Nicola Caricola

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Nicola Caricola (born February 13, 1963 in Bari) is a former Italian football (soccer) sweeper.

On the club level, Caricola played for Bari (1981-83), Juventus (1983-87), Genoa (1987-94, 1994-95), and Torino (1994). He finished out his career with the MetroStars of Major League Soccer, playing with them during the league's inaugural season in 1996. Although Caricola played well for the team, he is most remembered for the own goal he scored in the dying seconds of the club's first home game, a 1-0 loss to the New England Revolution. The goal has been said to start the Curse of Caricola, blamed for the MetroStars' lack of success.