Monday, March 24, 2008

Argentina. 3/24/11 PM

Monday, March 24

The teams have returned from a full day. The ‘91s played first today against Excursionistas. It was a tough game from the opening whistle…both teams played very physical styles and tried to put their stamp on the game early. Excursionistas had the better of the play throughout much of the first half and took a 2-0 lead into half time. Our boys played hard all the way through, and after a few adjustments by Coach Miranda, the second half was much more evenly contested. Excursionistas scored a third goal against the run of play, but our players never gave up. We battled our way back, scoring a goal by Coleman O’Neill. As we continued to press higher up field and tried to play a more direct style, we were able to catch them again…this time Luis Mendoza scored the goal. We created a couple more quality chances and really could have scored at least one or two more goals if not for some good goalkeeping and some misfortunes. It was definitely a learning experience for the boys.

The ‘93s played second and came out super-motivated having watched how hard the ’91s battled. We decided to play a more high pressure, higher tempo style of game and from the opening whistle were able to put Excursionistas on their back foot. Our possession was much better than in our previous match and we were creating several good scoring opportunities. At halftime the game was 0-0 but we certainly showed we were the better team. The second half brought more of the same, though our opponent made some tactical adjustments which made things a bit more difficult for us at the start. Our guys solved the problem on the field and continued to create a number of good scoring chances. With about seven minutes to play, Cody Albrecht broke free around the left side and was able to play a perfectly weighted cross into the box for Gabe Phillips to head into the back of the net. There were still a few more chances that we created, but we were unable to finish them. After the game the boys were very happy with their performance.

Following the games, the boys showered in the locker rooms at the Excursionistas stadium and we then headed down to the Tigre River area where we embarked on a 45 minute boat ride. The ride dropped us off on a little island where we were to have lunch at the Gato Blanco (White Cat) restaurant. The meal consisted of salad, baked chicken, and French fries. Desert was a great little fruit salad. After the meal, the boys were able to spend a little time stretching their legs outside the restaurant in a little park area. We then boarded the ship again and began our 45 minute return journey to where the bus was parked. It was a fun and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Many of the boys fell asleep while on the boat.

We have now returned to the hotel where we are getting showered up and will be having dinner around 8pm. Tonight’s dinner is expected to be a beef dinner, something the boys have been looking forward to. I think they’re a little tired of pasta meals, but the quality of the food continues to impress me.

Tomorrow we head to the City of La Plata after breakfast for a tour of the city and lunch. After lunch we will be playing against Estudiantes de La Plata at 4 and 5:30pm. After our return to Buenos Aires, we have been invited to attend a barbeque at the home of our main tour guide, Ricardo. He promises us a great meal so we are all looking forward to it! Tomorrow may be a long day, but I will do my best to keep you up to date when we finally return to the hotel.

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