A place for Legends
By Jim Hague
Soccer Hall of Famer Tab Ramos stepped onto a place where he practically lived at as a youngster, namely the famed Harrison Courts, and was asked what it was like to be back home again.
“I can’t express in words what this is all about,” Ramos said. “I basically came back so I can get interviewed again and see my name in The Observer.”
Ramos winked at the reporter when he uttered the line to a host of other media personnel covering the return of Ramos and other soccer legends to the Harrison Courts last week.
The former Harrison and Kearny resident was there the night of July 25 participate in an exhibition soccer game, pitting a team of soccer legends against former and current standouts from Harrison High School at the site where thousands of young soccer players have played over the last 50 or so years.
The “Legends” game was part of the festivities that was held near Red Bull Arena as part of the Major League Soccer All-Star game that was played last Wednesday night.
It was the first time that the three men, Ramos, John Harkes and Tony Meola, who helped to give Kearny the moniker of “Soccertown, USA” were together at a soccer event in ages and it was all at a place where they played thousands of times as youngsters growing up.
“I grew up here,” said Ramos, who was the center midfielder on three United States World Cup teams (1990, 1994 and 1998) and was inducted into the Hall of Fame four years ago. “I went to school (Holy Cross) right across the street. I used to walk down the street and come here all the time. My parents never had to worry about where I was going. I was here on my own, looking for a game to play in. To come back here again is incredible.”
To read the full story, see this week’s issue of The Observer.
