Thursday would be their last day in Freiburg.  It was to be a long full day. The morning was spent at a practice session run by the SC Freiburg coaches. They worked on a variety of skills including crosses and finishing, juggling, dribbling and games that emphasized specific combinations. It was a tough practice that stretched the boys. The record heat added one more challenge, but they enjoyed it. After practice they all individually thanked the Freiburg coaches for a great few days and took the now familiar streetcar back to the hotel.

 

There we were picked up by a bus that would take us through the Black Forest to the town of Reichenbach.

 

About two hours into the ride a large imposing castle on top of a mountain was noticed in the distance. This was the home of the Hoehenzollern/Prussian family, which is the royal family of Germany. 
The boys were amazed by how imposing it looked from so far away. About 40 miles later we took the exit and headed up a winding road to visit it.

 

We took a shuttle bus further up another winding road to reach it gates and walked about ten more minutes towards the castle before we reached its courtyard.

 

They were awestruck by the largeness of it. We took a tour and learned it was built in 1850. The construction took 25 years to complete. It was the third castle on this site dating back to 1050. The tour took us through about ten rooms including the bedrooms, ballrooms, offices, and greeting rooms.
 
We also saw the crown, which is considered priceless. This was the most memorable tour taken on the trip.

 

Reichenbach is a town of 8,000 people on the banks of the Fils River. Our boys arrived in much better spirits. During the bus ride there was real apprehension about staying with guest families. Many of them changed their minds when they saw the enthusiasm awaiting them and realized each host had a boy their age.
 
They all went to the homes to unpack and then we met at the clubhouse for dinner. Spirits were even better and they were all excited about their accommodations.

 

Day Twelve - Friday- July 21
Friday brought the Mercedes Benz tour. We were able to include some of the German boys who decided to miss school for the opportunity. It was a wonderful museum. The team was able to see all the cars built by the Daimler and Benz families going back to the late 1800’s. The museum went to great strides to show how the development of the cars worked went hand in hand with the development of society over the past 120 years. Of course the boys were most interested in the racecars and the auto dealership connected to the museum that had three full floors of the newest Mercedes cars. 

 

International Friendly – Ulm SV
We played against Ulm SV that evening. Ulm is a club from a mid-sized city that plays in the top youth division in Germany. It has a close association with Bayern Munich. After playing all-star and older teams it was nice to see one our age. The Super Y-League team started off quickly and created many chances. Ulm was not ready for our countering and our team continued to exploit their offside trap only to miss the chances given. Fernando Monge eventually put the ball in the goal, giving us a us a 1-0 lead that held to the half.

 

In the second half Ulm was awarded a PK, which quickly tied the score. Ten minutes later they took the lead 2-1 on a free kick over our wall. With about 15 minutes left in the game Joey Spivak found a crease in the Ulm defense and tied the score 2-2.

 

In another lesson of the intensity of German soccer the boys saw Ulm come back and retake the lead in less than a minute to make it 3-2 Ulm SV.

 

The game then started to go back and forth when suddenly with two minutes left Monge dribbled the ball around the corner of the Ulm defense, drew three defenders to him and, dished the ball to an open Spivak in front of the goal who tapped it in giving the U.S. boys a 3-3 tie. The team left with a funny feeling – relived that they had not lost but knowing that they had let a great opportunity to win get away.

 

Day Thirteen - Saturday - July 22
On Saturday a still tired but determined Super Y Select Team showed up to the Reichenbach Cup determined to have a good showing. The record heat and humidity continued, but since all teams had to play under the same conditions the team was not distracted. The biggest obstacle we were facing was having played a tough game the night before. This was an important tournament against teams that were well-rested and very prepared for the event.
 
International Tournament – Reichenbach Cup
The boys played great in all their group play matches. If not for a first minute goal given up to a Youth Bundesliga team and eventual champion Stuttgart Kickers, they would have reached the championship game rather than the match for third place.

 

In that game, the team showed a good deal of grit and determination in winning their overtime match and showing some stylish soccer in doing so. For the day there were lots of individual standouts and the team as a whole played better than they had throughout the tour with the continued exception of continued frustration of not being able to capitalize on numerous goal scoring opportunities. Opposing coaches regularly commented on the boys' high skill level but were also quick to point out how we were deficient in finishing attacking opportunities.

 

They found the contrast between the hard work to gain the opportunities and the wastefulness of the shots afterward.

 

Coach Roby Stahl
The boys played really well today. It was nice to play against a few more teams our own age and size rather than the older and larger teams we have been seeing. At this level that makes a huge difference.

 

It is clear the boys are coming along. Obviously, I would have like to have more wins like today on the trip. It would have been simple to book an easier trip in terms of schedule and come home with better results but would the players have improved the way I believe they have over the last 12 days? I doubt it. 

 

We have taken on the toughest teams we could find and thrown a good deal of challenges at our boys. They can all say they have measured themselves against the best in the world. They all have a much clearer idea of where they stand and what they need to do to get to that level.  I am fully convinced they will all become significantly better players because of their experience here.

 

That being said I expect to have stronger results next year. And for the boys who plan on returning next season – they will have a much clearer idea of what to expect and a whole year to prepare.

One must realize this is our first time coming over. As organizers, we have a much better idea of what worked and what did not. We will make necessary adjustments with the goal of continually putting the players in the best position to grow and succeed. I'll also see if I can talk to the weather gods and try to arrange a little better cooperation.

 

We have one more game tomorrow against a really strong club. The boys will have a day and a half to rest before it. I expect to see a well-played game where they can incorporate a good deal of what they have learned.