When the first Desert Diamond Cup was played in 2011, I have to admit, I was skeptical it would succeed.
I asked off work for the two nights the matches were scheduled. I bought tickets. I even purchased a discounted Kansas City Wizards cap even though I had never been a K.C. supporter. (The club changed its name to Sporting Kansas City about a week later; so much for the ganga.)
But most of all, I hoped.
I hoped a lot — hoped the Major League Soccer teams would show up, hoped the stars from those teams would show up, hoped people would show up to see those teams and stars I was hoping would show up and hoped the weather would be nice for those teams and stars and fans I was hoping would show up. Deep in the wrinkles of my oft-times pessimistic, oft-times cynical mind, I hoped there were enough people like me to add pro soccer to the Old Pueblo sports landscape.
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Well, they all showed up — the teams, the stars, the fans and the beautiful climes. They’ve helped the event multiply in size and stature from those early days.
With the fifth annual Desert Diamond Cup about to commence — it begins Wednesday with three matches at Kino Sports Complex and runs through Feb. 28 — here’s a look at the most amazing moments of the first four years, counting down to the crème de la créme.
5. The local lads make a point
Feb. 19, 2014. FC Tucson opened the fourth Desert Diamond Cup against Chivas USA at Kino North Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the ball squirted away when two players clashed in the Chivas box. Martino Rapella, a 22-year-old who was playing in the Tucson Metro Soccer League and serving up gelato at a business his dad owned, pounced on it and right-footed it home. Chivas scored just five minutes later, but FC Tucson held on to salvage a draw.
It was just the first of many moments in 2014 that would gladden the hearts of FC Tucson fans. By the end of the year, FC Tucson finished just one win from reaching the USL Premier Development League Final Four.
It was the first dip in “a season on the sink” for Chivas USA, which had recently been sold to MLS. By the year’s end the team was disbanded.
4. Two stars collide
on a Tucson soccer field
Feb. 29, 2012. Leap day comes once every four years. A day when soccer greats David Beckham and Thierry Henry share the field will never come again. The two former English Premiership opponents faced off at Kino Stadium in the second match of a Desert Diamond Cup doubleheader that attracted more than 6,000 fans.
This time it was Henry and his New York Red Bulls who came out on top as Henry scored the winner in a 2-1 win. Beckham struggled to find his teammates, picked up a yellow card and was substituted in the 66th minute.
But the last laugh went to the Galaxy, which won the MLS Cup later that year while the Red Bulls were eliminated in the conference semifinals.
3. It’ll be a cold day in …
Feb. 20, 2013. This was the Desert Diamond Cup’s version of the “Ice Bowl,” except no one expects snow in Tucson. The opening match of the night pitted Real Salt Lake against the New England Revolution. Rain and snow alternately pelted the Kino Stadium pitch, forcing the match to be stopped in the first half. The appearance of the snowflakes was treated with more shock and awe than the arrival of any soccer standout that night. After a couple of minutes, in which the teams sought shelter in the covered team benches, it was game on again. No better way to get used to the regular season for a couple of teams from the north.
The match was a cracker, finishing 3-2 after Real Salt Lake scored the tying and winning goals in the waning minutes. The attendance was not announced, but the approximately 500 folks who stuck it out deserved a Croix de Kino.
2. Sir David graces Tucson
with his presence
Feb. 22, 2012. There’s nothing better to cause a stir than to have one of the most recognizable faces (some, like my wife and my daughter’s first-grade teacher, would add handsomest faces) in the world show up at your Kino Stadium doorstep. But that Beckham did, getting out of a team van with his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates to quite some hubbub.
The lack of publicity about his arrival and the fact that it was the opening night of the 2012 Desert Diamond Cup just added to the buzz. He played the full 90 minutes, had an assist and pleased the crowd of 5,547 to no end, obliging many fans with autographs and pictures after the match.
Beckham wasn’t the only big name at Kino that night; Tom Cruise was listed on the New England bench. This Tom Cruise, however, was not the actor, but a defender from England who was trying to make the Revolution.
1. If you hold it, 10,000 will come
March 5, 2011. Guess I kind of gave this away at the start. But it’s still the most amazing moment in Desert Diamond Cup history. A night after the initial doubleheader brought out 2,560 fans to see MLS teams take a field in Tucson for the first time, Hi Corbett Field was just teeming with energy. A sold-out crowd of 10,097 packed the baseball stadium for the beautiful game, and it resulted in a beautiful night. After FC Tucson and the Arizona Sahuaros played to a 3-3 tie, Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls put on a show in a 2-2 draw.
The magical night included appearances by three stars — Henry, Omar Bravo and Rafael Marquez.
Looking back on it now, I’ll remember most the vibrant sunset over the right-field wall. As the sun was disappearing, the day was just dawning for pro soccer in Tucson.
