On to Day 3's events. Because we had two games and the temperatures were high and the humidity oppressive, we had a fairly mellow day. Breakfast at 9:00 AM was followed by "down time," which consisted of TV viewing and arcade play in the hotel.
At about 11:45 AM we headed over for our first game of the day against the Naperville Lightning. (Click the name to read more about this club.) At half time, the game was 2-3, with a final score of 2-7. The boys played better than yesterday; they seemed more comfortable and were very excited to score on this tough team. (Austin scored one, and Daniel H. got a beautiful penalty kick into the net.) The heat was incredible, mostly due to humidity. The boys liked this team; they said they were nice guys, and our team stuck around to chat with them after the game. We plan to watch them play Cruz Azul this afternoon. (NOTE: there are about 100 pictures at the Flickr site. Warren is getting pretty good with his camera, so be sure and check it out for lots more pictures of the games!)
We headed over to a local restaurant called Chipotle for a yummy, fresh lunch. If you have been to Qdoba, you know what Chipotle is like. They were incredibly fast, and the food was light, fresh, and delicious.
(Poor Charlotte...she was so hot and feeling a bit tired...)The boys also got a lemon ice from the Culver's across the street from our hotel as a light refreshment. Some more downtime and laundry washing followed.
Our next game was against the Northern Lights United Soccer Club, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Playing at 7:10 PM really seemed to help the boys; the air was not as hot and they played even better than previously. The final score was 0-4; we are improving with each game. We had several shots on goal, including one that hit the post. The boys were moving the ball better than they have been, and they again played their hardest. I have not seen these guys give up even once; it has been awesome to watch.
The boys rode back to the hotel this time instead of walking. It's fun to listen in on their comments. Several times I have heard boys mention that they will "really school when we get back to Anchorage." They seem to feel that they are raising their level of play...I t's great to hear them finding the positives.
Apparently this team used some language on the field. Jake and Jordan both mentioned overhearing expletives from the players; Jordan told one of them he "owed him a quarter!" The player wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, LOL!
Dinner was at Culver's, and then they had a dip in the pool. It is quite a sight: 15 rough and rowdy boys wrestling in that tiny pool. They had an absolute ball, and fell asleep without any trouble!
Today they are heading off for a clinic on "finishing," followed by watching the Naperville boys take on Cruz Azul. Then they'll have some free time to take part in some USA Cup activities, a game at 7:10, and the ... dance ... really. There is a dance this time. I promise!
And...yes...I did visit a yarn shop. That's a post for the other blog though. ;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment