As September 1986 rolled around, the annual rite of passage began for the Byki. September always meant the start of indoor training. Nothing was different this year. We used the same practice facility, the gym at Holy Cross H.S., at the usual time on Sunday mornings. The faces on the roster didn't change either. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
Some of the players came into training with additional seasoning, however. Stef and I had gained spots on the reserve team for Liths S.C. of the Metropolitan League. We played about five games that summer. The team wasn't all that great, but the chance to play real soccer, 11 v 11, was motivation enough. I also played more indoor soccer (as if I hadn't already had enough!) all summer and into early fall. My good fortune came when Sergio invited me to play with the Duo- Fast Blast, who needed an extra defender. I hesitated somewhat because it was my intention to only play outdoors that summer and our three-session stint with the Byki had left me physically drained. But, in the end, I couldn't help myself. Just like the overfed goldfish who can't stop eating, I accepted Serge's offer. How could I possibly turn it down? The chance to play on a team loaded with highly-talented players doesn't come around every day. I had the opportunity to see how I would measure up against this caliber of player. Just as I was surprised that Sergio would want to play with the Byki, I was even more surprised that he would think that I could contribute to the Duo-Fast team. We went on an extraordinary run, winning 21 of 22 matches and three straight championships. It was an extraordinary experience of excitement and power. The Byki entered the session of November of 1986 with a lot lingering doubts. The squad had remained essentially intact from the previous spring, but the lineup was not set as comfortably as I would have liked. I was surprised to learn that Greg would be joining the Navy in January of 1987, leaving a gaping hole at the goalie position. The sheer speed of the indoor game requires a talented keeper if a team has any designs on a championship trophy. Our second setback came with Sergio. Duo-Fast decided to play yet another session in the same Thursday D League as the Byki, only in a different division. This meant that the two clubs would never meet on the field. It also meant that Sergio could, if the scheduling permitted, play two games on a given Thursday, one for each team. He regretted the conflict, but his first priority was understandably with the Blast. Sergio pledged that he would try to help the Byki whenever possible, but we both knew it would be difficult.
The team's play reflected this uncertain status. Greg played very tentatively, which was very much out of style for him. The absence of Sergio demonstrated how valuable he was to the Byki, as goals were much more difficult to come by. Even in the games where he was able to pull double duty, it was obvious that he wasn't on his top form. Try as he might, Sergio simply wasn't fit enough to go all out for two games a night.
Finding a replacement keeper for Greg would be no easy task. I had very few options outside of the team. For the last five games of the session, Mark Sokolowski (prior to his departure to Florida) and Henry Zajac alternated at that position. Neither was really the replacement I was looking for. Mark was too far removed from his goalkeeping days in high school and college and Henry, though an excellent goalie, was much more valuable as a field player. It was definitely a no-win situation.
Amid all this confusion the Byki made a key acquisition at midseason which would provide some light at the end of the tunnel. Basia Olejniczak, the Byki fan turned soccer scout, introduced me to Doug Roth. She told me she thought that "he was pretty good, but not real flashy." Five minutes into his first practice with the club was all I needed to see. No, Doug indeed was not flashy, but it was obvious that his technical skills were at a high level, his tool kit was certainly complete. I knew he would fit right in.
At this point in the season the Byki were pretty much floundering as I made numerous lineup changes. As the current session began slipping away from us, I thought about planning ahead for the next session to fill the gaps in my roster. As the session wound down, Sergio suggested that I take some players from the Blast to solidify the Byki. This was a brilliant idea, although I would have to be careful which players to choose. Some players' personalities fit into a team better than those of others. Players who fit in well with the Blast might not necessarily fit in with the Byki. There were plenty of eager players on the Blast, but I didn't have room for all of them.
Since Sergio would be coming back full-time, my offense was pretty well set. The defense, on the other hand, had been ravaged by two catastrophic injuries. Stark ruptured his Achilles tendon as the result of a foul which, while not vicious, was definitely careless. Mark Rys broke his ankle following a rough collision. The injury was traumatic, but was also one of the things that can happen during the course of a soccer game. It is a risk that every player is aware of when he sets foot on the field. I feared that the soccer playing days for John and Mark might be over.
The Blast, fortunately, had some outstanding defenders, which made my choice easy. I settled on Tom Smerz (who had migrated from Arsenal to the Blast) and Steve Koranda. Both of them were defensive defenders, which meant that they didn't have any secret desire of becoming attackers. They both realized what their role would be. Their defensive prowess would make it difficult for opposing attackers to fool them. Their stellar play during my time with Duo-Fast had me convinced. My only opening now was at goalkeeper.
The team displayed a mini-turnaround and went 3-1-1 in the last five games of the session. This short hot streak improved our record to 5-4-1, good for the middle of the table. The lineup looked a little more solid as we geared up for the next session. I planned to go into the first game with Henry in goal. He wasn't too crazy about the idea, but he said he would give it his best. I felt we could play very well with Henry as our keeper, but I thought it wasteful to have all that soccer skill standing between the sticks. It was then that Lady Luck, the fickle dame, showed up at the Odeum.
Minutes before kickoff of the first match, with Henry feverishly warming up, Sergio arrived with the answer to our goalie problem. He brought with him Duo-Fast's other striker, Tony Terraciano. Tony was a truly outstanding goalscorer, with a will to win like no other teammate I had ever played with. I also knew that Tony was an excellent keeper, but that he had signed with another team. After they got bombed 9-0 in their first game, Tony decided that he wasn't going to be anybody's target practice. With all of the familiar faces on the Byki roster, Tony eagerly became the newest member of Stare Byki FC. Tony really was the missing piece to the puzzle. Although Greg turned in some excellent games for the Byki, he had two major faults. His foot skills were mediocre, which forced him to aimlessly kick balls out of bounds that he couldn't pick up with his hands. His second problem was his unsteady self-confidence. Greg could be unstoppable when he got hot, but he started to play mind games when he gave up a bad goal early in a game. Tony managed to fill all of our needs rather admirably. I knew Tony would be the best keeper this club had ever seen.
With Tony in the nets, we presented a very solid lineup at all positions. Boo-Boo, Tommy, Steve and I were the defenders, while Sergio, Stef, Rich, Henry, Ed and Doug comprised the forwards. We handily won the first game against a ragtag bunch called the Deluxe Checks by a score of 6-1. The enemy scored a quick one to take a 1-0 lead while Tony was napping. That didn't last long as we knocked in six strong goals to show precisely who the boss was. We retired to the Apple to celebrate our great start to the new session. Newcomers Tommy and Steve completed their rites of initiation by signing their names to the club's huge inflatable soccer ball hanging from the ceiling at the bar. Steve then asked me where all of the club's trophies were. As a member of the highly successful Blast, Steve was accustomed to winning. When I showed him our lone second-place trophy from the previous spring, he responded, "We're going to have to get a few more of those in here." It was at that point that I began to sense that this session was going to be different from the others. By adding some of the Blast's best players to our roster, we finally had a substantial number of players who not only knew how to play, but knew how to win. The experience that Ed and I had had playing with that team the previous summer didn't hurt either. Like any other soccer technique, winning is something that has to be learned. The ability to step onto the field knowing that you will be successful is a major hurdle every player has to face. Those who don't know how to handle that obstacle will continue to be losers. The winning attitude brought by the new players rubbed off on the rest of the guys. The victories started piling up as the Byki put the rest of the league on notice. The two players instrumental to our success all season long were Doug and Tony. Doug became the clutch player Sergio had been for the team in the spring of 1986. Three Byki wins came by the score of 1-0, 1-0 and 2-1. Doug either scored or assisted on three of our four goals in those games. On one of those goals, Doug turned his defender inside out with two killer fakes. His shot, however, hit the post and bounced into the middle of the penalty area. As the rest of the players stood and watched the rebound, Doug scooted right into the ball's path and put it away easily. Though only 19 years old at the time, Doug played with the maturity and poise of a veteran. His fine play made his teammates just that much better. Tony's magnificent goalkeeping kept us close in every game. His excellent foot skills allowed him to be an extra field player when the situation required him to come out of the penalty area. Playing defense in front of Tony was most enjoyable because he could easily cover any mistake made by his defenders.
By the time our record had increased to 3-0, I wrote a memorable letter to Mark Sokolowski, who had just made his move to Florida. He was naturally curious about the doings of all of his friends, and especially the activities of the Byki. I wrote at that time that this collection of players had a special feel about them. I was convinced that great things were going to happen to this ball club. Somehow I knew that the effort put forth by the team as a whole would far exceed the sum of the talents of the individual players. As winning became a habit, so did the superstitions that surround streaks in any sport. Most of our post-game merrymaking came in the form of drinking vast quantities of beer at the Apple. This took a slight turn now that Sergio was one of the boys. Being Italian, he was born with a taste for Sambucca, a licorice-flavored liqueur. After our first win, Sergio bought me a shot, which I was reluctant to drink. While I am playing soccer competitively, I try to stay away from hard liquor, and I normally prefer beer whatever the occasion. But I figured that I better drink the shot, so as not to offend the team's leading scorer. The stuff was absolutely nasty, and the expression on my face conveyed the message quite clearly. It just shows what lengths I'll go to for a friend. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. My contorted facial expressions were a source of entertainment for the entire team, which prompted Serge to buy me a shot of Sambucca after every game. As a result, I was stuck because I feared that the unbeaten streak might end if I didn't drink a shot. Needless to say I drained quite a few shot glasses over the course of the season.
Our level of play improved with every game. Even after winning our first three games, there was room for us to get better. After all, the players were still getting used to one another. We managed to win those games even though we didn't play our best. That was the most exciting part; I couldn't wait to see how we would play once we perfected our teamwork. The wins kept piling up and it seemed as if losing was simply not on the agenda. We ran our record to a glittering 7-0, which actually translated into a team-record nine-game unbeaten streak, dating back to the previous session.
In the eighth game, we faced our stiffest challenge, the second-place Twinkies, whose record was 6-1. The Twinkies were a club of older players who had played together for many years. They played a highly disciplined brand of soccer. They would rarely make a bad pass or leave opponents unmarked on defense. Though they had no superstars on their team and only an average goalie, they also had no weak links. All of their players were technically competent. In addition, we came into the match somewhat understaffed. Sergio had sustained a minor leg injury in the previous game. The injury, though not serious, caused Sergio enough aggravation that he reluctantly kept himself out of the lineup. The match itself was a terrific display of intelligence on the soccer field. Both teams had numerous scoring chances and both were able to thwart just as many. Rich Hass brought his scoring shoes to this game and it could not have come at a better time. He scored two goals in a fiercely-fought 4-4 tie. It was obvious to many that this match was a preview to the final.
We finished the regular season with a record of 8-0-1, which was the club's best ever. The Twinkies (7-1-1), as expected, were our opponents in the title match. We would have to continue to play first-rate soccer if we intended to bring home the big prize. We came into the game healthy at every position, up until the morning of the game. I got a call from Sergio saying that Tony had jammed his thumb while playing the night before and would not be able to man the nets. This meant Henry would be forced into emergency duty. Tony planned to wrap his injured hand and suit up as a field player. This was not a complete tragedy because Tony is an accomplished offensive player. While the Byki attack would lose little, I was afraid that we might suffer defensively. I was not at all comfortable with the abrupt change that was being forced upon our lineup. Fortunately, the players responded with less anxiety than I did. Everyone else took on a "whatever it takes" attitude once they heard the news.
Early in the game, Tony's injury looked like a blessing in disguise as he scored the match's first goal six minutes in. He made an intuitive run to the far post where he put away a loose ball. At this point our defense kicked into gear, keeping the Twinkies from putting together any legitimate scoring chances. The rest of the game continued in a see-saw fashion, much like our meeting two weeks before. As time went on, however, Tony's goal looked like it just might stand up.
Henry showed no signs of rustiness and made several terrific interruptions of Twinkie attacks. The Twinkies redoubled their effort in the third period, as they began to gain the run of play. With ten minutes left in the match, the Twinkies were granted a gift penalty when a shot deflected off of the arm of Tom Smerz while he was in his own penalty area. Although Tom had made no attempt to control the ball, the referee felt compelled to award the penalty kick. The Twinkies got the equalizer to really turn the heat up.
The Byki replied with some counterattacking of their own. Rather than relinquish the momentum to the Twinkies, the Byki came out of their doldrums with some offense of their own. With only 7:31 left on the clock, Ed found Doug all alone on the far post. Doug got the keeper off-balance with nifty fake and deposited home the go-ahead goal. (This scene, incidentally, was brilliantly captured on film by Byki photographer Michas Sadzak.) All that was left now was to preserve the lead.
The object was to play sturdy defense and take as much time off of the clock as possible. We left ourselves with opportunities for quick counterattacks as the Twinkies brought more players forward. The Twinkies threw everything they could at us, but the Byki defense was just too tough. This night was no different than any other. In only one game all session long (against these Twinkies) did the Byki give up more than three goals. As the final seconds wound down, all I could do was drop to my knees in front of our penalty area. It was really happening; Stare Byki FC were champions.
The scenario had played through my mind's eye many times leading up the title game. We, of course, would win and the players would be falling all over themselves yelling and laughing. And I would be there, on top of the pile, screaming louder than any of them, both hands clutching the first-place trophy as I lifted it high in the air. In reality, it didn't quite happen that way. The players were out on the field, all right, raising all kinds of hell when the final whistle blew, but for some reason I didn't join them. I got up from the Odeum carpet and just stood and watched as the celebration went on. I still couldn't believe it was true. All of those early Sunday morning practices, all of the pleading with the players to make the ball do the work, all of the effort to get the maximum output from players with limited skills, had finally come to fruition. How many times had I asked myself whether it was all worth it? So many other teams were so much less organized and so much less disciplined than we were. They were having fun playing soccer, weren't they? I have said many times that if anyone on the Byki took soccer as seriously as I did, there must be something wrong with them. I lamented the fact that many players were limiting their success because of their nonchalant attitude. I started to question whether the seriousness of my approach to soccer was doing the club more harm than good. Watching those bums holler and scream at the conclusion of the final let me know rather clearly that it had indeed all been worth it.
I never actually got my hands on the trophy until I arrived at the post-game celebration at the Apple. It was a generic little thing, it didn't even have our name on it. It did, however, have the most important thing written on it: the words "first place." The good feeling I had at the start of the session was for real. We reached the kind of heights that I believed we were capable of. But never in my wildest dreams did I envision an undefeated season. Our success was very special to me because our winning first place was an unqualified achievement. No team in our league had been able to beat us. We were, without question, the best team in out of them all. The doubts concerning whether we would ever measure up had been erased, the result of ten weeks of well- played soccer. I didn't know when the Byki would taste an accomplishment this sweet again. I savored the moment as I stared at my long-sought-after prize.