FANZONE: SPURS IN NEW YORK

NEW YORK CROATIANS REPRESENTING

I had the pleasure of attending the Red Bull vs. Tottenham game last night and thought it would be cool to share a few photos and videos with you guys. The game itself was awesome. Funny how Thierry Henry scored in the first 25 minutes of his Red Bull career. There weren't as many Hrvati as I thought there would be. It's probably because a lot of people went to Croatia for the summer already. However, the ones that were in attendance made themselves known as you can tell from the videos. All in all it was all very friendly. -Krešimir Mustac

THANKS TO KREŠIMIR MUSTAC FOR THE PHOTOS AND VIDEO

MAKING NEW YORKERS MISERABLE ON THE SUBWAY

EVEN TOTTENHAM FANS GET IN ON IT

NEW YORK DIASPORA IN THE HOUSE

CHECKERS MAKE THEIR DEBUT INSIDE RED BULL ARENA


THE WALK HOME...NEVER QUIET

CSR SUPPORTER SHOOTS FOR $50K AT MSG

A few weeks ago, CSR member Krešimir Mustać got the chance of a lifetime to win $50,000 in front of 15,000 screaming New York Ranger fans at world famous Madison Square Garden. All he had to do was shoot a puck 120 feet into an opening not much larger than the actual puck. Sounds simple enough, right? Well let me tell you, this is no half court shot or 50-yard field goal. This takes nerves of steel with a touch of luck. Let's see how our boy did.

FUN FACTS: Both Krešimir and CSR's own Ivica Peroš hail from Astoria, New York.

Krešimir's name on CSR is Kreso and his family is from Privlaka, Zadar and Slunj.

JANA, which is a Croatian bottled water, is the official water of Madison Square Garden during New York Ranger games. Go figure! (JANA has two huge advertisements at center ice.)

THE 'BEHIND THE SCENES' DIRECTOR'S CUT

DAVOR ŠUKER ACADEMY

The 2ND ANNUAL DAVOR ŠUKER SOCCER ACADEMY will take place August 22nd and 23rd in New York City at Randall’s Island. Kids ages 9-15 are welcome to train with the legendary Croatian striker for two full days.

This is something really special that you can take your kid to, especially if you are Croatian. If you have any questions regarding the training camp, feel free to email John Sarić at jsaric@tmo.blackberry.net or visit the ŠUKER ACADEMY webpage.

My dream is to create soccer academies all over the world where ex-Croatian stars can train your kids. However, small steps must be taken first and this is a fantastic opportunity if you live in the New York area or plan to be in town that week.

ŠUKER ACADEMY AT THE POLJUD

CHECK OUT ŠUKER'S TROPHY ROOM

FANZONE: ASTORIA, NEW YORK (WELL...KINDA)

Ivica was willing enough to report in yet another FAN ZONE from New York for the Croatia-Belarus match. However, the first venue he attempted to watch the game at had a horrible feed so Ivica had to scatter around town during halftime to find another place to watch. He was so focused on just getting to a place that had the game that he wasn't able to take any pictures or interview fellow Croatians about the match.

Nonetheless, Ivica did record a pre-game video that I'd like to share with you all- the effort cannot go without reward. Ivica is paving the way for all Prva Generacija members to send in their pictures and videos from match day or anything else relative to the site to be posted on CSR.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Don't be shy! Whether you're at a Croatian event or just wearing your Croatian jersey in an exotic place on vacation, send it to us. We want to share your experience with the rest of the worldwide Croatian community.

Thank you again Ivica and better luck next time with the feed and FAN ZONE. You're efforts are always appreciated here at CSR.

FANZONE: ASTORIA, NEW YORK

IVICA'S INTRO

Predictions:

Sime 2:1 Hrvatska

Valentina 2:1 Hrvatska

Joso 1:0 Ukraine

Ante: 2:0 Hrvatska

My Personal Predicion: 1:0 Hrvatska

Atmosphere:

Just like any other NT game, the atmosphere was festive, with of course that tinge of nervousness and anxiety (at least in my mind). There was singing and cheering from start to end, but in the middle of that a persistent restlessness could be felt in watching our inability to penetrate the Ukraine midfield and defense. Walking in with high hopes, I am positive that everyone left Scorpio disappointed as I did. We have made the road to South Africa much more difficult for ourselves with this performance.

LIJEPA NAŠA DOMOVINO

HALFTIME

Halftime Question: How are we playing?

"Too defensive after the first goal. You can't sit on a one goal lead like that for an entire game." -Ante

"Not nearly enough offensive pressure. Runje looked pretty nervous in goal." -Marko

MODRIĆ GOAL

Thoughts and Analysis:

It is hard to be positive right now knowing the position we have put ourselves in.

I think this will be the last start for Runje in goal for the Vatreni. He clearly had trouble dealing with the pressure mentally from start to finish. Running around out of the box with Ukrainian players too close for comfort in our zone had me scratching my head.

I was hoping to see Ivan Klasnić in as as sub considering his big game experience.

I still can't believe how much Ivica Olić produces for club, but is totally useless for the NT.

SLAVEN, DANIJEL PRANJIĆ IS NOT A LEFT BACK! (hint: remove and replace Rakitić, a player not ready for the starting XI)

...and Ivan Jurić is clearly of no use to the NT.

A few positives...

We showed we were the better team by our play during the 2nd half.

At least we beat them 2 posts to nothing.

I was pleasantly surprised with the Mario Mandžukić substitution. Well done Mario!

~Ivica Peroš, reporting from New York

Ivica is on the board with the first official CSR Fanzone! Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to do this. You did an excellent job and hopefully we hear from you again; a trailblazer for the rest.

CROATIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY SOCCER TOURNAMENT

I would like to invite all Croatians to come participate in the

2nd ANNUAL CROATIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY
SMALL GOALS TOURNAMENT

Saturday, May 24, 2008
San Pedro, CA - Field of Dreams
(San Pedro is located 20 minutes south of Downtown Los Angeles)

There will be two divisions to participate in:
1st Division- Competitive
2nd Division- Recreational

Games will consist of 5 field players and 1 goalie.
Teams will play a minimum of 3 games.
All games will be played on Saturday.

Last year's inaugural tournament was a huge success. There was a total 12 teams that came out to play. A majority of the teams came from San Pedro, but I would like to thank again all of you that came from Rolling Hills, Los Angeles, Orange County and especially West Coast Croats who made the trip down from San Jose. Hopefully we see you all again this year.

The weekend will be full of festivities. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we are planning to hold an after-tournament get-together at a local bar/club. That Sunday, Hrvatski Dom will be hosting its annual Croatian Independence Day block party. Fresh čevape off the grill, beer, dancing and live music by Zrinski until the late hours of the night.

We would love to see Croatians from all over North America come and represent their cities (San Jose, Phoenix, Cleveland, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Vancouver).

If you plan to be in town that weekend but don't have a team, please do not hesitate to contact us as we will find a spot for you no matter what your skill level may be.

To register or get more information, please leave us a comment below and we will respond immediately.

We look forward to having another successful weekend that brings together Croatians from Southern California as well as the rest of the country. Below is a brief overview of the weekend schedule that will be taking place during the Croatian Independence Day Celebration.

Tournament Sponsors:

Adriatic Travel
Croatian National Association
Croatian Cultural Center
Croatian Soccer Report
Croatian American Club

CROATIAN SUPER BOWL CHAMPION

Above, David Diehl poses with the Croatian flag alongside two fellow Croats, after his Giants won the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

Who would have thought?

Most people in Croatia know of only one football!

Us Croatians are everywhere- just like the Brazilians; possibly even more passionate about our sports!

THERE'S ONLY 1 FOOTBALL, BUT...

Just in case we have any NFL fans....

I won't be watching the "big game".

However, us Croatians are everywhere.

Check out the Grb on the left arm of David Diehl of the New York Giants.

German father -- Croatian mother

Let's Go Giants