Today, the last day of our fabulous trip is a day of freedom for both the chaperones and boys to enjoy with no soccer and no scheduled activities. This is the only day of the trip like this and many were looking forward to it.
For the boys, today meant a day of fun with their host families. Today is also a bank holiday here in Ireland so many of the families had special times planned. We hear that many will have a fun day at the waterpark, some were headed to the beach (yes there are apparently beaches here in Ireland), some were having parties, others were going to the movies; some were going to see the sights, and all should have a really good time.
For the chaperones, much of the same; including a visit to New Grange (a 5000 year old structure), playing some golf, or just touring the sites of Drogheda.
At the end of the day however, everyone knows that they must prepare for the long journey back home. That means packing and preparation for a long day tomorrow; and also, trying to get a good nights sleep.
That's all for now.
Quote of the Day
“I don’t think I could have a higher opinion of any footballer than I already had of the Irishman, but he rose even further in my estimation at the Stadio Delle Alpi. The minute he was booked and out of the final he seemed to redouble his efforts to get the team there. It was the most emphatic display of selflessness I have seen on a football field. Pounding over every blade of grass, competing if he would rather die of exhaustion than lose, he inspired all around him. I felt it was an honour to be associated with such a player.”
Sir Alex Ferguson (on Roy Keane after the European Cup semi-final in 1999)
English soccer manager
Monday, August 4, 2008
U14 Boys Game Report - 08/03/08 Game 1
Today the boys had a chance to play in Drogheda Stadium, home of the Drogheda United Football Club. This was not only a thrill for our boys but also for the local boys who ordinarily do not get a chance to play in the stadium.
For the game against the Drogheda U14-A team, our starting lineup was: Seth, Brett, Tim, and Justin on defense; Ted, Wells, Mitchell and Michael at mid-field; Jack and Jeff were up front; and Daniel in as goalkeeper. Andrew and Ben came in for Seth and Michael. Game action was wide-open for our boys all day as they played hard and well. Early in the match in the 10th minute, Jack led Michael down the left side of the field, Michael cut in toward the 18 yard box and made a beautiful strike into the upper 90 for the first goal of the day. Shortly thereafter in the 18th minute Ben crossed a beautiful ball into the box that Jack flicked on to a wide open Michael in the top left corner of the 18 yard box and again Michael finished for a goal and a 2-0 CESA lead. The boys continued to press but could not convert again and the first half ended.
The boys started the second half again playing well. They controlled play and played well tactically. At the 40 minute mark, Ted crossed a free kick to the back post and Wells made a nice one-touch play on the ball for the goal. The boys then played a mostly possession game from thereon out and had a few nice chances but the final score remained 3-0 in favor of CESA.
For the game against the Drogheda U14-A team, our starting lineup was: Seth, Brett, Tim, and Justin on defense; Ted, Wells, Mitchell and Michael at mid-field; Jack and Jeff were up front; and Daniel in as goalkeeper. Andrew and Ben came in for Seth and Michael. Game action was wide-open for our boys all day as they played hard and well. Early in the match in the 10th minute, Jack led Michael down the left side of the field, Michael cut in toward the 18 yard box and made a beautiful strike into the upper 90 for the first goal of the day. Shortly thereafter in the 18th minute Ben crossed a beautiful ball into the box that Jack flicked on to a wide open Michael in the top left corner of the 18 yard box and again Michael finished for a goal and a 2-0 CESA lead. The boys continued to press but could not convert again and the first half ended.
The boys started the second half again playing well. They controlled play and played well tactically. At the 40 minute mark, Ted crossed a free kick to the back post and Wells made a nice one-touch play on the ball for the goal. The boys then played a mostly possession game from thereon out and had a few nice chances but the final score remained 3-0 in favor of CESA.
U13 Boys Game Report - 08/03/08
Our last game in Ireland will be played in the Stadium of Drogheda boys. The pitch (what they call the field in Ireland) is beautiful and it is nice for our boys to play in front of the stands. Some of the parents come to watch our boys play against the local favorite.
The first opportunity is for Drogheda but after that our team takes control. Grayson makes a great pass but the goalie stops the ball: great save.
Andrew passes to Keaton who moves the ball to Ryan, he shoots and scores our first goal. 0-1 to Cesa. Not a much later Grayson receives the ball on the top of the box who shoots the ball over the goalie: 0-2 to Cesa.
In the second half DB is able to hold us off. Finally Brennan finds Connor D in the box who dribbles passed 2-3 players and scores 0-3 for the final scores. That ends the game. Our team was 5-1-1 a good performance.
The first opportunity is for Drogheda but after that our team takes control. Grayson makes a great pass but the goalie stops the ball: great save.
Andrew passes to Keaton who moves the ball to Ryan, he shoots and scores our first goal. 0-1 to Cesa. Not a much later Grayson receives the ball on the top of the box who shoots the ball over the goalie: 0-2 to Cesa.
In the second half DB is able to hold us off. Finally Brennan finds Connor D in the box who dribbles passed 2-3 players and scores 0-3 for the final scores. That ends the game. Our team was 5-1-1 a good performance.
U14 Boys Game Report - 08/03/08 Game 2
For the final game of the trip, once again in the Drogheda Stadium, the boys faced off against a mixed team of Drogheda players from mostly the Drogheda U14-B team with some of the other players from the earlier game. Ben was our captain along with an honorary mascot, a local young lad who carried out his gift giving duties well. Our starting lineup was DJ minding the goal - Ben, Justin, Tim, and Seth in the back - Ted, Andrew, Wells and Michael in the mid - and Jack and Mitchell upfront. Brett came into the mid and Jeff to defense.
Even more so than the first match of the day, the play of our boys in this match was wide-open with lots of space being created, balls being switched consistently to open wings, and plenty of space for attacking dribbles. There were several good opportunities.
Just as in the earlier match of the day, our boys struck for a goal in the 10th minute of the match. Jack received a ball outside the 18 yard box with his back to the goal, held off a defender who would not let him turn, and played a drop ball to Mitchell who struck a hard shot from 30 yards out over the extended arms of the opposing keeper for a very nice goal. There were several more good chances for the boys in the first half but some good goalkeeping kept the boys at bay for a 1-0 CESA lead at halftime.
Shortly into the second half in the 32nd minute, Brett made a nice tackle in the midfield to possess the ball, dribbled around a defender in toward goal, and struck a beautiful shot from 20 yards out for the score to make it 2-0. Again in the 40th minute, Brett took possession of the ball, dribbled to the right of the box, crossed to Seth who shot from 10 yards, it was saved and deflected by the keeper, and Jack finished off the rebound putting it in the back of the net to make it 3-0 for CESA. At that point, Mina started switching the boys around to play different positions and a guest player, a little boy from Drogheda was put in up front to play. The quality of play from our boys remained high. All our buys tried their best to get the local lad a goal but it was not be and the game ended with a 3-0 victory for our boys.
The two wins today brought our overall record for the trip to a respectable 3-3-2. Overall regardless of the outcomes, this was a great opportunity for our boys to experience both soccer and culture on a different level.
Even more so than the first match of the day, the play of our boys in this match was wide-open with lots of space being created, balls being switched consistently to open wings, and plenty of space for attacking dribbles. There were several good opportunities.
Just as in the earlier match of the day, our boys struck for a goal in the 10th minute of the match. Jack received a ball outside the 18 yard box with his back to the goal, held off a defender who would not let him turn, and played a drop ball to Mitchell who struck a hard shot from 30 yards out over the extended arms of the opposing keeper for a very nice goal. There were several more good chances for the boys in the first half but some good goalkeeping kept the boys at bay for a 1-0 CESA lead at halftime.
Shortly into the second half in the 32nd minute, Brett made a nice tackle in the midfield to possess the ball, dribbled around a defender in toward goal, and struck a beautiful shot from 20 yards out for the score to make it 2-0. Again in the 40th minute, Brett took possession of the ball, dribbled to the right of the box, crossed to Seth who shot from 10 yards, it was saved and deflected by the keeper, and Jack finished off the rebound putting it in the back of the net to make it 3-0 for CESA. At that point, Mina started switching the boys around to play different positions and a guest player, a little boy from Drogheda was put in up front to play. The quality of play from our boys remained high. All our buys tried their best to get the local lad a goal but it was not be and the game ended with a 3-0 victory for our boys.
The two wins today brought our overall record for the trip to a respectable 3-3-2. Overall regardless of the outcomes, this was a great opportunity for our boys to experience both soccer and culture on a different level.
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