Here’s some background and analysis, on everything from the match-ups, to some historical tidbits you might not have known.

The Reggina – Palermo game gives Amaranto fans an extra reason to be excited. First of all, with Messina’s drop to Serie B this year, this is the closest thing Reggina fans have to a true derby. I know the two teams traditionally haven’t been main rivals, but the rossoneri are the closest squad to Reggio Calabria, location-wise (actually, Catania is pretty close too, but I need to build some added drama to this.)

I think this “rivalry” holds true more for American fans than Italian. The majority of Italian emigrants came over from Southern Italy, specifically and there is a distinct pride the Palermitani associate with being from Sicilia, and there is equally as much pride that the Calabresi take in coming from their part of the boot. Anyway, this should add a little extra spice to anyone who follows these teams.

Also, I thought I’d shed some light on the political backdrop over the past month in both places that has set the stage for this game. Take this for what it’s worth. Its impact on the game will probably be non-existent, but for me, it does add some extra intrigue:

If you don’t follow Italian politics and current events, you might not be aware that a few weeks ago there was the biggest mob bust in nearly 25 years. Sicilian mafiosi from Palermo and New York were arrested in a joint Italian/US government sting operation.

Interestingly enough, this was countered last week by the arrest of Ndrangheta boss, Pasquale Condello. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, ‘Ndrangheta is the lesser known (but far more powerful) Calabrese mafia, which bar none has eclipsed the Sicilian mob, and currently accounts for 3.5 percent of Italy’s entire GDP (take a step back and just think about that number for a second, and imagine if that held true in whatever country you reside in.) According to Italian investigators, Condello was the most powerful boss of the empire.

So there’s your history lesson, as I said take it for what it’s worth. But for me, it’s always interesting to understand the political landscape of the teams’ I’m following, and sets the stage for a game that has some political overtones to it. Now, onto the matchups.

FAN BASE: Now here’s a matchup that supporters of the Amaranto simply won’t be able to contest. I have a ton of respect for Palermo fans and their passion. The tentacles of their fan base spreads throughout the world, from Italy to Australia, to the US and Canada. Back when Palermo gained promotion to Serie A, they shut down the main avenue here in my neighborhood to host a celebration.

As much as it pains me to say this, us Reggina fans simply don’t match up. The Palermo fan base is well-established, passionate and knowledgeable, while the Reggina group is generally a young crowd, still-growing and gaining momentum. This is not necessarily a bad thing, by the way, it’s just not something that we can boast like the Palermo fans can.

I expect to see a pretty large tifoseria traveling across the Strait of Messina to support Palermo, as they jockey for a UEFA position. We still have the home field advantage, but the field itself is about the only thing I would give us the edge on when comparing the two.

Advantage: Palermo

MOMENTUM: I’m trying to be as impartial as possible, and not allow biased to get in the way, but looking at these teams, I can’t help but see two squads headed in opposite directions.

Normally, you’d think a team that has only been victorious in one of its last five games would definitely not have the edge over anyone. But boy, that one win was enormous. Reggina is only a week removed from knocking off La Vecchia Signora (Juve), and putting controversy aside, it was a much needed victory that lifted the boys’ collective spirits. After following this up with a 1 – 0 loss to Lazy-o at the Stadio Olimpico (cringe) I don’t think the Amaranto’s momentum has been hurt too gravely.

At the same time, our transfers are starting to find their roles in the Reggina system, and you’ve gotta figure that there is a grace period any fan must give to transfer players after coming over from new teams. Brienza was a great addition, and is starting to find his niche in the Amaranto system. I think Makinwa will start to contribute, as well (more on this below).

As for Palermo, they’re 3-0-2 in their last five. But let’s put their recent home wins against Serie B bound teams aside for a moment (Empoli, Cagliari, Livorno), as those were games they clearly had no business losing.

Now we’re left with an embarrassing road performance in Torino, and a heartbreaking defeat at the San Siro last weekend against Milan. With the inconsistent product Palermo has been putting on the pitch this season, I’m just not confident at all in this team’s ability to perform after suffering a road loss.

Advantage: Reggina

LINEUPS: Probable formations:

Reggina (3-4-2-1): Campagnolo, Lanzaro, Valdez, Aronica, Cirlillo, Baretto, Cascione, Costa, Vigiani, Brienza, Amoruso

Palermo (3-5-2): Fontana, Barzagli, Zaccardo, Rinaudi, Cassani, Simplicio, Guana, Caserta, Balzaretti, Miccoli, Amauri

ATTACK: As much as I love Brienza and Amoruso, it’s impossible to give the edge over any team that boasts a stud like Amauri up front. I think Brienza has an extra incentive to score in this one, as he knows Zamparini will be watching closely, but if you’re comparing the front lines, there’s no way you can give the nod to Reggina.

Advantage: Palermo

MIDFIELD: While Simplicio, Guana and Caserta, with a bench of Bresciano and co. are clearly the better talents than Reggina’s boys, I just don’t see any consistency or chemistry from Palermo’s side that would let me give them the edge. Also, Barreto and Cascione can hold their own against this side.

Advantage: Push

DEFENSE: Valdez, Aronica and co. just give up too many easy goals to make this one worth comparing.

Advantage: Palermo

GK: Neither are anything to write home about, let’s face it.

Advantage: Push

ALLENATORI: Come on, Ulivieri versus Guidolin? Don’t get me wrong, I actually like Guidolin, but given the circumstances, he hasn’t been put in the best position to work to his full capabilities by Zamparini.

If you’re comparing pure coaching ability, I’d say it’s a toss up, if not advantage Guidolin. But given the clubs’ situations, there’s no way you can say that Guidolin is a more effective manager than Renzo. Too much pressure from above, not the right mix of talent on the field, a late start on the bench this season – I’ll say “no thank you, Francesco.”

Advantage: Reggina

PREDICTION: I expect a hard-fought battle here. In my mind, the main question is will Reggina’s heart and momentum/chemistry give Palermo’s talent and athleticism a run for its money?

I think there’s also some added intrigue to this game, with Brienza facing his former team, the southern derby-like flair and atmosphere, not to mention the political backdrop that shadows this fixture.

Both teams are difficult to bet on winning. Palermo is just too inconsistent and faces too much behind-the-scenes chaos for me to feel confident about. On the other hand, Reggina is obviously the less talented, underdog squad.

Reggina can take this one if the stars are aligned right. I think the new arrivals will play a big factor in this one, but in the end, it’s just too tough for me to lean in one direction or another.

Prediction: Reggina 2 – Palermo 2

So I’m a pretty avid supporter of US Lecce, who you all are probably familiar with from their recent stints in the top flight of Italian soccer (in fact, they even cracked the top 10 in the 2005 table.) For the record, here are the teams I support:

1. AS Roma (Serie A)
2. Reggina Calcio (Serie A)
3. US Lecce (Serie B)
4. US Foggia (Serie C)

If you’re a Reggina fan, this would be a good year to pay attention to Serie B (for obvious reasons I will not reference in this post). Every Saturday I’m going to try to post a brief Serie B weekend preview, with predictions. This weekend is especially important to Lecce fans, as the squad travels to Chievo to take on the first-place gialloblu. I can’t remember a game I’ve been this excited about in the second flight for a long time. If you’re not familiar with the combo of Tiribocchi - Abbruscato, then you should probably pay attention. If Lecce can qualify for promotion and somehow hold onto these guys next year in the top flight, they can cause some real problems to any Serie A defense. And speaking of attacking teams, Chievo has scored more goals than any other Serie B team this season. So this game has all the makings for a fun to watch, offensive battle (although my prediction is that it won’t.)

Anyway, for any diehard fans who follow this league, and/or degenerate gamblers, here are this weekends fixtures and some brief predictions:

Avellino - Ascoli: Avellino’s been coming on strong as of late, highlighted by a draw last weekend at home against first-place Chievo. They also have a bit more at stake in this game, seeing as Avellino is fighting a relegation battle, while Ascoli is pretty much locked into a middle-table standing. PREDICTION: Avellino 2 - Ascoli 0

Bari - Albinoleffe: Upset special here. Since being named head coach, Antonio Conte has had mixed reviews. After a slow start, he seems to be picking up things for Bari. Conte has Juventus roots, so there’s no question his ambitions are much greater than coaching Serie B calcio. This will really be his first time to shine in the spotlight, as Bari hosts a team poised for promotion. This weekend’s fixture will say a lot about Conte’s character, and I think the ex-Juventino will shine under the circumstances. PREDICTION: Bari 2 - Albinoleffe 1

Bologna - Cesena: Top of the table vs. bottom of the table…home team vs. road team…no brainer here. PREDICTION: Bologna 3 -Cesena 1

Chievo - Lecce: Game of the week. First place Chievo versus third place Lecce. Both teams are destined for promotion this year, and as much as I’d like to say Lecce will pull out a close one, I think the teams are just too evenly matched to give the advantage to the road team. Sergio Pellisier of Chievo will be one of the hot items on the transfer market this summer, and I think he’ll be the deciding factor this weekend, in what promises to be, a hard fought battle between two solid teams. PREDICTION: Chievo 1 - Lecce 0

Mantova - Triestina: Mantova’s slim hopes of earning a playoff position will be terminated with a loss this weekend. For a playoff-bound team, Mantova simply gives up too many goals. Expect a late equalizer to catch Mantova off guard, and ruin their hopes for a top six finish. PREDICTION: Mantova 2 - Triestina 2

Messina - Modena: Messina has been one of the most inconsistent teams in Serie B this season. Even though it was only a year ago, it seems like an eternity since Rigano’ helped lift the Messinese to a decent start in the top flight. This team is so far removed from those days, and here’s a game I can see going either way. But home field is too much, and Messina wins an ugly one. PREDICTION: Messina 4 - Modena 2

Pisa - Treviso: Pisa’s Alessio Cerci (on loan from my beloved Roma) is one of my favorite young talents. I’m thinking this is going to be a route, and here’s hoping to him scoring a goal or two. PREDICTION: Pisa 4 - Treviso 1

Ravenna - Brescia: Ravenna, who dominated Serie C last season, seemed destined for relegation. Not sure they can recover from the hole they’ve buried themselves in already. And not helping things is the fact they’re playing Brescia, who still have ambitions to win the Serie B crown. PREDICTION: Ravenna 0 - Brescia 1

Rimini - Frosinone: Simple formula here — Rimini still have a chance to qualify for a playoff position. Frosinone is stuck playing for middle-table position. Game over. PREDICITION: Rimini 2 - Frosinone 1

Spezia - Piacenza: Two bottom table teams. Can you say snoozer? PREDICTION: Spezia 0 - Piacenza 0

Vicenza - Grosetto: Vicenza fans are still holding their hats on the fact that Baggio was born in their province. Sorry, folks but if you want to get back to the top flight, you’re going to need a reality check. Both teams are ugly to watch. PREDICTION: Vicenza 0 - Grosetto 0

That’s all for now. Cheers…

Let me premise this whole post by saying that I have a number of confessions which would logically lead you to believe that I’m not qualified to write this blog, so I’ll get those out of the way now:

Confession #1: Firstly, the majority of my blood comes from Foggia, which, for those of you who don’t know where it is, is located in Puglia, situated pretty much in between Bari and Napoli, thus making me mostly Pugliese by blood (not Calabrese).

Confession #2: This brings me to my second point: my favorite team, in fact, is not Reggina! However it is Foggia, who are currently buried in the bowels of Italian soccer, fighting for a playoff position in Serie C.

Confession #3: OK, onto my next flaw: I’m also a diehard Roma fan. And when I mean diehard, I’m the kind of person who skips work to watch the Lupi in their most important games…Champions League knockout stages, Serie A battles, etc.

I lived in Roma for a while, and developed a passion for the Giallorossi. So that will never go away. But I agreed long ago to root for two teams (Roma and Reggina) and rationalized it this way:

I think it’s OK to support one top-tier team that is always going to be in contention for a European position, and one team that will never finish better than middle-of-the table, at the same time. Two completely different mentalities and goals = two completely different teams I can root for.

So this segways nicely into why I choose to root (and write about) Reggina:

Here are a few rules that I developed for myself, when choosing to root for a specific calcio team (please note most of the following teams are only Serie A teams. I didn’t feel compelled to go into my feelings for other lower league teams, although I did reference a few of them):

1. I can’t root for a team that’s won more scudettos than you can count on one hand:
Eliminated: Juventus, Inter, Milan, Genoa, Torino, Bologna (not in Serie A anyway), Pro Vercelli (ditto)

2. I can’t root for a team from northern Italy (I have too much respect for the people who come from humble origins)
Eliminated: Fiorentina, Udinese, Sampdoria, Atalanta, Empoli, Siena

2. I can’t root for a team that is not on mainland Italy:
Eliminated: Cagliari, Catania, Palermo

3. I can’t root for a team that blatantly endorses racism and whose fans are associated with suburban trash:
Eliminated: Lazio (if trailer parks existed in Italy, the tifosi for Lazio would be knocking on those people’s doors, beginning to let them in and watch the biancocelesti games)

4. I can’t root for a team that has an intense derby with Foggia:
Eliminated: Napoli, *also Bari (Serie B), Avellino (Serie B), Salernitana (Serie C)

Also, I was born into a family that is part Calabrese, and my wonderful fiancée is the full-blooded offspring of emigrants from Reggio Calabria.

So this brings us to the blog…

I can’t lie and say I’ve followed Reggina closely through their Serie B and C days. But for as long as they’ve had a presence in Serie A, I’ve been an avid supporter (their rise to the top-flight dates back only to the late 90’s).

This is one of the main advantages of rooting for Reggina – it’s a team with a relatively modest history (meaning history of success, not being in business) that doesn’t date back too far. This is attractive for the younger audience, as Reggina’s history is currently in the making. As opposed to some of the northern foe’s, who, no matter what they accomplish in the future, will never be able to relive their clubs’ golden years.

Reggina has consistently fought with spirit and bred high-quality talent (see Pirlo, Perrotta, DiMichele, Bianchi). So, here I am, writing for the Reggina blog.

Now what to expect from this blog…

If you’re looking for first-hand historical accounts of the team, you’ve come to the wrong place (although I do know quite a bit about the club’s history, players, etc.)

But one thing I can guarantee is that you’ll find consistent coverage and thoughts on Reggina and Italian soccer, in general.

My hopes are to make this blog a forum that focuses on the Amaranto (nickname for Reggina), but also is a place where thoughts on the beautiful game in general are exchanged, as it’s played in the most beautiful country in the world. So expect to see thoughts and commentary on things not necessarily Reggina-related, as well.

Looking forward to meeting you all. And if you’re looking for a Serie A team to follow, you might want to create a set of rules to narrow down the field (it worked for me).

- Matt