Day 2 Afternoon Walk/UEFA Cup Match

After the game we took the bus back to the hotel for a quick lunch - the hotel serves a buffet style lunch that usually includes a hot dish, soup, salad and bread. The food is OK but the boys are so hungry I think they would eat their cleats.

After lunch we took a walk along the waterfront, through the old part of the city (similar to Portland's Old Port) and on to the stadium for the evening UEFA Cup match. We did some shopping and of course had more ice cream. Seth has an sixth sense when it comes to finding ice cream shops. The picture to the left is of a Viking ship sculpture on the waterfront - very cool. Make sure to check out Matty Zane scaling the Leif Erikkson (sp?) statue in the slide show below.

We saw a great UEFA match between the local KR club and a club from Sweden. It was a great game with the local side losing 1-0 on a fantastic goal in the 8oth minute. After the game we split up, with some folks taking the bus back to the hotel while others walked back (about 45 minutes). I must say that Harper has mastered the local bus schedule.

We all rolled into the hotel about 11 PM, boys in bed at midnight and alarms went off at 4 AM this morning for the bus ride to the airport. We are boarding now as I finish this post. Next news from Scotland.

Day 2 Game vs KR

Seth let the boys sleep in until 9:30 this morning and after breakfast we left for the game around 10:30. At the club it was warm and sunny and we went through our usual warm up. The field is in great shape with the grass closely cut and playing fast.

We won the game 7-2. The boys showed no signs of jet lag and played with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. The coaches were pleased that many of the boys were trying things they saw in the Champion's League game the night before. Thomas controlled the middle, effectively demonstrating a first touch and cleverly played balls. Gabe Warren was up and down the sidelines with long, overlapping penetrating runs. Our goalies played well behind a defense that was well organized and in control. Goal scorers included Gabe (2), Ford (2), Kyle (2) and Amo (1). KR scored two good goals; the first was a volley off a corner and the second was a well placed ball in the corner as its tricky striker broke through our D. At the end of the game Seth had the boys playing many different positions - backs in front, strikers in back. It was a great way to begin the trip.

After the game the boys socialized and the club with the other team.