88’s – Super Y-League Select Team Contact Diane Potter
Day ten was a day of rest. The team traveled about 100 km to the medieval walled city of Rottenburg. We had two translators and our German drivers to get us around the city. It was the hottest day of the year but the huge Christmas shop gave the illusion of cool. Boys enjoyed local bakery specialties and gelato. Dinner was in neighboring town of Burgsinn where the tourney is to be held. Locals are getting used to seeing ketchup on wiener-schnitzel.

 

90’s – Super Y-League Select Team Manager Brian Klein
We started the day with a one hour walking tour of Freiburg. It is a beautiful town. I think the boys are really comfortable here. That would be with the exception of the extreme heat wave that is hitting Europe. It is usual to find air conditioning here making the weather a big challenge.
 
The tour was given by one of the counselors at SC Freiburg. Her name was Stephanie. She was extremely knowledgeable about the city and the boys seemed really interested.  They particularly liked the Munster, a great cathedral, considered one of the top examples of Gothic architecture in the world. A few even decided to climb the tower. They learned how Freiburg started as a “free city.” It was not ruled by a king and had no slaves. They also told about the system of small canals throughout the city.  They were used in the past to protect it from danger of fire.
 
The Super Y-League and Freiburg coaches decided because of the heat and challenging schedule, it was not in the boys´ best interest to have another game. They put together a practice that opened our boys´ horizons up quite a bit. They saw what they have been seeing on the field from their opponents was not a coincidence. 

 

From the moment the German players hit the practice field it is all about business. They play with a focus and concentration that is on 100% of the time. There is no chatting in the lines and every pass is treated like it is important. The focus is on fundamentals and concentration. Even small things are corrected. There is also a lot of movement in their drills. Our boys adjusted quickly but the difference was clear.
 
To be fair it must be pointed out that the German boys are already quasi-professionals.  The club makes a large investment in them. For every player here there are another 100 vying to take his place. They are fully dedicated to playing in the Bundesliga and even at their current level only two or three from their club will make it in a good year. They grow up in a soccer world, seeing it regularly on TV and living it. It is more like a high power Division I football environment than what we know as a youth soccer in the United States. 
 
Today there was a boy from Barcelona who has been offered professional contracts in Spain trying out. He was big, strong, and skilled. Despite they decided after just one practice to cut him. They did not feel he was better than what they had and to invest in him rather than a local boy made little sense. I think he would have been a national team player in the U.S.  It is just that tough here.
 
At any rate the boys had a blast and I strongly believe they will all be considerably better players when they come back to the U.S. Their eyes have been opened and they have seen the bar being raised.
 
Many people at home have asked me if the boys have been discouraged by the scores of the games. Most of them are not used to losing and have never been on the losing side of a game four times in a row. I am actually very surprised at how upbeat they are.  They realize they are playing against bigger, stronger and often older boys who come from unique programs.  They are comfortable that their skill level is close in many areas and know with the right type of work they can get to a much higher level. 
 
The team feels like they have had tough games. They have been treated with respect and played the games much closer than the scores indicate. They have learned that against great teams, the little mistakes can make a close game appear not so close. They are also encouraged by the success of the 88’s and feel they are not so far off from them. With two years left to mature and put in training, they will have similar success.
 
Tomorrow we will practice one more time with the Freiburg coaches, which the boys have truly loved. We will then leave for our last city, Reichenbach. It is a four hour bus ride. I am optimistic that we will do well in the tournament there. 

 

88’s – Diane Potter
The team traveled to Framsbach, about 30 minutes away. They played a friendly game with a more casual demeanor with the town’s semi-pro team who is sponsored by the local brewery. Most players were in their twenties and some were bigger and stronger but lacked the skill of our boys. Frankie Lopez scored in the 20th minute off a dribble up the middle.

 

Julian Harnasch showed great effort when he got back on defense just in time to stop the only shot on goal in the half. Matt Dwyer received a yellow card for a late foul shortly before half, which ended 1-0.

 

Framersbach lost possession repeatedly to our high energy midfield. Their backfield allowed the U.S. to control more than two thirds of the game. Many scoring opportunities were available but were left unfinished until in the 75th minute. Kyle Montgomery threaded a pass to Nick James who finished strong.  The game ended 2-0 with Corey Whisenhunt earning a clean sheet.

 

Ollie, an eighteen-year-old player from one of our host families indicated the U.S. was clearly the better side even though his cousin played for Framersbach.

 

Ty Keough, the assistant coach for U.S. found the game a worthwhile experience. He mentioned it was a good to play on a large field, the size of which the team will see in the tournament. Both coaches emphasized the need to finish our chances. Our tournament activities get underway Friday evening with three games on Saturday.