Catenaccio N/A

A week has gone by, but it feels like one day. This period was a time for some catching up, merrymaking and for consuming some delicious typical barese and southern Italian delicacies. The latter included dairy (first among which mozzarelle and gelato), meats (braciole and sausage alla barese, bresaula), fish (trout, salmon prepared in cevice) as well as some wonderful sweets (bignè and zeppole) prepared by my aunts. Speck and Stracciatella Pizza, my faviourite White beans with steamed chicory, Altamura bread to dip My week-long break from Turin saw Juventus fall to Genoa, with a last-gasp goal by Antonelli, and rise again (establishing once more a 3 point gap atop Serie A) thanks mostly to a Pirlo free kick that broke the ice in a tricky game against newly promoted side, Empoli. My departure from Bari was difficult as always, not due to difficulties in reaching my destination but for sentimental reasons. I'm very tied to my family in Italy, and to my par...

I could not make a two-week trip to Italy without an obligatory stop in Bari (where my extended family still lives). In turn, a stop in Bari could not preclude a stop at the San Nicola, especially if the galletti  feature in an Adriatic Sea classic against Pescara. Tickets in hand and my cousin at the wheel, I approached the stadium. "The Starship" as it's known around here, was already lit for the occasion and visible for miles. Hypnotized, we went to it. After the ritual pregame panino and Peroni, we lined up and entered the stadium. Same check-ups that I witnessed at the Juventus Stadium: photo ID was checked against your ticket, then tickets were scanned by a bar code reader to ensure that you're entering the right part of the stadium, and bags were checked for illegal items. A Tuesday night game cannot easily be well attended when many close shop at kick off or later, as only about 11,000 were present on hand. The atmosphere was entrusted, as a...

A legend of the Italian footballing movement in North America has decided to hang up his boots. Marco Di Vaio announced that this is his last season as a footballer, and will do so as a Montreal Impact.  The former goalscorer for Bologna, Juventus, Lazio, Bari, Salernitana and many others was interviewed by Emanuele Righi for GianlucaDiMarzio.com , showing that his feelings are quite mixed: “I’m happy, sad, and worried at the same time. I’m happy that I’ll return home to my family in Bologna, sad because my living dream of being a footballer has come to an end, and finally I’m worried because I don't know what my new life will be like. Of course, I want to continue living and working in the football world”. The 38-year old reminisces of his time as a Serie A player: “Lazio is my home base, I grew up in their youth system. At Salerno I felt strong emotions for the first time as a professional in an incredible and unique environment. At Juventus, I competed with many champ...

Gaetano D'Agostino, former Palermo, Bari,  Udinese , Fiorentina and current  Siena  player may be headed to Major League Soccer. According to Sky Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the 31 year-old is pondering a move to North America, with Chicago Fire, DC United , and Montreal Impact interested. Over his career, D'Agostino has scored 28 goals and 26 assists in Serie A and has collected 6 caps with the Italian national team. Stay tuned for updates at Catenaccio, NA.

On Tuesday December 3, Marco Di Vaio was named to Major League Soccer's (MLS) 2013 Best XI team. The Best XI recognizes the top players at each position, and Di Vaio was selected as one of the strikers. The former Bologna FC player, was named the Montreal Impact's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2013 and is in the running for the MLS MVP, due in part to his scoring prowess in 2013 with 20 goals in 33 games played. Followers of the Italian soccer movement in North America will be happy to see Di Vaio return to the Impact for one more season, as announced by the club on October 15.