All good things must come to an end

Well everything almost went perfectly. Today we had a great barbeque at the Estudientes complex and said our goodbyes to everyone there. we then spent the afternoon in Downtown Buenos Aires sightseeing. Just before we were due to leave for the airport we got news that our flight had been delayed until 10:30 AM Sunday. So now we won't get to Miami until almost 12 hours later 5:30 PM if everything goes on time. With this airline anything is possible! We are now spending the night back in Buenos Aires at the Hotel Presidente compliments of the airline. The boys are taking it all in stride and all they care about is where the next meal is coming from! It's now 11:30 PM and almost everyone is in the room to catch a few hours sleep. We will be up early Sunday morning for the trip to the airport. We said our final goodbyes to our hosts Gabriele, Geronimo, & Sergio (Keiko). They took great care of us and made our stay perfect. We hope to see them again soon visiting us in Florida.

Friday Game Day

Today was a rainy day. We were not sure we would get to play this afternoon. The boys spent the day relaxing and getting ready for the match. By 4:00 PM it was still raining steady but they decided to go ahead with the match. We played a squad of Estudientes 93s. The field was very wet, muddy, and altogether slippery as ice. We played really well but eventually fell 2-1 after leading 1-0 at the half. Our 3 goalkeepers played brilliantly with Federico Bertele the pick of the bunch. Each keeper played 1/3 of the game. Jeff Bone played well in the second period, and Jordan Crown finished off with 3 outstanding saves including 1 penalty save. The Estudientes coaches were very impressed with the improvement in the team performance from Wednesdays game. The keepers however stole the show. All in all the boys showed tremendous spirit and significant improvement to what was a very entertaining match. Tomorrow we will be treated to a send off Argentinian barbeque before heading off to Buenos Aires for the afternoon and then the airport for the trip home. All the boys wish they could stay longer (Coaches too!) :)

The boys being silly

Thanksgiving Day

Well, it was strange being away from family today but we got over it with a great day. The boys had a good training session in the morning and then lunch on campus. After that we all went to Buenos Aires for the afternoon for some sightseeing and shopping. The boys bought lots of gifts. Some of them may even be for you! :)

We toured the stadium and museum of Boca Juniors, one of Argentinas most famous club teams. Some of the boys even got in a street soccer game with some locals (we showed them a thing or two!) Then we strolled down Florida Street which is loaded with shops. Finally, after several hours, we made our way back to the Country Club as it is called for the boys to have dinner and settle in for the night. Tomorrow is the big day when we represent Florida ODP V Estudientes at 4:00 PM. Let's hope we learned some things during the week and can apply them in the match.

Misc Pictures from the Week

Tuesday

Pictures from todays training plus a short video clip. The morning session was devoted to attacking play with emphasis on targeting the strikers and playing off the pass. On the defensive side it was all about pressing as a team and shutting down options. The afternoon session was strictley technical and put the boys through their paces with quick touch technical activities. The coaches seem genuinly impressed with their technical skills. The language barrier is getting smaller each day as the language of soccer is universal. The coaches we have are also the coaches for the reserve team at the club. The reserve team are those players one step away from the first team. We watched the reserves play Colon late this afternoon and win 3-2. The first team plays Colon tomorrow at the stadium which we will all get to see. Tomorrow the boys get their first taste of a real game against Estudientes players. Each day gets better and better. The boys have now become friends with the other residents and are having a blast. More tomorrow.....

Monday Afternoon and Evening

The team had their second training this afternoon followed by an evening in La Plata. It rained this afternoon and the fields were soaked. Jordan, Jeff and Federico, our goalkeepers, were definately the muddiest.

First Day of Training

This morning was the first day of real training for the team. The boys were trained by two of the top trainers in the Estudiantes youth program, Sergio Gurrieri and Guillermo Tarma. Both coaches played for Estudiantes and were two times Argentine champs and two times runners up for the South American Championship.

Training consisted of ball touches followed by 7 v 2 possesion and then 11 v 11 game situationational training.

Fatigue catches up

Coaches and players are crashing down to earth. Naps are now taking place. The players are in the dorms at Estudientes, most of them are now asleep. A light training session awaits them in late afternoon to help get their legs back. Tomorrow full training begins. Coaches are off to Down town Buenes Aires to See Boca Jrs. V Gimnasia (the rival and other team in La Plata).

The boys are in Argentina

We finally left the Miami Airport last night around 9 pm. There were problems with the exit lights and they had to be fixed. However, the boys were in high spirits and had no problem staying up late since they are so accustomed to studying that late. We arrived in Buenos Aires around 8 am, 6 am Florida/Georgia time (in case you don't know we are two hours ahead). The team was excited to arrive at the training grounds of Estudiantes De la Plata.

Guest Blogger/Jordan Weise

Today has been an exciting day. It consisted of a long adventure to the airport and a fun time reuniting with the team once there. We are currently waiting on our flight; I'm very excited to leave.
Yours truely ,
Jordan Weise

Day 1 continued

Started the day at 5:30 AM. Drove to Miami with Coach Bill Buren, Coach Scott Carswell, and me, Coach Steve Lyons. Got to Miami airport at 11:00 AM. Started meeting players arriving on flights at 11:30. 20 of 21 players made it and checked in by 4:30. Someone thought we were leaving tomorrow! Now he is. Hopefully we won't lose any on the way (unless they misbehave)....just kidding! Looking forward to arriving in Argentina. Not looking forward to 9 hours on a plane. Hope the movies are in english! Everyone is excited. I hope we can get some sleep on the plane.

Arrival at MIA Departure to Buenos Aires

Day One 5:50pm

Twenty of the Twenty-one players arrived at the airport on the right day.

Welcome Players and Parents

Hello Players and Parents,

We have set up this blog so you can keep track of our daily activities while we are in Argentina. Hopefully we will have internet access and we can post updates each evening.

-ODP Staff