WikiGalaxy, our Encyclopedia
USO. GALAXY (from the Greek galaksías, whence it would later be derived Galaxy and finally Galaxy), also known as Galaxy or, more briefly, USO, is an Italian soccer club based in the town of Castegnato. The acronym USO stands for Unione Sportiva Oligarchica. Founded in 2016 by a group of local soccer players and managers after a "schism" with the Castegnato Oratory (later restored), it is Castegnato's second 7-a-side soccer team-after the USO Open. The USO Galaxy is the most titled 7-a-side soccer club in the country, as well as one of the most victorious and important in the province (despite its recent founding), having been named as the best provincial club (2016/17) and in the best 8 at the regional level by the Italian Sports Center (CSI). In 2017, USO Galaxy was honored with special recognition as the first team in the history of the CSI to have won Championships and Provincials in its founding year.
According to a survey by Demos & Pi (September 2017), the USO Galaxy emerges as the team with the highest number of supporters in Castegnato, having received the preference of 35 percent of the sample.
1 History
In the summer of 2016 USO Galaxy saw the light of day through the initiative of a group of former USO Castegnato athletes. The disagreements that came about within the USO Castegnato Society led to an inevitable rupture that resulted with the "escape" of all registered athletes. Nicola Gazzoli and Michele Bertolini, blamed several times for being the cause of the rift, chose to take a new and different path for their (former) teammates. After intense weeks made of uncertainty and perplexity on 06/28/2016 USO GALAXY was officially born, with the filing of the coat of arms and the agreement to play home games at St. Anthony's Oratory. Many local companies chose to sponsor the "galactics" to enable them to cover their substantial expenses. At the behest of the founders and members, the corporate colors remained the same as those worn with the USO Castegnato, yellow and red.
In 2016, under the name USO Galaxy, the club entered its first provincial championship, winning the tricolor on its first appearance. By winning the TopJunior Championship, the Galaxy were placed in the Provincial playoffs and, after a ride that ended with only victories, raised to the sky a historic as well as unexpected Provincial title. Qualified for the Regional stage, the Galaxy fell in the quarterfinals at the hands of Paderno d'Adda (after eliminating PGS San Carlo Varese in the double-header of the round of 16). The 2016/2017 season remains the best in the Giallorossi's history, winning the Championship, Provincials, Regionals appearance and only 3 losses (all away from home) in a full season.
The following season the Galaxy were forced to join the Open Championship due to bureaucratic issues, starting from the Promotion category. Meanwhile, the break with Oratorio Castegnato is healed and the Galaxy are welcomed back with open arms by the Sports Group. The season ends with third place in the league, behind Mompiano and Palazzolo. The goal of promotion to Excellence is achieved after repechage by virtue of the accrued ranking [best third place (best points average: 2.2 per game)]. In the following season (2018-2019), the Giallorossi get off to a slow start, risking direct relegation on several occasions, but a near-perfect turnaround guarantees them a berth in the top league of provincial soccer: the Galaxy are in the Serie A!
The story continues, and in their first appearance in Serie A the Galaxy prove to be a team with great potential, but still immature. The first championship is cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic with the Galaxy in 5th place in the standings. The 2020-21 season is not played. In 2021-22, the Galaxy return to the province's fields.
2 Colors and symbols
2.1 Colors
As of 2016, the USO Galaxy's playing uniform is a yellow and red jersey (with yellow back and red numbers). The shorts are normally red, as are the socks. This color choice was due to the desire to maintain the same identity despite the farewell to Oratorio Castegnato. Starting with the 2021-22 season, the Galaxy will alternately wear a gray-black uniform, given by F.lli Torchio Tinteggaiature. The technical sponsor is Joma, while the front sponsor is Findomestic. The representative uniform was provided by Nuova Litocolor, while the duffle bags were funded by GestiVet.
(Above the team posing for the official photo for the 2019-20 season with the official playing uniform;
middle, the team in their summer representative uniforms, accompanied by Auntie,
the Galaxy's main sponsor) and below the official photo with the new Grison uniform.
3 Official symbols
3.1 Coat of arms
With the corporate birth, the Galaxy had to deposit their official coat of arms. From the very beginning, efforts were made to create something that would best represent the values and expectations, as well as a recognizable and effective brand away from Castegnato. The official coat of arms depicts a shield in red and yellow hues with a stylized white star inside. "USO" is positioned on the shield, written in yellow on a red background, while "GALAXY" is imprinted in red on a convex yellow overlay. The play of shading on the logo is intended to give it an appearance of three-dimensionality.
3.2 Hymn
Currently, there is no official Galaxy anthem, despite proposals for collaboration received from artists of great national and international caliber.
3.3 Mascot
There is no mascot officially recognized by the club, although in fact the Giallorossi can boast a DOC fan who follows the team at every opportunity. She is nicknamed "la Zia" within the club.
4 Structures
4.1 Stadium
Ever, the first facility used by the club was the "New Home Arena" in St. Anthony, BS. With the 2017 reunion, the Giallorossi returned to play their home matches at the "San Filippo Stadium." Located in the Contrada delle Porte, it was capable of just over 300 seats and was equipped with a public address system that also made it suitable for performing concerts and parties. Meanwhile, after the change of ownership, the USO Group allocated funds to renovate the facility, modernizing it and increasing its capacity. During the renovation of the field, the Galaxy - while awaiting the erection of the new stadium - were diverted to Abbey Rod (the Rodengo Saiano Abbey field). The new San Filippo Stadium has more than 600 seats and unlike previous Castegnate stadiums is designed not only for football but also for recreational and refreshment activities.
4.2 Training center
USO Galaxy has ad hoc facilities for its training sessions and match finishing.
"Castegnatello" is the first-team and youth training center, equipped with soccer, basketball and volleyball fields, a gymnasium and large green spaces.
5 Commitment to social work
The Galaxy are active in the social and humanitarian field. Among the social programs undertaken is table service for members during the USO Tournament, geared toward demonstrating how the Giallorossi champions are simple and genuine people.
Through USOChannel (the club's official channel), the Galaxy have repeatedly given space to Caracciolo, demonstrating that they are fostering access to education for young people recently released from addiction through a drop-in center.
6 Youth Sector
The Galaxy's youth sector consists of 6 teams that compete at the provincial and possibly regional level in the various category tournaments. For all of them, their training camp is in Castegnatello, a sports center owned by the Giallorossi company based in Castegnato. The current Giallorossi first team boasts an important number of athletes from the "Cantera," proving that they believe in and know how to work with the champions of the future.
7 Galaxy in mass culture
Over the years, in addition to establishing itself as a provincial and interprovincial sports entity, the USO has gained a prominent place in the culture of the country. The Galaxy were the first to have a busload of fans in tow: it happened on May 27, 2017 on the occasion of the debut at Regionals in Varese in the match against PGS SanCarlo that ended 2-2 (photo below).
On the occasion of the debut in the Open category (25/09/2017), the club had planned to broadcast the match live on the smartphones of its supporters, but the project fell through for reasons that to this day have not been made public.
8 Presidents and coaches
8.1 Presidents
In these early years of the club's corporate history, two acting presidents have taken turns at the helm of the Galaxy. During the founding year an internal management committee managed the club's fortunes. The first president of the yellow and red club was Luca Sabatti, who headed the Magica Armata after the decision made by the club's shareholders' meeting regarding a return to Castegnato. Since his resignation that occurred during the pandemic, since the 2021-22 season the current president has been Duilio Lazzari.
8.2 Coaches
There are 3 coaches to date who have had the technical leadership of the Galaxy. The first coaches in the Giallorossi's history were founders Michele Bertolini and Nicola Gazzoli, chosen for their charisma and in order to introduce innovations from a tactical and strategic point of view in the team's play. The duo boasts the overall record of trophies won with the club in a single season (2) and for taking the team to the Provincial roof.
After a banner year on the bench, Gazzoli decided to return for one last year before bidding his final farewell to playing soccer (farewell renamed The Night of the Cheetah). Bertolini, flanked by Nicola Magri, continued his coaching role for another year, achieving promotion to the Eccellenza before returning (both) to the Giallorossi jersey the following season. Nicola Gazzoli led the Giallorossi to a historic promotion to Serie A, later deciding to leave the club for personal reasons.
The leadership of the Galaxy is once again back in the hands of Bertolini, supported by Caracciolo and Valenza.
(To the side, the trio of coaches in the founding season with trophies won
from left: Matteo Gazzoli, Nicola Gazzoli, Michele Bertolini)
9 Footballers
In more than 3 years of history, more than 20 players, many of them outstanding, have worn the Galaxy jersey. There are 6 "Magnifici" who have won all trophies with the yellow and red jersey (2 UEFA Leonessa Cups with the then USO Castegnato and the incredible Double with the Galaxy): Federico Gazzoli, Roberto Crea, Edoardo Fioretti, Simone Gazzoli, Davide Bregoli and Luca Boccuti.
The first scorer in Galaxy history was Luca Boccuti himself, sealing a penalty shot in the first official game (Oct. 05, 2016, against St. James). The top scorer of the first historic season was Nicola Magri, the author of 30 goals and a real dragging force for the Giallorossi.
In the summer of 2018, goalkeeper Luca Betti, class of 2002, arrived from Villaggio Sereno. The newly acquired thus becomes the Galaxy's first registered millenial, as well as the youngest player to have worn the Giallorossi jersey (16 years old).
(Opposite are the men from the first ever game (USO Galaxy-Cellatica).
From top left: Crea, Costanzi, Boccuti, Gazzoli F., Reboldi, Magri, Gazzoli S., Fioretti, Bani)
10 Palmares
USO Galaxy's palmarès is one of the most prestigious at the municipal level, despite the fact that the club has only been established for a very few years.
Winner of its first official trophy in its founding year, the USO Galaxy is the only club in the country to have won the Provincial Championship and Title in the Top Junior category.
The yellow-and-reds hold the record for wins in the Provincial Cup (5, all games played).
For the first three years since its founding, the club always finished the season with trophies or category promotions, a unique case in the country.
- 1 Championship category TOP JUNIOR (2016/17)
- 1 TOP JUNIOR Provincial Cup (2016/17)
- 1 promotion in Excellence category OPEN (2017/18)
- 1 promotion in Serie A OPEN category (2018-2019)
11 Statistics and records
11.1 Team statistics
The 2016/17 USO Galaxy remains the only lineup to have won a Provincial trophy by obtaining only victories in matches played in the competition.
The Galaxy in the year of the Double scored an impressive 54 points in the league, the result of the best offense (152 goals scored) and the best defense (53 goals conceded). The victory in official competition by the biggest margin was a 17-0 win against Collio (21/01/2017), during the championship. On the other hand, the defeat by the largest margin was a 0-6 suffered by Or. Trenzano in the 2019/20 Serie A. In the 3-0 game against Sam Idraul Fa (San Polo) for the first time the Galaxy failed to find a goal, breaking a streak of 43 consecutive games. In the 2016/17 season, the yellow-and-red club holds the record for home unbeaten streak, with zero defeats in the span of a 12-team league (11 games), during Sectionals (3 games) and for 1 game of Regionals (total 15).
The 2019-20 season is the first in the Serie A. The debut in the top provincial competition takes place on 09/28/2019 at home against Jolly Orzinuovi with a 3-5 loss. The first victory comes on 12/10/2019 at the end of the home match against Roncadelle04, which ended 7-2.
11.2 Individual statistics (data updated on 20/06/2022)
The player who holds the record of appearances for the Giallorossi to date is Francesco Bregoli with 102 appearances. The record for goals scored belongs to Nicola Magri (78) who, with 30 goals in 28 games played in the 2016/17 season, is also the Galaxy's top scorer in a single season. Luca Boccuti, Davide Bregoli and Youssef Eddiraoui hold the record for scoring in a single game: five goals apiece (Boccuti and Bregoli at Collio in 2017, Eddiraoui at Rudiano in 2019).
The record for consecutive goals belongs to Nicolò Ravarini, who in the 2019/2020 season scored for as many as 9 games in a row, scoring 12 goals. The 1994-class forward also holds the record for the fastest hat trick: just 4'15'' to score three goals in the San Rocco away game (2021/22 season).
Nicolò Ravarini and Nicola Magri are the only two players to finish more than one season with more goals scored than games played. Eddiraoui and Davide Bregoli follow with one season each.
Michele Bertolini holds the record for bench appearances (95), followed by Gazzoli Nicola (51) and Nicola Magri (24).
At the end of the Provincial Final won against St. James, Federico Gazzoli was named best player of the tournament.
In the 2019/20 season, Francesco Bregoli paid as much as €36.00 in fines into the company coffers, making him the recordman in this special ranking.
12 Supporters
Supporters of the Magical Army are quantifiable between 430 and 500 according to the most recent industry survey conducted and published in September 2021: with 35 percent preference from the surveyed sample, the Castegnata-based club turns out to be the most supported in the country. In addition, the club boasts supporters in Europe and the rest of the world, thanks to the #USOChallenge campaign launched by USO Channel and continued with a major marketing strategy on the club's social accounts.
13 Twinning and rivalry
On 24 March 2018 through a friendly match, the USO Galaxy sanctioned its historic first twinning with the boys of Polisportiva San Francesco of Monza. The boys in white jerseys thus inaugurated the new San Filippo Stadium in a beautiful evening of sports.
The rival fan of choice is that of San Giacomo, after the rifts that occurred at the Provincial Final for a banner indigestible to the Giallorossi supporters. Next, that of Sanse Lume, since the founding years and refreshed after the championship won on equal points but with the better goal difference in favor of the Galaxy.
The North Curve of San Filippo Stadium has always been the sector occupied during home matches by the most vocal cores of organized supporters.
(Left, 03/24/2018, San Filippo Stadium - On the occasion of the new stadium, the Galaxy organized a friendly match against the boys of Polisportiva San Francesco di Monza)
(Right, the banner that sanctioned the rivalry with St. James displayed during the Provincial Final won by the Galaxy 3-2)
14 Partnership
Thanks to financial aid from local companies and businesses, the Galaxy were able to establish the club and register for the 2016/17 championship.
Findomestic is the leading sponsor of the Giallorossi, featured on the front of the playing uniform. The representative uniform was provided by Nuova Litocolor, while the duffle bags were funded by GestiVet. Carrozzeria Turelli makes annual donations to the club, while an agreement was made with Birreria Il Baccanale on the basis of dinners and events.
Since the 2017/18 season, the Giallorossi have reached a massive agreement with two global giants such as Google and Amazon for advertising on the online platform.
(The team during a dinner at IL BACCANALE)
