The Brooklyn Italians Christmas Party was a nice success. There was a magician for the young children and a lot of good food for everyone, as always. The event was attended by Assemblyman William Colton and Councilman Vincent Gentile. Certificates of appreciation were given to the coaches and the raffle was drawn. Alfonso Manzo won the first place drawing and there is now an investigation going on over the matter. Seriously though, the night was highlighted by the presence of two great American soccer players. Joe Barone made an eloquent introduction of the players, Shalrie Joseph of the New England Revolution and Chris Armas of the Chicago Fire. Joseph is an electric player who came out of the Brooklyn soccer scene and hit the big time. Armas is one of America's best and is the honorary captain of the U.S. World Cup team. Both players spent a lot of time with the partygoers and especially the kids. They spoke of success being based on hard work and practice. They believe that one day hopefully some of the young people in attendence will follow in their footsteps. They were certainly both gracious and inspiring, and downright friendly.
We want to thank the club members and the coaches who arranged for the party. They are truly an underappreciated group. As usual, it is their hard work and dedication that make the club a success. Hopefully this year they will get more assistance from the Brooklyn Italians Soccer family.
