The "Willowdale United Reunion"

What can I tell you about this wonderful team of "Nice Guys" ?
Can I convince you that they were the greatest soccer players of all time? Probably not.
There was no Beckenbauer, no Christiano Ronaldo, no Mr. Beautiful Beckham and no Messi...
They were 14 guys, who loved the game and played it honestly and  to the utmost of their ability.
The way I remember them, they were so good, that we should never have lost a game in the World Cup. But maybe, just maybe I am looking at this part of my life through rose coloured glasses, as I do most of the time.

I put this team together in 1972/73 selecting them for their ability to play the game and their character as I perceived them. In other words, they had to know how to play the game of soccer, but they also had to be "Nice Guys" !
As the League Rule demanded, we had to start in the Third Division. So we did and, would you believe it, we won First Place in the first year in Division Three. So in 1973/74 we were promoted to the Second Division and, if my memory serves me correctly, we ended in second or third place.

Then, in 1974 or early in 1975, Mr Mel Lastman, the then Mayor of North York, pushed through City Counsel a Law, mandating the painting of all underground garages in his City. I could see an opportunity to make some money for the team and organized the painting of more garages than I want to remember. Through this effort and the selling of "Hockey-Lottery-Tickets" we raised enough money to do the following:
Pay for 16 Airline tickets Toronto/Frankfurt/Toronto, hire a bus for three weeks, pay for accommodation for 14 players and breakfast and dinner for the team ... and off we flew.. to play 6 games against Austrian Teams.
We won two of those games and lost the other four. Except for one, the scores were most respectable...
2:1, 3:2, and 2:0... I wont tell you about the game against the Austrian U21 champion of Wacker Innsbruck...

There is so much to tell about this trip, that I would have to write all night long... and it is past Midnight now...
You will just have to come to the next re-union and listen to all the stories which I am certain will be told over and over again.

There are three players who were not at this re-union: There was "Raman-to the far post-Bhima" a thoughtful player on the Left Wing, and James (Jimmy) Breslin, who at age 32 was the most experienced player. I always felt comfortable with Jimmy on defense. Also, we sorely missed Gunters Tannis, who played some of his best soccer with his right or was it his left? lower arm in a cast and seriously cushioned so as not to hurt anyone of our opponents.

So there it is... the shortest version of a beautiful, long story...
If I have forgotten anything, or if my memory was faulty.. please do not hesitate to write your corrections and/or additions to this Blog.

Quick, gimme a short pass...
Bert, the Coach.