OMAR MARTINEZ
Mexican soccer star Gerardo Torrado will take 20 penalty kicks against 20 fans at halftime.
What do Wilco, the Raging Grannies, the 15-1 Madison Radicals ultimate team and international soccer star Gerardo Torrado have in common? They each will have been a vital part of the most exciting year in decades at Breese Stevens Field on Madison’s east side.
On Sunday, Oct. 16, the facility will host its final event of the year with Día de Fútbol. This inaugural “day of soccer” (sponsored by Madison Gas and Electric) will feature an appearance by Gerardo Torrado — a mainstay of the Mexican National Soccer Team since 1999 and a member of the North American Soccer League’s Indy Eleven. Two all-star teams, United Football Club and the Madison Blues, composed of the best Latino soccer players from around Dane County, will face each other in a 2 p.m. match.
Gates open at 12:30 p.m., and youth soccer matches featuring at least four teams will be played simultaneously on a split field beginning at 1:30 p.m. Torrado will sign autographs, address the crowd and participate in a penalty kick competition at halftime of the all-star game, during which fans will have the opportunity to stop the aggressive midfielder from scoring a goal.
Admission is free, and the event — complete with food carts, live music and a family-friendly vibe — is expected to be as festive as a Madison Mallards game.
“We’re baseball guys and we’re still learning about soccer,” admits Vern Stenman, Mallards president and chief operating officer of Big Top Baseball, which manages the historic facility. “But I’ve always wanted to bring soccer to one of the finest facilities in the state. At its core, Breese Stevens works best as a soccer facility.”
Baseball executives seeking to reach soccer fans is not new. In 2014 and 2015, for example, Milwaukee’s Miller Park hosted international friendlies when the Brewers were on the All-Star break.
Sunday’s games will be played rain or shine, and Stenman says he hopes Día de Fútbol will inspire future soccer exhibition matches at Breese Stevens Field — maybe even the establishment of a professional soccer team, with the stadium serving as its home.
Considering what the Madison Radicals have accomplished in only four years of existence, that doesn’t seem too far-fetched. The American Ultimate Disc League team consistently draws more than 1,000 fans per game, and in August hosted the AUDL Championship Weekend at the stadium.
“We want to make Día de Fútbol an event that celebrates soccer,” Stenman says. “And we’re going to continue to do more things with soccer.”
