Huskies Memories Being Made In Germany

The University of Connecticut men’s soccer team is currently on a tour of Germany that will feature three games against international competition. As the tour continues, UConnHuskies.com will feature journals from Husky players and photographs of the trip.

Relaxing at dinner in Germany on Wednesday night are the two journal writers -- Karl Schilling, (middle) and Adam Schuerman (far right). They are joined by Louis Jones, Patrick Halligan and Glen Carnahan.

Adam Schuerman’s Journal

Note: Adam is a goalkeeper for the Huskies who will be a senior in the fall. He is from Brookfield, Wis., and is to the left practicing in Germany.

Friday, May 13, 2005

“We flew out of Boston last night on Lufthansa Airlines.  It was a long flight but we finally landed in Munich, Germany.  The hotel is great and the food is incredible.  My roommate is Moshe Shalchon and all the channels on the television are in German.  We took a walk through a local park in the morning and got to see Munich more.  We had lunch and went to train at the Bayern Munich Training Facility, which was a great experience.  A lot of the guys brought video cameras and are filming everything which is pretty fun. We are going to bed early tonight and have breakfast tomorrow at 7 a.m.”

Monday, May 16, 2005

On Saturday May 14^th, we went to the Bayern Munich vs. Nuremberg game -- the last one to ever be played in Olympic Stadium.  It was a lot of fun and Munich won 6-3.  After the game we went out in Munich and everyone got some dinner.  I had a brat with fries.  We all came back from downtown Munich around 10 p.m.  On Sunday, we woke up at 6:30 a.m. and had breakfast and then went to train.  We trained for a while and then left for Austria. We went to Salzberg, the city where Mozart was born.  It was a beautiful city and there were some amazing castles built into the mountains, which overlooked the ancient city.  On the way to the city we drove though the Alps, which were majestic and snow capped providing for some beautiful scenery.  Unfortunately, our bus driver indicated that he was headed off to vacation in Hamberg for the rest of the week so we will expect to meet someone new on Tuesday when we head off to our match at the Bayern training facility. 

We did a light jog and stretch with some of the locals through the famous English Gardens of Munich. Then we went on a tour of Munich and the old Olympic Stadium.  We went to the top of the Olympic Tower and were able to see over the entire city. (LEFT: Ryan Cordeiro at the top of the tower) 

Tomorrow we will play our first match against Bayern Munich and are very excited to play.  Everyone is really enjoying our stay in Deutschland.  It is lots of fun!

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

We played our first game against the Bayern Munich Reserves and we won 3-0.  We played really well and finished our chances. It was a great way to start off the trip.  Training on the field next to our game was the FC Bayern first team. It was pretty exciting seeing Oliver Kahn, Michael Ballock and Pizarro. 

Our theme song for this trip has been Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” and David Fromayan always has it playing on his IPod shuffle. After the game I had my first brat with sauerkraut, but I still think that my dad’s back home is better.  Yesterday we got our new bus driver, Wolfgang, who took over for our other driver because he went on vacation with his family.  It was a rainy day here today so instead of a quick jog and stretch outside we went into the pool with Coach West for regeneration and then had another wonderful hotel breakfast. The chefs here make the best omelets.

At 9:30 a.m., Wolfgang drove us to adidas.  We took a tour of the adidas factory and then had lunch in their cafeteria.  Afterwards we went shopping in the outlet store.  All the players on the team chipped in and bought Steve Sealy an adidas shirt since he was not able to be with us on the trip. Unfortunately, before we left adidas, Mpho managed to get himself locked in the bathroom on the bus.  Fortunately, we eventually got him out.  A lot of the guys bought some nice things at the outlets so tonight we are going out to dinner to show off our new digs.  To fit in with the locals, I have been wearing my hair in a Mohawk; I don’t think you can tell by the pictures at practice or the game.  We are all looking forward to our next game tomorrow night.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Today started off with a jog to a local field to train at 7:45 in the morning.  We had an hour training session and then jogged back to the hotel and ate breakfast.  We had our strength and conditioning meeting in the late morning with Coach West.  He gave us a manual illustrating what we need to do this summer in order to succeed in the fall.  After the meeting at noon, we left for the city of Dachau and visited a castle and courtyard for an hour. After that we visited a concentration camp used during World War II.  We watched a video describing what went on there during the war and then we all walked around and looked at the different memorials inside the concentration camp.  It was very moving.  Afterwards we came back to the hotel and watched the English FA Cup final between Manchester United and Arsenal. Arsenal ended up winning 5-4 on penalties. A lot of the team watched the game downstairs in the lobby and some watched it in their rooms.  It was a very entertaining game.  The FA Cup final is that same as the Super Bowl in America.  We are going to bed early tonight, because we have our toughest challenge of the trip tomorrow against the Under 20 Chinese National Team.  We are looking to get a good result and make this trip a very successful one on and off the field.

Karl Schilling’s Journal

Note: Karl is a back-midfielder for the Huskies who will be a sophomore in the fall. He is from Canton, Conn., and is practicing to the left in Germany.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

On May 12th, the UConn men’s soccer team departed to Germany on its first foreign tour. The flight was fairly uneventful. 

It wouldn’t be until the plane landed that team would experience its first memorable moment.  After picking up our luggage it was Moshe (it should be noted that Moshe holds a 3.95 grade point average) who managed to leave his bags behind.  Needing security to escort him back to his bags, he retrieved them and boarded the team but to a sizable amount of applause. 

Training on the first and second days of the trip was made memorable due to our use of Bayern Munich’s training facility.  Walking by the main field we saw relentless fans waiting for Bayern’s full team to train, a bar full of fans and rows of the team and staff’s luxury cars.  In the midst of the spectacle we attempted our training routine; as all teams will testify these training session were anything but routine.

As training on the second day ended, the team awaited a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Since 1972, Olympic Park has served as home to the Bayern Munich Football Club and as a focal point of German soccer.  Stepping off the metro we were on the brink of the last match to be played in Olympic Stadium; Bayern Munich vs. Nuremburg.

Walking, flowing rather, was a sea of red and maroon shirts, flags and scores chanting “Bayern!.” Live music, food and entertainment surrounded the stadium and the air was electric.  As game time, the speakers began to play the Bayern Munich theme song.  It was a stadium full of soccer fanatics, including us.

The game started favorably for the home team and they never looked back. Pizzaro tallied in the eight minute; by halftime the score was 5-0 and included a fantastic free kick from Roy Makaay.  A final score of 6-3 was not the only entertainment.  In the middle of the second half a fight broke out in the Bayern section that demanded not only the attention of the entire crowd but the police as well. 

As the game drew to a close, we exited the stadium in a rush to beat the crowd to get a taste of Munich culture; Marienplatz was our destination.  It was a vibrant downtown, known to Germans as the Innenstadt, including shops, famous churches and one screaming celebration.  It was once again the Bayern fans celebrating their league title and new stadium. With our weary cultural experience coming to a close, we ended our first full day in Germany.

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Getting up for breakfast on Sunday morning was a much less daunting task as the team’s collective jetlag was wearing off and we settled into the new German time zone.  Training latter that morning went well and included few memorable events. At the outset of training, we removed the ropes guarding the grass in the goalmouths with the promise that we would replace them to their position.  Immediately following training that morning we boarded the bus while the adults replaced the ropes.  Joe Coyle quickly returned the ropes at the north goalmouth to their proper position; the south goalmouth was not so easy.  Coach West graciously accepted the duty of replacing the other set of ropes; little did he know they would be outstandingly difficult.  Coach West struggled with the ropes and stakes as they perpetually fell down while the entire bus (certainly the coaching staff included) delighted in his predicament.

On only the second day of our tour we visited Austria bringing our international count to two countries in two days.  The bus ride to Salzburg was without a doubt the most enjoyable we had been on as a team.  The small two-lane highway wound through the Alps; high snow-tipped mountain rose and fell directly to our right.  The team felt as if the mountains were within arms reach and presented an indomitable height. With the Alps still in view we pulled into the city of Salzburg. 

Salzburg presented a new and exciting cultural experience; after all, how could it not, it was the birthplace of Mozart.  As we exited the bus a magnificent view of a castle seated high above on a cliff overlooking a rushing river.  The city itself was extremely beautiful including small winding back-roads, a magnificent flower garden, and outdoor cafes.  The most outstanding and entertaining tourist on our team was Glen Carnahan, who snapped a world record 88 photos in three and a half hours.  Although he many not know the accompanying historical background to all of his pictures, but he surely has pictures of all the interesting places.

(Left: Louis Jones in Salzburg)

The night concluded with a local meal at the most American restaurant around.  We ate at the hotels restaurant, fittingly name Champions.  This was certainly not the result of craving for American food, but rather as result of our fatigue from a day filled with sightseeing.  Although the food was extremely American and the waiter did drop our sodas on the ground the day was certainly a success. 

Monday, May 16, 2005

Monday was a relatively relaxing day.  The morning included a team jog through the Englisher Garten (know to us Americans as the English Gardens).  The park is appropriately named after the horticultural style borrowed from England and consists of natural vegetation and aesthetically appealing gravel paths.  It provided the team with a beneficial and enjoyable jog through the largest park in Europe (and quite larger than Central Park). 

The after noon included an insightful tour of Munich; the countless building and squares we had seen on Saturday finally had names and histories attached to them.  As an interesting fact the team took away from the experience was that the vast majority of building were exact replicas erected due to a nearly complete destruction of the city during the air raids of World War II.  Dinner concluded at the Hardrock Café in the center of Munich.  In all a quite enjoyable day in Deutschland.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Tuesday was the first match day of the trip.  The morning consisted of out usual pregame walk and stretch. Once again, the English Garden served as an enjoyable venue.  After another excellent hotel meal and a short bus ride we arrived once again at Bayern Munich’s training facility.

This was not a regular match day as we would experience in the States; we had no prior knowledge of the team or style of soccer we would be facing.  The field only added to our apprehension as it was bumpy and lacked a significant amount of grass.  With a rather large crowd, the great majority of which was actually watching Bayern’s first team train, the match kicked off.

Although not a poor start, we began the game tentatively as we sought to eliminate any potentially costly errors.  Our tension slowly began to turn to confidence; this sentiment was fueled by a David Fromayan goal near the 15 minute mark.  He rose in-between defenders to head the ball sharply into the right corner of the net.  After the goal we found ourselves with much possession, however our compact defending lead to very few dangerous opportunities for our opponents.  It would again be a counterattack and serve from the left flank by Ryan Cordeiro that would eventually lead to a Kevin Burns goal.  With the half drawing to close Bayern would prove their most dangerous with a shot off the post following a crafty turn in the box.  The half ended with us in control, comfortably up 2-0.  

The second half presented more balanced possession and a more open flow to the game.  Neither team had many exceptional chances.  Bayern proved most dangerous off a 35-yard free kick, which despite appearing destined for goal, stayed out of harm’s way.  We would eventually galvanize the result with a third goal.  Chukwudi Chijindu, after receiving a through-ball from Bongi Macala, took on the final defender at the right side of the box.  Slipping the ball between the defender’s legs, Chuck struck the ball past the helpless keeper.  Ending the match with a favorable 3-0 result the team enjoyed a relaxing dinner near the hotel.

Wednesday, May, 18, 2005

Wednesday would be a rest day in-between matches; the day would not be a boring one however.  Leaving the hotel at 9:30 a.m., we traveled north to the adidas headquarters.  Although the bus ride lasted a shade over two hours, it would be worth the time. We were about to be given an exclusive tour of the new products for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. 

Upon arriving, we were greeted by two tour guides who would be responsible for showing off the “top secret” gear.  The two tour guides quickly asked us to hide our cameras and told us, “We probably shouldn’t be showing you this stuff anyway.”

After lunch it was time to shop at the outlet store.  Like a bunch of soccer fanatics, we spent nearly two hours in the store looking through jerseys, shoes and tons of other stuff.  I had never seen a group of guys shop like that before.  The store ad all sorts of adidas products that aren’t seen in the United States; from T-Mobile biking shirts to throw-back 1980’s jackets the store was a museum of for sale clothing.  With a long day of shopping and touring behind us we again ate a team dinner only a few blocks from the hotel.

Photo above: Moshe Shalchon, Julius James and Viktor Borggren at dinner on Wednesday.

Friday, May 20, 2005

We played our second game of the trip against FC Aschheim (on Thursday) and we won 3-1.  It was another good performance by the team.  After the game a couple guys from the team and I went to a local restaurant.  It was a really good meal and there were a lot of people that went to universities around Munich.  One of them played the guitar and another played the keyboard and they sang songs for an hour or so.  It was a really neat way to spend dinner.  They played a lot of the Rolling Stones.  This morning we woke up and went on a walk to the local public swimming pool with Coach West and it was a great way to start off the day.  There was a slide that all the guys really enjoyed and the pool was very refreshing.  After that we had breakfast and we had the afternoon to ourselves in Munich.  I walked around with a couple of guys and took pictures.  We came across a river where a couple people were surfing on the river current.  We bought some souvenirs and then we met at the Hard Rock Café to have dinner.  Today was Mpho’s 22^nd birthday and we sang him Happy Birthday.  It was pretty funny, because they put us on the stage in the restaurant and put strobe lights all on Mpho.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Today started with a light training in a local park. We played small sided games and had a long ball competition for accuracy.  Julius was disappointed when his team lost the small sided possession game and made coach promise to keep the teams the same in August so he could have another chance. Will Osorio, serving to Caesar and Chuck, won the long ball competition with four will placed balls. 

After training we visited the Dachau concentration camp.  The afternoon provided a first hand look at an extremely sobering piece of world history.  We watched a film documenting the camp’s history; these fifteen minutes of film, mostly photographs actually, change the team’s mood and served to magnify the weight of the experience.  Although some of the building had been modernized, much of the original building remained in the exact form from the period. In all the camp exposed us as a team to a reality harsher than most were willing to imagine.

Pictured to the left: Bonginkosi Macala at the Dachau concentration camp.

The day ended with dinner in the hotel while watching the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Arsenal.  After dinner, players began to wind down for the night and started to prepare for our final match.