MADRID DAY 3

Day three began as early as usual.  I ran a quick recovery foam rolling session, after which Coach Neil lectured for a bit, and did a nail inspection.  Yes, a fingernail inspection.  You can tell a lot about a person's fingernails, and we found out that half the team bites their nails.  Only a handful of boys take good care of their nails.  Now this is some serious discipline.  We asked the boys if they wanted to be treated like pros, or just go on how they were.  They chose pros, so they must learn to be 100% disciplined.  This was all in preparation to go and watch the U19 Spain National Team train.  Those players are only within 4 years, and you can bet they didn't get where they are by coasting.  Most of those players have pro contracts in the EPL.

We finally broke for breakfast,  got all of our stuff for the day, and headed to the field where the National Team was training.  It was so awesome seeing such a high level of talent.  We only got to watch about 30-40 minutes of the session, unfortunately.

Adama, number 17 plays for Barca.  He was playing forward today.  You can see how physical this game is.

Hector, number 2 plays for Arsenal.  He was their right back.

Number 10 on blue made the starting team during training.  It was pretty cool to see the process.  He was wearing red (the blue team are the starters, and I'm sure some of the red as they were playing 8v8), and in between drills, one of the trainers ran to the locker room to bring him a blue jersey.  It goes to show you, it's not what you do in games that's the most important.  It's the effort you put into training.

After watching the National Team, we boarded the bus for downtown Madrid.  It was nice to get out and see the city a little bit.  We saw a few sites, the first being the Don Quixote Statue.

Next, the Plaza de Toros where they have the bullfights.

Then we were dropped off at the Plaza Mayor, which was pretty fun.  Don't ask me why, but the boys couldn't get enough of this goofy street performer.  It was someone doing a little dance to weird music.  According to Alex, it "made his day."

We broke into 3 groups, for lunch and free time.  All the Utah boys, Jake, Darius, Will, and Sam and his mom were with me.  While Will had to exchange money, we got to witness the police chase down a bootlegger.  It must have been a sting operation, because an undercover cop pulled out his stick.  It was pretty awesome.  I was too slow to get my camera out, though, so sorry.  No pics or video.

We ate at a little cafe that had the best lemonade ever, and I ordered pasta and tapas.   *We're all in for lunch.

More street performers.  Alex was so excited he got to wear street performer's gear that it made James and Marshall want to join in the fun.

You know it's a good day when you can find a Nike store!  This is one happy Sly.  :)

After shopping, we loaded the bus once again to head to the Real Madrid Training Facilities for training.  When we were entering the facilities, there were people lined up with cameras.  Apparently the first team was there training and people wait for them to leave to get pictures.  Unfortunately we didn't see anyone while we there.

The boys did some awesome possession drills that I can't wait to do with my teams back home.  This was just the stuff I came for.  Most of it was all two touch soccer.  Actually all of today was 2-3 touch soccer and keeping the ball on the ground.  Go figure...

They ended with a scrimmage, and a little wrap up session with the coaches.  I loved everything they had to say.  They called out Gianni for his style of play, it being "very American," meaning he just turns and goes towards the goal.  They Real Madrid way is to pass and drop the ball back to your midfield, not turn every time.  They really reinforce two touch soccer.  Passing and moving, and always communicating.  Just... playing the easy simple pass.

After training, we headed back to the hotel for dinner, where they had hamburgers and pasta prepared for us.  Again, after dinner we had a long discussion with the boys on discipline and professionalism.  We talked about our coaching courses and how there will always be some coaches that won't pass.  This experience is really no different.  Some will pass, some will not, in terms of retaining and applying the knowledge they are gaining from this experience.  We want the boys to really appreciate this opportunity and use it to change the way the play, the way they think, and gain more responsibility not only for them, but their peers.  It's really amazing how much one year makes.  The 15's are fairly easy to manage.  The 14's, on the other hand, most are clueless and are amongst those who would fail this experience.  The 15's definitely have room to grow, and one kid (I won't name names) forgot his training jersey to training tonight, and was unable to train.  Eventually, one of the injured players swapped out his jersey so he could join the training session.  Tomorrow the boys have room inspection, and probably fingernail inspection again.  I hope over the next 5 days we can have an impact on them that will change them for the better long term.

"Change is the end result of all true learning."

-Leo Buscaglia

MADRID DAY 2

Today was a fun day for everyone.  We headed out to the Real Madrid Training Facilities for the boys' first session.  They received their Real Madrid training kits, got changed, and hit the field.  The boys split into their teams and an Academy Coach ran a session for each team.  I don't know if they were still suffering from jet lag or what, but both teams were edgy with each other, getting after one another for bad passes, or not getting open, or not moving fast enough.  It was a little funny.

The 15's are looking pretty sharp.

SDI Coaches and the Real Madrid Academy Coaches.

We were on field 10!

After the first training session, we broke for lunch.  It was pretty gross.  They packed a couple of sandwiches for us, but by the time lunch came around, they were soggy.  While at lunch, though, we saw a white Audi drive past and the guy inside looked like Cristiano Ronaldo.

After lunch, we went on a tour of the facilities.  The staff said the Manager, Carlo Ancelotti was there, so we were limited on the places we could go.  We toured the locker rooms, the 2nd team field, their fitness room, indoor training room, medical section, and their press room.

At 2:00, the boys' second session started, and they felt more at ease.  The coach had the 15's do a fun drill where the boys had to play holding someone's hand.  It was pretty funny to watch.  Some kids got dragged, some got plowed over, some belted with the ball.

Before we boarded the bus back to our hotel, we got a quick shot of the fountain in the front.  This is one of my favorite pics from the trip so far.

I actually got a run in before we headed off to the mall for dinner, which was nice.  It was some good reflection time for me.  While running, I ran passed a couple of basketball/futsal courts.  Players in Europe are so good, because soccer is a way of life for them.  You don't see futsal courts back home.  Could you imagine if our country embraced the game more and it became more of our lifestyle?  We might finally be able to compete with these countries.

So at dinner time, Neil and I decided to start a new Spain tradition, where we eat an ice cream cone before dinner.  Haagen-Dazs has this amazing creme brulee ice cream.  I'm addicted.  We then ate at some Turkish restaurant, which was... okay, but not great.  I was starting to get sleepy, so I decided to walk around and that's where I met up with the boys at an American Restaurant.  They tried to go to the Chinese buffet, but they kept changing the opening time.  Restaurants here open late for dinner.  Anyway, it was nice to spend some quality time with them and catch up.  Here's the highs and lows for today...

Sly: "So what was your favorite part of today?  What was your favorite moment?  And what was your least favorite thing?"

Alex:  "Knowing that I was training where the Madrid players play... training at the Real Madrid facility."  "Best moment???  I really actually liked when we were playing 6v6, but we had to hold hands with another player."

Sly:  "That was your best moment?  Holding hands with another guy?"

Alex:  *Laughs "No, it really made it fun.  Like, it was different.  It was a challenge.  You were with one person who saw a different run from what you thought would have been a good run, so it was different.  I liked it."

James: "Favorite part was visiting the Real Madrid Academy."  "Favorite moment was probably doing that drill shooting, when you make your shot, you move to the next level.  I liked making my first shot, because I felt like I was on top of the world."  "Least favorite part was the first time I got on the field, I was so excited to play that I slipped twice on the same knee, so it's bloody."

Marshall:  "Favorite part of today was getting my new training gear.  Favorite moment about today was making my one shot in the drill where you move up to the next level."  "My least favorite part of today was......"

Alex:  "Getting nutmegged by Camilo?  Like what? TEN times?!"

Marshall:  "It was only threeee."

Sly:  "MARSHALL!  Close your legs, buddy!"

Brandon: "My favorite part about today was touring the Real Madrid Academy."  "My favorite moment was a half volley upper 90 goal during the scrimmage."  "My least favorite part would be probably having to mark one of the older dudes (academy coaches)."

Sly: "Because they were good?"

Brandon:  "They just plow right over you."

Alex: "Did you see me have to defend that one keeper guy?  I was like... what do I do?  He's going to school me."  "My least favorite part was probably having to defend him.  I was like, sitting there, dancing around."

I actually got video of this conversation, which is funnier to watch, but I couldn't get it to upload.  They were cracking me up.  The boys then asked me about tomorrow morning, and if we were really running.  I told them we weren't, we changed the plans.  We have too many minor injuries.  This was James' response.

James:  "Good, cause I can't bend my knee because it's tight from the turf burn, and if we were gonna run, I was gonna have to... cry it out."

Tomorrow we tour Madrid in the morning & afternoon before their evening training session.  It'll be a nice break from the two-a-days.  Can't wait to see more of the city.

"A dream doesn't become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work."

-Colin Powell

MADRID DAY 1

Getting to Madrid wasn't easy.  First, the airlines were having a hard time with all the passports.  Their system kept crashing.  Second, our flight leaving for Newark was delayed almost two hours, which would put us missing our connecting flight to Madrid.  We left from Ronald Reagan airport (BWI), and flew over D.C.  It is seriously so pretty there.  I didn't get the greatest shot, we were on a tiny plane, but I did my best.  Below is the Potomac River.

Luckily, our connecting flight in Newark held the plane for us.  We got a little bit of special treatment as our group got to deplane first and we all had to run to our connecting gate.  Of course one kid left his passport on the plane, so Coach Neil had to stay back with him to retrieve it.

The flight to Madrid was pretty long, and the food was TERRIBLE.  It was probably the grossest thing I've eaten in a while.  I didn't eat much of it.  We tried to sleep a little, they served us another gross breakfast, and we were finally landing.  Of course when we got to the baggage claim, another kid apparently didn't get his bag he checked at the gate from the BWI to Newark flight, so he had no luggage.  Luckily he still had his ticket stub, so hopefully he'll get his stuff tomorrow.

The charter bus and our guides to us to our accommodations.  Yes... we are staying at Ciudad del Futbol.  That's where the Spanish National team trains.

They served us lunch, again, it was not great.  They did hand out an awesome surprise for the boys though... they received the brand new Real Madrid authentic jersey.  I was going to get a shot of the Utah boys, but Shashank and Yvonn were so excited they wanted to jump in.  Of course pokey little Marshall is still unwrapping his jersey from the packaging.  I need to find a way to speed that kid up.

We took a little tour to the field where the Spain National team trains.  It was pretty amazing.

These are the three coaches.  Coach Felix, who's from Florida and coaches the Florida boys, Coach Neil, and of course me.

We then did a light training session.  All the boys struggled, Utah boys especially.  Fatigue and probably poor nutrition and dehydration really showed.  The boys couldn't focus all that well.  They need to step it up now, though, cause they're in Spain.

After training, we showered and walked a few blocks to the mall where we ate dinner.  Neil and I went for the ice cream first.  The other girl is Nikki, who's there as our photographer.

While we were still trying to decide to eat, we ran into some of the U19 Spain National Team players.  These will be the future stars of Spain.  Adama Traore plays for Barcelona, Hector Bellerin plays for Arsenal, and Alfonso plays for Real Madrid.  There was another player that plays for Barcelona, but we didn't get his name.  It was pretty cool running into these guys.  They were very nice, and hopefully we'll get to watch one of their training sessions since they're here until Wednesday.

The night pretty much ended here.  We ate, got some more ice cream :) then headed back to the hotel so the boys could finally go to sleep.  Hopefully I can finally get up early and get a jog in before the day begins tomorrow.  All is well, though, the boys are having a great time, and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Oh yeah, it was also nice to come back to my room and check my FaceBook page to see that my U12 boys defended their Cache Cup title and won the championship 4-1 over Wasatch.  Congrats boys!  I'll be home soon, enjoy your little time off.  :)

D.C. DAY 5

Today was the final full day of training and full of emotion.  We started off with a tempo run, about a mile and a half around the track.  Coach Neil got emotional and choked up as he was pushing the boys around, toughening them up.  He called out one of the boys, Harold, that is most likely not going to be able to make the trip due to documentation issues.  I can be a bit of a sympathy cryer, and I definitely got teary eyed.  This kid works so hard, gets to every training session, and would do anything for his team.  It's such a sad situation.  I guess there's always that small shred of hope that thing can still work out.  It always puts things in perspective when someone so deserving and humble puts in so much hard work for this opportunity, and on one side, there's kids who don't really appreciate what they have.  That's true everywhere you turn.  A lot of kids these days are so entitled and expect everything to come easy and rely solely on what skill they have, thinking it's enough.  It's never enough.  Hard work is the backbone to anything you do.  And hard work this week has been.

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

A Message To My U14 Girls...

Hey Girls!

I'm missing you as much as you may be missing me.  This is a great learning experience for us all, though.  I'm where I am, looking out for your future.  Your next challenge is to figure out the mental game and play as if I were there.  I came across a line that I wanted to share with you guys, that I hope might help your mentality.

"There's some people who are so much a part of us, they'll be with us no matter what.  They are our solid ground.  Our North Star.  And the small clear voice in our hearts that will be with us... always."

This weekend I'm that small clear voice.  You all know what to do.  You all will make me proud no matter what.  The past two years, we've fought through adversity and the next few days will be no different.  Let's all share the responsibilities, whether it be in goal, on defense, midfield, or forward.  Play for each other!  Lead by example.  Be dynamic and cutthroat.  Communicate.  Play with passion.  And again... when in doubt, listen to that small clear voice and trust your instincts.

Keep me posted on each game, and know I'm always thinking of you.  :)

"Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses."

-Mitt Romney

D.C. DAY 4

Today was yet another tough day.  It rained last night, so fortunately we didn't go on the trail run (I was worried about dirtying up my shoes).  Coach Neil ran some team building exercises, though, that were pretty hilarious.  He did a little strength stuff, where the boys had to carry each other and do squats and what not.

Pic 1: James looks a little comfortable.

Pic 2: James no longer looks comfortable.

Pic 3: Brandon was a machine!

Pic 4: Even Marshall was getting it done.

It's nice to see I've prepared these boys well.  After strength training, Coach Neil did another team building exercise where the boys had to be directed to a certain location basically blindfolded.  At one point, Coach Neil was in James' face shouting at him to do anything but what Alex was trying to get him to do.  Of course Coach Neil's voice won out and James ended up far from where he was supposed to be.  This was a fun trust exercise, and definitely entertaining for us coaches.

James wasn't the only one Coach Neil harassed.  Shashank was pretty hilarious too.

Next was my time with the boys, where I could do my special CAF Training.  The plan was to physically and mentally challenge the boys.  I did a little interval training session working on all 3 planes of motion, cardio, and core, and finished up with "Gears," where I work on their changes of speed.  

You should all be afraid... I'm in hard core mode!

Don't be fooled.  I mixed up the uphill sprints every time.  This pic they have to sprint up backwards, and back down forward.

You gotta love the sight of sweat dripping.  This is Tyler, one of the Florida boys.

The final round of core.  I think this is the most core work some of the boys have ever done.

I finished my session with my "Gears" exercise.  I set up five cones all 10 yards apart.  I designate each area between cones a certain "gear."  The whole point is to get the boys to learn how to change their speed.  You can't just play in one speed the entire game.  You've got to be able to explode and slow it down when needed.  Today's pattern was 2-3-1-4, where they'll go 50%-75%-25%-100%.  

 It was funny, because after my session, some of the boys asked me how much worse it would be if I was mad at my team.  I then had to explain "The Wrath of Sly," and that yes... it can get so much worse.

Coach Felix ran another quick technical session, and we broke for lunch.  We walked to the mall to eat, let the boys wander for about 30 minutes, then it was on to the turf field.  Today was a lot hotter than yesterday on the turf.  I ran the technical session for the afternoon.  I worked on touch, doing my juggling the field, a little moving cadence, then my bread and butter speed of play 10-yard box, where we use two soccer balls and you have to pass across diagonally, then receive for the next player in the middle.  It's one of my favorite activities.

Coach Neil took over from there, and we worked on the attacking principles today.  We finished with the same offense/defense activity from yesterday, but focused on attacking.  

After training, it was supposed to be my time with the Utah boys and the Florida boys joined our group.  Our first stop was Georgetown Cupcakes again.  The line was backed up around the corner, which is so crazy.  While waiting in line, though, we made two significant observations.

1) Gianni and James are shin twins.  We all agreed their legs are so identical, ha ha.

2) Tyler (in pink) looks just like Jacob Gibbons aka "Gibson", who used to play with the '98 boys.  They even smile the same, it was crazy, ha ha.  We miss you Gibson!

We finally got inside and I got the boys each a cupcake, which they loved.  You can't tell here, but Alex is more than excited for his blueberry cheesecake "cupcake".

Me and the Utah and Florida boys. 

Now... this is where our evening went downhill.  After we got our cupcakes, Coach Neil took us to a sandwich shop on the Georgetown University campus called Wisemiller's "Wiseys".  When we got there, that's when the thunder storm started and it began to pour.  That meant we didn't get to go to the Lincoln Memorial.  That was the one thing I wanted to do with the boys, but the weather won.  We ate our sandwiches and headed back to my hotel.  Night over, pretty much.

Things I learned, though...  1) Marshall has developed a gambling problem and apparently lost a game of poker and has to buy Evan something in Spain.  2) Brandon STILL doesn't have his phone charger.  I take that back... he received it tonight.  3) Shashank's dad brings Alex a cup of hot chocolate when he goes in to wake him up.  Then let's him know there's no rush... he has 30 more minutes before he needs to get out of bed.  Man, I need an alarm clock like that.  4) James and Jake are yelling through the walls to Jake's mom that they "aren't going to bed."  I think that's mostly Jake.

Of course, I try and break down the day with the boys.  Today's statement is pretty much the same as the other nights.

Sly: "What was your favorite part of today?  What was the biggest challenge you faced today?  How had today's training changed you?  And name a teammate you learned about today and what was interesting about him?"

Alex: "Same drill as yesterday, but today it challenged me more because the attackers had more knowledge on how to get right past us and it was a lot more tough than it was yesterday."  "Gianni was the player I got to know today.  He doesn't talk a lot at practice, but once I got to know him, he is pretty funny.  But I learned that he said before they went on a Spain diet, they would have pizza at least 5 out of 7 days a week at this house."

James:  "Rio, I learned about his background and how determined he is and the passion he possesses for the game."  "Favorite part of the day was going to get the cupcakes and finding my leg twin.  The biggest challenge of today was walking backwards, because Alex doesn't have much of a voice.  Today training changed my trust with this team."

Sly: "For the better or worse?"

James: "For the better.  They joke around, but when it's time, they quit.  I think as the Utah group coming from Spain, we should do that with our team.  Seriousness I favor because it gets the job done quicker which means more playing time.  It's the way I look at it.  Most kids my age don't look at the big picture, but you can see those kids who do look at the big picture, such kids like Rio.  He takes notes at games, shows up at practice, and obviously works on soccer outside of training.  The effort will show.  But I definitely think that the Bayern Club should get a grasp on respect for their coaches.  I learned to show more respect, respect it seems is everything."

We are 4 days into our Spain experience, haven't even gotten to Spain yet, and I've seen such a change in these boys.  The environment these boys are in right now, you can't get in Cache Valley.  I'm more and more impressed with these boys as each day goes by.  If only I can get Marshall to respond to his texts and Brandon to get his phone situation worked out.  I've got one more day to get those two straight.

One more full day before we leave.  I just hope tomorrow goes by fast.  These long days are brutal, but so valuable.  Luckily we get an extra hour and don't meet until 10:00.  We'll see how sore these boys are tomorrow.  :)

"Ability is what you're capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it."

-Ray