Amsterdam Trip-Ajax Showcase Game

The second semester of my first year in Leeds is well under way and I can’t wait for the new adventures and experiences to come in the near future. I got back to Leeds January 12^th and was supposed to play in the game the 14^th but the field was literally frozen. The mud was covered in ice and the game was called off because of the dangerous surface of the pitch. My semester started off with a bang as me and 18 other teammates traveled to Amsterdam, Netherlands, to play a friendly match against the Ajax u-19 youth academy. Ajax is known for having one of the, if not the best youth academy set up in the world, so it was a great honor and experience all together both culturally and football wise to be apart of this trip. We arrived in Amsterdam on the night of the 16^th traveled to downtown Amsterdam to our hostel, played Ajax the 17^th, and left the evening of the 18^th. Although the trip was short and sweet, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Amsterdam. The scenery, “coffee shops”, canals, and icing waffles, left a vivid memories and impressions of this fabulous capital city. On the 16^th after our arrival, the team ate out at a restaraunt and some of us explored Amsterdam for part of the night, just to experience the city. The next day was match day as we had a late afternoon kick off. All the players were a bit nervous, but more excited to be playing against and at Ajax youth academy training facilities. As we pulled into the grounds, the complex and the professionalism of the facilities stunned us all.

Below are some pictures from the game and facilities:

Ajax played their typical and famous system of a 4-3-3, so we decided to match their formation as well in order to cope with their free flowing attack. The game began and Ajax dominated the first 15 minutes. Although no fabulous goal scoring chances occurred, Ajax dominated possession, as most players were caught in the moment rather than in the game. As we settled down and started to play the game unfolded. From the beginning we understood to even compete with these guys we would have to stay compact and disciplined on defense, and take our chances off of the counter attack. Their attacking movement, ability to keep possession, and calmness, was phenomenal, as we had to sustain attack, after attack from Ajax. Ajax had great build up play, but their downfall was their shooting and final pass. However, their first goal came off of intricate passing, off of a counter- attack, and their striker scored on a 1 v 1 with our keeper. Minutes later we tied the game after our striker was released into the left hand side of the box but in, and bent a ball back post. Going into half time we were happy to still be in the game with a tie, and we knew if we kept the Ajax players in front of us, and took our chances on the counter, we had a possibility of taking this match. The second half started better for us, as we were focused and sticking to our game plan. Ajax still had most of the possession and was attacking freely but once in our final third, they became frustrated, lacked creativity, and found it difficult to break us down and obtain quality chances. Most of their shots were from distance and failed to test our keeper. We had a few chances off of the counter but our final shots were off target. Finally our break came with 20 minutes left in the game. After possession transitioned to us and we started a counter and the Ajax back four were down to three as one player was out of position. Our striker took the opportunity, by making a run between the back three, and was released onto goal, finishing on the 1 v 1. For the last 20 minutes we put up a bunker of players in front of our goal and continued to frustrate the Ajax team as they saw time slip away and were pressured to produce another goal. Thankfully time ran out and we came away with a 2-1 victory! Running for 90 minutes against the Ajax team had me knackered and I was stocked to have played against a fantastic team, beat them, and could not believe the moment. It is something only a few people can say they played against Ajax youth academy and won and we were all excited for the night out in Amsterdam.  The night was long lived with a visit to the red light district, eating icing waffles, and endless exploration of the city. After a late night, we left Amsterdam around 5:00 pm, and returned to our home in Leeds. Overall the trip was amazing and I was so happy to be apart of something so special. Hopefully we continue to obtain positive result in our showcase games.  The rest of the week included resting, recovering, and meeting up with other players returning to the academy in Leeds.  School and training starts back up on Monday, January 23^rd and I am stocked to see what the rest of this semester holds!

End of the First Semester

Below is a continuous post I was working on from October till December, but because of the crazy schedule I didn't have enough time to submit the post. This was finished during my winter break upon returning to Florida.

So, it has been awhile, but I have been extremely busy with school and football as the first quarter of our school year ended this past week.  After taking our midterm exams, I am now on my October break, which is 5 days off from school and football practice where I will have time to relax and catch up on some much needed sleep. My midterm exams went well and I should be getting those results once I start back at school on Monday. The football season has really gotten underway and we have broken into the middle of the season easily playing two games a week. As of now we sit tied for fifth in the West Yorkshire League and lately we have had mixed results, winning games in big fashion 6-2, 6-0, and 5-1, but then lost a heartbreaker to the 1^st placed team 3-2 and this past Saturday lost 4-1 to a team we were much better then and we were their best players, causing our own defeat. The league will continue this Saturday where we look to get back on a winning track. As well, we are starting a new university league called the BUCS league, where we will have a game every Wednesday and play against English Universities.

So far in October we have played in two showcase games, one against Barnsley youth academy team and one against a much stronger Leeds United academy team. Both experiences were amazing but the two were different atmospheres and environments. The game against Barnsley we came out winners 4-0. I scored my first goal for the club against Barnsley off of a cross, coming in on a deep, delayed run. The side we played against was not as strong as we expected so our level of play dropped a bit to their level as it was a community academy side (I am not sure what that means) and seem to be a lower level or weaker team. Anyways, it was nice to get a win against a professional academy team, yet somewhat disappointing the opposition was below par and we ran away without a huge challenge. Here is a link to the coaches thoughts about the game: http://www.riasa.org/blog?hid=271

Below are some pictures from the Barnsley game.

The second showcase game against Leeds was an experience beyond words. We traveled to Leeds United training facilities (in the middle of nowhere) to what appeared to be a soccer heaven, pitches and goals for miles and miles. Our coach heard that the Leeds teams was putting out a much stronger team than we anticipated, one with 4-5 full time professionals (aged 18-21) and one 24 year old professional center midfield, so we were going to be playing against a great side, probably the hardest side the club had ever faced. Everything from their training facilities to their physiotherapy room to the pitch was perfect and it was a lovely day for football. Leeds dominated the game at first due to their formation, because they overloaded the midfield, so we switched our formation to cope with their attacking presence. Once we settled down and started to play we created some attacking opportunities but overall they dominated play. Their first goal came from a defensive mistake from a corner kick; our goalie came to punch the ball away but couldn’t get to the ball, thus leaving the goal exposed and a free header into an empty net. The half ended one-zero and at that point it hit me the level I could potentially be at if I was training day in and day out since the age of 8 at an academy like this. The second half started slow for both teams and Leeds made a few subs and we were able to get a goal from the slow transition and tied the game. But what cursed Leeds also cursed us and once we made a few subs and our players were slow to transition into the game in the last 15 minutes Leeds put 3 goals past us and we lost 4-1. Looking back Leeds have the better attacking chances and possession, but it hurt losing 4-1 because I felt as though we could of easily kept it to a 1-1 game, or even stole the game as we had a few chances before Leeds scored to sneak one in. I could of even handle a 2-1 lose but 4-1 did not suit me and after the 90 minutes I had put in, I was dead tired but thankful to have experienced football at such at high quality level, something most people will never get to be a part of as long as they live.

In the last weekend of October, some of my teammates and I went on an “outdoor experience” in the lake district near Leeds where we went river guilding, climbed rock walls, and traveled through caves. It was a cold rainy day, and the water was freezing, but it was an exciting way to take a break from football, staying active, partaking in a new experience, and spending time with the teammates. I had never climbed up rivers or climbed through pitch black caves, so I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Another benefit of this program is that every month the program provides a trip to a major city throughout the United Kingdom. This has allowed me to travel to Manchester, London, and Liverpool this semester, taking day trips to explore the town, visit stadiums and other sites. I have visited the famous stadiums like Old Trafford and Anfield, taking tours and getting to experience life in these cities.

Below are some pictures from both stadiums:

I was lucky enough to win a free ticket to the Manchester United versus Benfica champion’s league game. Not only was it my first Champions league game, but also it was the first time I saw a game live at Old Trafford. I have never seen so many unified fans, singing cheesy soccer songs/anthems, but it was such a vivid and vibrant atmosphere (Manchester United and Benfica fans are wild). Overall Manchester United did not play that well in my opinion but the game ended in a 2-2 draw, which I felt was a fair result for both teams.

For my birthday in October, I flew to Dublin, Ireland to visit extended family that I had never seen before. I stayed in Dublin for two days, and in Sligo (a small town) for a day in a half. It was interesting touring the downtown city of Dublin and the beaches and countryside’s of Sligo. In Dublin I went to the famous Guinness warehouse and other famous historic sites. The Dublin nightlife was fascinating and it was nice meeting new family members from my home country. Once I traveled to Sligo, I met more family and learned a lot of history about the McCabe name and about my great grandparents and grandparents.  The traditional Irish food was appetizing and the Irish countryside and beaches were breath taking.

The last two showcase games we played were against Bradford City academy and Blackburn Rovers academy. The Blackburn Rovers game was quite a thriller, the final score ending at 6-5 in our favor, but the game was unbelievable. We played against kids ranging from 17-20 and they were phenomenal. To see their training programs, facilities, and daily lives, truly showed me the dedication and life of a youth academy football player at a premier league team. Although they had a couple of extremely talented player (like the U-19 striker and captain of the Swedish national team), our counter attack was to much for their defense and this is were we exploited them. This game was at such a high level and I hope we are able to play more premier league youth academies.

We then played Bradford City youth academy/ with a mix of reserves, which again was a range of kids ageing 17-22. We ran out 3-0 winners as our first half formation of three center midfielders overloaded their midfield and allowed us to control the game. The game was back and forth at times but our ability to create chances and our finishing was superior to Bradford City’s and was the overall deciding factor in the game. It was a nice way to round out the showcase games for the first semester as we were unsuccessful against the Bradford City reserves the first game.

In January of 2012 the first major event the program will participate in is a two-day trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and we will play the Ajax academy and tour their facilities. This will be such an amazing experience as Ajax is a huge, prestigious football club containing a wealth of history. Other showcase games that we are looking forward too in the upcoming semester include Southampton and the notable Nike Academy!

Although I had school during the regular Thanksgiving break, my American teammates and I cooked dinner and hosted a Thanksgiving feast in our flats. It was great to celebrate Thanksgiving with my friends and having the ability to recreate the usual family feeling. Over the weekend I met my second cousins who lives in Harrogate (a quaint town about 20-25 minutes away on a train) for a mini Thanksgiving feast. It was good to see them again as they traveled with me to Ireland and spend a quiet weekend in a beautiful area. I really missed the family at this time but I appreciated everything in my life that I had at the moment, especially be able to be part of this program and extraordinary experience.

One of the highlights of this semester was my teammates and I meeting Manchester United Center Midfield Tom Cleverly. Tom was such a humble guy and he gave us advice on football, life, and about going for our dreams. Tom’s journey to becoming a starter at one of the biggest clubs in the world is remarkable and inspirational. Unfortunately he was injured early this season and will hopefully return back to form in early 2012.

We go into the Christmas break 5^th in the league and with the whole second semester filled with both showcase and league games. I ended the year taking three finals and I cannot wait to be home in the States, in the sunny Florida. I miss all my family and friends and miss them all so much, yet I am grateful to be in the United Kingdom playing the best game in the world. This first semester is just the beginning of a life long journey and I am blessed to be living my life to the fullest.

September Update

Well, it has been awhile and over the past two weeks I have gotten into the swing of things here in Leeds as the school and soccer program have kicked into full gear. We now have class and training regularly and all of the other students have fully moved into campus and they start their classes this upcoming Monday. My classes are going along well and in a month time I will taking my midterms and be on my October Break. I started a job as a bartender this past Wednesday at a local pub (called The Three Horseshoes) right off of campus working a few days a week. This will be a great experience for me working in a different country, earning a few extra dollars, and learning some new skills, as I have never done this job before. As well, it will fill up some of the extra free time I have and keep me busy-just the way I like it. As soccer goes, the past two weeks we produced two big wins, 6-2 in league play against the fourth place team which was a great outcome for us, and then 5-2 in a Cup Match and 14-1 in a league play (but we played a second division team). So it is good to be back on good form, winning matches and climbing back up the league table as we sit at 5^th place in the league. Everything has been running smoothly and we are starting to get on a regular schedule. Starting next week, we are able to train at the college campus, as the new turf fields have been created-so no more having to ride to practice in a van! A week and a half ago, about 15 of us went to see the England U21 team play against the Israel U21 team at Barnsley’s home pitch for an International friendly game. The atmosphere was great and it was exciting as it was the first match I had ever seen in the UK live. England ended up winning 4-1 and below are pictures from the event.

First Showcase Match and Boat Party

September 4, 2011

Wow this past week has been an exciting week and tomorrow classes start and I am excited for them to begin. Last Saturday we had a league game we lost and on Sunday we had our first showcase game against Bradford City reserves and some other players who were on trial there. It was a great game and even though we ended up losing 3-5 it was a great experience and I did enjoy the half I got to play. We played at Valley Parade, their home stadium on a beautiful day, beautiful pitch, and the overall experience was breathtaking and something I will remember forever.  Monday was a Bank Holiday in the UK so the entire day was off, so I did much needed laundry, studied for my final, and rested after the doubleheader from the weekend. Tuesday the first years took the final to the Sports and Society class, I finally got a UK mobile, and practice continued. On Wednesday I almost got a job, but it would be involve me going out of town too much and conflicting with the soccer schedule. On Thursday me and three other students went to London as we were chosen to visit one of the other campuses (in London) and meet other students and attend a Boat Party on the Thames River. So from Thursday through Saturday morning I was in London and all day Friday we went shopping and sightseeing on Oxford Street. The boat trip was nice because it allowed us to meet other students (other students still have not moved in on our campus) and the boat party was pretty much a club on water. Overall it was a fun trip and a good little break from football, but now I am ready to get back into the school and football groove this week!