LOCAL FANS WARM TO SOCCER, ARMENIANS
By Ken Robison / The Fresno Bee
Fresno Bee , CA
Jan 18 2007
This much we know after Wednesday’s soccer exhibition at Chukchansi
Park, a 3-1 victory by the Armenian national team over the Fresno
Fuego:
Soccer can sell in Fresno.
Even on a freezing night. Even with tickets priced at $20 and $30.
Even with Justin Timberlake playing indoors across town at the Save
Mart Center.
Timberlake is popular, but can he bend it like Beckham? Soccer
made headlines from Liverpool to Little Rock last week when British
superstar David Beckham announced he is moving to Los Angeles to play
for the Galaxy.
Wednesday’s game rode that wave of attention when 4,167 watched the
Fuego play Armenia amid a flurry of Armenian flags and nationalistic
chants. All 24suites were sold to those who wanted to stay warm.
The crowd count fell short of the nearly 7,000 that watched the Fuego
play the Orange County Blue Star in a Premier Development League
match in July.
But that game was in fair weather, tickets were priced at $7 and it was
staged and promoted by the Fresno Grizzlies/Falcons management team.
Wednesday’s game was not, and given its short lead time – just a few
weeks from announcement to kickoff – Fuego co-owner Brain Glover was
upbeat about the attendance.
Watch for the next two
Fuego exhibitions against Major League Soccer teams, Glover said.
Then you’ll see the marketing blitz.
He believes all three exhibitions, including Feb. 24 against Chivas
USA and March 24 against Real Salt Lake, are a build-up for the
Fuego’s regular season that begins in April.
"The season is where we’ll see what happens," Glover said. "How many
people will come for eight home games?"
Based on the noise level, most of those who showed up Wednesday came
to see the Armenian team.
Vicken Kalamkarian, a Bullard High senior soccer player, painted his
chest in the red, blue and orange of the Armenian flag.
"The national team came to Fresno," he said. "It’s a really big deal."
Phillip and Florence Parnagian and teenage son Sam, not regular soccer
fans, attended because, as Florence said, "Where else could we see
the Armenian national team play?"
Fuego coach Jaime Ramirez welcomed the partisan crowd.
"To feel that sense of patriotism," he said, "it was wonderful."
Three other things we found out Wednesday:
Sodding the baseball infield worked well, and will work better
as grounds crews become expert at making seamless transitions from
permanent grass to sod. The sod also will be used for the exhibitions
against the MLS clubs.
Fuego management is bullish on soccer. Glover believes Fresno can
someday support a major league sports team. Soccer, he said, is
that sport.
This will not be the Fuego we see in the PDL this summer. Three of
Wednesday’s players – Mike Chabala, Milton Blanco and Noah Delgado –
will return to their professional soccer teams and Ramirez might not
be able to keep all his over-23 players.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress