PATERSON — Regulars at Roma Sports Club on Cianci Street had mixed feelings about how Giuseppe Rossi, the 21-year-old Clifton native who plays for the Italian national team, would perform on the field in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier match against Montenegro.
"He is a good player," said Vincenzo Martucci.
"Rossi don't have nothing," Mario LaRosa noted.
The sports ability conflict was never resolved. Though Rossi, a forward, suited up for his second game with the national team, the native son of North Jersey never got off the bench to participate in Italy's 2-1 win over Montenegro.
Inside Roma, a social club where an autographed photo of Rossi hangs next to framed portraits of youth league soccer teams, everyone is a critic and an expert in the art of soccer. Commentary and personal jabs flow like espresso. Scores by anyone but Azzurri (the Italian squad's nickname) are likely to incite such agita that half the room stands up, walks around and takes a new seat.
There's also a lot of yelling.
"I'm Italian, that's why," Oswald Vigni explained.
Rossi, who has been playing for Italian teams since he was 14, is currently on the roster of the Spanish team Villareal. Although Rossi has been plagued by injuries, an announcement by Azzuri Coach Marcello Lippi last week that the young forward would suit up for Wednesday's game gave hope to his fans.
But when the team took to the field for the first half, Rossi wasn't there.
"You have to understand, he is young," said Raffaele Monte of Wayne.
West Paterson resident Frank Straface offered a possible playing scenario for Rossi.
"You don't know if he's good or bad," he said. "You put him in in the last 10 minutes."
In the second half: still no Rossi, but a couple of slip-ups by Italy. LaRosa stomped his feet over the miscues.
"They have no one!" LaRosa shouted. "They can't score! They can't play!"
Straface leaned in, accomplishing the impossible task of making his voice louder than LaRosa's.
"Make sure you put in he's not Italian," Straface said. "He's Sicilian."
As the argument dissolved into Italian, an Italian player on television fell to the turf, clutching his face. "They make so much money, they don't want to get hurt!" said LaRosa. "You put Rossi in now, you gonna lose."
In the last nine minutes of the match, Monte declared that Rossi was not destined to play this day.
"They made their three substitutions," Monte said to the semi-rapt audience of eight. "See you guys later."
Monte walked out the door of the club.
Then he walked back in with a loaf of Italian bread and gazed at the Sony television mounted on the wall.
Then he walked out again.
Then he returned, eating some of the bread, gave one last mournful glance at the screen, and left for good.
Northjersey
"He is a good player," said Vincenzo Martucci.
"Rossi don't have nothing," Mario LaRosa noted.
The sports ability conflict was never resolved. Though Rossi, a forward, suited up for his second game with the national team, the native son of North Jersey never got off the bench to participate in Italy's 2-1 win over Montenegro.
Inside Roma, a social club where an autographed photo of Rossi hangs next to framed portraits of youth league soccer teams, everyone is a critic and an expert in the art of soccer. Commentary and personal jabs flow like espresso. Scores by anyone but Azzurri (the Italian squad's nickname) are likely to incite such agita that half the room stands up, walks around and takes a new seat.
There's also a lot of yelling.
"I'm Italian, that's why," Oswald Vigni explained.
Rossi, who has been playing for Italian teams since he was 14, is currently on the roster of the Spanish team Villareal. Although Rossi has been plagued by injuries, an announcement by Azzuri Coach Marcello Lippi last week that the young forward would suit up for Wednesday's game gave hope to his fans.
But when the team took to the field for the first half, Rossi wasn't there.
"You have to understand, he is young," said Raffaele Monte of Wayne.
West Paterson resident Frank Straface offered a possible playing scenario for Rossi.
"You don't know if he's good or bad," he said. "You put him in in the last 10 minutes."
In the second half: still no Rossi, but a couple of slip-ups by Italy. LaRosa stomped his feet over the miscues.
"They have no one!" LaRosa shouted. "They can't score! They can't play!"
Straface leaned in, accomplishing the impossible task of making his voice louder than LaRosa's.
"Make sure you put in he's not Italian," Straface said. "He's Sicilian."
As the argument dissolved into Italian, an Italian player on television fell to the turf, clutching his face. "They make so much money, they don't want to get hurt!" said LaRosa. "You put Rossi in now, you gonna lose."
In the last nine minutes of the match, Monte declared that Rossi was not destined to play this day.
"They made their three substitutions," Monte said to the semi-rapt audience of eight. "See you guys later."
Monte walked out the door of the club.
Then he walked back in with a loaf of Italian bread and gazed at the Sony television mounted on the wall.
Then he walked out again.
Then he returned, eating some of the bread, gave one last mournful glance at the screen, and left for good.
Northjersey
