NYC PICKUP SOCCER

       The world lost a legend today as the football star Diego Maradona to cardiac arrest, according to his lawyer. Maradona just turned 60 years old weeks ago. After a roller coaster career filled with many highs on the field and lows off it, there's no denying his talent. Maradona is regarded as one of the best players of the game and became an even more popular figure after he lead Argentina to World Cup Victory in 1986. His goal against England in that tournament was later voted Fifa's best goal of the century.       The Argentine Football Association, through its President Claudio Tapia, tweeted it "expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona. You will always be in our hearts." Other soccer icons of today's world, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo also expressed their condolences through social media. Brazilian legend Pele also said he hopes to play with Maradona in the sky one day. He was a god on the field, and of

  Located in Chelsea Park, this artificial grass field is open to the public and is a nice little space to kick around with friends. There is a track around the park to run on too. This field is close to numerous restaurants nearby and good food options after you are done playing. Sometimes there are recreational leagues that play here during the weekend but not all the time, giving the public a chance to enjoy the field too. This park is great to come to during the Fall and Spring especially when the weather is perfect to play in.

  Randall's Island lies under the Triborough Bridge, which connects Manhattan/Bronx and Queens. There are dozens of artificial turf fields that exist here. They are open to the public when there is no official team practices. However, during the Fall and Spring this is a location where many club teams play so it might be harder to find open space than during the Summer. With that said, since there are so many fields available, one field is usually open. With views of the city skyline and water surrounding the island, this does make for a nice location to play. Since it is on an island though there are no real food options besides some vending machines. If you do come make sure to bring your own food or beverages as not every field has water stations.   

 Home of one of the most picturesque soccer field in NYC, Pier sits in Brooklyn Bridge Park. It lies right across from the river from the downtown city skyline. At night it offers some of the most beautiful city and river views. You can come play from 6am-11am any day of the week and there is usually free pick up games throughout the weeknights, especially during the summer when the weather is nice. There are sometimes travel or more competitive cosmopolitan teams or leagues that play here but more often than not this is a good place to come and play some free pickup soccer as it it a public park. There are nice casual options to eat nearby such as Shake Shack. The 2,3,4,5, A, C, F train lines all stop nearby with a 10 minute walk to the field.