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USAREUR Public
Affairs June 17, 2003 |
173rd Sky
Soldiers defeat local Iraqi Turkmen in friendly soccer contest
Story
and photo by Pfc. Brandon R. Aird, 173rd Airborne Brigade Public
Affairs
KIRKUK,
Iraq – The 173rd Airborne Brigade’s soccer team,
Sky Soldiers, stopped the aggressive offense of the Turkmen Mediterranean
Sea soccer team in the final minutes of the game to give the Sky Soldiers
a 2-1 victory in Kirkuk, Iraq, June 13.
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A crowd of Turkmen look on
as a soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade jogs around the soccer
field with the American flag during
halftime.
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The game started with
Col. Bill Mayville, 173rd commander, winning the coin toss for the Sky
Soldiers in front of a crowd of 3,000 (mostly Turkmen) who showed up to
watch the game in spite of sweltering temperature. The fervent crowd came
prepared with drums and flags to support their home team (named
Mediterranean Sea).
The first half was a
defenders duel, with each teams defense stepping up to plate and stopping
the other. At the end of the first half both teams were scoreless.
During halftime, a
paratrooper in full battle rattle, jogged around the field with the Sky
Soldiers flag causing quite a commotion. The paratrooper stopped and
another one picked up the American Flag and started jogging around the
track that circled the soccer field.
The Turkmen had
watched enough and a runner emerged from the crowd with a Turkmen Flag and
started chasing the paratrooper. The crowd cheered as the Turkmen flag
raced toward the American Flag. The Turkmen caught up to the paratrooper
and started to pass him, but the paratrooper held his ground.
The race was on.
The paratrooper stayed
even with the Turkmen for one quarter of a mile before falling behind.
Then another paratrooper, again in full battle rattle, emerged from the
crowd, acquired the American flag from his counterpart, and raced toward
the Turkmen flag.
Then, an adolescent
emerged from the crowd with an Iraqi flag and raced side by side with the
paratrooper. All three flags caught up with each other. The Turkmen gave
his flag to the paratrooper, and the paratrooper gave his flag to the
adolescent, and adolescent gave his flag to Turkmen.
For the first time
since Saddam Hussein came into power, an Iraqi flag, an American flag and
aTurkmen flag ran side by side. The crowd was cheering them on.
The second half
started off with the Sky Soldiers scoring the first goal of the game.
Sky Soldiers striker,
Damel Fall, headed the ball above Abut Halik, the Mediterranean Sea
goalie. The Americans, outnumbered 15-1 in the crowd, could be heard
cheering over the Turkmen crowd’s discontent.
A few minutes later
Sky Soldiers struck again with Albert Padilla scoring a goal with a light
kick off the side of his left foot that sent the ball bouncing into the
net giving the Sky Soldiers a 2-0 lead.
After the Sky Soldiers
scored their second goal, the Turkmen crowd started leaving the stadium
early in anticipation of defeat.
But the game wasn’t
over yet; the Mediterranean Sea got a chance to avoid the Sky Soldier’s
defense with a penalty kick. Abdul Vahid took the free kick and scored the
Mediterranean Sea’s first and last goal with a blast to the upper right
corner making the score 2-1.
The Sky Soldiers
defense controlled the last 10 minutes of the game denying the
Mediterranean Sea offense a chance to score another goal.
The high-pitched sound
of the referee’s whistle marked the end of the game, and the first victory
for the Sky Soldiers against an Iraqi team. The win brings the Sky
Soldier’s team record in Iraq to 1-1.
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