After the workout, Coach Felix took the boys for some technical work, as I took the Goalkeepers and worked with them. I came up with a workout that ended up being pretty fun. I had them working on their reaction speed. All four keepers (nine year-old Sam included) were amazing today. After the session, Owen, one of the keepers thanked me for the session and how much he enjoyed it. It actually really made my day that the kids can appreciate what we do.
Another group pic in their ITP shirts.
We broke for lunch at the mall again. Of course it's a 20 minute walk, but they need practice on walking together as a team, as we'll be doing a lot of that in Spain. Once back from lunch, it was visible the boys were completely worn out. I rushed them to get their gear on, and decided to take them through a foam roll session using their soccer balls. All the groans kept me laughing, as their sore bodies were really feeling it. Below is a picture of a kid named Darius. He gets called out a lot, he's somewhat absent minded, but what I love about this kid is he always has a smile on his face.
The boys did another technical session, and goalkeepers wanted me to work with them some more. I worked on their lateral motion coming across the goal and receiving the ball off a cross. By the end of the session, my ankles were so bruised from shooting so much. I love to shoot, but man... I've got to remember to wear my long socks for that.
The second emotional part of the day came at the very end of training when the boys were scrimmaging. The ball had ended up on the right wing with James, and he went in hard to hit his shot. Unfortunately, the defender had gotten a piece of his shot, and it ended up breaking his wrist. He went down in pain, and Coach Neil and I did our best to keep him calm and take care of his arm. It was visibly broken. Luckily his mom was there and we sent him straight to the hospital. Who knows why things happen, but it was such a freak accident. Both James and Jake were doing the right things, and it sucks that things like this has to happen. It's yet another reminder that what we do can be taken away at any moment, so don't take anything for granted. It's such a privilege to play soccer. It was awesome to see the boys band together and cheer Jake off the field.
After training, I was lucky enough to get my laundry done so I can start packing for Spain. This was my very first laundromat experience. It was a little scary. I'm so glad I had the Florida crew to take care of me.
Camilo and Tyler (I almost just called him Jake "Gibson") doing work... sort of.
After laundry, we heard that the morning training session was canceled, so I did a pool recovery workout with the Florida boys. After what I've put them through this week, they were very scared. I promised they'd feel better tomorrow. They were hilarious. Poor guys are so sore.
Even though the Utah boys are meeting some new awesome people, I've been a little sad they haven't been close by like the Florida kids. Maybe next time we'll have them do the hotel thing too. Spain will be different, so I'm looking forward to that. Of course I check in nightly with a text to the boys to get their feedback. This is what they had to say.
Sly: "What did you like most about today? What did you like least? Who did you learn more about and what did you learn?"
Marshall: *Yes, he finally responded... "I liked the 4v4+2. It really helped with the transitioning from defense to offense. I didn't have anything I didn't like. I talked to Owen and learned that he plays goalie in hockey also."
Alex: "I loved search and destroy the most today! The thing I liked least was the warm-up Coach Felix had us do because it involved running. Today I got to learn about Ryo. He used to live in New York and Tokyo. I'm glad I get to stay with him in Spain, I kinda want to get to know him a little more."
*"Search and destroy" is my term for the foam rolling. You search for a painful spot, and hold on it, hopefully destroying it at least in half.
James: "I think we both know what I liked least about today!!" "What I liked about today was spending time with the team... Getting closer with everyone... Maybe my least favored part was a good thing? Because it made me feel connected with the boys that were cheering me up. I learned that Kyle, big boy, but big heart. He showed that after the 'incident'"
Today I have to say I really missed my teams back home. It was the 12's and 14's first games at Cache Cup. I hate not being there for my teams, but luckily I was able to FaceTime both teams. You've got to love technology! I'm looking forward to moving on tomorrow. I'm done with D.C. It's been great, I really love it here, but I'm ready for some intense learning.
**An update on Jake. His arm is broken, no surgery is required, and they'll be casting it in the morning. He's still traveling, but will most likely be unable to play. I really feel for this kid too.
"The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; And how you handle disappointment along the way."
-Robert Kiyosaki
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