Nicola Caricola

Who is Nicola Caricola?

Nicola Caricola is a former Italian footballer who played as a sweeper.

On the club level, Caricola played for Bari, Juventus, Genoa, and Torino. 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 New England Revolution. He retired in February 1997.

In 2005 Nicola Caricola moved to Cape Town, South Africa and established Nicaf Espresso Systems, official distributor of Lavazza Espresso Coffee in southern Africa. The name "Nicaf" stands for "NI-cola" and "CAF-fe'".