Opening day in Maastricht

Our first day in Maastricht was filled with soccer. Two 2 hour training sessions with our trainer "Behr". He is a 70 yr old grandfather of 7 that has been coaching t the highest level in Holland and KNVB for many years. He quickly went over the Dutch philosophy and the 4 fundamentals and technical aspect of their game. The girls began their work and he quickly shifted through drills that helped access the girls and their skills. After lunch they returned for the second session and picked up where they left off. They were very tired and hot. It has been sunny and 65 every day. Its quite a bit hotter on the turf fields. Our match for the evening was against a U15 regional select team. They were a bit bigger but we had the hustle. They converted 4 corner kicks into goals and won the game 5-1. The girls did very well and truly enjoyed the game as well as the tea at the half. After the game we all got together in the cateen for a soda with the girls. After exchanging email addresses and laughs, we headed back to he hostel where we barbecued some chow. After the evenings team meeting, they all wrote in their journals and went to bed.

Earlier in the day we had a somber meeting, when Zaf told the girls about Lia's brother who passed away this past Saturday. They shared their sadness and some hearfelt emotions. They decided to honor the absence of Lia and Tylers memory, with a black armband that they would wear on their arms for the game. It was a bit emotional as they put them on. They miss you Lia and wish you were here.