Győr rolls out the red carpet: Girls ODP (Day 6)

Day 6 for the '00 Girls; a day of travel, games and new places!

Leaving the confines of Vienna and heading towards Budapest, Hungary, the anticipation of a new locale was evident amongst the teams. Our first Hungarian match would take place in a small town called Gyor, which was about an hour and half commute from Vienna. Arriving to  face our opponent, Eto Gyor, we were welcomed with professional facilities in the shadows of a giant stadium; a place we will return to for the Hungary v. Croatia game on Saturday evening.  

This match undoubtedly would prove difficult after a late match the previous night in Altenmarkt. Both coaches and players expected heavy legs. Upon the whistle, it was evident that Eto Gyor was more of even matchup for the '00 team. Facing older and more experienced opponents has lost a little of its shock value and now the team just shows up to play. The first half was slow from the VA side but we managed to get to halftime with only a 1-0 deficit to face. Following a few simple tactical adjustments and a lift in effort and spirits, VA started the second half with determination. At the 46:50 mark, Danielle Toone picked off a pass in the midfield to convert our first opportunity and tie the game 1-1. Shortly after, Eto Gyor, got the go-ahead goal, 2-1. A noticeable increase in effort and movement both with and without the ball showed the girls that they were in control of most of the possession for the second half. At the 72:00 mark, Danielle Toone, who incessantly picked apart Eto's midfield and defense, went on a 30 yard run with the ball to dish it off to Aileen (Beanie) Guthrie for the right footed finish. The final result 2-2, and a point to be rewarded for all the hard work of this team.

Champions!

Following a brief lunch and walkabout in Gyor, it was back on the bus to head to our next hotel in Visegrad, Hungary. Nestled in the countryside on the River Danube, the teams are enjoying a step up in accommodations- bowling alley, pool, ping pong, hot tub, and karaoke contests which started last evening. Hands down, the '00 Girls are the World Champions of Karaoke selection and performance. Visegrad has welcomed us with open arms and we are looking forward to continuing our adventures for the close out portion of our trip.  

Tina Lowery, Assistant Coach 2000

2002 Girls:

The 2002s rolled out of their Venetian beds on time and hopped on the bus for Hungary with tired, heavy legs and, very positive spirits. 

Game time at Gyor to kickoff at 11:15am local time. Wait... That changed to 11:00am once we take the field to get ready-Lots of other "fun" conversations on and off the field. A bruising battle with little football being played was to follow. One thing our coaching staff knows about our whole 2002 Pool is that they won't shy away from physical play and can bring it. We proved we can play futbol at a high level now, can we stand up in this type of game. And yes... We are tired. 

They score less than 30 seconds in, I think? No problem, within 20 min we have scored 2 and it is clear, we will go nose to nose. Some tough tackling and some futbol sprinkled in, we squander chance after chance and give up no more shots and squeak a 2-1 win. Rest needed now!

The rest of the day was fantastic, fabulous Hungarian meal, walking around and shopping in Gyor. Travel to our new home in Hungary, with bowling, karaoke and some pool time.

Smiles... 

Paul Shaw, Head Coach 2002 

Travel to Hungary: Boys ODP (Day 6)

Blog from teams are coming.... today was a travel day and we did some sightseeing.

How about, 10 Euros? Boys ODP (Day 5)

2002 Boys:

Game time!

The '02's began day 5 with another hearty and fulfilling breakfast before winding their way through the cobblestone streets of Vienna to take on their third opponent of FC Stadblau. Wanci Nana opened the scoring when he finished off a scramble in front with a thundering blast to the far corner. The Stadblau team, with good technique and fluid movements pierced the Virginian defense to finish of a five pass sequence and level the match at 1-1.

After shifting to a 3 man back line and a five-man midfield the Americans disrupted the flow and were then able to gain a foothold in the match. The back and forth kept the fans on the edge of their seat until again Nana, four minutes from time,  barreled his way through three Stadblau defenders to elegantly slide it in the far corner with savvy and guile beset of a La Liga pro.

They dined afterwards at the host's clubhouse, said their goodbyes and once again set out to conquer Vienna's shopping district. Upon their heavy legged return they were treated to a special and final night meal from Chef Heinrich. The culinary special of salad, tortellini and the home made desert of tiramisu finished off the evening. And are now off to bed.

We set off for Budapest tomorrow playing well, feeling healthy and looking forward to a new country and continuing adventure.

Gordon Miller, VYSA TD, Head Coach Boys 2002

2001 Boys:

Boys were up and ready to go for another day in Vienna, Austria.  (“No kangaroos in Austria”) That is the local joke.  The players met with the coaching staff and there was a fire in their eyes.  On the bus and off to drop the girls off at First Vienna Soccer Club.  After driving across the Danube River the bus pulled up to the FC Stadlau  to play our 3^rd match of the trip.  As we exited the bus, 4 and 5 year old boys were in their training kits and having a soccer camp.  It was so cool to see the young Austrian boys playing, running and turning cartwheels all over the pitch.  

The 02 boys pulled off a 2-1 win over a solid side.  The 01s had their turn on the field and walked off with a 3-2 victory and smiles on their faces.  Two goals from Big Alex and another goal from Elijah after an assist from Lane.  All of the boys from each of the teams and the coaching staff had a tasty lunch in the clubhouse. 

Don't look!

Everyone returned to the hotel.  The boys got ready and headed to the market.  They had the opportunity to haggle and shop.  The same jersey was purchased for 32 Euros, then 29, then 20, then 15 and Tyler was the shopper of the day at a daily low of 10 Euros!  Off to the center of town for a scavenger hunt for the “sport” shop.  And finally the boys showed the coaches how to get to the underground metro, buy tickets and navigate their way back to our hotel.  It was a proud moment for the staff to see how they had grown and were showing some great responsibility away from home.  Dinner, journals and foosball.  

Boys are tired and in their rooms.  Last night in Vienna.  Memories were made once again.

Budapest…..here we come.

Shay Bell, Assistant Coach Boys 2001 

Pure Class: Girls ODP (Day 5)

How did the referee get into the pic?

For the 2002s, a relatively late wake-up of 7:30am greeted Day 5. An 11am kickoff vs First Vienna, one of the oldest clubs in Vienna. 

In our match analysis' of opponents, today presented the fourth different formation in four games. Not sure we want to heap all the credit on Dr. Dano on his "GOT YOUR BACK" team building session before the match... but we would experience our best soccer playing performance of the tour. Hail started to fall as the game kicked off, and both teams exchanged chances with us eventually getting a hold of the game as per possession. Chances created and a solid defensive performance... Unfortunately, we drop the best match we have played, 2 nil on a couple of set pieces.

Quality brick oven-pizza lunch in Vienna, some more team bonding over "Kinder-Eggs" and a dominant foosball performance by the coaches. Yes, I was a ringer in high school and always left with a few extra quarters in my pocket after lunch but they won't know that till they read this blog!

The tour continues...Hungary here we come!

Paul Shaw, Head Coach 2002 Girls

'00 - Game Day #2! 

Being that we had some time before the kick off of game 2 - 5:30pm vs. SKV Altenmarkt Frauen, we embarked on an adventure to the outdoor market in Vienna. The girls bought subway tickets, learned to read a subway map and how to handle negotiations in the market place. To be honest, most of the experience was an edible adventure, but nonetheless it was a fun day out and about in the crowd. 

Later in the afternoon we headed to a field outside Vienna about an hour away to a town called Altenmarkt. As we left the hustle and bustle of the city, it was refreshing to see rolling hills and mountainside. Our hosts again were class as they had an American flag posted at the field and played our national anthem; a truly humbling moment for both players and coaches. 

2000s vs SKV Altenmarkt

The team had a slow start on kickoff when looking across to players that were much older, bigger and "married" as said by the girls. SKV Altenmarkt went up 1-0 quickly as we still worked through our nerves. The equalizer came by Aileen (Beanie) Guthrie with a 30 yard bomb over the head of the opposing gk. Solid performance by first half GK Miranda Walker with multiple saves. We entered halftime down 2-1. 

With a riveting halftime speech about overcoming fears, the second half started with a renewed energy. Defensive performances by Shelby Hachtel and Gk Grace Gurrola were critical to our team organization . In addition, impressive attacking mentalities by Hailey Gump and Danielle Toone allowed us more opportunities. The final ended up 3-1 but against a veteran squad with 3 current and 3 past Slovakian national team players;  a fantastic result !  

We are closing it down here in Austria and ready for Hungary! 

Tina Lowrey, Assistant Coach ODP 2000 Girls

Cage Match: Boys ODP (Day 4)

2001s warming up in soccer cage

Well into the swing of the things now, the two Virginia based teams embarked on their fourth day in this beautiful European capital. The '01's and '02's, after Heinrich's breakfast, walked to a local park to stretch and regenerate the body. The older boys found a little 3v3 urban soccer field (a cage reminiscent of an MMA bout) and after a walk thru decided to try to their luck against each other, the cage came to life. The younger team walked the other direction and conducted their session at a large elegant park which was more reminiscent of something out of a scene from an old Austrian-Hungarian Emperor's winter palace.

2002s vs FC Wien

Later that day the '02's kicked off against FC Wien (Vienna) where they battled to a hard fought 1-1 draw in their small intimate stadium. Diego Gomez converted his penalty kick when Danni Chica was brought down in the box. James Anderson saved the day when, late in the match, silenced the crowd with two world class saves back to back.

The next game saw the '01's give up a goal in each half and lose to their FC Wein hosts 2 nil. "After a hard game the night before, our boys really battled and could have easily tied this match," claimed VYSA's TD, Gordon Miller. Head Coach John Short commented, "This team is listening, learning and applying Dr. Dan 's sports psych lessons as well adapting to the pace quicker than I thought they'd would. This is a great experience for everyone."

Another quality meal as both teams dined on pasta, salad and chocolate mousse before crawling their tired bodies into their beds for the night.

All is well with the spirit and health of the group.

Gordon Miller, VYSA TD, Head Coach 2002 Boys