Sosa shoots, he scores at Fenway

Interesting photo of Ruben Hector Sosa on the cover of the Sunday Globe sports section. Sosa appears to be shooting on goal while playing for the Boston Beacons at Fenway Park in a 1968 North American Soccer League game. Utilizing Colin Jose's NASL history book, I figured it was probably a June 21, 1968 game in which the Chicago Mustangs took a 6-5 win. Sosa scored one of the Beacon goals against Chicago goalkeeper Gerd Langer.

As it turns out, the Globe photo appeared about a year after Sosa died. According to the Clarin website, Sosa's death on Dec. 10, 2008 was related to diabetes.

Sosa must have been among the most accomplished athletes to call Fenway Park his home field, regardless of sport. The Beacons shared Fenway with the Red Sox in 1968, including an exhibition against Santos (with Pele'), won, 7-1, by the Brazilians. Professional soccer was being introduced to the area, and Beacons-Santos game on July 9, 1968 drew a crowd of 18,431, setting a benchmark for soccer attendance. Before that game, there was no evidence soccer could draw major crowds in the Boston area. Four years later, promoters brought Benfica and Sporting to Foxboro Stadium for two games which averaged about 30,000 spectators. Then, the NASL returned with the Minutemen and Tea Men, both teams occasionally attracting significant numbers.

Each of these soccer projects -- not just the Beacons, Minutemen, Tea Men, but also exhibition matches -- was hamstrung by what the Brits call "ground sharing." Soccer promoters and teams had no control over stadia, so they were always an afterthought behind the primary tenant. The Beacons set up their schedule around Red Sox road trips. When the Red Sox were away, the Beacons would play several home games in succession. The Beacons had backing from respected sporting figures, such as the Celtics' Red Auerbach, but not enough people who were involved understood soccer, so it was difficult for the sport to succeed, especially with unfavorable playing dates.

Anyway, Sosa was 32 years old and near the end of his career when he came to Boston. He scored seven goals in 17 games for the Beacons, who finished in last place in their division.

Sosa had been a major figure with Racing Club in Avellaneda, winning the Argentinean championship in 1958 and '61. Sosa led the team in scoring three times, a significant accomplishment with a team nicknamed La Academia for its stylish play and "maquina"-like forward line. In those days, teams attacked with five players -- Racing's front line was composed of Ruben Belen, Oreste Corbatta, Pedro Mansilla, Juan Jose Pizzuti and Sosa.

Sosa also scored 11 goals in 18 appearances for Argentina's national team, winning the 1959 Copa America. Sosa played for Argentina in the 1962 World Cup in Chile, starting in a 3-1 loss to England in Rancagua. His career nearly ended after he sustained broken tibia and perone bones, an injury which few athletes recovered from in that era.

Sosa's nickname was "El Marques," because his movements and stature suggested royalty. He played on the left, as "a No. 10," a highly-respected role anywhere, but especially in Argentina. Sosa scored 82 times in 151 games for Racing, then went to Nacional in Uruguay. Sosa was in the Nacional lineup for the first two games of the 1967 Copa Libertadores final -- against Racing -- but not in the team for the deciding third game, won by Racing. The '67 Racing Club team, coached by Pizzuti, had a 39-game unbeaten streak and won the Intercontinental Cup in a three-game series against Celtic, becoming the first Argentinian club to win what was considered the world championship for clubs.

Sosa moved to the U.S. for one season, then returned to Argentina for a final year. According to the Clarin story, Sosa was an "amigo de la cultura tanguera" and spent much of his time at the tango club El Tabano.

Brujas, Mauricio Wright campeones

Brujas FC es campeon -- on penalty kicks against Puntarenas in the Costa Rican title game.

Mauricio Wright, a central defender for San Jose and New England in the MLS through 2001, coached Brujas, a club in the Desamparados section of San Jose, to its first championship, a week after his 39th birthday.

The game was telecast only in Costa Rica, and nacion.com website did the play-by-play. The teams played to a 1-1 tie on aggregate, Daniel Jimenez' goal tying the score with a 47th-minute goal. Keylor Soto converted the clinching penalty kick.

Wright has done an impressive job guiding Brujas, a club which started five years ago in his home barrio. Wright came to the San Jose Clash in 1999, then joined the Revolution in a trade. Wright and William Sunsing were expected to open a pipeline from Costa Rica to the Revolution, but any thought of that continuing dried up after a disastrous 2001 season.

Brujas is the 11th qualifier for the 24-team CONCACAF Champions Cup. The field already includes MLS teams Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy, Real Salt Lake and Seattle Sounders. Also qualified are Cruz Azul and Monterrey (México); Marathón (Honduras); Arabe Unido (Panamá); Municipal (Guatemala); and FAS (El Salvador).

Alvarez, Wright: Revolution to coaching success

The final game as members of the New England Revolution for Leonel Alvarez and Mauricio Wright was the 2001 U.S. Open Cup. They were performing for the Revolution in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in Fullerton, Calif.

Alvarez would return to Colombia to conclude his playing career and Wright would go on to play for Costa Rica in the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and also to deliver some impressive performances for AEK in the UEFA Champions League.

Unfortunately, Alvarez and Wright left the MLS on a low note, the Revolution missing the 2001 playoffs, then squandering a 1-0 lead against the Galaxy at Titan Stadium with a chance to salvage a disastrous season. Both brought a level of sophistication to the games they played in, both served as models for young U.S. prospects.

Both were destined to become coaches. And, on Sunday, the teams Alvarez and Wright are now guiding had impressive victories.

Alvarez’ Deportivo Independiente Medellin won the Colombian championship on aggregate, following a 2-2 tie with Atletico Huila. And Wright’s Brujas FC took a 2-1 victory over Perez Zeledon in the semifinals of the Costa Rica playoffs. Brujas will meet Puntarenas in the finals.

Alvarez, who anchored the Colombian midfield in support of Carlos Valderrama in the 1980s and ‘90s, is now being considered as a candidate to become the national team coach.

Should Wright continue to impress, he will doubtless be considered to take over Costa Rica’s seleccion. The Ticos have had mixed results with coaches, and have appointed Under 20 coach Ronald Gonzalez on an interim basis for upcoming amistosos against Argentina and France.

U.S.-Honduras in LA?

Next up for the U.S. could be a game against Honduras in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has yet to announce the game, indicating it has not been finalized. La Prensa reported Monday that Honduras would be meeting the U.S. in Los Angeles Jan. 24.

The La Prensa site also has a story quoting David Suazo's brother, former Honduras national team member Nicolas Suazo, as saying the Catrachos would not be able to defeat Spain "even with 22 players."

[The Nicolas Suazo story originally appeared in Nacion, an interview conducted while Suazo was in Costa Rica for a benefit game. Others involved included Carlos Valderrama and former New England Revolution and San Jose defender Mauricio Wright, who is now coaching Brujas].