Scotland: 3/24/08
We are in outstanding facilities at the Stirling Management Centre. The boys are having big fun while, on the other hand, it has been difficult adjusting to the level of play of our first two opponents. We lost both games but had many sustained successful periods and were at our best so far during the second half of the second game. Also, our coaches have been working hard to solve the problems during the training sessions, and I think we will be very prepared to face the Celtic squad on Monday.
Weather: The temperature would be quite tolerable if it weren't for the insistent winds.
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Sunday, March 23
10 PM:
Sunday, March 23
River Plate 2 – Velez Sarsfield 0. What an experience! The atmosphere was incredible. The visiting River Plate supporters (maybe 1,000 give or take) sang the entire match and most of the time were louder than the Velez fans. The eruption on the first goal was near deafening, and the second goal caused just as much euphoria for the away fans. However, we were seated in the VIP section of the home stands so our surroundings were pretty quiet most of the game. Still it was an incredible experience for the kids to see and hear the passion that our sport brings out around the rest of the world. Hopefully they bring home an understanding of the pride of playing for your club and the supporters.
Upon arriving back at the hotel, we had a 2 hour study period where the boys were asked to stay in their hotel rooms and work on whatever they brought with them. Of course some claimed they didn’t bring homework with them, but still we insisted that they find something productive to do
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Tango night was a blast!!! I think a lot of the boys were skeptical to say the least as we were heading out, but once we arrived they immediately jumped right into the fun. First they learned some “rock and roll” dance moves, while listening to some songs from the 1950’s. After learning some basic steps it was time to partner up…some of the guys were brave enough to pair up with some local girls, while others were brave enough to pair up with teammates. Either way they went, there were a lot of smiles and laughter. Then came dinner…a nice meal that began with some fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, followed up a pasta meal. Then it was back to the dance floor as the tango lessons began. I think some of our guys should stick to soccer, but there were quite a few future Fred Astaires out there! After some more dancing, it was back to the dinner table as the waitresses brought out some ice cream for the teams. Upon finishing their ice cream, some headed back to the dance floor to polish up their moves. A short ride back to the hotel came around midnight and the boys were all still talking about the experience.
This morning we are off from soccer to allow those who want to go to church the opportunity. We will be having a brunch around 11:30 and then at 12:45 heading out of the hotel to see River Plate play Velez Sarsfield. Velez is currently atop the league, while River Plate (traditionally one of the top teams in Argentina) is in second. It should be an awesome game.
We are scheduled to have dinner around 8pm this evening at a local restaurant called “Lo Rafael.” Our tour guides have told us that the Kansas City Wizards absolutely loved this restaurant when they were here last week. I know I am looking forward to it!
Happy Easter from Buenos Aires!!!
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