"Scusate il ritardo" was Troisi's second film, two years after his acclaimed debut "Ricomincio da tre" in which he described the difficult life of teenagers and young men in the city of Naples. Scusate il ritardo means "Forgive the tardiness." And that is due to my lack of entries since September 14.

I didn't want to write the same things over and over again, year after year, where we seemed to take off and then land again - sometimes crashing - in our attempt to finally fly high and steady for a season, or two, or three...or create a winning legacy.

We had our moments of excitement - we beat Wheaton at their place when they were ranked 23rd in the country, we scored more goals than in the past, almost beat our foe down the road with 20 seconds to go on the game when they were ranked nationally, matched the number of games won since 2003, and having the opportunity to win one more to have a .500 or more season since 1998, and finally be still in the run for the first NCAC final four since 1999, when Wabash joined the conference.

We also had our heartbreaks - losing two home games 1-0 after outshooting and dominating the opponents who scored two goals with the only two shots on the net, one being a PK, losing a game against Denison when we had a 2-0 lead at halftime and squandered the advantage with 10 minutes of complete mental and physical blackout, dominating Wittemberg with 8 clear, close range changes to score created in the first 22 minutes of the game, but being unable to finish them and losing a game that if we played it another 10 times would end up with a large victory for us, losing against Transy with a PK awarded 90 seconds to the end of regulations, and battling OWU with resilience and determination but coming out empty handed after having given them three early Christmas gifts.

So we are, two games before the end of the regular season, still in contention and in the run for a little Wabash soccer history.  Two games that will define our present and possibly our future.

I won't say much about that. The pitch will speak for us and if we are there already this year or if we have to wait for the next season. I am not sure what the outcome is going to be, nobody knows, but I am sure of our lads' willingness to stretch our season another week and leave everything they have on the field will speak for the kind of program we are putting together.

Earlham and Obeling, two games in the next six days. Two games that are worth a season. I wouldn't have wanted it to be this thrilling and hard, but yet, nothing that is too easy is worth anything.

Two games to live up to our motto:  WAF! Wabash ALWAYS Fights!

Coach G

Then, things started to go wrong for us. We lost 1-0 against Elmhust and Chicago in games where we outplayed both schools, had the better chances to score but couldn't put the ball in the net. The loss against Rose-Hulman in between the other two games, proved to us that no matter how hard one plays, making mistakes and allowing the opponents to get too close to your goal always spells problems!

So we are, 2 - 3 for the first 5 games into the season.  We all know that it should be 5-0 but with the should, could, would... no one accomplishes much. 

We know that we have something this year. We know that hard work, team unity, resolve, and determination will eventually pay off as we still have 5 home games before we travel to Kenyon on Oct. 3.

We know that everything comes easier when things go well but we also know that the only way to turn things around is to believe in what you do and keep the faith.  Keep the faith in your application and desire. Keep the faith in your teammates. Believe in our journey and the understanding that rough waters need to be navigated with more ability, focus, and application. Keep the faith in your coaching staff and their pledge to make Wabash soccer something of which to be proud.

Believe in yourself because results are not what we are. Defeats don't define us; what will define us is how high we will rise after we have fallen.

Wabash Soccer Always Fights!

The evening started with a couple of fierce Bowling games with teams of three players against another team of three.  Ben Esbaum, Jon Funston (Funstuff) , and I battled Cheech (Pat West), El Rubio (Allan Swan) and Canada (Tommy Pecar) in lane 26. I don't want to go into too many details but basically Ben carried our team on his shoulders and we won both games.

After returning to campus and eating our pizza dinner, the singing competition took place...and let me tell you, it was hilarious!  Some lads even hooked up an iPod speaker system so that they could follow the music of the chosen song. We had rappers (my personal best was Mike Scheitlin's), rockers (Andrew Pearcy's rendition of John Mellencamp's "Small Town" had everything - look, music, speakers, and attitude - but Andrew remembering the words of his favorite song!).  Junior Captain Mark Babcock's second song, a piece from the Backstreet Boys - the one he needed to break the tie for second - was a mix of pop and Chip&Dale act, with Mark taking his shirt off and splashing some water on his skin, a-la-Flashdance-mode! Needless to say, he got the second spot!  The winners of the singing competition were Dylan Andrew and Josh 'El Lobo Loco" Pedersen with a duet from the movie Aladdin. You could tell they had rehearsed it because their timing, singing, and choreography were definitely the best of the night. That was awesome lads!

Then, we had our jokes competition, where each player told two jokes while their teammates judged them with bad, decent, good, very funny, or awesome.  Amongst some bad and decent jokes, the three finalists were JP, Pat West, and Mike Scheitlin. The final vote went to Pat who cracked the house with his last joke and won the whole thing.

The last one and a half hour was very intense, at times absolutely heartbreaking, but also inspiring and rewarding. The session is called: "My saddest moment and my happiest moment," and is something in which no one is forced to participate but only encouraged, if he feels like it. I have done this type of session, on and off, with several of the teams I have coached in the last three decades, but the intensity, participation, and willingness to dig deep inside and find those sad and happy moments, the other night, literally blew me away.  

Each one of us, in some way or fashion, keeps up some sort of "guard," a safety screen that protects us from strangers, unwelcome circumstances, sad feelings, and sometimes ourselves. I don't believe in the "shield," as I commonly refer to it, because it is fake, artificial, and simply unhealthy. I believe that people, especially when coming together in a group, or a team, and have a communion of intents, must take off of their clothes - metaphorically speaking - and be naked.  Only then, one can  cover his/her body with truthful layers, garments that don't need to cover up anything or disguise anybody.

Saturday night, some 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22  year olds came in naked and showed their true self and the experience was, for a middle age man like myself, absolutely breathtaking. The level of personal grief and joy that was displayed during the evening was so sincere and genuine that made the majority of us share the feelings with teary eyes, both sad and happy tears.

We all want to go over a .500 record; we all want to compete for the NCAC title; we all want to go to the NCAA tournament; we all want to become NCAA National Champions; we all want to make Wabash history, and that's good. We work hard and we deserve recognition and rewards.  Nobody wants to compete and lose; it goes against the nature of any competition. We want to win and we work everyday towards that goal.  However, if only one good thing comes out of this year, or any year,  I surely hope that  all our young lads won't ever forget Saturday night. The night we showed ourselves who we really are. If that happens, we will have had a successful season, no matter what.

Thanks for the sharing and the feelings you gave me.

Coach G.

Tradition flows in our blood; this is an especially important characteristic found here at Wabash. I think that I can speak on behalf of Wabash Athletics in general, but each team has their own set of traditions as well. As a senior member of the Wabash Soccer Program, I believe that we have a distinct set of traditions that we follow each year. You may have seen us around campus in the same “gears” or even braving the fierce rapids of Sugar Creek in canoes, which have been important traditions in the past few years. However, the soccer program continues to build on these traditions with team trips to the Children’s Hospital at St. Vincents and a camping trips (coming up this weekend). One of the trips always seems to stick out apart from the rest though; Coach G has dubbed this “our day at the dunes”. 

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, there is a beach in northern Indiana where our team has gone to spend one day of the preseason for a few years now. Yes you heard correctly… a beach! It’s a really neat place to go with the team since we are able to have lunch while gazing out into the greenish-blue water. After finishing our lunch this year, the team started messing around with a smorgasbord of activities. These included beach soccer, frisbee, lacrosse, hiking, sunbathing and throwing food at the seagulls (or lakegulls?)…

Last but not least is definitely my personal favorite, burying one guy from the team neck-deep in the sand. The past two years, Christian Krenk otherwise known as “The Klank”, has always volunteered. However, this year Josh Pedersen stepped up to the plate. Of course that wasn’t enough, so we all proceeded to sprinkle our leftover chips from lunch all around his body. Not but five seconds later, there were 25 seagulls flying in to survey the situation. Unfortunately, we had to cover Josh’s head with a towel so the birds would come in closer but it was nonetheless a hilarious sight.

The main event of “our day at the dunes” are the skits that the team members put on for our Coaches. Sometimes prepared in advance, we get in groups of 5-6 and do our best to put on skits that crack jokes about our Italian Coach, Assistant Coach, or even our fellow teammates (which is all in good fun of course). Each and every group put on hilarious performances; I remember looking over to see Coach G who was practically falling out of his seat. Nonetheless, every player from the team went away with a smile on his face because they truly are quite funny.

Tradition aside, I believe our annual trip to the dunes also helps build a stronger sense of team camaraderie. If we are able to joke around with each other without having hard feelings afterwards, that says something. Once again I can speak on behalf of every team at Wabash because we care for our teammates and enjoy every fun-filled moment we get to spend together. I’m excited for the upcoming season and determined to “OWN IT” as an upperclassman. The team has a lot of momentum building this preseason, so let’s keep this going and earn each and every victory one step at a time.

Rossi Out.

David Rosborough -10

-- 

After lunch, we found our spot on the beach and separated into our groups for the highlight of the “mini vacation,” the skits. Each group then performed their skit, with the goal of getting some laughs.  That goal was easily accomplished as we all used phrases and actions from both the players and the coaches that reminded us of the great times we have had becoming a close-knit team. 

Once the ab workout was over from all the laughter, a few guys decided to bury Josh Pederson in the sand. They then proceeded to place a trail of chips to his stomach for the seagulls to find and play a little king of the mountain. After Josh jumped up and scared the birds off, we split up to do our own things. Some climbed the dunes, others played lacrosse or Frisbee, while others took a well needed nap. Once 4:00 came around we packed up and boarded the buses for the return trip so that we could be back before the afternoon practice session.  

Overall, the trip to the dunes was a great break to have during the long preseason, and an even better team building experience.

Drew Kapsalis '10

                  After several days of intense practice, Coach G. thought it would be a great idea to let us unwind by taking the afternoon off and paddling down Sugar Creek.  After participating in this last year I knew that it was up to me and fellow sophomore Josh Pedersen “JP”/”El Lobo Loco” to uphold the tradition of being the canoe tippers of the trip.  Here we were “Cheech” and “Lobo” navigating the creek so well that even Lewis and Clark would be proud of our abilities.  About half a mile up the creek once we were about 100 yards ahead of everyone, we docked our canoe on shore and waded into the waters to prepare for our first battle of the day.  This turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment at best.  We only managed to flip three canoes, one canoe which included captain, super senior, and all around good guy Jon Funston.

                  After all the canoes had passed we got pack in our canoe and paddled towards our rendezvous point a couple miles away.  Upon the meeting point we were greeted by the rest of the team.  Lobo and I docked our canoe and hung out with the guys.  After several minutes, Funston announced that there were cookies for snacks.  For those of you that don’t know, coach has all of us on a strict dietary policy during preseason (which includes no desserts at any meal).  As soon as I heard the word cookies, I bulldozed my way through a pack of people to get to that little bit of heaven they call chocolate chip cookies.  Naturally JP was right at my heels ready to devour the sweet treats with me.  As soon as I had reached the cookies I had noticed that no one was paying attention to the cookies anymore, but I could have cared less, that just meant more cookies for me.  Halfway through my first cookie I turned to see what everyone was looking at.  One of our teammates had pushed our canoe 100 ft. sown the creek, filled it with water, and was in the process of loading it with rocks.  As you can guess, this did not sit well with me or JP.  Not only had we been tricked by our team captain with cookies, but he left the task of disposing our canoe to a freshmen. 

                  Several seconds after everything finally sank in, JP and I were in full sprint down the shore towards this little punk that we shall call “Sunshine”.  Once cursing and rock throwing had ended JP and I knew that it was time to return the favor to the entire team who were all now in hysterical laughter at the sight.  JP and I knew our time had come.  It was time for the epic battle that will forever be known as the Battle of Sugar Creek.  JP and I positioned ourselves in the middle of the creek fully prepared to tip any and every canoe that crossed our path.  The team however had put their heads together and came up with a defensive strategy to prevent any tipping.  They formed what looked very similar to a Spartan Phalanx formation.  All canoes were locked side to side paddling as one unit. 

Warning!  The next paragraph is very intense and should not be read by the elderly, pregnant women, small children, and those who are feint of heart. Most would have been intimidated by the small army armed with paddles gliding toward us.  But, we are talking about the mighty “Cheech” and “Lobo” here.  Pardon my language, but we took the “attributes” to wall, take no prisoners approach to breaking them up.  Rioting soon ensued, paddles were flying, water drenching everyone, and shouting prevented any forms of effective communication. After 45 seconds of trying to break up the phalanx JP and I dropped off.  The rest of team thought they had stopped us from exacting revenge. They couldn’t have been more wrong.  You know the term “The eye of the storm” the point at which it is completely calm before “S*** hits the fan”, that is exactly what happened.  After the team celebrated and split apart JP and I sprinted another 100 yards down the shore and hopped into the creek where the water is waist deep and waited for the final stand.  Once the team settled down and headed down the river one by one, they were unknowingly paddling to their imminent tipping.  The beauty of being waist deep in water was that once you squat down and push up on their canoe, you have about a thousand times more leverage than they do.  One by one canoes came, and one by one they were tipped and flooded.  If I didn’t manage to tip them, JP was 15 feet behind me to clean up any mess.  It was a massacre! JP and I loved every minute of it.  The entire team went from happy and dry to sopping wet from head to toe in dirty creek water.  Five minutes later we stepped back and admired our work.

We triumphantly strode back to our sunken canoe and began repairing the damage that had been inflicted almost half an hour ago. After we got all the rocks out of the bottom of the canoe and tipped the water out of the canoe we were ready to put our vessel back into the water and paddle into the great unknown.   I picked up my paddle and hopped into the canoe, I turned to look back and make sure JP was ready.  But he was just standing there.  It was then I realized that among the commotion someone had taken our paddle.  Furious we freely let out a few choice words.  We then decided to hang up an orange vest on a stick to memorialize the battle.  We then took our shirts, a rock, and a large stick to construct a makeshift paddle and paddled away into the unknown.

Pat West '11

Galeano’s perspective on volunteerism is one that our Wabash soccer team has recently shared. I joined 25 fellow players and our coaching staff as we all took an afternoon off from soccer and visited the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. We spent our time there visiting and learning with children who are struggling with terminal illnesses, and their parents. 

And, although we came bearing gifts, we quickly realized that we too had much more to offer than material possessions. We quickly began to reciprocate the smiles, stories and enjoyment of company that the children/parents immediately gifted us. 

For The Kids
Mark Babcock ’11

We've returned from Argentina and everyone is settling into the soccer routine. Though soccer takes up most of the day, Thursday we were fortunate enough to be able to make a trip to the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent in Indianapolis. Ian's aunt, or Tia for those of you following the Argentina blogs, was able to set this wonderful experience up for us.

Along with us we brought some goodies for the kids. We had some Wally Wabash stickers, some signed team pictures, little Wabash stuffed animals, and of course a few soft soccer balls. We we able to visit a few patients' rooms distributing the gifts amongst them all. We ran into a few kids who played soccer in the past as well as other sports.

One boy was a former goalkeeper and defender, so we had that in common. He is also a Cubs fan, but I told I would let that slide. Good thing JP wasn't with me (Go Sox).

Another young girl requested that she be able to see the two best looking guys from the group. Now, Dylan and myself were the obvious choice for this, but we let some of the younger players step up and brighten up her day.

It was a very rewarding experience. It's one of the best feelings when you see the large smile on the kids' faces even with the adversity they are facing. It's really amazing that through their troubles they can still find it within themselves to smile and laugh. It's a quality that we should all take note of when we feel that things couldn't get any worse. We have all seen that it could.

After seeing the slums and poorer areas of Buenos Aires and now after visiting the Children in the hospital, our eyes should be opened to see how truly fortunate most of us are. To be able to play soccer everyday, attend college, and to just be able to have amazing opportunities that not everybody has is something we should not take for granted. This preseason has continued to be one to remember and I'm sure it will continue that way.

chao,
Mark

It’s been simply amazing!  I am sitting at the Airport in Buenos Aires, waiting for our flight to Chicago via Atlanta to start boarding and taking off for the States. I can’t believe our trip to Argentina is coming to its conclusion, and as everyone who is enjoying his/her stay always says, time seemed to fly.

I have so many things to say and comment on; all piling up in my head and pushing to come out first. Places, people, food, games, stories, feelings, and experiences that made this journey to South America a trip to cherish and remember for the rest of my life.

I will just write about the people for they represent, in my humble opinion, the salt of earth.  And I would like to begin with the members of the Wabash soccer team who traveled to Argentina after having talked about it for over three years, our seniors:

Jon Funston, our captain (Fun-Stuff or El Capitan, as he is now for everyone!), Tim Cheek (Cheeky) Christian Krenk (Krenk-it-out), and David Rosborough (D-ross). They are the ones who first heard about my plan to take the Wabash soccer program abroad; the first to respond enthusiastically and eager to make a dream come true. Well, lads, it did come true and I am so happy of having given you this opportunity. An opportunity and an experience that I am sure you will never forget. Thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin, I am positive it was worth it!

I’d like to continue by thanking our junior captain Mark Babcock (The King of Cool) for giving me and Wabash another chance and becoming the leader that I envisioned when I recruited him two and a half years ago.  I am sure he made one of the best decisions of his young life. Great things are on the horizon for our team!

The remaining members of our team travel party are rising sophomores: Josh Pedersen (Lobo loco), Andrew Pearcy (El Duro), Pat West (Cheech), Philip Rosborough (Chong), Allan Swan (El Rubio), Ian Kelly (Screech), Lucas Evans (Apple Bottom), and Austin Jennings (AJ), have been the ones who jumped on board right away and made it possible for us to reach the minimum number of required participants to travel as a team.  I am ecstatic about the change they had and how much team bonding they were able to do while experiencing a different culture as members of the Wabash soccer program. Just the look on their faces and their daily excitement was worth the trip. Thank you, lads, you have been great!

My deepest thank you goes to Mary Kelly, Ian’s aunt, who took on the role of Tia (Aunt) for the whole team.  Her sense of humor and good mood made everyone around her happier and serene.  She can travel with us anytime!

And what can I say about my wife Marcela?  I gave her a job; to be our videographer and tape as much as possible during our many excursions, training sessions, games, etc. She was awesome (I already knew!). Our trip has been recorded for posterity and will always be part of the Wabash soccer program library.  Thank you love, you are simply the best – your blog entry gives a perfect picture of our travels and the feelings we all experienced.

Sergio Neveleff, you are incredible!  Your heartfelt leadership and guidance throughout our journey in Argentina and Uruguay was absolutely first class. I feel I have made a friend for life and I am sure the lads on the team feel exactly the same.

You treated us like family and we like to think that we have a new Wabash fan in Buenos Aires! Your assistants, Gabriel, Federico, and your son Geronimo, have been gracious and kind as well. You have a great company, made out of great people, and the sky is the limit!  Good luck in everything you do!

Thank you to the parents who, mostly, dished out the money so that their sons could have a memorable experience during their college career.  Also, thank you for entrusting me with your most precious “possession!”  I feel honored and I am humbled by such trust and confidence.  Rest assured that they have been true Gentlemen and respectful members of our travel party. They made my job easy (aside from some dessert regulations!) and it has been a sincere pleasure to have them around.  I hope they had the chance to see another side of me – possibly my best one – and relate to me on a much deeper and personal level than in the past.

I can honestly say that I love them all and I wish for them all the best their young lives can bring them now and in their future.

I like to think we have formed a family, a band of brothers who care, respect, appreciate, and tolerate each other, so that this season and the ones to come will become, together with their trip to Argentina, part of their memories to last a life time. I know I will never forget this trip and its travel party.

It has been un viaje simplemente maravilloso!

Coach G.

I must first begin by saying what a wonderful experience this has been for me in so many ways.  Having traveled to many places in the world, this was my first trip to Argentina and in South America, so I was really excited about the ‘newness’ of it all.  Keeping me grounded, however, was my job as official ‘videographer, which put me in close proximity to the guys and they have been great, well mannered and courteous. 

I was really impressed with how open they all were to trying new and different foods, no questions asked, from eggplant to blood sausage (did anyone try the onion marmalade?)!  I loved all the soccer stuff we did, even just watching the training sessions and thought it as very beneficial that the trip fell into pre-season (although I’m sure the guys didn’t like that because they had to follow Coach’s Pre-Season Guidelines’ like no drinking alcohol and easy on the desserts!)  I hope they were able to look past those minor inconveniences and see the whole picture of what an experience like this means, an opportunity for growth. 

Jon, I’ll never forget your face when Coach said 4 a.m. curfew!  You’ve been with Coach since you were 14 and I’m sure you would have bet your life that it was an impossibility; never say never!   You are a ‘jet-setter’ compared to the other guys and it was nice to see you and Mark really embrace your captain role on this trip.  You can wear the brass Captain ‘charm’ Tia bought you with pride!  

They should all know that their comportment has been noted and complemented on by all who have come across them as a group, from our official trip coordinator and guides, trainers, to the hotel staff.  This is a reflection on their coach, parents, school and country.  I was glad to be able to see first hand why Coach cares so much about these guys both as athletes and individuals.  I hope one day they can appreciate how much heart their coach gives them.  I must say that outside Italy, Coach’s passion for the game of ‘futbol’ is truly felt and understood here in Argentina where they describe the game as blood that runs through their veins.  He feels right at home here!

I would like to write a few lines about our trip organizer, Sergio Neveleff, and his staff, assistant Gabriel Di Marco and son Jeronimo, actually a few lines does not do them justice!  They have been exceptional in making us all feel so welcome here in Argentina and so accommodating.  We have been really taken care of so much so that it feels as if we are here visiting family!  Thank you from all of us!  A personal trip highlight for me was the Piazzolla Tango Show, absolutely brilliant!  Thank you Sergio for a night I will never forget!

I hope you have all enjoyed the video clips posted online and that we were able to share with you, if but just a small taste, of this wonderful experience here in Buenos Aires.  The cultural exposure, the things they have seen, will only make these young men more well-rounded individuals and I wish the whole team could have been here.  The team bonding and building done on a trip like this is incomparable and the memories will last a lifetime!

Thank you Coach for fighting to make this trip happen and bringing it to fruition.  I know how long and hard you worked for it.

Thank you team for sharing this experience with me.  I hope you take what you have learned here, use it to build onto your upcoming pre-season (I know how hard you are all capable of training, remember I have it on tape!)  and turn it into a successful year!

M.

Video of the group's trip to Uruguay

David Rosborough ‘10

Our wake-up call came extra early this morning as we prepared for a day in Colonia, Uruguay. After the free continental breakfast we have been enjoying at the hotel, the team met in the lobby with Gabriel and Geronimo in order to catch our taxi ride to the Buquebus station in the harbor of Buenos Aires. Everything went smoothly as we re-grouped and collected our ferry tickets. It wasn’t long before the team and I were sitting first-class on the huge luxury ferry.

We shuffled through the museum and walked into the Turistica’s gift-shop, which turned out to have nearly any flavor of marmalade and jam you could possibly think of. In fact, they had samples sitting out on tables so we could give the different flavors a test run. Of course, they all tasted amazing.. Adjacent to the gift shop was the restaurant where we were having lunch. There was a buffet-style table with deviled eggs, salami, cheese, empanadas and many other things. We all went through the line thinking that was everything, but to our amazement she eventually brought out piping-hot trays of meat accompanied by platters of rice and salad fixins. Nonetheless, it was yet another great dining experience for all of us.

Eventually we all bid our farewells to the staff at Granja Turistica and boarded the bus for a thirty minute bus tour. Our tour guide explained the town’s history as we cruised along the coastline, circled the ruins of an historic bull-fighting ring, and passed by the futbol stadium where Uruguay’s national team was practicing. At that point, the bus dropped us all off in the center of the historic downtown area of Colonia for the walking segment of our excursion. This section of town was home to many interesting structures such as a church, lighthouse and historic Spanish homes. However, the highlight of Colonia for a few of the guys and I were the dune buggies, which were available for rental at the rate of $15 per hour! After we spotted the rental shop, my brother and I had a buggy of our own within five minutes. We cruised the town for awhile, eventually running into Lucas, Ian, alle Pearcy and Jennings, who also had buggies. Let me tell you, we had quite the trio speeding up and down the sometimes paved and sometimes cobblestone roads.

Jon Funston ’10

Family/Friends,

I write to you about a very typical Latin American experience, one that myself, Mark Babcock and Coach Esbaum were given a lesson on Argentin wine, the use of vos, and cultural norms about paying for coffee and a snack.

We´re walking down Calle Corrientes after a long day and a victory against the Quilmes Reserves, when a nice young lady politely lets Mark know that his backpack is wide open.  We being young guys naturally take this opportunity to strike up more conversation.  We find out after a few blocks of walking together that both, Flor and Paula, are studying to be flight attendants and are 24 and 19 respectively.  We all 5 walk the 10 or so blocks back to our hotel chit-chatting the entire way, although I must say that I was doing a lot of the translating... cough no big deal.

Once we arrive at our hotel we somehow struck a conversation about how we needed to buy a gift for our mother´s and that we thought wine would be a fine choice.  Having some extra time and finding out that both Flor and Paula had taken a wine class, they invited us to come with them to Calle Florida to find some wine.  We arrived in due time, and immediate Flor begins helping us find the perfect bottle/bottles of wine for our moms.  Flor was a tremendous help, although I think we spent more than we were initially thinking, but women can do that to you sometimes.  

So we´ve bought the wine, and they invite us for a coffee. We accept naturally.  As we´re about to pay, the girls explain to us that it is a cultural norm that if you are invited to something the person who invited usually pays.  Thus, the girls payed.  During our coffee time,  the question was raised about the Argentinian use of a Vos.  My thoughts of vos were those of Vosotros, which is used in Spain, and vos, which is used between husband and wife in Ecuador.  After a quick Spanish grammar lesson, we learned that vos in Argentina is used as an informal substitute for Tu or the you form of verb conjugation.

We finished our coffee and pastel, picked up our wine and headed back to our hotel.  Soon to realize that more time had passed than we realized, so we had to eventually ditch the girls and run across Calle  9 de Julio with wine in hand.

Mark Babcock ’11

August 10, 2008: Los Ganadores

Today was an exciting day to say the least.  We had the opportunity to compete at one of the oldest clubs in Argentina.  The club was called Quilmes, which is also where it is located.  Quilmes also happens to be the name of what appears to be the most common beer here in Argentina.  Driving passed some of the slums of Buenos Aires on the way to the club, as well as the playing surface, reminded us once again how fortunate we are to be able to live and play in the conditions we do back in the States.

Upon our arrival, the team seemed to feel a little more confident after our performance against Estudiantes.  Though, in the first half we sure didn’t show it.  As a team we came out timid and disorganized.  We seemed to panic with the ball at our feet.  We rushed our decisions on the ball and didn’t posses the ball much at all.  That being said, we still managed to enter halftime at a 0-0 tie.

After sorting through some kinks at halftime, we picked our play up tremendously in the second half.  Quilmes was a much more physical team than Estudiantes was, and we didn’t back down from the rough play this half.  With Alan and Pearcy slowing taking control of the midfield, we began to get more scoring opportunities.  We were playing decent soccer again like we are capable.  Midway through the half Pearcy lined up a shot from distance that slid across the penalty area.  Pedersen, playing left mid, ran on to the ball in buried it in the back of the net to give us the lead!  Pearcy still claims he meant to pass it to Josh on the backside, haha, either way a goal is a goal and we’ll take it.  The team continued its solid play and organization and communication to keep Quilmes at bay and eventually come out with the "W." 

It was yet another amazing experience for us as a team.  Hopefully we can continue our solid, smart play throughout the trip.  It’d be nice to come home with another victory.  As long as we continue to play together, simple, and smart I see no reason why we can’t achieve that.

After lunch, we traveled to the neighborhood of Recoleta.  We walked through an amazing cemetery named El Cemetario de Recoleta.  All of the tombs were above ground in elaborate structures.  They are made of marble, granite, and bronze.  It was like a city of the dead .  We got to see Evita Peron’s grave site.  She is a major figure in Argentian history, the wife of a famous revolutionary General Juan Peron.

It has been fun mixing time with soccer and culture down here.  Tomorrow we travel to Uruguay and I can only imagine the beautiful city we are going to spend the day in.

Ciao,

Mark

Video of the team's second match and travels around Buenos Aires

Today is our fifth day in Buenos Aires and our wake-up call came at 8:30.  I felt especially groggy today when i got up and saw fewer teammates at breakfast then I had all week.  Apparently, I wasn't the only one who could have stayed in bed longer, but after eating a small breakfast the next thing on our schedule was a training session with a 45-year-old professional coach.  Professional isn't adequate to describe him because he was, most likely, one of the most qualified coach anyone of us had ever been trained by.

After warming up as a team, he quickly explained the difference between futbol in the U.S. and Argentina.  The aspect he stressed most was the passion, or lack thereof.  So he told us he didn't care how well we could perform in the drills he setup, as long as we did so with intensity and passion.  We then found out why Argentinean soccer players are so technically gifted and, actually, they aren't gifted at all; each drill we did pushed us to the edge of our technical abilities (some of us actually falling during the drill).  The most amazing aspect of our practice today was the coach's intensity and calmness at the same time.  This coach had played professionally in Argentina and undoubtedly coached players who dwarfed our ability, but despite this, he epitomized his idea of passion throughout the entire session.  Watching a 45-year-old professional coach bounce around and run sprints with our team at the end of a normal training session was truly an inspiring experience for me.

After our training session, we went back to the hotel and showered.  Our next stop was lunch, but the next highlight of the trip for me was the street market.  Taking a rough guess, combined, there was nearly a mile of street vendors selling a myriad variety of objects.  The price range was from under $2 to over $200.  I can only name a few of the items because the list was so extensive; there was fresh-squeezed orange juice, hand-carved wooden vases, an assortment of alpaca wear, puppets, jewelry, woven table clothes. I should stop now.  Nearly any hand made item you could imagine.  We spent nearly three hours there without even noticing.

Sorry to come to my conclusion so abruptly, but now that it's about nine here we have to go to dinner.  Very simply, I appreciate this opportunity to become more worldly and I know this trip will be something I remember for the rest of my life.

Buenos noches!

Phil Rosborough ’12

Hola amigos! Today we had a very exciting day packed with interesting and mind-boggling experiences. We started off with our complimentary breakfast which was very healthy and unlike many breakfasts I have had in the States.

After our light breakfast of yogurt, breads, deli meats, and cheese we set out into the city to our training session with a certified Argentinean coach. He was a great influence on the soccer team and took our training to a high level. He taught us a lot of tips and most of all he stressed passion which guided the intensity of our practice. He focused a lot on technical aspects of the game and the guys really enjoyed his expertise.

Next we were off to the hotel to freshen up and experience some culture of the Buenos Aires area in the market. We ate lunch at a small restaurant that had beautiful architecture and great food. I really enjoyed the market and all of the entertainment that we encountered. The street performers were one of my favorite parts of the trip. We saw marionettes, percussion ensembles, singers, guitarists, and actors. It was amazing to watch these individuals and I respect them for the long days that they put in to provide for their families.

When wondering the market with my fellow teammates we came across a man who was unable to use his arms, yet he was an amazing artist. He painted beautiful portraits by using nothing more than his feet. I was amazed as I watched him paint and draw with his feet. The markets also have a variety of hand made goods that were excellent and made good souvenirs for friends and family back home. I’m glad that I was able to share a small portion of my vacation but it is off to bed for me because tomorrow we face a class A U-19 Argentinean team and sleep will be much appreciated in the morning.

View a video of Buenos Aires market and the training session.

Today we were able to sleep in.  This was much needed as the previous night we visited a discoteca and hung out and danced till very late.  This was an interesting experience because the dancing did not even start until around 2 A.M. and the discoteca does not even close until 7 A.M. 

After waking up and having a nice Italian lunch, we headed to Florida Street where there are a large number of shops and vendors.  It is like a mall but outside.  Wandering down the street just looking at the shops is an experience. There were shops selling designer purses and name-brand clothing and shoes alongside shops barely wider than my shoulder selling home designed T-shirts.  The streets are also full of independent vendors and artists. There were people from all walks of life shopping selling and spending time on this street.  

The sheer variety and spectrum of things to do was shocking.  Some of the most interesting experiences that I had centered around the street artists.  There was a couple dancing a tango for donations, several artists painting caricatures, a man putting on an impromptu dance routine, living statues, and a man painting with his feet.

The last artist, the man painting and drawing with his feet probably was the most interesting and sad to me.  The man had limited use of both of his hands and drew and then painted his own pictures with his feet. Chances are the money that he makes selling his paintings on the street is the only money that he has to live on.  Experiences like the ones that I had today make me much more thankful of what I have as well as grateful that I have to wonderful opportunity to experience soccer in Argentina and the culture and sights of an entirely new country.

-Lucas Evans
 

Allan Swan ’12

Day 4
As Tim and Andrew already mentioned, last night we went to eat at a place called Rumi. Rumi is a restaurant/ disco, which we were lucky enough to attain VIP passes for. I won't spend this whole blog talking about last night so I will just say in short that the night was a blast and gave the players and I a great insight into the Argentine night life.

Since we tied Estudiantes 1-1, Coach Giannini allowed us to take the morning off, so our Saturday didn't technically begin until around 12:30.

Following our late awakening we ate at the Gatto restaurant for a second time and we received delicious assortments of pasta, ravioli, lasanga and pizza. Following our lunch we were informed that today would be a relaxing day. We then visited Florida street, which was around four blocks from the hotel. Florida street was filled with the Argentine culture, with stores market stalls, and performers everywhere we looked. For me, the best entertainer was a painter who had no use of his hands. As unbeleivable as it sounds he was able to paint  with his toes. It was incredible! To round out the day we went to a pizza restaurant a few blocks from the hotel, which was again a great experience!

Overall, Argentina has been a great adventure, from tours to training and games, and I can't wait to experience what it has in store for me and the guys over the next seven days.