOWEVAH, Massapequa coach Keith Stanley is leaving it to us (and you) to supply the hype, saying the outcome of the game won’t matter too much to him. “Wuh? Come again!” you say, quizzically. In his words:
“I just want us to play well. I’m not that concerned about the result. I think if we play well, play hard and stay poised, by the end of the season, we’ll be ready to compete for the title. I don't think we’ve won the first two games of our season the last couple years. It's a nice way to start, but it’s not normal for us. We usually take a while to get going.”
Maybe a little superstition there. Either way, getcha popcorn ready.