Shep Messing To Be Ironmen Honorary Captain
Published on December 23, 2008 under Xtreme Soccer League (XSL)
New Jersey Ironmen News Release
Newark, N.J. (Tuesday, December 23, 2008) - The New Jersey Ironmen officially announced today that goalkeeping great Shep Messing will be honored during the pregame festivities prior to their January 9th home contest at Prudential Center. Messing will put the ceremonial first kick into motion as the honorary captain of the club before they play host to the Chicago Storm in a critical early season match-up.
After a seven season career in the North American Soccer League, Messing became one of the first goalkeepers to make the jump indoors in 1978 when he backstopped the New York Arrows of the newly established Major Indoor Soccer League. In fact the first professional indoor soccer game ever was played 30 years ago last night, when the Arrows faced the Cincinnati Kids at Nassau Coliseum on December 22, 1978. In net for the Arrows on that historical evening was none other than Messing. Also on the field for the Kids was current Milwaukee Wave head coach Keith Tozer, who got the better of Messing on one of the two Cincinnati goals in a 7-2 Arrows victory.
"When he played, Shep was always one of the top goalkeepers in the MISL," Ironmen Head Coach Omid Namazi commented about the legacy of Messing to the indoor game. "The indoor game requires a goalkeeper to be quick and agile, and he has to be good with his feet. The fact that he was able to adjust to those elements goes to show that Shep was the total package."
Messing proved he has the wit to match his athleticism when he received his degree from Harvard University, being name an All-American goalkeeper twice along the way. He joined the U.S. National Team upon graduation and played in the 1971 Pan American Games and then the 1972 Summer Olympics. After the Olympics, he received an intriguing invitation to play in the upstart North American Soccer League for the inaugural season of the New York Cosmos. In only a matter of a few seasons, the NASL and the Cosmos brought the international game of soccer to the forefront of American sports, bringing in some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. Messing backstopped the Cosmos in 1977 when the legendary Pelé played his final professional game, and the team sent off the Brazilian striker with the NASL championship that year.
When the MISL was established in 1978, Messing and indoor soccer legend Steve Zungul headlined the New York Arrows to four straight league championships. Messing was a dominant goalkeeper of that era, being named to three All-Star Teams and receiving championship MVP accolades in 1979. He also showed in versatility in 1983 when the Arrows named him as their head coach.
Since retiring from the game, Messing has established himself as a premiere soccer broadcaster and analyst. He first began as an analyst for MISL games on ESPN, and he covers all levels of the game such as Major League Soccer and the FIFA World Cup. He is currently the lead analyst for the New York Red Bulls of MLS. Messing is also a member of the New York Sports Hall of Fame, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the Nassau County Hall of Fame.
The New Jersey Ironmen are charter members of the Xtreme Soccer League and will return home to the friendly confines of Prudential Center on Friday, January 9th, when they host the Detroit Ignition at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the Ironmen start at only $10 and can be purchased by calling 1-800-IRONMEN. The team next plays on the road on Sunday, January 4, in Chicago. That contest and all Ironmen matches can be watched live via B2 Networks.
Xtreme Soccer League Stories from December 23, 2008
- Shep Messing To Be Ironmen Honorary Captain - New Jersey Ironmen
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