Nothing has ever come easily for Stare Byki FC, and describing its history is no exception. It is difficult to pinpoint a birth date for the club. No one stepped up and decided any one particular day, "I'm going to form a soccer club." The club was born as the result of a challenge, a challenge of youth versus experience.
The club's origin is ethnic in nature. All of the original members of the team were of Polish heritage. More specifically, all were members of the Polish Youth Association (Harcerstwo). This common background is one of the reasons we have been together this long, even though it is not Harcerstwo's goal to develop sport. The binding force of a group like Harcerstwo is difficult to put into absolute terms. Suffice it say that Harcerstwo brought all of us together during our formative years and then provided the foundation for lasting relationships.
One would think that our ethnicity would have prompted us to form a soccer team long ago, given our European backgrounds. I never expected to find enough committed players to form a competitive team. Our playing was pretty much restricted to pickup games and small-sided affairs. It was only when a direct challenge was issued that we were forced to organize.
It all came to pass as several friends were having a beer at the original Billy Goat Tavern on the day after Thanksgiving in 1982. We had arranged to meet Mark Sokolowski for lunch that day. Mark, the eager beaver of the City News Bureau, was working, while everyone else had the day off. Among the soccer players present were Stef Wiecek, Edi Pinkowski and Rich Hass. As usually happens when footballers get together for some brew, the discussion turns to the game of their passion. The beer flowed freely, as did the confidence and cockiness of the youngsters, Ed and Rich. We talked in general terms what it would be like to stage a Harcerstwo-related soccer match pitting players from my generation against the teenagers. The conversation then turned ugly when the inebriated Pinkowski pointed a finger in my face and declared, "If we had a soccer game with us younger guys against you [older] guys, we would kick your ass." I couldn't possibly let such bravado pass without a response. If anyone was going to kick my ass playing soccer, they were going to have to prove it on the field. So the game was on.
We initially thought to play the game the very next day, but the short notice prevented either side from putting together a full team. We played a small-sided game where the "geriatrics" came out on top. The real challenge, however, was for a full-sided match, 11 v 11. Since it was late in the year, we agreed to schedule the match for the following spring. In the interim we made our preparations for what was dubbed, "The Big Game." It was only going to be one match, but both sides were determined to pull out all the stops in order to get ready. We decided it would be a Harcerstwo-only affair, which would preclude the use of ringers. Any questions of eligibility would be decided by Ted Wiecek, then the czar of Harcerstwo in Chicago. My team, "Stare Byki," would consist of players born December 31, 1960 or earlier. Ed's team, "Smartkacze," would be comprised of players born in 1961 or later. The youngsters were responsible for securing a field and goal nets. The old-timers were to arrange for the game officials. The match was scheduled for June 9, 1983 at Harrer Park in Morton Grove.
The ethnicity of both teams was evident even by the nicknames they chose for themselves. The Smartkacze anglicized the Polish word, "smarkacz," which literally means, "snot-nose." Stare Byki is a Polish phrase which translates as "old bulls." The idiom connotes a person who is over the hill and extremely lazy.
Already plans were dancing in my head as to how I would put my team together. I had a core of several players who had had at least some exposure to the game. I would rely on them to occupy the key positions on the field. These included: Stef Wiecek, Mark Sokolowski, Andy Chudzinski, Rich Owsiany, Pio Nowobilski, Andy Wojtkowski, Paul Pazderski and myself. It was pretty easy to envision where most of these guys would fit in even before the first practice. My two biggest challenges would be to find a capable goalkeeper and to recruit enough newcomers to fill out my roster. I felt confident with this nucleus of experienced players. We outnumbered our opponent in this regard and I also believed that, as a group, we had more talent.
I began searching for additional players around February 1983. Drumming up enthusiasm for the concept was easier than I had expected. It was during this time that the younger harcerze were competing against the old guys in other sports, such as basketball. The greybeards were not only beating the upstarts on the hardwood, but were giving new definitions to the term "slaughter rule." Even though their soccer experience ranged from very little to none, the old guard was willing to give the youngsters another shot in a different sport. Naturally, I was looking for good athletes, but an enthusiasm to learn a new game was equally important. Most of these guys expected to win the game because they believed that I was the best man to teach them soccer.
The remainder of the Byki roster shaped up this way: Roman Barczynski, Ziggy Figol, Mark Klonowski, Corky Siemaszko, Stanley "Chops" Ciepiela, Wes Witek, John Urbanowicz and John Starkowski. The prize catch of these was John Urbanowicz. An excellent all-around athlete, John had shied away from soccer due to a severe knee injury suffered during adolescence and had not played since. I tabbed John as my goalkeeper and he eagerly accepted since the risk of a knee injury was low.
My general plan for preparation was to schedule about four practices before the Big Game. This would allow enough time for some semblance of team fitness and a basic understanding of tactics. About ten players showed up for a meeting prior to our first training session on April 17. I briefly outlined why we were doing this and what I hoped to accomplish. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, but the winter chill still lingered. After the first few wind sprints, I could tell that my work was going to be cut out for me. As the weather improved, so did attendance at practice. The lads brought with them a good bit of enthusiasm, even though most of them complained that too much time was being spent on fitness training at the expense of soccer training. By the beginning of May, we were training on a weekly basis. Now, some of the guys started asking if we could practice more frequently, two or three times per week. I never thought I would live to hear my players asking for more practice time. Before long, we were meeting three days a week like clockwork.
Two more players were added to the club in early May: George Twardowski and Les Jankiewicz. My lineup had endured some reshuffling when Paul and Roman went down with injuries. Paul broke his ankle after taking a kick during a scrimmage in practice and Roman sustained an injury to his calf. Neither player wound up being healthy enough to suit up for the match. Les was an unexpected addition to the team and approached me about the availability of the goalie position. Les got his chance when John asked me if I could get someone else to play in the nets because of his desire to play in the field. (I eventually put John at outside fullback.) I was at first skeptical about putting Les in goal, but his technique improved dramatically from practice to practice. Eventually I was very pleased with his play. He made consistent saves even on the most difficult shots. I knew Les had arrived as my keeper when Pio, whom I had installed at sweeper, commented, "It's great having Les in goal because I know he'll make the save if I screw up." It's extremely important for defenders to have unerring confidence in their goalkeeper. It allows them to play their game in a relaxed manner and to not worry about making mistakes.
By the end of May, our uniforms arrived. Our need for sharp-looking uniforms underscored how important the Big Game was to us. We were outfitted in white long-sleeved shirts with blue and red trim, blue shorts with white trim, and blue and white socks. The shirts had our name, "Stare Byki," emblazoned diagonally across the front. The fancy uniforms were intended to send a message to our tee-shirt-clad opponents that we meant business. If we expected to play first-rate soccer, we wanted to look like a first-rate soccer team.
Preparation of the team was advancing rapidly. Many of the newcomers were catching on to the game and I anticipated significant contributions from these players. I was particularly impressed with the play of Corky, George and Stark. Even though I couldn't accommodate Stark's request to play with the attackers, he did turn out to be an adequate fullback. Corky probably made the biggest strides of any of the neophytes. His questioned me constantly about what he should be doing in certain situations so he would not get outsmarted. His success was based first and foremost in his mastery of the technical skills.
About a week and a half before the match, I settled on my lineup. Even though everyone would see action in the game, it was important for me to put together my best lineup to start the game. I made all of my personnel decisions based on ability and on attendance at training. I decided to put Les at keeper. The fullbacks were John Urbanowicz at right fullback, Pio at sweeper, Rich Owsiany at stopper, and Wes at left fullback. In midfield, I had Boo-Boo, Mark Sokolowski and Corky. The forwards were Stef, Andy Wojtkowski and I. My two weak spots were at fullback. Rich had considerable experience playing in high school, but had a bum knee, which had given him trouble on several occasions at practice. I wasn't sure how many minutes I was going to get out of him. Wes was probably a surprise starter. He earned his spot because he was the only player to not miss a practice. Some players on the bench may have had more skill, but it's at practice where you learn how to play the game. I had a lot of faith in my squad; if everyone played up to expectations, I thought we would win easily. I even privately entertained the possibility of a blowout.
Preparations in the other camp were radically different. Ed was faced with a major dilemma because of his team's acute lack of experience. He had two excellent players to go along with himself in Henry Zajac and Ted Piotrowski. These three had been teammates all through high school. I expected to get the most trouble from them. Ed also had three players I hadn't even heard of: Chris Zadlo and the Wrobel brothers, Piotr and Jarek. It turned out that the Wrobel brothers didn't show up for the game and Chris actually wound up being one of the best players on either team. The youngsters also had Greg Bujwid as their keeper, playing in his first game ever.
The Smartkacze had nearly 20 players on their roster and I had to admit that some of the names made me giggle. There were hardly any players I would characterize as dangerous. It was obvious that the kids needed some major practice time, but the team met only twice prior to the match. This was rather galling in the face of the pre-game rhetoric between some of the players. Chris Chudzik, one of the least talented of the Smartkacze, was never at a loss for words when it came to proclaiming the apparent superiority of his team. He was certain that his side would prevail by a wide margin, on the order of 6-0 or 6-1. Since they were younger and faster, Chris reasoned his club would outrun us and a rout was a foregone conclusion. He unfortunately forgot that this was a soccer match and not a track meet; speed had lot less to do with success than did soccer skill. I politely replied, "You need to get six shots before you can get six goals." My words proved to be prophetic. The pre-game excitement was not only building for the two teams, but for the Harcerstwo community. The Big Game was the hottest topic of conversation, even for people only remotely acquainted with soccer. The game grew into an event which captured the imaginations of many. With all the hype surrounding the match, a sizable crowd of spectators was expected.
On game day, things started to become unglued. Players and fans arrived at the park only to find out that another game had been scheduled for that field. The Smartkacze, whose responsibility it had been to reserve a field, wrongly assumed that no one would be using the field at Harrer Park that night and had not even bothered to contact the Park District concerning the field's availability. (They also were to have borrowed nets for the goals, which fell through as well. Arranging for the referees, Witek Jozefowski and Konrad Bazylewski, was done by the Byki. They both arrived on time and were ready to go.) This resulted in a madcap caravan of confusion to other nearby soccer fields until we found one that was open. We lucked out on the second try when we went to Maine East High School, which had been the practice site for the Byki. It was a minor miracle that everyone concerned actually made it to Maine East. Since we were now 30 minutes behind the scheduled 6:30 pm kickoff, both teams agreed to shorten the match to 35-minute halves. Much to my dismay, we started off by playing rather tentatively. The ball kept jumping away from our feet and we had a hard time stringing even three passes together. The kids took advantage of this by marking aggressively, bottling us up in our own half. The whole scenario annoyed me because I felt we only needed to play as well as we normally did at practice in order to win the game. Early in the match, none of the Byki were on the same page.
Eventually, our poor play provided our opponents with some genuine scoring chances. It was very disconcerting to see our fullbacks scrambling around chasing the ball. After ten minutes, a wide- open Henry Zajac sent a shot over the bar.
Disaster struck about five minutes later when Wes Witek, out on the wing deep in his own end, sent a square pass into the middle of the field right at the top of the penalty area. Ted Piotrowski zoomed in to intercept the telegraphed pass and walked in on Les unescorted to score the match's first goal. Wes's mistake was a classic bonehead play. It is always dangerous to pass the ball into the middle when in your own half, and especially when you don't have a definite target. The other Byki in the vicinity stood flat-footed as Ted stepped in, which gave Les absolutely no chance. We got screwed by an error of inexperience. The error occurred because of my loyalty to Wes, a relatively unskilled but otherwise hard-working player.
The early tally really increased the youngsters' confidence. It wasn't long before Ted had yet another clear opportunity, but this one he sent wide. Although our shakiness in the back continued until halftime, the offense slowly began to show some life. Our midfield play sent some lead passes for Andy Wojtkowski up the middle as well as a few balls down the wing for me. Our positive play earned us a couple of corners late in the first half. No 100% scoring chances resulted from all of this, but I started to believe that our opponents had played as well as they were going to play. Our few scoring situations made me think that this was only the beginning.
At halftime I decided to give Stark and Uncle George some more playing time to see if they could start winning some more 50-50 balls to ignite our counterattack. The other guys were also convinced that good things would happen if we could just keep the pressure on.
We started the second half by really tightening the screws. Early in the match, I had some troubles of my own going one-on-one with their outside fullback, Darek Ostrowski. After some late first-half success, I felt confident that I could take him to the cleaners in the second half. Sure enough, I blew past him the first two times I touched the ball after intermission. His nervousness began to show as he gave me more and more room to operate, even when I didn't have the ball.
The build-up we were creating was certain to result in some goals. I thought that if we could just get one, then more would come in bunches. One thing, however, stood in our way in the person of debutante Greg Bujwid. The lanky keeper was making unbelievable saves, playing with maturity well beyond his 17 years. He stopped Andy on several point-blank shots. I figured we would knock one in somehow, but I just hoped we would have enough time to do it.
With about 15 minutes left in the match, we finally got our break. A bouncing ball was misplayed by Chris Kalinowski into a handball. The ball was spotted just outside their penalty area, on the post to Greg's right. I set up to take the direct kick with the full intention of trying to score a goal. We had practiced this situation during training and I had demonstrated good success in converting these free kicks into goals. The kids set up a five-man wall to cover the near post. Although I planned to curl my shot over the wall towards that post, my kick instead went hard and low. Unfortunately for the Smartkacze, Henry made a crucial mistake as a member of the wall. When he saw my shot go low, he extended his foot to try to block the ball. The ball grazed the bottom of his shoe and went right underneath his lifted leg, just inside the near post. Greg made a dive for the ball, but was much too late. We had ourselves a brand new game.
Although my teammates started a raucous celebration, we still had work to do, namely to get the game-winning goal. We kept attacking, but Greg was simply unsolvable. He managed to snuff out shots right and left. The youngsters tried to take to the attack also, but it had been so long since they produced any meaningful offense that they looked disorganized more than anything else. In fact, the Smartkacze managed only one more shot on goal since their score in the first half. In the end, they were desperate just to hang on to the level score.
The game ended at 1-1 in a very hard-fought match. Both sides played with great intensity, but very cleanly. Many of those involved, both players and spectators, thought that the result was fair. I couldn't agree with that assessment because I felt that even with all of our early-game problems, we had played well enough to win. Since we had to settle for a draw, the whole experience of the Big Game left me wanting and disappointed. It was like leaving the dinner table still hungry. The better team had not won and that upset my sense of justice.
Afterwards, both teams celebrated together at Mark Sokolowski's house. It didn't take long for the natural question of a rematch to come up. Some of the youngsters, though thoroughly outplayed, were still talking a little trash and were eager for another crack at us. I was more than happy to oblige; I knew we would whip them if given another chance. Ed, however, was content to lay low at the mention of another game. Funny how only seven months earlier he had talked about "kicking somebody's ass." Although he now conceded that the two teams were evenly matched, his reluctance to have at it once more indicated to me that he didn't want to risk any possible embarrassment. He was content with his tie. He hemmed and hawed as I tried to talk him into a rematch. Ed had an even harder time keeping his eager teammates at bay. In the end, Ed refused to give us another game. Talk of a rematch would surface occasionally in the coming years, but I snuffed it out immediately. The Smartkacze had had their chance for another game with the Byki and had turned it down. As far as I was concerned, the subject of a rematch was little more than idle chatter.