As Leeds United celebrated one of the great victories in the FA Cup's modern era by defeating Manchester United, 1-0, in the 3rd round, there was an American smiling from ear to ear on the field at Old Trafford.
Mike Grella, the US youth international and former Duke University standout, did not appear for Leeds today, but he was one of the first members on the bench to sprint out onto the field to help celebrate the victory.
Despite not seeing action today, Grella has been one of the heroes for Leeds in this 2009-10 FA Cup campaign - the FA Cup is English football's version of the US Open, where each team qualifies for a shot at the title. Grella scored for Leeds after coming on as a late substitute in the 2-0 FA Cup 1st round win against Oldham. He repeated this FA Cup goalscoring form on December 8th in the FA Cup 2nd round replay against Kettering Town, coming on as a substitute during the second period of extra time. Grella's introduction changed the pace of the game (which had previously been 1-1), as he scored twice as Leeds won the game 5-1, taking his tally to four for Leeds.
It is hard to imagine an American walking out at Old Trafford victorious, and even more unimaginable to think of one doing so with a League One side like Leeds. Having had the opportunity to coach Mike at Duke University, seeing him out on the field after the match made it a lot easier to swallow the bitter exit for my beloved Manchester United.
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