The U17 Boys team had several days of leisure and two additional friendlies. The tour is going fast, but the experience has been wonderful.
The group was able to tour the Holland Soccer Museum prior to an evening match. Seeing the jerseys, trophies and soccer artifacts was awesome. They also had interactive displays for speed dribbling, running and shooting which everyone enjoyed.
We walked into the centre of Roosendaal to do some shopping, sightseeing and enjoy lunch.
A pregame meal with our host team, RBC Roosendall, was very tasty. RBC is where club founder, Mike Mossel, played professionally for several years. An impressive 5,000 seat stadium with turf pitch awaited us as well as a very determined RBC squad.
The Lions played much better today and the first 40 minutes was a see-saw battle. The hosts got a nice goal right before the half to lead 1-0. The second half the team was not able to maintain its shape nearly enough and Roosendaal was able to take advantage of the gaps. A final score of 5-0 was a bit harsh, but the boys gave a great effort and the team attitude stayed strong.
Thursday was a day of relaxing after four very jammed packed days. After breakfast, the team held a soccer tennis tournament. The winning team of Dylan, Aaron and Lucas got to play the "Legends" all-star team of Mike, Bruno and Ric. The boys were quite confident in a quick victory, but they were very wrong. The legends beat them using communication and a solid first touch. In wanting to give the boys every chance possibble, they allowed them to add a fourth player. Another win for the legends.....a new group of four.....and another win for the legends. Again, in wanting to give them a better chance, the legends allowed them to add a fifth player. It just did not matter, as the legends rolled to a fourth straight victory.
The Lions had their final friendly of the tour as they played the Gloria UC team. Gloria UC is where we have held all of our morning training sessions. The boys were ready for another good match. The evening was perfect for soccer and the boys played as a unit very well. The opponent gave them a bit more time and space then the first two matches. This allowed the Lions to get into a nice rhythm of play and several nice chances were created. Back-to-back corner kicks led to the first goal as Joe I. came through unmarked and gave DDL FC the lead. The 1-0 scoreline stayed through till halftime.
As the second half started, the home team took advantage of some poor tackling and scored on a breakaway to tie the game. The Lions started to pick up their pressure and were rewarded with two goals in a span of 12 minutes. The first came when Terry O. stole the ball on the right wing and sent in a far post cross. The ball was over the keeper and fell into the side netting. The third goal came from some nice individual work as Lucas carved his way through two defenders and hit a low ball into the corner. A 3-1 win was welcomed.