Back to 2 a days - sort of

Having now settled in our cabana paradise, and reaching just beyond the midpoint on our trip, it was time for us to again get into official preseason mode with a two-a-day, kind of. After waking up to another breakfast equivalent to that of any we would be accustomed to at home, we loaded up the bus and got a light workout in prior to our match against Clube Esporte Buzios that took place later in the afternoon. Nothing fancy to be honest, just a light kick about to get our legs moving on what is an extremely hard and bumpy field.

After training, we walked back to our hotel to shower and get some lunch in Buzios. Everyone again scattered for different locations but anticipated the match to come as we made our way back to the hotel for some down time prior to preparing for the match at hand.

As we made our way to the match, we walked away from our cabana paradise to the realities of people who have to live in the predicament they are in day in and day out. For that reason, this game in particular, was one that became more and more special to us as we finished up. But anyway, our start to the match was again slow, giving up a goal within the first 7 minutes as we were unable to maintain possession, and by an errant pass, leading to their goal on a breakaway. Truthfully, very little happened over the next 33 minutes (apparently officials in Brazil have no idea how long a half of football is), as we went into halftime down 0-1.

Disappointed with our slow start, the old football saying that "Football is a game of two halves" again held true. We came out flying, storming the field with hard tackles and high pressure to obtain the ball and attack their goal. The forward tandem of Evan Atwell and Chris "Flash" Campbell won the ball and Chris broke down the left touch line to slide in a cross where Evan "the Hyphonator" Cantu-Hertzler, at full speed, got to the far post to slam the ball into the upper right corner to bring the game even once again at 1-1.

Buzios heads' dropped, our ears pinned back and went full speed towards goal. Not more than 5 minutes later, Will Stamell won a ball at the midline to play a ball into Flash who then played it into the channel for a cross. The ball sprung free as he pounced on it and slammed it into the bottom right corner for the lead and the match, 2-1 to Oberlin.

As we traded shirts with the Buzios team, it became apparent as to how grateful they all were for the shirts as both the team and some young fans immediately tossed them on and headed back home happy. We headed back for the hotel for dinner and then some R & R in town and on the beach.

We play our final match tomorrow against Rio das Ostras as our days in Brazil are coming to a close as we prepare to challenge for a NCAC and NCAA Championship, getting back to Oberlin on Sunday.

Catching Up - News from Paradise

Ok, so where'd we leave off? Hmm...seems a lot has passed. Best to jump right in. Actually I'll work backwards. We just came back from sailing all afternoon around Buzios. I guess sailing isn't strictly correct, but it's close enough. Buzios is an isthmus with beaches all around, so we'd go from beach to beach, drop anchor, and go for a swim. The crew wasn't particularly safety conscious, so we were able flip off the deck, sit up on the bow, etc. In the morning we had a quick, hard training session in the local stadium (fenced in field) where we will play against the local team from Buzios.
What's today? Wednesday I suppose? So Tuesday was Fluminence and travel. We had to drive out an hour into the country to get to Fluminence's training ground. It was cloudy, wet when we arrived (8:30ish), but it all burned off by the second half. We weren't the most prepared for whatever reason for this game. The energy was low, and didn't seem to have much pop for the start. To make matters worse this team was much better then Portuguesa. The skill level was about the same, but this team was a lot more aggressive and stacked with athletes. We found out after the game that 8 of the 11 starters were already professionals, either playing for the reserve or full team. We were rolled in the first half going down 3-0. The second half marked a bit improvement though. They still had more of the play, but we picked ourselves up and won the half 1-0, leaving a more respectable 3-1 final score. From a technical, tactical standpoint, what impressed me so much is how the Brazilians move. Every first touch changes the angle - the player never kills the ball; and equally as important after a pass they almost always move. The effect is to never lat the defense settle. A midfielder might work hard to get wide and force a player in, but by the time he gets there the wide player has cut in on his first touch, played on his second, and moved into space behind. They were able to play around us consistently doing this. We on the other hand often killed the ball on our first touch and they would swarm us. Constant movement is needed. The rest of the day was spent driving several hours to Buzios, not too much there.
Monday - our scheduled game was canceled because of rain, so we went to see Christ the Redeemer in the morning. The statue sits 710 meters overlooking almost all the city. The 20 minute train ride up goes through thick forest that gives no clue to the huge metropolis around, except for the beautiful views when the train is on the side of the mountain occasionally. On top the view over all Rio was breathtaking. The ocean, the bay, the lagoon, the stadiums, the favellas, the beaches, our hotel - you could see almost everything. The rest of the day was pretty open. The afternoon was spent lounging on the beach or fighting the crashing surf. We had a short training session somewhere in there. The evening we had dinner at the hotel (very good as usual) and went shopping at a market down on Ipanema beach. Got the rest of my shopping done (some very nice pickups), and turned in early because of the game.
Sunday - second professional game had Rio home team Botafoga against Palmeras. A big, loud crowd met us at the newer _____ ( can't remember the name) stadium. Botafoga won 1-0 on a late goal, which left the whole crowd happy. Picked up a Botafoga jersey after from a street vendor (pretty good quality for a knock-off). Went to a Brazilian pizza joint (the Brazilian part being where the waiters continually assault you with different pizza after different pizza). Got back around 9ish and spent the rest of the evening doing shopping at a small market a couple blocks down on the beach.
Saturday (from game on) - The Maracana lived up to its reputation - huge. We sat among the home Flamengo supporters. When Flamengo scored late in the second half the crowd went nuts (see video complete with flares). After the game we went to a samba school - Salguerro. A samba school is apparently a lot like a soccer club where they train year round for carnival while teaching the younger kids how to play the music and dance. We didn't get there until 11, and nothing really started until midnight. The festivities kicked off with the drum core before moving on to a full band and eventually costumed (read very little clothing) dancers. We stayed pretty late with half the team having a great time, and the other half looking like zombies sitting at the tables in the middle of the dancing. Right before we left one young women looking at the zombie group asked if we were having any fun and if we were Swedish. We assured her we were having fun, just some had neglected to take an afternoon nap, and we weren't Swedish, she just happened to be looking at all the blondes on the team half asleep at the tables. That's as much as I can type for now, over and out.

Botafogo Game and Christ the Redeemer Trip: Mike Enters the Blog World

While Zach and Kyle have been taking time out of their busy days to catch everyone up on our latest shenanigans, I have been catching a little extra rest or much needed shut-eye. But the blog rotation now has officially begun and it is my turn to stay up "late" (10:40 p.m. rio time) and fill in about the last two days. This is my first real blog so bare with me as it will be as much an adventure for me to write it as it will be for you to read.

Lulu last wrote about the professional game we went to at the famous and breathtaking Maracana stadium and how we finished the night at a samba club/school. Sunday was again a pretty relaxed day. With no games or official training to take part in, we slept in a little bit and then went for a team run. Unfortunately the waves were a little to ferocious during the slightly stormy weather and lifeguards kept people from going into the water. My swimming abilities may be limited but I have become infatuated with and addicted to playing in the ocean.

After our run and a quick lunch we set off for our second professional game of the trip, with the fixture between Botafogo (from Rio) and Palmeiras. The game was played in Botafogo's relatively new stadium that was built for the Pan Am games in Rio in 2007. While Maracana was amazing due to its sheer size and potential fan capacity, the João Havelange Olympic Stadium was stunning due to its state-of-the-art architecture. The atmosphere was booming as the two teams were playing for a little more than Flamego the day before. Both teams were in the top half of the Brazilian league, separated by a few points in the standings, with Botafogo the team trailing. The black and white of Botafogo flooded the stands as only a small section in the lower corner of the stadium was reserved for the green and white traveling fans for Palmeiras.

The game was much more up-tempo and technically crisp. Botafogo was the dominant team in the first half, creating the better chances and forcing the Palmeiras goalkeeper to make a couple key saves. Palmeiras had a couple breaks throughout the game but nothing too troubling and around the 75th minute or so Botafogo created a much-deserved goal off a cross from the right winger who barely kept the ball from going over the end line and was finished by a runner into the box to the far post who headed it to the upper left corner. Bright red flares, drumming and Botafogo songs filled the stadium immediately as the team held on for the win.

The spectacular night briefly turned sour on our way out as our exit from the stadium coincided by running into another American college men's soccer team. Rather than any friendly chats or hellos, the Swarthmore team chanted "Swarthmore's Better" several times as we walked away. Shocked by their idiotic and irritating chants, we forcibly and professionally held our tongues and continued walking, thinking it better not to start a shouting match. After all, who would honestly try to trash talk to fellow countrymen in a foreign country? Whatever though, we know our play can do our talking for us.

The night ended with a pizza buffet that filled us up minutes after we got off our bus. Waiters were bringing pizza after pizza and it became difficult to save room for the ice cream pizzas at the end. We were looking forward to our game today (Monday) but found out that night that it was canceled due to some logistical issues with the other team. So rather than wake up early for the game today, we went to Christ the Redeemer statue on one of the highest points in Rio. It was a warm, relatively clear day and we were able to see all of Rio. Directly across our line of sight was the Sugar Loaf hill that we visited a couple days earlier. We could also see the Copacabana beach that we lived so close to. On the other side of the statue was the circular outline of the Maracana stadium. What marvelous views. We discovered that Rio was much, much larger in its spacial covering that we thought.

A return to our hotel was followed by lunch and then a short beach training session before some play in the waves. Bean, Evan Atwell and Luke Hoffman were some of the more adventurous, swimming out pretty far in hopes or riding some of the several foot-high waves. A trip to a local market down the main street right off the beach was met with enthusiasm as gift buying came to the forefront of our minds. Some money was saved though for our trip tomorrow to Buzios, after our 9:30 am game against Fluminense (almost 10 hours away), which means a 7am wake up. This also means I need to get to bed and therefore concludes today's blog. By tomorrow night we will be in Buzios. Hope everyone back home is doing well. We are definitely enjoying ourselves. Thanks for your help on getting us here.

Mike

Sorry for the delayed responses recently as fatigue has taken a toll on our bodies. Between playing matches, samba clubs and watching matches on top of eating the Brazilian food, everyone is a bit tired.

Anyway, continuing where we last left off, the match at the Maracana was one of those memories that will never be forgotten. Personally, it always has been one of those places that I had to see because as someone who plays football, it is the equivalent of Mecca. Some background on the Maracana: Home of the 1950 World Cup final where over 200,000 people filled the stadium to see Brazil lose the match to Uruguay, now seats 99,500 but will soon seat over 120,000 as it is the home of the 2014 World Cup Final, it is the National Stadium of the Brazilian National Team and also to one of the oldest clubs in the world, Flamengo. The game we got to see was Flamengo against Atletico Paranese. Although Flamengo is not having one of the best seasons ever and many supporters are against the club's partnership with Nike, thus only 1/4 of the stadium was filled, the energy that filled the stadium was second to none as some of our teammates, Pete, ECH, Justin and Zach Lip joined the supporters for nearly the entirety of the match.

The game was fantastic and from a soccer perspective rather eye opening as we finally saw the Brazilian game the way the game was meant to be played, in other words, entirely different than what we are used to. For instance, instead of using the space and playing an entire team game, the Brazilian game is meant to open up play so that 1 vs 1 situations occur on the flanks. On top of that, very little shooting occurs as the goal seems to be to string beautiful passes together as a way to find a way to get the ball as close as possible before either tapping it or walking it into the goal.

Anyway, the game ended 1-0 to Flamengo (Thank God) on a goal from a corner that was headed into the center of the net after the keeper came out to catch the ball but the Flamengo center back got up to win the ball over both keeper and defender. The experience itself was fantastic as every bad pass or touch was roared at by a crowd that expects nothing but perfection from their team. Flares lit up the night and also provided a smokey view of the field as chaos ensued as soon as Flamengo scored their goal late in the second half. We left the Maracana pleased, as any supporter of the game would be seeing a match there, and some of us, completely enthralled with one of our new favorite teams, Flamengo.

One thing we were unaware of was what was in store for us immediately following the match. After a quick bite to eat at the hotel, Cesar took us to an extremely famous Samba school that puts on a tremendous performance every Saturday night. The school, called Salgueiro, had the feel to a block party upon entrance as little stands and samba lined the way to its doors with smells of chicken, pork, steak, fish, and laughter in large groups as all in the area prepared for, what we did not know, would be a long, long night.

Arriving at 11 we sat and awaited the performance to begin. Slowly at first, but extremely rapid afterwards, the school became a sea of humanity as drums and bells began to reverberate off the walls and the movement of bodies began. Truthfully, we stuck out like sore thumbs as we again proved how white we really are as almost no one, outside of a few guys, proved that they have any sort of rhythm. But, as is the Brazilian way, that did not matter as they seemed to accept us as one of the locals. Young kids treated us as older friends and the people again, as was the case in the club, attempted to show us how to move our bodies like the Brazilians. Although tired as 3 AM somehow crept up on us, many wished to stay but we knew we had to get going so that we could sleep in and get our bodies some rest.

I will have to get back to writing about today tomorrow because it is nearly 11 PM and almost time for lights out.

-Zach

...first day (continued) into the second (beach soccer madness)

...the second half was much better. We started pushing the midfield up. In the first half they would have one or two deep center mid's, and one other guy always cycling through between the defense and midfield. Our mid's were dropping on the guy in between so they could switch the ball at will. By pushing up and having the outside mid's gambling on the switches we started to force them into the mistakes we were making in the first half. The second half we played them even or even ahead. I really enjoyed when their backs would get the ball look in all directions and have no where to play the ball. We scored late - 88th minute or so. Unfortunately, the ref kept the game going 7 or 8 minutes past time calling a dubious hand ball so that the home side didn't lose. That's what happens I guess...we count it as a win.
Bean met us at the hotel (!), we ate lunch and napped before going to Sugar Loaf. Two huge granite/gneiss mts. with cable cars going up. Great views of Rio all around. The lagoon in the middle of the city is huge. I hadn't realized how big it was. We ran down the mt. on the way back. Not so easy in the Crocs, but a lot of fun. The key was to keep going fast otherwise you'd slip. Had to wait for the flip-flop people who walked down.
Unbelievable night. First Brazilian steakhouse, the club. The waiters would come in waves with huge chunks of meat. They just kept coming, lamb, steak, ham, chicken...all amazing. The salad bar had sushi to boot. The club was a lot of fun. Some great stories for more private conversations - Justin and Pete especially. It was a three story building which doubled as a antique shop during the day. Everything on the walls was for sale. First floor dancing, the next two food and dancing and everything in between. Out late and slept well at night. Got to go to a game at the Maracana...I'll get to today later.

Portuguesa; Settling in Rio

Great first full day in Rio. Woke up and headed out the door for a 9:30 AM kick off against Portuguesa. Napped on the way to the stadium despite my best efforts. Woke up as we pulled into a compound with a full stadium nestled into the heart of Rio. It was a little intimidating walking in - there were maybe 50 people in a large room/cafeteria all staring at us. Got through the warm-up feeling good. We were a little nervous, but settled in after the first 10 or so. Not much in the way of offense for the first half, but the defense was pretty well organized. Ah, got to go to the Brazilian BBQ, finish later...