Hoboken's Italy Fans Lament Loss in World Cup

Roughly half an hour before the end of the Italy-Slovakia world cup game on Thursday morning, Joe Ratto changed out of his blue Italia t-shirt, to put his regular work clothes back on. 

The score was 2-1 for Slovakia and for Ratto this meant the end of the tournament.

"I'm not going to watch the rest of the world cup," he said, defeated. And even though Italy scored two more goals after he changed his shirt (one of the goals turned out to be off-side and didn't count, causing Ratto to grow even more angry), it wasn't enough to carry the team on to the next round of the world cup. Italy became world champion in 2006, finished last of its group.

Ratto watched the game on Thursday at the Juventus Soccer Club on 6th Street, where fellow members shared his anger and disappointment with the national team. 

Entering the Juventus Club is like setting foot in Italy. All the men—women can't be members—speak Italian, order an espresso at the bar, read an Italian newspaper and scream (what to this non-Italian speaking reporter seemed to be Italian profanities) at the television screen.

For 90 minutes of passionate soccer watching, you'd almost forget you're in Hoboken. 

"Soon, they'll start blaming it on themselves," said Leo Pelligrini, director of health and human services, soccer player and Juventus member, as he explained the superstition that is common among the men when watching the game. 

A perfect example of that occurred just seconds after a goal by Slovakia, when a member walked into the club. Another jumped up from the leather couch from which he was watching the game. "If you'd just came in, Italy would have had a goal," he said, gesticulating, "you son of a gun!"

Upon which everybody laughed, before focusing their attention back on the game. 

Michele Giancas, 41, said he comes to the club, which was founded in 1967, only during big soccer tournaments. Some of the older members of the club go there everyday to play cards.  

"It's fun to be here," said Giancas, who came to America 22 years ago. Watching soccer at the club means that you can yell and say anything you want. "If I scream at home, my wife says 'be quiet,'" he said. "Here politically correct doesn't apply."

Giancas, calling the Italian players "pre-madonnas," said he'd cheer for the United States for the remainder of the world cup. America plays Ghana Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Unlike the nearby Monte San Giacomo Club, where all the members are originally from the same Italian town, the Juventus club has members from all regions of Italy. 

Bruno DiMattelo, who has been a member of the club since its foundation, lives around the corner and walks in to see his friends every day. He said he usually comes in during lunch time to have an espresso (better than Starbucks) and say hi to his friends.

Wearing a white t-shirt and black running shorts—and for that endlessly mocked by his friends—DiMattelo shook his head as he watched the game. "I don't believe this," he said, "do you believe this?"

After the game some of the Juventus Club members went back to work, while others played cards at one of the tables in the club. But for others, it'll take a few days for the disappointment to wear off. 

"This is painful," said Pelligrini. "I've never seen it this bad."