
### _[26 IN 26 STOP 7](/26in26list)_

_\*This trip occurred on March 21, 2026._

Some readers may remember me visiting the [Danbury "Jr." Hat Tricks](2026-02-15_dbyhattricks) about a month or so ago. While I mentioned that the "senior" Hat Tricks were in a league called the Federal Prospects Hockey League, I also noted that an FPHL game in Danbury was a tough sell due to timing. However...

...they ended up coming to me!

First, an introduction to the league: the Federal Prospects Hockey League is...somewhat hard to explain. On the one hand, it’s the highest level of hockey in the United States that (technically) has no direct connection to the NHL or its affiliated leagues (so, in essence, it’s the hockey version of independent baseball); it refers to itself as "Single A Minor Professional Hockey". However, if you recall my discussion of the AHL (and ECHL), then you may remember me saying that it’s rare for players in the "affiliated" minor leagues of hockey to become stars in the NHL. Take out the affiliated part, and making the NHL (and sometimes the affiliated leagues) from here is a MASSIVE achievement in and of itself. My understanding is that many players who can't make it in even these minor leagues end up here - both young and old; in fact, one player on each team's roster for this game was born in the 1980s[^1]!

The league also has a surprisingly large geographic footprint for this level (where flying is usually difficult for teams): Danbury is the easternmost team in the league, but the westernmost team is in Topeka, Kansas, the southernmost team is on the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi, and we'll get to the northernmost team in a sec.

The nice thing about the league, however, is that it has a platform where fans can stream every game for free (along with all but one of the teams streaming on YouTube)[^2]. Sure, the hockey is probably...not that great compared to watching the NHL, but it’s something to turn on if you’re sick and tired of watching your favorite NHL team lose night in and night out (unless you enjoy hatewatching the Toronto Maple Leafs to determine whether or not the next LFR is going to be worth watching[^3]).

I've already gone over most of what you probably need to kow about the Danbury Hat Tricks, but if you forgot: they were founded in 2019 after other Danbury teams in the same league folded, and they won a title in 2023 (though strangely, they also seem to claim a title won by one of the prior teams in Danbury). However, I do need to mention that they were the official "visiting" team for this game; with that in mind, I think we should also introduce the "operational home team" for this game: the Watertown Wolves (though being almost 300 miles from "home" feels like a bit of a stretch - especially when you consider that Danbury is closer).

Founded in 2010 as the 1000 Island Privateers and originally based a bit north of Watertown closer to the Thousand Islands (a group of islands in the St. Lawrence River which, yes, lends its name to the salad dressing), the team relocated down to Watertown in 2012 as the Watertown Privateers, and then became the Wolves in 2014 - the same season the team won its first championship (adding two more in 2018 and 2022). With the three titles, the Wolves are also the league’s most successful team in terms of championships, and have the distinction of being the only founding franchise of the FPHL to still be active (one thing the FPHL shares with independent baseball leagues: INSANE market volatility)[^4]. They are also the league's northernmost team for now: a new team is coming to Minnesota next year, and they will claim the title (with the apt name of "Northern Lights").

As a side note, I mentioned that all but one team in the FPHL stream on YouTube, and if you couldn't guess by me bringing it up here, said team is the Wolves - they do have a channel where they stream games (that isn't the FPHL's), but it's on a site I'd rather not talk about...no, not that one.

Moving on...

![A photo of the opening faceoff of a hockey game at Mennen Sports Arena](/images/2026/0321-mennenarena.jpeg)

Mennen Sports Arena (where this game took place) was opened in 1975, named after the president of a local company known for its deodorant sticks, and hosts a lot of local hockey teams - mostly youth and school teams. I also recall reading about an indoor football team that was set to play here one time, but have NO IDEA if they ever played a game or not (which is...par for the course for indoor football[^5]). Technically, it's just outside of Morristown, NJ, but the area its in is often amalgamated into Morristown itself, so if you're a stickler for a specific location, it's kinda confusing (heck, Google got confused when I was trying to pin down where specifically the arena is).

In all honestly, the main arena is surprisingly "nice" for a community rink (especially as it was built in the 70s). There are large seating areas on both (long) sides of the rink, and there's actually a decent number of rows up both sections. In addition, it's all "bucket" seating here (as opposed to most places like this having benches), and several of the sections near center ice have armrests. Outside of the main arena, there's actually a fairly large lobby area as there are three rinks here, and for this game, I'm almost certain the PA announcer was actually the former PA announcer for the New Jersey Devils!

I said that the Wolves were the "operational home team" for this game; this is important for on-ice purposes that I'm not completely clear on (I know it involves the "last change" after stoppages, but I don't exactly know how that works). However...they didn't FEEL like the home team: there were FAR more Danbury fans than Watertown fans (I think there was exactly ONE Wolves jersey in the crowd), the Hat Tricks spent 40 minutes skating circles around the Wolves en route to a 3-1 win, and...

### MERCH

At this game, the Hat Tricks (who, let me remind you, are technically the "away" team) had a merch table rinkside which included "game used" jerseys  - and I use quotes there because some of the jerseys were probably NOT used in games as they were made for guys who I don't think ever played in a game (a few still had the manufacturer's retail tag). I didn't ask whose idea it was to bring the FPHL to New Jersey, but methinks Danbury was more involved with the planning of this game more than the "home" team...

Also, because I cannot resist a deep dive into jerseys apparently, I went to the online store for EVERY team in the FPHL to see what types of jerseys they sell about a month before this game happened. While not every team sells jerseys online (or at least had jerseys available when I checked), the ones that did were quite "mixed": some teams sell only sublimated jerseys, some teams sell only jerseys with sewn logos, and a few teams sold both![^6] However, Danbury was the only team who sold "game used" jerseys online (see above for a caveat to that term); there's a distinct possibility that other teams also sell game used jerseys at games, but I have no way of confirming that right now (and given the locations of some of the teams, trips to see them are not super likely).

One final note on merch: Watertown is somewhat odd in that they have a "spirit wear" site as their online store, but they sell jerseys and pucks via a form on their website. I should note, however, that the price for the jersey suggests that it's sublimated.

---

P.S.: The Pope Leo effect is real - congrats to FREAKIN' FRACKIN' MERRIMACK on winning the 2026 Hockey East Men's Tournament!

---

[^1]: Another note on rosters: for whatever reason, it seems teams (typically) only dress 16 skaters as opposed to the "standard" 18 per game (this is solely based on me looking at the rosters for tonight's games - this one included).

[^2]: The [Cape Cod Baseball League](ccbl_overview) also has a free streaming site, though I'm a little annoyed by it as many of its teams moved off of YouTube when it debuted a few years ago and there's a fairly long unskippable "ad" whenever you click on a video.

[^3]: Steve Dangle mentioned in one of his videos that videos posted after losses do WAY BETTER than those posted after wins, and the numbers back him up on that.

[^4]: I mentioned this during my Danbury visit, but Danbury was another founding FPHL market; the original team folded a while ago and the Hat Tricks are not connected to them.

[^5]: More on this later this year.

[^6]: I will note that I'm only looking at each team's "main" home and away jerseys here; several teams did sell specialty night jerseys, but those are almost always sublimated. Speaking of specialty jerseys, the Hat Tricks had special jerseys for this game that were inspired by <a href="https://www.nhluniforms.com/Devils/DevilsSpecial03.html" target="blank">this popular Devils jersey from a few years ago</a>; they had a few for sale after the game, but they were sublimated.


A visit to/from "Independent Hockey"

FEDERAL PROSPECTS HOCKEY LEAGUE: Danbury Hat Tricks vs. Watertown Wolves @ William G. Mennen Sports Arena (Morris Township, NJ)


_\*Since the 2026 Hockey East men's championship game is tonight, I figured I’d go back a bit and talk about the time I went to the game back on March 23, 2024 - almost exactly two years ago. A decent chunk of this was written back then, but I did update this quite a bit (for example, it includes mentions of subsequent Hockey East tournaments which obviously hadn’t happened when I first wrote this). Also, with this, I've officially caught up with all of my old hockey writing - at least until I get to certain games/arenas (hopefully in the fall)._

A lot of sports leagues/events have their "signature venue" for their championship: England’s FA Cup has Wembley Stadium, the Australian Football League has the Melbourne Cricket Ground...and Hockey East has TD Garden.

I don’t feel there’s a need to dive too deep into Hockey East’s history outside of its establishment in 1984 (as a "spin off" from the ECAC), but I should at least explain the conference tournament/championship game a little bit. For those who don’t know, most college athletic conferences in the United States host end-of-season tournaments (or sometimes a single game like in football) to determine an official conference champion. Said champion receives an automatic bid to their sport’s national tournament (with football, once again, being a semi-exception), where the best teams in the country compete to determine a singular national champion for that sport[^1].

In Hockey East’s case, its first two championship games (along with the semifinals) were held in Providence, RI at what is now Amica Mutual Pavilion (home of the Providence Bruins of the AHL[^2]). In 1987, the championship moved to the original Boston Garden (the former home of the Bruins and Celtics), and has been held either there or at what is now TD Garden (i.e. the old Garden’s replacement built in 1995) most years - with three exceptions:

- In 1989 and 1990, the final game was played at [Conte Forum](2025-10-03_bchockey_mens) on the campus of Boston College. I’m not FULLY certain as to why this happened (though part of it may beu because Conte had just opened in 1988), but Boston College hosted Maine in both games (with the two teams splitting wins).
- In 2021, ongoing restrictions forced all tournament games to be played at campus sites (the women's tournament still operates this way FWIW). The final that year ended up being an all-UMass affair, as eventual national champion UMass (Amherst) beat UMass Lowell at the [Mullins Center](2025-10-05_umasshockey). This is probably where I should also mention that the 2020 tournament got cancelled before it even started because...I don’t need to explain why, right?

As an aside, the semifinals usually been played at the same venue as the final - with three exceptions (one of them being 2021). In those years, the semifinals were played at the venues of the higher seeded semifinalist.

Anyhoo, the building now known as TD Garden was opened in 1995 as a replacement for the old Boston Garden NINE INCHES AWAY. Originally the Shawmut Center, it became the FleetCenter after Shawmut Bank was acquired by Fleet BEFORE the arena opened, and then went through a series of one day names (not including the Derek Jeter Center) after Fleet was acquired in 2004 before TD Bank (then TD Banknorth) bought the naming rights.

I honestly can’t tell you when the first time I visited the arena was, as the only things I remember are that it was sometime in the 90s (as it was still the FleetCenter at the time) and I’m pretty sure it was for either Disney on Ice or the ol’ Ringling Brothers and REDACTED[^3] and Bailey Circus (back when people glossed over animal abuse for entertainment). I’ve been to one Bruins game at TD Garden, but that game was way back in November of 2006 - Zdeno Chara’s first year as Bruins captain and the last year of the infamous 90s uniform set (as well as being long before a series of extensive constructions/renovations in the area).

I can’t really say much about the arena itself as I feel like it’s more or less what you’d expect from an NHL/NBA arena: two concourses filled with fans and (frighteningly expensive) concessions, a few merch stands here and there which are also kinda pricey, and the occasional bar area for alcohol sales. I feel it should be noted that there as I remember it, the upper concourse didn’t have merch stands. One thing that does stand out to me, however, is the near complete lack of natural light inside the concourses. There are a couple of reasons for this, but it really does mute the atmosphere quite a bit (especially when you consider that [other](2025-08-27_phiwings) [NHL/NBA](2025-08-28_nysirens) [arenas](2026-02-08_bknets) I’ve been to do not feature this problem). One thing that was interesting, however, was a special exhibit I got to see pregame featuring a look at the history of the Bruins, as they were celebrating their 100th anniversary that season.

The thing with championship games is that inasmuch as it’s always expected to be an exciting experience since one team will be raising a trophy at the end of the day, some matchups will likely lead to different atmospheres. For example, last year (2025) featured Maine vs. UConn - maybe not the most exciting matchup on paper (especially for the locals), but would still draw quite a crowd given how popular Maine is. This year, UConn's back in the final, but their opponent should (theoretically) draw more local interest because it's...[MERRIMACK](2025-10-10_merrimackhockey_mens).

However, in 2024, the matchup was **#1 BC vs. #2 BU**...and boy did I learn something that night:

Students are something else.

For starters, it's BC/BU - one of college hockey's most famous rivalries. Case in point: I mentioned it way back when [I talked about BU's men's team](2025-10-04_buhockey_mens), but their fans love to chant "BC SUCKS" even when the game at hand has NOTHING to do with Boston College. Moreover, the two teams were widely considered the two best teams in the country that year (those numbers next to their names represent their NATIONAL RANKINGS): BC with their crop of FOUR first-round draft picks plus the country's best goaltender (all of whom are now in the NHL), and BU with then-top draft prospect Macklin Celebrini (who was, in fact, drafted first overall a few months after this game). However, the best thing about going to college hockey (and especially its most intense rivalry games): student cheers/jeers.

Let’s be honest: a crowd of 17,000 fans chanting "LET’S GO BRUINS" every ten minutes is...fine. In my opinion, however, it’s not nearly as good as 8,000 students telling the opposing goalie "YOU SUCK. AT LIFE. and goaltending." - which they did quite a bit. Boston College dominated this game on and off the ice: current San Jose Shark Will Smith (one of BC's first round picks) scored FOUR GOALS, and their student turnout VASTLY outnumbered BU’s[^4].

Also, one of the main reasons I haven’t seen the Bruins at home in 20 years: I managed to snag a seat ten rows from the ice for what ended up being ~$65[^5]. That doesn’t even get you in the building for a good number of Bruins games nowadays...even with the team kinda sorta rebuilding (and don't even think about trying to see the Celtics at that price point).

![A photo of the Boston College Eagles celebrating their championship](/images/2026/2024championship.jpg)

<figcaption>And to think that this was the only tournament of any kind that BC won in the "freshmen line + Cutter Gauthier" era...</figcaption>

Finally, as a protip if you ever consider visiting: you probably don’t NEED to park in the Garden garage - it’s EXPENSIVE and you’ll end up being stuck for a while postgame. Evening and weekend parking in many parts of Boston (and its suburbs) is WAY CHEAPER (and surprisingly inexpensive by city standards)...so long as you’re willing to either walk a bit and/or trust the T (though I can understand if you’d rather not do either/both).

### MERCH

I cannot tell you how many times I have been to the TD Garden ProShop. It was one of my "Sunday staples" when I lived in Massachusetts, and the number of things I have gotten from there is absolutely staggering. Part of that is thanks to a deal where if you have a TD Bank debit or credit card (which I’ve had since 2017), you can get a 15% discount on almost everything in the store - not a bad deal I must say (and it has come in VERY HANDY quite often[^6]). It’s also where I bought my first "authentic" hockey jersey - a 2023 NHL Winter Classic with Patrice Bergeron’s name, number, and captain’s patch (along with the actual NHL Winter Classic patch - something other places didn't have for some reason).

The main souvenir store, however, is technically outside of the arena (it’s part of a development next to the arena), so it’s inaccessible during games (which kinda sucks as the discount was apparently not available in the arena for this game)[^7]. While it does have a lot of the standard items PLUS things that are difficult to find elsewhere, a lot of things (most especially jerseys) are marked up a bit because that seems to be a standard arena store thing (though when you get a 15% discount on things, you end up doing a lot of math and somehow finding that certain items are still cheaper at the ProShop). There’s also the fact that it’s the only place I’ve been able to find Boston Celtics jerseys with stitched on letters and numbers (that I know are 100% genuine), so that’s something to keep in mind (the Bruins are a BIT different, but maybe I’ll discuss that in the future).

At the Hockey East championship, I got a Hockey East crewneck sweater and hat (plus a David Pastrnak Bruins Centennial third jersey). I was tempted to buy a novelty chain featuring the Hockey East logo, but decided against it.

---

_And yes, the display title of this page is the reference some of you think it is - if you don't get it, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNSs2GZOl1k" target="blank">go get cultured or summat</a>_

---

[^1]: Given Hockey East’s status as one of the top hockey conferences in the country, the conference champion is usually not the only team in the tournament (emphasis on the word "usually" - especially this year). Heck, Boston College didn’t make the Hockey East semis last year and was seeded 1st overall in the national tournament (though I am NOT getting into how THAT works because I don’t understand it either...).

[^2]: I went to a Providence Bruins (preseason) game around the same time as the other games I've written about, but didn't write about the arena then as I couldn't think of anything interesting to say about it.

[^3]: If we canceled people in the 1800s like we do nowadays, P.T. Barnum’s name would be NOWHERE near what it became. Look him up if you didn’t know.

[^4]: I've heard, sadly, that BU's student body has slowly but surely been shifting away from being interested in its athletics department as a whole. Also, I should've mentioned this a while ago, but I found out at the [BU Women's game](2026-01-18_buhockey_womens) that they've updated the ["free jersey" program](2025-10-04_buhockey_mens) - it's now sixteen total games between the men's and women's teams, which...kinda gives credence to the "waning interest" theory.

[^5]: I bought my ticket months before the tournament even started (heck, I'm pretty sure it was before the BEANPOT), and when I checked a few days/hours before the game, I distinctly remember seeing some WILD prices due to the BC-BU matchup.

[^6]: The most expensive thing I ever bought from the ProShop was a special jacket worn by Bruins coaches during the 2023 Winter Classic (I honestly really like it to be fair). I won't tell you how much it cost, but that 15% discount ended up being WELL OVER $100...

[^7]: As far as I can remember, the current location is (at least) the third different place the ProShop has been since the opening of TD Garden. The first location was also outside the arena, but the second one was somewhere inside - and I believe at least part of it became the exhibit I saw during the championship game.


A look back to when I saw the pinnacle of Hockey East

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Hockey East Men's Championship 2024 @ TD Garden (Boston, MA)


_This one's a bit on the "odd" side: it's been a while since I've seen the Northeast Generals, and I didn't get to see them this season (more on that later), but I did write a little bit about the team back when I wrote all of those college hockey posts I put up last October. Since I don’t know if/when I’ll be able to visit the Generals again PLUS the fact that they actually moved from the venue where I saw them, I figured I’d post this today._

_This covers two trips I made to see the Generals back when I was living in Massachusetts: the first on September 23, 2022, and the other on December 8, 2023. Like many of my college hockey posts, I updated it quite a bit from where it was left in 2023-24, but that's somewhat unimportant, so let's just get right to business._

I cannot find any good information about the history of the Northeast Generals outside of the fact that apparently the organization was founded in 2016, but what I can tell you is that the Generals USED to field two teams (honestly, this is all you need to know). The "upper" team (founded in 2016) was in the North American Hockey League (not to be confused with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligue_Nord-Am%C3%A9ricaine_de_Hockey" target="blank">hyper violent semi-pro league in Quebec with essentially the same name</a> that I have somehow forgotten to mention TWICE), while the "lower" team (founded in 2015) was in the Tier III North American 3 Hockey League (not to be confused with the 3-on-3 competition known as 3ICE). However, in researching the Generals for this post, it appeared that similar to Danbury, the NA3HL team shut down at some point (I think it was as of the 2025-26 season).

I mentioned earlier that I visited the Generals twice when I was living in Massachusetts; both times, both of the teams mentioned above (NAHL and NA3HL) were in action (so basically, this post covers FOUR games - none of which I remember the results of BTW). At the time, they were playing at a place called New England Sports Village in Attleboro, MA - a city that basically straddles the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island and famously features one of New England’s biggest Christmas light displays at a local Catholic church. There’s not really that much to be said about this "arena": it’s a community skating center (moreso than other NAHL buildings I've been to) with multiple rinks that was (apparently) supposed to be part of something bigger that got canceled. If you’re driving here for the first time, however, you could very easily miss it (I did), as it’s on a rather empty local street, is a bit of a ways off of said street, has a fairly obscure driveway, and looks more like a warehouse than a sports center when you first see it[^1].

Each team had their own separate rink (because four teams playing on the same ice is insane); the rinks are separated by a mezzanine that runs along the length of the rinks. While each rink had seating areas that end well above the ice surface, these seating areas were quite cold (something common at hockey rinks); however, the aforementioned mezzanine has views to both rinks, so you can just watch from there if you want to stay warm (you also have the advantage of being able to switch games more quickly). It has been a few years since my last visit, but from what I remember, the "main" arena featured tiered seating that went down towards the arena (but ended well above ice level), while the "secondary" arena had metal bleachers in a "single level" observation area.

Thanks to some faulty ice and a bad injury, the two games of my second visit ended just shy of six minutes apart from one another...despite one game starting half an hour before the other (I timed it). I am slightly ashamed to admit that the first visit, on the other hand, is one of the few instances of me leaving a non-baseball sporting event early (as it was kinda far from where I was living at the time, and I felt it was quite late when it ended).

In 2024, the Generals moved to a rink closer to Boston in Canton, MA. I have yet to visit this new venue, but from what I’ve seen of it, it’s largely similar to the old one (as they are both community rinks), but with one notable difference: the seats in the new building get closer to the ice (though similar to [Merrimack](2025-10-10_merrimackhockey_mens), there's a walkway between the front row and the rink[^2]). A future visit is uncertain, however, but if I go, I’ll probably be able to talk more about the building then.

### MERCH

There was no merchandise sold the first time I saw the Generals, but at the second game, they had some hats and hoodies available (but pulled them quite early in the night). They do have an online store, but it seems to be consistently changing (as well as being one of those "spirit wear" operations where they simply print the team's logo onto otherwise generic items).

I did, however, manage to get a jersey from the team; it was the first hockey jersey I ever ordered that was fully sublimated (I’ve gotten some others since mostly from non-Hockey East college teams).

**\-\-\-**

As for why this post is going up today...

My original hope was to see the Generals visit the New Jersey Titans, as the two teams played a whopping FOUR games in Middletown this season: two on Fridays (February 27 and March 13) and two on Saturdays (February 28 and March 14). However, I ended up having things that prevented me from going both Fridays, and while I originally saw the Saturday games being 5:30 starts, both games actually started at 4 PM - and I ended up going to soccer games which ended around 4 PM both Saturdays (plus it's almost an hour from [Harrison](2026-03-01_rbny) and [Paterson](2026-03-15_nycosmos) to Middletown).

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[^1]: I also don't recall seeing any signs for the place either.

[^2]: Speaking of Merrimack, it's crazy to think they're in the Hockey East semis this year! Not sure how they'll fare in the rest of the tournament, but it is quite the accomplishment (maybe it's the Pope Leo bump - y'know, like the Chicago Bears).


An old post about an old (but not really) building

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Northeast Generals (North American Hockey League) @ New England Sports Village (Attleboro, MA)


_\*This trip occurred on March 14, 2026._

The New York Cosmos are quite possibly one of the most famous names in American soccer. The original team played in the North American Soccer League (the top division of soccer in the U.S. back in the 70s) from 1970 until 1984 (when the NASL folded), and was famous for ~~<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1K7zfw82yg" target="blank">having a DISCO THEME SONG</a>~~ its roster, which featured the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and, most notably, Pele (widely considered the best footballer of all time). However, supposedly, the Cosmos themselves never "folded" - they just went dormant[^1].

In 2010, the New York Cosmos were "reestablished", but it wasn’t until 2013 that this version of the team played its first game. Between announcing their return and their first game, however, they did a WILD amount of marketing, believing that the "Cosmos" brand would be enough to turn heads.

It wasn’t.

Despite the branding and on-field success (the team won three championships in four years), "Cosmos 2.0" never really gained any foothold with the NYC market. Part of that was likely due to the fact that they weren’t in Major League Soccer (for a few reasons - both inside and outside of their control), but another factor: good ol’ fashioned mismanagement[^2].

The team went dormant again in 2020 and lay dormant until 2025, when it was announced that a new team was planning on using the Cosmos name in USL League One. Whether or not they will be able to generate any level of success is yet to be seen (I should mention that there seemed to be a quite decent crowd for this match), but outside of being in the third tier of American soccer, there is one thing that may be a major factor:

Hinchliffe Stadium.

![An image of Hinchliffe Stadium prior to the ](/images/2026/0314-nycosmos.jpeg)

<figcaption>NOTE: This image was taken pretty much shortly after the gates opened, so that's why it looks rather empty</figcaption>

I won't go too deep into Hinchliffe as [I've been here before](2025-08-12_njjackals), but long story short: it's a historic stadium best known for hosting Negro League baseball. It fell into disrepair over time (partially because, well...Paterson), but received an extensive renovation a few years ago - and then the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League shortly after that.

I’ve already talked about the modern baseball experience at Hinchliffe, but long story short: it’s not great. However, given that Hinchliffe seems better suited to sports on "rectangular" fields (it hosts high school football and has a running track), it should mean that unlike, say, [Yankee Stadium](2025-08-13_nycfc) or [Maimonides Park](2025-11-09_bkfc_womens), it should at least be a better soccer watching experience, right? Well...it might be for one simple reason: the pitchers mound is within the field of play (but is obviously lowered). Outside of that, it really doesn't feel super different from baseball - though that may be because my seat was near the baseball diamond.

In planning this trip, I immediately looked at their schedule, as I was NOT going to go to any games where the sun would disappear midway through (mainly due to my experience leaving the Jackals game in 2025 IN BROAD DAYLIGHT still being kinda uncomfortable[^3]). It took quite a while for times to be announced after the dates were, but once they were, I landed on this game - the team's inaugural game against Portland Hearts of Pine.

The most striking thing about this game vs. just about every other soccer game I've been to in this country was atmosphere - thanks to the presence of a MASSIVE contingent of traveling Hearts fans (one of them mentioned it's actually easier to get into away games as they're a HOT ticket in Portland)[^4]. The noise from them was unlike anything I've heard from visiting fans (and I've been to two other games in other sports where the visiting fans took over - both of them Boston teams). They got to go home happy too, as the Hearts outfoxed the Cosmos in a 3-1 victory.

### MERCH

Sometime around the initial schedule reveal, the Cosmos unveiled their "inaugural" home jersey to...modest reception. It features one of the more common soccer jersey designs with vertical stripes, but doesn’t have much going for it outside of the Cosmos logo partially due to the stripes being two different shades of green which look almost identical, and also because it didn't feature a sponsor (though the team did get one before the season)[^5]. Despite that, I ended up getting one from Pele Soccer in Times Square (where the jersey was first unveiled) because apparently I am a sucker for anything that is green.

Anyway, as opposed to the Jackals and their carnival trailer[^6], merch was sold in a physical "store" (an area I THINK the Jackals used purely as storage). They were quite busy throughout the day (even running out of scarves at one point), and I was able to get a USL1 patch pressed onto the jersey I bought months ago (but not the sponsor because I'm weird like that). Also, the team had something special for this game: limited edition jerseys with special "chrome" details[^7].

As an aside, I found out that the Hearts were doing a "special party" at [Classic Football Shirts](https://overclocked-overthoughts.netlify.app/blog/2025-11-09_shirts_and_the_city) in New York City the night before the game featuring, of course, merch (they are known as "Merch FC" for a reason - similar to how their upcoming [US Open Cup opponents](2025-08-21_vgfc) are known as "Social Media FC"). I would've thought about going had I not made a prior commitment weeks before the game - but also the event was listed as "sold out" when I checked...

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P.S.: My original plan was actually to see [Westchester SC](2026-03-08_westchestersc) after this game, but I ended up moving that trip UP for various reasons. Had I gone, I would've been able to see the masters of "turning wins into not-wins" work their magic once again, as a first minute goal got cancelled out by a literal LAST MINUTE equalizer...though my limited understanding of soccer statistics indicates that they probably got lucky with that draw.

---

[^1]: Apparently, the team almost "came back" in the 1990s as the [MetroStars](2026-03-01_rbny) contemplated buying the rights for the name before deciding against it.

[^2]: Another thing that didn’t help: the league they were in was ALSO a not-so-great "nostalgia bait" (the North American Soccer League) which folded in 2017 amid controversy.

[^3]: One major difference between the Cosmos and USL1 rival Westchester SC IMO: despite both teams being based in "sketchy" cities, WSC has the advantage of being right next to big box stores AND a major highway.

[^4]: Unfortunately, this does mean that PHoP is HIGHLY unlikely for a 2026 visit, but I MIGHT be interested in trying next year.

[^5]: Say what you will about jersey sponsorship, but the fact of the matter is that it's become so ingrained into soccer culture that it's weird thinking of jerseys without sponsors...

[^6]: BTW, the Jackals have new ownership this season! I may have to check in this year to see how the experience has changed (as well as checking out the museum in the outfield, as I learned it closes at game time).

[^7]: I DID ask if they'd do it for the "chrome" jersey, but they said no. Also, it seems they didn't sell through all of the limited jerseys, so if you're going to their next game, you might be able to get lucky.


One of American soccer’s most iconic names is BACK

New York Cosmos (USL League One) @ Hinchliffe Stadium (Paterson, NJ)


_\*This trip occurred on March 8, 2026._

Indoor/Arena soccer[^1] is a bit of a loaded term. For most soccer fans around the world, the term more than likely refers to _futsal_ - a form of soccer on a smaller court/field where individual skillsets are more important than in the "regular" game. Here in the United States, however, indoor soccer is basically a hybrid of soccer and hockey (similar to what [box lacrosse](2025-08-27_phiwings) is to [field lacrosse](2025-08-26_rulacrosse_mens)) - five "outfield" players plus a goalkeeper on an enclosed field where the walls are "in play" (generally a hockey rink covered with turf - though field dimensions can vary WIDELY).

Much like futsal, individual skillsets are rather important as controlling the ball is much more prevalent; however, the walls add a very interesting dimension, as using them for plays adds a lot of depth to what players can do. For those familiar with Nintendo Gamecube masterpiece Super Mario Strikers, it's kinda like that except that it's SLIGHTLY less violent (and features far less electrocutions - probably). One thing that makes the sport WILDLY different from other forms of soccer (including Mario): hockey-style penalties (signified by a blue card), where one team loses one player for a brief period of time. I should also mention that this version of indoor soccer is very much an INCREDIBLY niche version of soccer - especially as it is technically not sanctioned by FIFA (though it does have its own international governing body)[^2].

The history of indoor soccer leagues in the U.S. is a bit long and convoluted, but the current league was founded in 2008 as the Professional Arena Soccer League, then it became the Major Arena Soccer League after a "merger" with another top level indoor soccer league. I do find that it is a rather interesting sport to watch, but unfortunately for me...the closest team is the Harrisburg Heat in Pennsylvania's capital - some two and a half hours away (i.e. a bit too far for a day trip).

However, the MASL has not one, but TWO "minor" leagues known as MASL 2 (established in 2017) and MASL 3 (established in 2020). I'm not fully sure what the "purposes" of the leagues are, but apparently MASL 2 was developed as a chance for the sport to test and develop markets for the top league. MASL 3 has the same issue the MASL has for me in that there are no nearby teams, but in MASL 2, there's a club a (relatively) short trip away: Spice City FC.

I could NOT find a reason why the team is called "Spice City" or why they use "fútbol" in their name (and this includes me asking one of their employees, who didn't know either), but they were founded in 2024 and finished second in their division (though out of the playoffs) in their first season (2024-25). Obviously, there's not much history beyond that, but apparently they do draw fairly decently: when I looked at getting tickets for this game, I was surprised to find that only the sections nearest the ends were available, and while I wouldn't call the building "full", the crowd was fairly big. The other thing that makes the club "attractive" for this blog is that they're based in a very familiar place: the Danbury Ice Arena (though they obviously don't play on ice).

![An image of the Danbury Ice Arena in soccer configuration. The normally white ice is covered in green turf](/images/2026/0308-scfc.jpeg)

<figcaption>This photo also shows the "main" seating area, which you don't really get to see on YouTube since it's mostly hidden from camera view</figcaption>

I already went over the building [not even a month ago](2026-02-15_dbyhattricks), but if you missed it: it's a local sports center which is mainly focused on hockey. The main arena features a large seating area on one side (opposite the arena entrances), "balcony style" seats on the other, and a large lobby-ish area with concessions/merch/an arcade. I did not get to see the mezzanine behind the "balcony sections" last time, but it was more or less accessible this game, so I decided to take a peek, and there's actually a surprising amount of things here!

The first thing you'll notice when you "arrive" is a collection of motorcycles; I have no idea why they're here, but one does feature a Hat Tricks "paint scheme". There's a concession stand up here (though it was closed during this game) as well as a bar looking thing which was labeled an "axe throwing lounge" (which was also closed - partially as it had a Hat Tricks logo on its door). A luxury area (where tickets are only thirteen dollars but was sold out when I checked) features barstool seats as well as chair back seats (the only ones in the building), and despite not being sold online (and also probably not in the arena), the sections here (the 200 sections) were actually accessible, as the doors have no locks. With how cold it is in the lower parts of the arena (due to the ever present hockey rink under the turf), several folks ended up sitting up here.

One note about the indoor soccer field: the goals are meant to be "inside" the end walls, but there's no real way of doing that here (as the boards are seemingly "static", and goals in them would actually impede people from getting around). Therefore, the field is a BIT shorter than the hockey rink's 200 feet (but not by all that much - plus there's even shorter fields in the MASL). Another thing I heard about Danbury specifically: apparently the turf is hard to play on as its frozen (being on top of an ice rink will do that)[^3].

I first found out about Spice City when looking at images of the Danbury Ice Arena prior to my visit, and then again at the Hat Tricks game I went to - they have a flag in the lobby that I saw while eating lunch, and as I was leaving the arena, I saw their schedule in one of the windows (though I'm not sure what year it was for). I checked their schedule online to confirm things, and found that they had a few home dates that worked well for me; I was originally hoping to visit on February 22nd, but...that trip got snowed out (which is part of the reason I did that whole ["Jersey rules"](2026-02-22_jerseyrules) post). Thankfully, the team had other dates that worked for me, and not wanting to wait until **APRIL 12**, I chose to move the game I was originally planning on going to today for this (though I do plan on making that trip soon).

Spice City billed this as one of their toughest tests yet, and with good reason: their opponent today was...the Harrisburg Heat! Apparently, the team changed arenas recently, and issues surrounding that arena change forced them to "drop down" to MASL 2 for this season. I don't know if they're still using the players who they used in their MASL time, but it would explain why they seemed to be the better team in an 8-4 win - and also how the Heat held a Spice City team without a goal in the second half (which is quite a feat given how high scoring indoor soccer tends to be).

### MERCH

After the Hat Tricks game back in February, I was wandering around a bit and ended up finding a local store that specialized in soccer (and rugby) items which also had Spice City merch[^4]! While they did have a few jerseys, none were my size - though I did end up getting a scarf. I came back to this store to check one other thing out before the game, but Apple Maps apparently doesn't know the store is NORTH of 84 now...

When looking into coming here, I thought about ordering a jersey online and picking it up at the arena as I saw that the team was offering that option; however, I could NOT figure out how to get said option, so I opted not to go for it (and also the whole "original trip getting snowed out" situation). One thing that I found interesting about Spice City jerseys from browsing online: they're mostly available only as long sleeves - unlike most other soccer jerseys which are short sleeved (though some teams/brands do offer long sleeve versions, and the team's newer jerseys were short sleeved). Part of this may be due to the arena being quite cold (remember, it's a hockey building).

At this game, it seemed that they did not have most things in larger sizes - case in point: the largest jerseys they had were all size large (which is SLIGHTLY too small for me)...save for one random XL they found. Coincidentally, it's a Hummel shirt with the same tag as [the Westchester SC shirt from yesterday](2026-03-08_westchestersc#merch).

---

P.S.: [Brooklyn FC's men's team](2025-11-09_bkfc_womens) made its debut today - and won! Unlike NYCFC yesterday, I never really had any plans on going to this game - though a future game depends on what happens with the <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48127662/usl-season-starts-players-silent-protest-amid-cba-dispute" target="blank">USL strike</a>.

Also, based on results this weekend, I CLEARLY know how to pick which soccer games to go...but at least I didn't have to see the [Red Bulls](2026-03-01_rbny) get blanked by freakin' CLUB DE FOOT MONTRÉAL...

_For those who are actually curious about the subtitle, it (roughly) translates to "Ready for the hot football?" (assuming Google Translate did this right...)_

---

[^1]: Wikipedia does not use the term "indoor football" in relation to this sport, as that's something else entirely - and I intend to explore that later this year as well.

[^2]: I'm not going to even begin to get into the Kings League or Baller League - other indoor soccer leagues with unique rulesets. Also, one BIG rule difference between all of the indoor soccers and the "regular" version: free and unlimited substitutions.

[^3]: Six of the MASL's 8 teams share their buildings with hockey teams, however...

[^4]: This store is actually part of a "chain", with one of their other locations serving Westchester County and [Westchester SC](2026-03-08_westchestersc).


¿Listo para el fútbol caliente?

Spice City Fútbol Club (Major Arena Soccer League 2) @ Danbury Ice Arena (Danbury, CT)


### _[26 IN 26 STOP 6](/26in26list)_

_\*This trip occurred on March 7, 2026._

Westchester SC were founded in 2024 and played their first season in USL League One (the third tier of soccer in the United States) last year along with four other expansion teams. While two of the five new teams made the league's eight team playoffs, the other three didn’t - but Westchester ended up having the most "expansion club struggle" experience of the five. The team finished at the bottom of the 14 team league (though they had the league’s top goalscorer), and according to a graphic I saw during a broadcast, they dropped the most points from winning positions in league history (i.e. drew/lost games they held a lead in). That is all I really have to say about the team's history - though you should have expected that given that the team was only established two years ago.

The Stadium at Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, NY was opened in 1931, but fell into disrepair over time until being extensively renovated in 2022. It’s a multipurpose stadium - Mount Vernon High School hosts football games here, and there's a running track around the field, but somewhat oddly, the only other sport I'm aware of that was played here is rugby - a short-lived Major League Rugby team played here for a bit, and there's currently a women's rugby team (as well as one other team in another sport which I am thinking about seeing - though they haven't played their first game here yet). Unlike many high school stadiums which have at least two stands, there's only one main stand here, and as you may have guessed, it’s on one of the "long" sides of the track and field. The seats here are all benches with the exception of the middle section (which is chair back seats with armrests), and they're priced based on how close they are to the center line - with the least expensive tickets being fifteen bucks (in the "far corners" of the stand).

![An image of the Stadium at Memorial Field from a corner](/images/2026/0307-stadium.jpeg)

Unfortunately, there was a MASSIVE issue with planning a visit: Mount Vernon is just north of the Bronx, and has a bit of a reputation for not being the nicest place in the world. Combine this with the George Washington Bridge's massive toll rate, the notorious congestion of the Cross Bronx Expressway, and all of the team's home games being 7 PM starts, and a visit wasn't exactly something I thought would be super feasible. However...I still felt like I wanted to do this. As it turned out, however, I felt that the area around the stadium wasn't TOO bad - the presence of big box retailers with (free) parking garages right across from the stadium's gates does help (as does quick and easy access to the Hutchinson River Parkway, which is the highway that leads out from the stadium to 95).

My original plan was actually to come here next week (for reasons that will become clearer soon), but due to schedule conflicts, this trip got moved UP to today - the team's 2026 home opener! Expectations around the team are...mixed at best (especially given their AWFUL track record of losing leads), and when the team coming in to face them is the defending regular season AND overall champions in One Knoxville SC, it's hard to expect a result.

Alas, the game went more or less as expected - Knoxville won, but mainly on the strength of a first half stoppage time goal (as Westchester got a goal with the final kick of the game to make it 3-2). Personally, I blame myself for this loss - I wore my [Vermont Green](2025-08-21_vgfc) hat for this game, and one of Knoxville's players was a former Vermont Green player who was making his professional debut - and scored the team's first two goals. There was some atmosphere from supporters, but it did seem kinda weak compared to the higher levels of soccer I've seen in this country (and also the aforementioned Green).

<div id="merch" />

### MERCH

One of the big reasons I wanted to come here: Hummel.

Hummel is the company that makes the team's jerseys (along with a TON of other USL teams), but their sizing is kinda weird: unlike other brands like Nike or Adidas, they use different "sizing standards" between Europe and the US - with the European sizes being smaller. To illustrate what I mean by this, I ordered a jersey from a French esports organization back in 2023 that was made by Hummel: it was listed on their website as a "2XL", but when I got it, the neck had a "size information area" (i.e. neck tag) like this:

![An image of the inside of a Hummel shirt. It contains size information which reads "EUROPE:XXL US:XL ASIA:XXXO"](/images/2026/hummelsizes.jpeg)

<figcaption>NOTE: This is a different shirt entirely - I don't know where the shirt I'm talking about is currently (sadface).</figcaption>

Since I have no way of knowing whether or not the team will use the EU or US sizing when ordering online (without contacting them directly), I figured that the best thing to do would be to "go direct to the source" and get a jersey at the game itself. However, the shirt I got was VERY different from what I expected, as this is what the "tag" looks like:

![An image of the inside of a Hummel shirt made in the US. It has an American Flag and a prominent "XL" along with "MADE IN USA"](/images/2026/wscshirt.jpeg)

One VERY weird thing about the team's jerseys: the shirt is fully sublimated including the team's badge, but there seems to be a version where the team's badge is a glued on patch. However, this version of the jersey happens to have the sublimated logo underneath the glued-on one - I'm not honestly sure how I feel about this...

In terms of other items, several fans had hats that looked interesting, but the only hats that were on sale were beanies (something I'm not that into). Also, it was surprisingly cold at the match, but given that scarves are a fairly ubiquitous part of soccer culture, the scarf I was already planning on getting ended up being much more useful than just as a "soccer fashion statement".

Finally, I should also mention that the team has partnered with a local store who also sell their merch. I thought about going there before the game (for this as well as other reasons), but their hours didn't really "fit" with my schedule (they close at 5, gate time for the game is probably 6, and I'd rather not be hanging around a place like Mount Vernon based on its reputation - even if the stadium area seemed okay...).

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P.S.: [New York City FC](2025-08-13_nycfc) had their home opener today as well (a wild 5-0 win over fellow 2015 expansion side Orlando City SC involving a goalkeeper getting a red card). I did think about going to it, but ultimately decided not to - though I do intend to see them later this year.


Sportventures

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: The Champeenship

HOCKEY CATCH-UP: Northeast Generals

New York Cosmos (3/14/26)

Spice City FC (3/8/26)

Westchester SC (3/7/26)