The morning started with our first clear view of the Eyjafjallajökull (Ey-ah-fet-ley-ooh-hook - I think) the volcanoe that erupted in June 2010. We could see steam rising from areas on the volcano - at least we think that's what it was ... sure that's what it was - FIRE AND ICE BABY.
What an incredible trip this has been for weather and scenery. We came prepared for what Iceland has to offer, but today was probably the best day yet. Sunny and warm. The unique beauty of Iceland might be lost on the boys who are having a great time goofing with their friends and playing some competitive games that are really fun, but it's not lost on the adults. Below is a bit of an idea of the spectacular tournament location.
I'll give a tip of the húfu (hat) to our goalkeepers today, being a salty old Icelandic goalkeeper type myself. Mac and Simon have been outstanding, keeping us in games that might have gotten out of hand early which gave us time to find our game. Below are a couple quick clips of outstanding saves made for Colorado Rush USA.
Our first match against Afturelding was a pretty demanding start to the day. The first half started with the team on their heels a bit as the Afturelding midfielders were getting the ball quickly to their forwards putting our defense on ... well, the defensive. Mac came up with 3 huge saves, two diving and one knocking the ball out of the upper 90 to give us a chance to advance.
The entire tournament, our goalkeepers Mac and Simon have been outstanding. In this format the ball can be played back to the goalkeepers when it gets too hot, so the keepers have to be on their toes at all times. They have done a great job of directing the defense. Also, with no offsides and frequent goalkeeper punts, they face a lot of shots. We wouldnt be moving to the final highest bracket without these guys playing so well.
Gradually, NIck, Ben and Beau began to turn the tide of the game with terrific tackling in the back. Alex won the ball at midfield drove and layed a beautiful pass to Kevin who chipped a nice ball amost in. The gargantuan (no exaggeration, this kid was BIG) Afturelding goalkeeper got a piece of it, but Alex was there to volley in the rebound for a huge goal, the only goal of the game. Colorado Rush USA 1-0
Between game, the siblings tried out the renovated Westman Islands pool. This pool has a slide that drops onto a trampoline then into the pool, a climbing wall that falls away into the pool and of course 3 hot tubs of varying temperatures. Jack Parham was able to master the trampoline slide and surf down it on his feet. He's going to leave soccer now and pursue trampoline slide surfing as his true sport. Later the siblings hoofed it up one of the steep grassy slopes that surround the soccer fields to watch some of the game with the puffins. Well, they didn't see any puffins, but you know, they could have.
In the second game against Fylkir the boys put it all together and dominated from the start. You got the impression Fylkir was holding on for dear life and the certainly held our forwards and mids (not called ;-)) Ben and Kevin kept their cool, avoided Icelandic curses and kept the ball moving foward to Charlie, Alex and Beau who eventually proved too much. Alex broke through with a rip to the far post and that was that, another 1-0 win.
The final game against Breiðablik was was the end of the road for the undefeated run. Breiðablik is a strong club and the boys fought them to a stalemate in the first half. However, they opened the second half with a quick goal. In this format, the tiebreaker is whichever team scores first in the, so if you go down 1, you need 2 for a win. They boys pressed up to get the two goals, but there is risk with that and Breiðablik went up 3-0 during the press. Beau broke the shutout and gave the boys energy and hope with a penalty kick, but a 4th goal doomed the effort Breiðablik 4-1.
The good news is we still qualified for the top bracket, and many Icelandic coaches and parents complimented our game and said how surprised they were that our boys played such solid football. They said making the top bracket on the final day to play for the Shell Cup where only 8 out of 104 teams advance is a great honor. They congratulated us, and surely hoped we would not advance much past that.
During the tournament tour officials watch games and evaluate players to be given the opportunity to play in an All Star game played on Friday evening. Our team must have made their head spin with so many amazing soccer plays made all the boys. As it was, Nick was chosen to represent Team USA in the All Star game. This was an amazing experience for Nick as the entire tournament turned out to watch the game. He also received a soccer kit with a Shellmot All Star 2011 jersey. Nick made a few nice plays during the game and his Team USA teammates really made it special for him by cheering as hard as they did for him. Thanks boys, that was the best part. Nick's team lost 4-1, but I don't think that mattered at all. After the game, lots of Icelandic boys were crowding around Nick, talking to him and hugging him and it was really something. An unforgettable experience for Nick, as the entire trip has been for our family.
After the game, we went into the green box (?) a metal gym and had a rally. There was a magician doing card tricks ... on a stage ... in Icelandic ... so ... you know ... limited accessiblity. But then it was the hamburger eating contest in which Simon represented Team USA. Sadly, Simon had just had some delicious lamb at dinner earlier at the dining hall. Had we thought this through, we certainly would have starved him in preparation. Simon came up a little short and a lot full.
After that, to bed for the boys. A huge day tomorrow in the top tournament bracket against the best teams in the tournament. Can we win it all? Stay tuned and go Colorado Rush USA.
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