www.goalweekly.com www.goalweekly.com NEW PRICE $4 [email protected] e FOOTBALL FOCUS ON (03) 9645 1440 9645 (03) p Port Melbourne 3207 Melbourne Port MICHELLE DE BOER PO Box 142 Box PO NEWSAGENTS ACROSS THE STATE. THE ACROSS NEWSAGENTS ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PREVIEW AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD GOOD ALL FROM AVAILABLE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS Season 4: Issue 12 Monday 5th May 2008 EVERY MONDAY. MONDAY. EVERY LEAGUE REVIEW Supporting all colours and reporting in black and white GET GOAL! WEEKLY GOAL! GET SHOT STOPPER! CAGALJ KEEPS CANNONS FIRING Photo by Peter Kakalias FOOTBALL COVERAGE. FOOTBALL PLUS► FOOTBALL FEATURE ON MARCELO PENA, BOO, KATSA, TSIGAN, TARTAN TALK, SOCCER HOTLINES & MUCH MUCH MORE! ANGLE ON YOUR YOUR ON ANGLE GET A DIFFERENT DIFFERENT A GET Photos by Nome Risteski Goal! Weekly FOOTBALL FEATURE PACIFIC FINALS 31 Marcelo Pena Manchester United Premier Cup PEN PULLS THE STRINGS KIWI CUP KINGS! Meet Bentleigh Greens’ Midfi eld Maestro New Zealand’s Central Utd triumphs in Nike Man U Cup e’s currently combining a labour- er’s job with his role as a youth New Zealand’s Central United has qualifi ed for the Nike sponsored Hworker at a drug rehabilitation Manchester United Premier Cup World Final fi nals after winning centre, training and playing with First Di- the Pacifi c Finals over the weekend of 12-13 April 2008 at the vision outfi t Bentleigh Greens and coach- Veneto Club. ing that club’s under-18 side. All this for a Central United defeated Newcastle 5-3 on penalties after the man who once strode onto a pitch for the scores were locked 1-1 after extra-time. Rest of the Americas v Guatemala along- In early April Central had won the NZ Finals beating Kapiti Coast side living legends of South American United 5-1 to qualify for the Pacifi c Finals. football such as Gabriel Batistuta, Branco It is the second successive Pacifi c title for the Auckland club as it and Carlos Valderama. once again heads to Manchester to contest the fi nals along with 20 other clubs from around the world. There are few, if any, players in Victorian The fi nals will be played from the 30th July to 7th Aug at football who can boast a résumé that comes Manchester’s United’s famous Old Trafford. close to that of Marcelo Pena’s but right Sydney’s Marconi fi nished in third position after a tough battle with now he’s doing his best to confront the our very own Altona Magic. Just like the fi nal this match fi nished in seachange in his life triggered by the reality a draw with the scores 0-0 at full time. Marconi prevailed however that his full-time footballing days are behind winning the penalty shoot-out 4-3. him. Congratulations once again to the Nike MUPC Pacifi c Finals “It’s not easy,” says the 32-year-old in a tour victors, Central United, and best of luck come August in de force of the understatement. And then Manchester. there are the regrets. “Why didn’t I look after it (my football career) more? That’s what I think to my- self now. I was very stubborn and now you The victorius Central United team of New Zealand pose with the Pacifi c Trophy at the Veneto Club. wonder why you were so stubborn about contracts. I’ve never been smart and I’m The Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) gives talented under not good with money and I look back now fi fteen year olds the chance to show off their skills and come up and think about all these club presidents and against other young footballers from around the globe. They get to having to negotiate with them and wonder if play on an international stage and meet and compete with the best I could have done things so much better.” of their class. If you detect a melancholy tone to Pena, you’d be correct. He’s still coming to terms The MUPC is jointly sponsored by Nike and Manchester United as with the fact that when Green Gully released part of their commitment to grassroots development. him at the end of last season’s Foxtel Cup, that that heralded the end of his professional Italy’s Juventus FC, Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt and Chile’s Audax footballing career. Yet Pena does not have Italiano have already qualifi ed for the MUPC and will contest for fi nal placings in Manchester in August. a bad word to say about Gully and fully ac- cepts the part he played in being released. “I did not play well at Green Gully last year and that was not the club’s fault. It was all my own fault. I am my harshest critic but I know that it was my fault. I did not adjust Sydney’s Marconi fi nished third in the MUPC tournament. quickly enough to the playing style. It had Midfi eld maestro Marcelo Pena cruises past Langwarrin opponent Adam Poole during Bentleigh Greens’ 2-0 win on Saturday. nothing to do with the coach (Ian Dobson).” When Gully and Pena parted company he Raul Blanco’s Joeys’ squad that toured recalls his time there when two months into “I hope Bentleigh Greens can win the title. thought of retiring as a player but Bentleigh South America in the early 1990s. the season the club told the players that it It would be nice to add that to my career Greens snapped him up for a second time, On that tour he made contacts that were to could not afford to pay them. record. If we win it I might stay another year having seen his talents in a 13-game spell come in handy later when the Pena family Moving from club to club on one-year con- and annoy some people a bit more,” he said back in 2005, and he feels he owes the club decided to relocate to their native country. tracts was commonplace for Chilean profes- with a broad grin. a fait bit. At that time, Marcelo was playing with sionals once free agency was in vogue and “I enjoy working with the under-18s but “I think I found Harry (senior coach Chalki- Sydney Olympic’s reserves but in 1992 he Pena certainly made use of that situation. I think the whole academy set-up here is tis) too late in my career. He’s been very signed with Universidad Católica and made “Most times changing clubs was about all wrong where kids have to pay to be understanding because some times I just feel his fi rst team debut in 1993 against Cobreloa money. I made my money and bought some coached. That should be free for all children. knackered and I’ve been having trouble with from the north of the country. property in Chile which I’m thankful for.” We have such great talent here but I have a groin injury.” In 1994 he joined Audax Italiana on loan but As a free agent, Pena has played for Chilean not seen us produce another Craig Moore. That became apparent at Lawton Park last when the loan period expired Audax bought clubs Santiago Morning, Everton, Unión Es- A hundred kids a day back in Chile try out Saturday when Pena’s ease of movement the young midfi elder on a four-year contract. pañola, and Concepción as well as Indone- with Colo Colo but we charge kids to train was restricted before half-time. Yet he “I don’t want to give you the wrong idea of sian premier league outfi t Persita Tangerang them properly. It’s wrong.” soldiered on, pulling the strings in a central Runner-up Newcastle United from New South Wales. football in Chile because I look back now (in 2004). On the representative front, he If Pena extends his stay in Melbourne it midfi eld role that has become second nature and have so many wonderful memories that was in Chile’s under-23 squad against Eng- won’t just be due to Bentleigh Greens and to him and playing his part in Bentleigh’s can never be taken away from me but back land in Birmingham in 1998, which under- Harry Chalkitis. The Vargas family, Roddy PREVIOUS WINNERS well-deserved 2-0 win over an unusually in the 1990s there were many examples standably is a cherished memory. and Andy, their father Juan and mother 2007 Barcelona (Spain) undisciplined Langwarrin side that fi nished of clubs not paying a player’s wages and His move to Bentleigh Greens for a short Gladys, have played a pivotal role in al- 2006 Chivas Guadalajara (Mexico) the game with just nine players. breaking the contract. Often a club would stint in 2005 came about through the attrac- lowing Pena and his family to assimilate Although Pena misses Chile, he likes life in 2005 Fluminese (Brazil) loan you out just to save money. tion of the upcoming national competition quickly to life here. Australia. In that regard his tale is symptom- 2004 Manchester City (England) “The big revolution in football in Chile and his desire to put his talents on display “I owe them so much. Please mention them atic of the emotional rollercoaster that is the 2003 Corinthians (Brazil) came in 2003 when the syndication law here in the hope of winning an A-League in this story. They have been so helpful to migrant experience. came in and throughout 2004 and 2005 most club contract but things didn’t fall into place me and so kind.