We drove the 400 odd miles across Pennsylvania, with the wind and rain of a tropical storm battering us pretty much the whole way. The sight we had when we arrived at our destination, Newark, New Jersey, was similar to Bratislava on a cold winters evening. Disused, septic canals circled our hotel. Our "room with a view" had a direct train line to Manhattan to look onto, train tracks spiralled off in every direction.

The shady looking people who congregated in the lobby area, were there for the night it seemed. Their venomous fixated stares told me they weren't giving up the softly upholstered leather couch without a fight.

We had travelled to play Seton Hall University, our second league game of the season. The Empire State building glistened in the background, everywhere we drove it seemed. Newark was living in the shadow of it's big sister 10 miles across the Hudson River.

We took a trip after a training session to "Red Bull Arena" the stadium Thierry Henry, Juan Pablo Angel and Rafael Marquez now call home. It was an oasis of beauty in the middle of a metal jungle. The road leding up to the stadium was next to a derelict piece of wasteland, they had plans to put pitches for training and the youth team here. The stadium itself was remarkable. $100 million for a 26,000 seat stadium. It was a dream for many years, now it is a reality.

Locals speak about the New York Red Bulls with pride. The team they have assembled is right up there at the top of the MLS, and hopefully like their neighbours have the Yankees, Newark can thrive from having their very own iconic sports team. I got on a lift with a local who said he played "soccer" at university. He then told me how Alexi Lalas, Claudio Reyna, Jozi Altidore and many other of the great American soccer players had been born and raised in the mean streets of Newark. You could certainly see why.

This place was unlike any other I had visited in the USA, yes it was rough round the edges to say the least. Yet everyone we drove, kids and adults were playing soccer on street corners or at the several pitches we saw. Also everyone seemed to be wearing a football shirt from their favourite teams. It was incredible. The huge Latin American population in this area obviously had a lot to do with this. However this bubble of soccer heaven that existed within Newark and the surrounding area provides real hope for the future of Football in America.

New Jersey is often described by critics as the "Armpit of America." Seeing its passion and love for the game of Football which has engulfed my hopes and dreams....I like the smell of that armpit much more now!

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