Monday: Gothia Cup

We had an eventful first day at the Gothia Cup! We traveled throughout Gothenburg on trams, shuttles, and buses and, of course, walked. The Lions Girls played a great first game, the second half in pouring rain. They played a Swedish team that was not quite as skilled as those they faced in Frederikshavn but formidable nonetheless. The Lions scored first, but the Swedes tied it up at the half. The second half featured a Lions explosion and three more goals, with the Lions finishing on top, 4-1. Yay!

Here are some pics from the game:

After the game, the Lions traveled, sopping wet, back through Gothenburg to attend the Gothia Cup's opening ceremony. The shuttle bus was packed with players from other games, and when we got to the transfer point, it seemed we had either missed the connecting shuttle or we would have to wait quite a while for it. So our very kind driver offered to make the shuttle we were on (a number 4) into the one we needed (a number 1). Here he is, our driving hero:

We stopped for a sandwich before the ceremony, and then enjoyed an evening performance of music, dancing, and fireworks as well as the parade of nations, representative teams from the 71 participating countries. 

Lars and Marco

Marco and Lars are fully immersed with their Marin FC team, and I barely had a chance to say "hi" before Phil whisked the team off after the game. The competition here is tougher on the boy's side than it was in Frederikshavn, and though the team played hard, they lost 1-3. The team they played, another Swedish club, is apparently connected to an academy where the kids practice soccer five hours a day as part of their schooling. Here are a couple photos from Lars and Marco's game:

The complex where Lars and Marco played has 25 fields lined up virtually end to end; it took me 30 minutes to walk from the entrance to field 24 where Marin FC played. 

Good night, and . . . Go Lions!
--tj