Bhoys Shoot Blanks At The Meadowlands

No one expected the Glasgow Celtic vs. Chivas of Guadalajara match at the Meadowlands last Friday to be anywhere near as fierce as a Celtic-Rangers Scottish League game. But the crowd of about 17,000 did hope for better than the scoreless tie against the Mexican team. Manager Gordon Strachan said his team was prepared to settle the game with penalty kicks, but the opponents declined.

The match was the second stop on a three-game U.S. exhibition tour in which the Bhoys are having difficulty scoring goals. During the first half against Chivas, they had no shots on goal. Goalkeeper David Marshall's strong play helped keep the score even, as the Mexicans played a more energetic game.

Celtic was also shut out 4-0 against DC United of the MLS in rainy, muggy Washington one week ago. DC's teen sensation Freddy Adu scored the first goal for the host team in a match during which a tackle by newcomer Kenny Miller on DC's John Wilson nearly caused on a brawl. Miller, one of only a handful of players ever to play for both Celtic and the Rangers, received a red card. The Bhoys took only 6 shots and just four on goal in that game.

"They are playing too many of the young kids in the match, so the crowd isn't singing," said 24-year old Ciáran Matthews of Dundalk, Co. Louth, who watches most Celtic games at Saints & Sinners in Woodside.

Far from Paradise, Giants Stadium had a respectable showing of fans in green-and-white shirts from New York, Philadelphia, Dublin, Belfast, and even Phoenix. It was the Bhoys' first game in the area since 1981 when they lost to a legendary New York Cosmos team that featured Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer.

"This is great. Years ago, you would never see European teams tour America," said Derek Kirby, a 28-year-old Cork native now living in Manville, NJ, who was dressed in a leprechaun outfit and fake beard. "Teams understand there is big support for them here."

Founded in 1888 by Irish immigrants that included Marist Brothers, the Bhoys are more than just football players; they are a symbol of Irish pride. The team holds sporting, musical, cultural and political significance from Glasgow's East End to East Rutherford, NJ, and beyond. After all, "God Save Ireland" was sung when the first sod was laid at Celtic Park in 1892.

"The Celtic Football Club is seen by most Irish as a badge of identity and pride," said singer Derek Warfield, who has released two CD collections of Songs for the Bhoys.

"In contrast to the other Glasgow club, it has always been inclusive and welcoming. Celtic has always inspired the Irish Diaspora's hopes, dreams, and aspirations."

Averaging nearly 60,000 fans at each home game, Celtic are second only to Manchester United in attendance. Their one-game home attendance record: 92,000 in 1938 in a game against - Who else? - the cross-town Glasgow Rangers. The Bhoys also hold the record for the highest attendance for a European club competition match: Celtic vs. Leeds in the 1970 European Cup semi-final at Hampden Park, Glasgow: 133,961.

One of the fiercest rivalries in the sports world, the Celtic-Rangers competition has been fueled over the years by athletics, as well as their supporters' religious and political backgrounds. The Bhoys boast one of the most loyal fan bases of any team in any sport anywhere in the world. In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 75-80 Celtic Supporters Clubs whose members have undoubtedly sung "Hail, Hail The Celts Are Here" and "Celtic, Celtic That's The Team For Me" more than a few times.

Three of Celtic's World Cup participants - goalkeeper Artur Boruc, forward Maciej Zurawski of Poland and midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura - did not make the trip. Shaun Maloney, the 2005-06 Player of the Year, stayed home with an injured groin.

The Bhoys' final U.S. match will take place against the New England Revolution of the MLS tonight in Foxborough, Mass. The game surely will be filled with fervent supporters from the Boston area and elsewhere.

Last season, Celtic won its 40th Scottish Premier League title and its fifth championship in the last nine years. The Bhoys have also advanced to group stages of the Champions League in three of the past five years and have already secured a berth in this year's group stages. Their defense of their Scottish league title begins on July 29 vs. Kilmarnock.

All is not rosy, however. The legendary Roy Keane's retirement has left a void at midfield, John Hartson was sold to West Brom, defender Bobo Balde underwent abdominal surgery, and disgruntled midfielder Stilian Petrov -- who feels Celtic will have a tough time defending its title -- wants desperately to leave the team. Dion Dublin and Sandy Wood have departed, while Michael Gardyne and Gary Irvine are on loan to Ross County F.C. The team has had few bright spots in a lackluster preseason, which included two previous losses in Poland.

Manager Gordon Strachan is using this preseason trip as a chance to watch his young prospects in action. Meanwhile, he retains Slovakian defender Stanislav Varga, who recently agreed to a one-year deal with the club, team captain Neil Lennon, the bulldog midfielder from Lurgan, and the 5' 6" Shaun Maloney, who last year became the first man to win the both the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year award in the same season. The team has also added Czech midfielder Jiri Jarosik, a transfer from Chelsea; Gary Caldwell and Derek Riordan from Hibernian; Kenny Miller from Wolverhampton; and 19-year-old Dutch midfielder Evander Sno.