August 07. 2010 7:52PM

Silverdome soccer match a hit with fans

Josh Katzenstein / The Detroit NewsPontiac -- If the 2010 World Cup taught
soccer fans anything, it's that referees can play a crucial role in the
outcome of a match.
Thousands of miles from South Africa, the trend continued in Detroit as
Panathinaikos forward Sidney Govou had a clear goal taken away from him as his
Greek squad ended Friday's match in the Silverdome on the wrong side of a
0-0 draw with AC Milan.
After regulation time expired, the game went to penalty kicks with the
Italian club prevailing, 5-3.
"Both teams had their chances on goal," said Milan defender Oguchi Onyewu,
a member of the United States national team who did not play Friday.
"Obviously the debatable call with Panathinaikos, but I think overall throughout
the whole 90 minutes it was even."
The critical call came in the 55th minute after Djibril Cisse took an
initial shot that was easily blocked by Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
Sebastian Leto tried to take an off-balance shot on the rebound, but the ball
landed in front of Govou, whose shot hit the bottom of the crossbar, came down
behind the goal line and bounced back out.
Instant reply revealed the missed call to the announced crowd of 30,514,
who immediately booed after seeing their assumptions confirmed.
Govou's "goal" was by no means the only chance during the game. Just
minutes before the incident, Panathinaikos midfielder Sotiris Ninis had a shot
rejected by the crossbar.
The first half also saw a number of chances for both sides. Milan dominated
possession in the first half, but Panathinaikos came away with the best
scoring opportunities.
Cisse actually netted a ball in the 44th minute but was flagged for
offside. Just seconds earlier, Cisse had only the keeper to beat but blasted a shot
right at Abbiati's chest.
Milan had little to show for its effort, with just four shots on goal for
the game. The Italian club's best chance came on a 3-on-2 in the first half,
but Alexander Merkel's pass was out of reach for a clearly frustrated Nnamdi
Oduamadi.
Milan missed the players who opted not to play in the "friendly," or
exhibition match. Forward Ronaldinho stayed at home to nurse a hamstring injury.
Forward Filippo Inzaghi and midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini
also could have shifted the game in favor of Milan.
Fine turnoutFans were scattered throughout the Silverdome, but the crowd
exceeded the expectations of the event's organizers.
"It's a very difficult market to judge because when you've got 80,000 seats
you do not sell tickets very early on," senior soccer advisor for Triple
Sports and Entertainment Roger Faulkner said. "We thought we'd get a huge
walk-up, and we've absolutely got it."
Triple Sports workers estimated that nearly 10,000 people bought tickets on
the day of the game to help exceed the expected crowd of between 15,000 and
25,000.
Among the crowd was a group called the Motorcity Supporters, who are hoping
Major League Soccer will bring a team to Detroit.
Faulkner said an MLS official was in attendance Friday, and although he
assumed the official would be impressed, Faulkner realizes an MLS team in
Detroit is at best years away. The league added a team in Philadelphia this
season and teams from Vancouver, Portland and Montreal will join by 2012.
Faulkner insists the passion around soccer in Detroit is apparent, and
Onyewu, agreed. Onyewu said he couldn't always feel the crowd, but he could tell
there was a great deal of excitement.
"We probably didn't feel it just because the stadium's so big," Onyewu
said. "I think overall it was a positive turnout."
jkatzenstein@detnews.com


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