We had a wonderful last day in Gothenburg today. Though warmer than it has been, the weather continued in its summery vein, perfect for a trip to the beach! We took a bus from Gothenburg to Marstrand, an island which boasts the 17th century Carlsten fortress and coves for swimming. 

The Lions Girls had a blast swimming and sunning, and we topped off the excursion with lunch in the park and ice cream. When we got back to Gothenburg (around 5:00), we decided to have a "last supper" in Slottsskogen park, so the girls went back to the school to shower, and we all picked up sandwiches for our picnic. The girls debriefed their two weeks a bit--lots of thumbs up--and then went to play in the playground, which featured a giant blue whale climbing structure, complete with wispy baleen. Then we all parted ways to get ready for the exodus tomorrow morning.

Marco and Lars were invited to join us, but they chose to hang out with their teammates. We'll meet up with them tomorrow in the airport. Maria has good pictures from today, so she'll be posting them in a bit.

We'll be looking forward to seeing you all again tomorrow afternoon in San Francisco!

That's it . . . Go Lions!

--tj

On Saturday, the Lions Girls spent a good part of the day watching the final matches of the Gothia Cup. Some creative use of sunscreen was making the rounds amongst the girls in the bleachers. Later, some of the girls went back to the amusement park while others went back to the school to relax. 

Marco and Lars showed up with a posse of their teammates to watch the first half of the boys U17 final between Iceland and Ghana. Here's where they sat in comparison to me and the Lions Girls:

The Iceland v. Ghana game was quite remarkable (Ghana won), and the Ghanaian fans drummed and sang throughout the game. Clip of that coming later.

Sunday (today) we're going to Marstrand to see beaches and fortresses and eat ice cream. Tomorrow, we fly home. 

More later,
--tj

The team that beat Lars and Marco's team today in PKs has advanced to the B-bracket finals. Landvetter IS (Sweden) will play Leiknir (Iceland) Saturday at 2:00.

--tj

With no soccer games today, the parents went sightseeing. We wandered through the Haga district visiting Oskar Frederiks church and the Crown Keep. After a wonderful lunch on a sidewalk cafe we wandered through the town on foot and ended up at Liseberg amusement park.

Some of the girls went to watch the Marin FC play their last game. In the afternoon, they visited the Liseberg as well. In the evening, they went to a championship game from one of the Norwegian girls teams in the dorm and visited the Gothia festival of bands.

Today is another day of majestic clouds marching across perfectly blue skies. Here's the usual evidence:

Marco and Lars played their last game this morning at 8:00 a.m. against yet another Swedish team, Landvetter IS. The boys all looked sharp and alert, and Marin's passing game had a crispness to it that they'd not achieved all week. This game was not as physical (read borderline dirty) as so many of the other games we've played over the past two weeks (boys and girls alike), and Marin FC dominated the field throughout most of the game. Despite taking many shots and moving the ball better than ever, Marin did not find the net, and regulation time ended in a 0-0 draw. 

As with the Lions Girls, the game moved into the dreaded PKs. Neither Marco nor Lars took PKs. Marin started in goal, and Landvetter IS made its first shot, Marin's goalie diving left and the shot going right. Marin went next and made a clean strike into the bottom left corner: 1-1. Simon, Marin's goalie, got his hands on Landvetter's second shot but was unable to block it. Unfortunately Marin's second shot hit the crossbar and bounced out: 2-1. Once again Simon got his hands on the next shot, but it went in anyway. Marin's third shot went low to the left, but Landvetter's goalie blocked it successfully: 3-1. In the fourth round, Landvetter's shot hit the frame in the upper left corner, and ricocheted out. Then Marin took its shot, but Landvetter's goalie also blocked this one. So final score, 1-3, and Marin was eliminated. As it happens, Landvetter played again at 1:00 today, and won 1-0, so they will play in the semi finals tonight at 6:00 (starting in three minutes, actually). The final for the Boys U14 B bracket is tomorrow at 2:00.

Here are a couple pictures from the game. (Lars was playing on the far side of the field from me, so I had a really hard time getting any shot of him that was recognizable.)

Marco and Lars had a good run in both tournaments, and have played a staggering number of soccer games--13 games since last week, Tuesday, seven of those being played this week. The team was headed back to the school to rest after this morning's early game (they had to get up at 5:50 to get to the field on time). Lars and Marco plan to attend the Gothia Festival again this evening, which, I learned, is a music festival of sorts. 

Alison and Bella got up early and came out to the field this morning with Norman to lend moral support to their two Lions brothers. All in all, I think our boys have had a terrific experience. 

More later . . . Go Lions!

--tj

Well, after losing three straight games in a row in the first half of the week, Marin FC's luck has changed. They continued their single elimination playoff schedule and played two games today, winning both! The first game was against another Swedish team (Gunnilse IS), and Marin FC scored its two goals in the first half, Marco assisting on one. Both teams also picked up yellow cards in this match, which was rougher than the evening game. The Lions Girls came out to the Kviberg fields to cheer on their fellow Lions. Here are a few pictures from the first match:

The team was really excited to stay alive in the tournament, and Phil herded them back to the school to get lunch and prepare for their evening game, so I didn't get a chance to check in with the boys before they were booking for the bus.

The second game was also against a Swedish team (Kärra KIF), who were not quite as strong as Gunnisle IS. Marin scored its lone goal right away in the first half--about three minutes into the match--and though they took plenty of shots on goal (upwards of 10), they didn't score again. At the end of the game, after shaking hands with the Kärra KIF players, the boys, who seemed somewhat incredulous, collapsed to the ground:

Then they posed for a few photos:

The Marin FC girls' team came to support the boys' Marin FC team for this second game, and they made up a fangirl cheer:

After the game, the cheering group mobbed Lars:

And, a few of our Lions Boys, who graciously posed for me even though they have to get up at 5:50, as Marco informed me, to get to their next game tomorrow at 8:00.

Good night, and Go Lions!

--tj

Hello:

Early this morning we watched the Lions play their final game, which was super exciting down to the last penalty kick. 

Afterwards, a group of Lions parents took a boat ride to New Alvsbörg which is an island fortress built in the 17th century, with a dramatized tour. We also went to a ship museum in the harbor where we toured numerous old ships and submarines. We had a Swedish style lunch of salmon and boiled potatoes with dill sauce. Then we walked in the Haga district which is known for giant cinnamon rolls, cobblestone streets and cute little shops. Time to put our feet up after walking what seems like ten miles. Each day.

Teeka has been travelling to 3 to 4 games per day (btwn the boys and girls games) so she doesn't get to see as many sights, but she is now expert at finding her way around and even found a shortcut thru the woods.

From what we hear, the girls seem very happy hanging out with their teammates and trading jerseys with teams from other countries (staying at their same dorm / school), doing a little sightseeing and exploring (without us). I think they plan on going to the local amusement park tomorrow. The big upshot of being done with the tournament means that they have time to explore and bond with new friends.

See photos below from today's excursions along with some entertaining signs.

Maria

The Lions Girls played their first elimination game this morning at 8:00. After the first half of the week's weather being all about rain, the second half seems to be shaping up into an idyllic mild summer climate. Evidence:

This morning's game was on a turf field just one tram stop away from the school where the girls are staying, which was fortunate given the game's start time. The girls wore their blue jerseys again and stepped onto the pitch ready to play their game their way--and they did just that. They played Morön BK from Sweden, a team who finished second in its group with six points, two wins, one loss, 7 goals for and 10 against; in contrast, the Lions' record going into the game was nine points, three wins, 12 goals for and 3 against. Morön BK proved to be a formidable opponent, with speed, size, and skill. Our girls had not been challenged at this level since leaving Denmark last week, and they demonstrated handily that they deserved to be in a round of 32 final match at Gothia.

The game was another nail biter, the Lions defense getting quite a workout and the midfield relying heavily on its passing game. Morön BK took many shots on goal, about half on target. Once again we watched a strong, physical game whose ref declined to call two blatant fouls--one where Matani was clearly fouled in the goal and another where Julia M. (I think) was pushed to the ground from behind inside the box. Go figure. The Lions took several good shots on goal as well. Nevertheless, regulation time ended in a draw, 0-0. The tournament moves directly to PKs in this situation, so Julia Clopton-Foster suited up to goal keep, and the rest of the team strategized with Norman. The Lions started the PKs in goal, and traded successful shots with Morön BK until the third PK, which Julia blocked, so the Lions were up by one. But Morön followed up by successfully blocking the Lions' next shot: 2-2. Both teams scored in the next pair of shots: 3-3. In the fourth round, Morön BK scored, but the Lions' shot went a little high and missed the net. Final score, 3-4.

Here are some photos from the game:

Of course the girls were sad to have lost, especially having played with so much heart and spirit. After the game, Bella said, "I don't think we've ever played better as a team than we have in this tournament." I think all of us who have been watching them this week would concur. And Norman reported that in their huddle immediately after the game had ended, the first thing the girls said was that next year they're going to make it to the round of 16. I don't doubt it for a minute!

Norman and Michelle took the girls back to the school so they can rest and process their tournament experience together. We plan to meet up with them this evening. 

I'm sure we'll have more reflective posts in the next days, but I'll just start by saying what a remarkable group of young women we have on this team. It has been a pleasure to watch them play and grow together over these two tournaments. 

More later. Marco and Lars play at 3:10 this afternoon. Go Lions!
--tj