Parents, Fans and Supporters -
Finally, we got to play.
In the morning we took a tour of some fantastic caves. The players and adults will all have some great photos!
After the caves we were off for a quick lunch than to FC Brno's youth academy for the games.
The facility was very nice: a modern clubhouse with two outdoor turf fields and another turf field beneath a bubble. Walking off the team bus, the boys were given the pro-like experience of using the locker room to dress and get pregame instructions from the coaches and Dr Dano.
Following a brief warm-up we took the field, with the '95s on the small upper field and the '94s on the full-size lower field.
The '95s set a VYSA International Tour record, by conceding a goal in the first 12 seconds. Stunned, and down 1-0, we regrouped, settled in and began to play a bit. We scored in the eighth, 18th and 30th minutes to take a 3-1 halftime lead. FC Brno got a goal with eight minutes left and pressed to tie for the remainder of the game. It was a solid win against a quality opponent, who displayed a relentlessness and fight that too few of our players have ever witnessed. The refereeing was dodgy, seemingly providing the host with endless opportunities on free kicks in the last eight minutes. We took away some very important lessons: you must consistently play hard, you will be punished for sloppy play and everybody loves to beat the Americans!
Overall, we played well, despite a rushed lunch, getting lost on the way to the fields and being hurried through dressing and warm-up.
The '94s dominated play through superior soccer and work-rate. Following daily improvement in training and building on budding team chemistry, we took the field with the plan to possess the ball and get in behind the opponent on the flanks. This came quicker and easier than we anticipated, as a quick build-up through the midfield resulted in a great ball through to one of our forwards who calmly finished, furthering our momentum and confidence. From there, we dominated play and had our way until our confidence started to boil over and turn to complacency in the details. We conceded a goal late, with an end result of 4-1. It is good to get the first victory and hope to face a more stern test tomorrow in Ziln.
After the games, we watched the start of the girl's games, then headed to the mall for some shopping before returning to the comfy confines of The Compound, for some tasty Chicken Fried Steak-like patty and whipped potatos, both of which were very good.
Due to fatigue, Czech Idol was postponed for a day. We hung out for a bit and went to bed.
Tomorrow morning we are off to watch FC Slovacko men's team train at the same facility where we have been training, then lunch at the hotel at the training facility, then off to Ziln for our games.
All the boys remain well and excited to have the game portion of the trip underway.
Until Tomorrow.....
