SYL Select Teams Land in Germany
‘90’s drop 2-0 decision to FC Viktoria Plzen, ‘92’s win 6-3 over SSV Jahn Regensburg
 Thursday, July 12
PLZEN, CZECH REPUBLIC – The dust finally settled for the USL Super Y-League Select ’90 team today. Their first chance to catch their breath after departing the U.S. Monday, the team spent the morning training and the afternoon touring the city of Plzen in the Czech Republic.
Both teams landed in Munich, Germany on Tuesday, July 10. They transversed the hour separation between the Munich Airport and Regensburg before stopping for diner. Following their first meal in Europe, the ‘90’s re-boarded the bus set for Zenting, Czech Republic. The ‘92’s stayed in Regensburg and prepared to face SSV Jahn Regensburg the following day.
Upon arriving in Zenting, roughly an hour’s drive away from the ’92 team in Regensburg, the ’90 boys unloaded the bus, set up shop and began their first training session. Scott Cannon of Black Watch Rhode Island of the Super Y-League ran goalkeeper training sessions with keepers Cesar Rocha of the Santa Cruz County Breakers and Jordan Maman of the Chicago Magic. Neil Megson, formerly of the USL First Division Seattle Sounders, led the team based drills in preparation for their match with Viktoria Plzen. The session consisted of small procession drills before breaking into two, short-sided teams for an intra-squad scrimmage.
Wednesday, July 11 began bright and early for the ‘90’s. The team boarded a bus and shortly arrived at the match site for their game with Viktoria, a town named Tachov in the Czech Republic. Upon their arrival, the team was cordially welcomed by members of Viktoria Plzen and the Mayor of Plzen. Alexandra McKnight, the Press and Cultural Affairs Official from the U.S. Embassy in Prague accompanied the team. After a press conference in the stadium conference room and a small meal, the team prepared for their match.
Getting off on the wrong foot, the side allowed an early goal in the 4th minute.
“We let up that early goal and it felt like ‘Oh, here we go again,’” said SYL Select Team Veteran John Wargo of Cleveland Soccer Academy.
Wargo, a defensive midfielder chosen to represent the Super Y-League in consecutive tours, was a member of the 2006 Super Y-League ’89’s who visited and competed against various teams in Bavaria and Germany last season.
“Luckily this team is a bit more skilled and a lot more focused on the task at hand than the team we had last season,” added Wargo. “We came together pretty quickly for not having played as a unit for more than a few minutes and made a game of it. I felt we dominated the second half of the game but we just could not find the back of the net.”
The teams traded blows throughout the match, and the Super Y-League Select ‘90’s held the older and professionalized youth academy of goalkeeper Peter Cech of Chelsea and Pavel Nedved of the Czech Republic National Team scoreless for the better part of the match. The side’s defense was eventually broken down for a second time with the finish line in sight. The goal came in the 89th minute and the match ended 2-0 in favor of Viktoria Plzen’s U19 team.
Despite the loss, the team felt there were several positives to take away from the match. Following the game, the teams mingled at a diner designed to allow the boys dialogue with one another. Seated intertwined, the boys enjoyed a little cultural diffusion with their meal.
“There were nearly 1,000 people from the city who came out to see our match,” said Wargo. “They were out barbequing and enjoying themselves. That and the 80 by 120 field that looked like a putting green made this a great atmosphere to play a game.”
Back in Regensburg, the Super Y-League Select ‘92’s lit up the scoreboard for six goals against their international opponents, SSV Jahn Regensburg. The match was played at the same time as the ‘90’s match against Viktoria Plzen. It ended 6-3 in favor of the Americans.
The ’90 SYL Select Team awoke this morning to a light training session before taking the vast remainder of the day to tour the city of Plzen. The boys were allotted three hours of free time to explore the town and simply relaxed the remainder of the day in preparation of tomorrow’s match against the Lower Bavarian Regional Select Team. In Regensburg, the ‘92’s had a similar day to catch their breath before facing the East Bavarian Regional Select Team tomorrow.
The teams plan to focus on training and improving their play Saturday, July 14 before meeting up with one another back in Munich. There they will tour Allianz Arena, home to TSV 1860 Munich and Bayern Munchen of the German Bundesliga.
About the Super Y-League Select Tours of Germany
To become eligible for these tours players underwent a full season of evaluation through Super Y-League regular season play. Appraised by their club coaching staffs, the most elite players from the 2006 Super Y-League season were invited to attend the 2007 Super Y-League ODP National Camps in Cocoa, Florida. An Olympic Development Program sanctioned event, these camps serve dual purposes. Players are first evaluated directly by U.S. National Team Staff Members or recommended for inclusion in U.S. National Team Programs. The second motive of the SYL ODP National Camps, the top 20 players from every age group U13-U17 boys and girls, are named to a Super Y-League Select Team. These are those teams.
“These annual tours of Europe are yet another example of United Soccer Leagues’ emphasis on the importance of international development,” said USL President Francisco Marcos. “The most important component missing in the maturation process of American players is a lack of meaningful international competition. Players should take advantage of every opportunity to compete internationally. The Super-Y-League Select Team tours are one more step in the process of making USL a true international organization.”
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