The Game of Their Lives

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to RFK Stadium

for the 2004 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game.

Damas y caballeros, bienvenidos al estadio RFK

para el juego All Star de Sierra Mist MLS del 2004.

Ladies and gentlemen, in order...

This is a player who's always going forward...

- Excuse me, Mr. McSkimming? - Yes.

Hey, I'm Matthew Tucker.

Sure. Yeah, how are you? Sit down.

Thank you. Hope the seats are all right.

Yes, they're fine.

By the way, you can call me Dent. This is my granddaughter here, Emily.

- Hey, Emily. - Hi.

Striker, both feet.

- Goal-scorer, huh? - Yeah.

Gonna be an all-star one day.

Dent, did you ever imagine back in your day

that you'd see a soccer match in America played in a stadium this big?

I always thought that it was only a matter of time

before we began to catch up with the rest of the world in our passion for the game.

You were the only reporter from the US at the '50 World Cup, right?

I was just doing my job.

Really? I read that you actually paid your way to go down there.

There were plenty of St. Louisians

who cared deeply about our boys and their venture.

'Course... I would have gone anyway,

even if I didn't have a professional reason to be there.

- You want me to tell you all about this...? - Yeah, if you have the time.

- Where shall I start? - How 'bout at the beginning?

Well...

You see, I and most of those boys,

we all were from St. Louis, an area called The Hill.

La Montagna, settled by Italian immigrants around the turn of the century.

Like many immigrant communities all over America,

The Hill had one foot in the old country and one in the new.

And great pride in both places.

An area of about 20 square blocks,

The Hill was a tightly knit, self-contained enclave.

Their world revolved around hard work, family, food,

boccie ball and the church.

Neighbors knew neighbors and neighbors' sons and cousins,

and who was in St. Ambrose and who was not -

whether it be for Sunday Mass,

weddings or... funerals.

You're late.

Harry, my friend, you look like you're about to have a heart attack.

Another English lesson?

Why does she have to learn English

if she's going back to Guadalajara in two weeks?

See you later, Salvador.

Let's get this stiff in the ground. We gotta be in the North Side in 20.

It's OK, Mama. It's OK. There, there. Let it out.

Please, take me with him!

Gino. Time to go. Let's go.

I know, it's so hard. I know. We all miss him.

Sì.

The people on The Hill loved baseball.

Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up there.

But their greatest passion was reserved for football,

or, as we call it here, soccer.

And on The Hill, on any given day,

you could find some of the best soccer players in the country.

Like Frank Borghi, one-time baseball catcher with major-league potential.

Frank had a nose for the ball and an ability to stop it from going in the goal

unlike any keeper I had ever seen.

And I had seen a few.

It was my job to report to the St. Louisians

on the local amateur and semipro leagues.

For me, it wasn't work.

It was a daily joy to watch players who could compete anywhere on any field

at the highest levels of competition.

Like Gino Pariani, quick and strong,

an amazing passer and scorer.

Gino worked best in tandem with Francis "Pee Wee" Wallace.

Off the field, Pee Wee was a jokester. On the field, he was all business.

He played with an intensity second to no one in St. Louis.

- (man) Watch Pee Wee! - (man #2) Nice ball, Gino. Go!

A great attacker, fast and agile,

he was always pressing forward toward the goal.

And whether by solo attack or in tandem with Gino...

...Pee Wee Wallace was not to be denied.

You lookin' for this?

Guys, it's all right. Let's go. Let's go.

All right, get away, get away!

Then there was Charlie Columbo,

nicknamed "Gloves" for the mitts he always wore.

The enforcer, the hit man.

He never competed against a player he didn't want to put in the hospital.

- What? - Don't waste your breath.

- It was a clean tackle! - That look like a clean tackle to you?

- Charlie Gloves always plays clean. - Why you pickin' him up?

- I'm dating his sister. - So what?

Get up, Frankie!

All right, move them out! Move!

Harry Keough - smart, crafty.

Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

All right, push it up, push it up.

- Yeah! - (whistle blows)

Good game, Johnny. Good game, guys.

Great game. Great game, guys. Good game.

Hey, Harry. Where did that come from, huh?

- That one was for you, Borghi. - Good shot.

- Good game, Frank. - Thanks, Dent.

So anyway, let's talk about your goal.

When you're scorin' Borghi, you're either very good or very lucky.

And today I was very lucky.

- You're lookin' more relaxed on the ball. - I've been working on that.

- Now you gotta work on your quickness. - I know. I realize that.

You know why Giesler wanted you to stay after?

I've a pretty good idea.

It's taken a while for us to get the politics of this straightened out, but it's official.

The tryouts for the US World Cup Soccer Team are being held here in St. Louis.

- (all murmuring) - What?

A team from the east are coming here to play the best from our area next Friday.

After the final team is picked, we go to New York to practice.

Maybe play one exhibition game. And then we travel down to Brazil.

Hoo! Brazil?

We'll play at least three games in your pool.

How long is the whole thing gonna take?

It works out to be about ten days of practice, maybe two, three weeks in all.

It's gonna be difficult for some of us to take time off work.

Gentlemen, I apologize for the short time frame. I know it's gonna be tough.

You'll be glad to hear we pay $100 a week, five dollars a day meal money.

And don't forget, it's a free trip to New York and Brazil.

What's the problem, Gino?

Well, uh... I, uh...

I can't make it. I can't do it. I'm getting married in two weeks.

- The girl's crazy about you. She'll wait. - Lay off, Charlie.

You'll have to postpone it. We're gonna need you.

I can't do that. The invitations are out, the caterers are set - the whole shebang.

God, I... I wish I could go. I wish I could go!

Don't worry about it, Gino. What's the point in going anyway?

So we can get slaughtered by a bunch of full-time professional teams?

How well did we do in the last Olympics, Harry? I'll tell you.

We were on the back end of a 9-0 embarrassment is how well we did.

To Italy.

Gino, I don't think you're missing anything.

It should be a privilege to represent your country,

no matter how difficult the circumstances.

- How many here are veterans? - (overlapping) I am.

OK.

In my opinion, the best soccer in this country is played right here in St. Louis.

I want us wearin' the red, white and blue in the world's greatest sporting event.

- I'm in. - Yeah.

- Is that the right one? - Yes.

Your mother wants to see you.

- What? - Your mother wants to see you.

I cleaned everything up for the viewing.

Your uncle Joe tells me you might be asking for three weeks off

to go play your games.

Yeah, I asked him. He said it would be all right.

Of course he did, because he's crazy for the soccer.

I told him you're not going.

Embalming school starts in three weeks. You cannot miss classes.

Embalming school?

Mama, how many times have I got to tell you? I'm not going to embalming school.

I don't want to be an undertaker.

- You don't want to better your life? - Ah...

This is a family business, right here.

I'm not having this conversation, not again.

You're a grown man and still you keep running off...

- Frank? - ...to go play boys' games!

She's driving me crazy in there.

How many times do I have to tell her this is not what I want to do?

Come on, Frank. You know your mother. She means well.

She just wants what's best for you.

No, actually, Rosemary, she doesn't know what's best for me.

Let's go to Bruno's and get something to eat.

I'm sorry, baby, I gotta play boccie tonight.

I promised the guys.

It's OK.

So you're gonna do it? You're... you're gonna go and try out?

Yes, I am.

- I won't be late. - OK.

Joey's gotta pick up his hittin'. You always had a better stick.

Thank you very much, Mr. Pee Wee, but you still didn't answer my question.

- What question was that? - That you're gonna be there tomorrow.

I can't do it.

- What are you talking about? - I can't do it.

- That doesn't make sense. - Hey...

- You know you got to be a part of this. - Oh, OK.

- We played together forever. - I know.

Besides, you love the game more than anyone I know.

Except him.

Except Gino, which is why the two of you play as a pair so well.

Look, if nothin' else, we could have a hell of a lot of fun, huh?

Giesler said we're gonna have to fly to Brazil and... I can't do that.

- That's the problem? - That's not a problem.