Marin FC started their day with a game at 8:00 at one of the most remote fields we've encountered yet. It was a beautiful day today: not hot, but sunny. The boys played a strong team from Norway, and though they worked hard, Marin was down 0-2 at the half. Up until this point, Phil, the Marin FC coach, has not switched players' positions much at all; Lars has played right or left attacking midfielder, and Marco has played stopper (that one-man line between the defensive line and the midfielders). For whatever reason, Phil made a few switches in the second half, including putting Marco in as center D while Lars moved into center attacking mid. Although the Norwegians scored two more goals in the second half, the switch seemed to re-energize the team a bit. Unfortunately the 0-4 score held and Marin lost their third game, leaving them in last place in their group. Here are a few shots from this game.

Like in the Dana Cup, the tournament breaks into two parallel playoff rounds. So Marin began its playoff round today, playing a second game for the day at 3:30. This game, I think, was an elimination round (I'm not positive), and they played against another Swedish team, the Skene IF. Marin wore their blue jerseys in this game, which did not get off to a good start, as Skene scored its first goal 1:33 minutes into the match and then a second at 8:26. Lars played left attacking mid throughout the game, and Marco played stopper in the first half. 

Phil must have given the boys a pretty good half-time talk as they came out for the second half looking more ready to push back after having left the field at the end of the first half looking a bit resigned. Marin's new attitude helped, and we scored our first goal since Monday at 23:16! The whole team got a boost of energy from finally getting on the board, so much so that Lars actually fouled the right D up in the right corner. Here's evidence:

Shortly after Lars' transgression, one of the Swedish boys playing with Marin FC slide tackled an opponent so vigorously that he got a (deserved) yellow card. Marin settled down a bit, and scored for a second time at 27:35--a lovely shot from the left side of the box by the same player who got the yellow card. So the score is now 2-2. 

Marco had started the second half as the stopper, then subbed out. At this point, he came back in as center attacking mid. At 28:55, Skene got a yellow card, and Marin had a free kick from about twenty yards out. Goal! 3-2. We endured the last eleven minutes of the game as Skene frantically tried to equalize, but they didn't and  . . . we won: final score 3-2! Here are the rest of the photos from this game:

The boys were just giddy after the win, and after dinner they plan to all go out to the "festival" together, a Gothia Cup social event. They play tomorrow at 3:10 p.m. (6:10 a.m. PST), and if they win that game, they'll play a second game tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. PST). Cross your fingers!

The Lions Girls faced a more skilled, physical team today, the DFK Varmbol--another team from Sweden who, according to parents on the sidelines, rarely loses in their regular league--and for the first time in Gothenburg, the Lions Girls played under a blue sky. This game was a nail biting, back and forth game. The Lions scored first with a beautiful long shot from the left and they held that 1-0 lead for about ten minutes. When the Swedish equalized, they actually kicked the ball out of Matani's hands! She argued with the ref, who clearly saw what had happened, but he let the goal stand. The girls were fired up, and perhaps also inspired by Claire and Molly's (little sisters) cheers, and answered back with a second goal right before the end of the first half. 

Throughout the game was much more physical than the two previous games had been, and the Lions' defense did a great job holding back the Varmol offense, out running their attackers repeatedly. About ten minutes into the second half, the Lions scored again, bringing the score to 3-1. The Swedish team came back with another goal, but two minutes later, right before the final whistle, the Lions scored again, making the final score 4-2. All four goals were made by different players, making this a true team win. 

The Lions Girls finished round one of the Gothia Cup first in their group! They start their playoffs tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. PST, Wednesday 7/16). The playoffs are single elimination, but if the Lions keep winning, they will potentially play three games tomorrow.

Good night, and Go Lions!
--tj

Here are some photos from the team dinner tonite... 

Hello families:

We are having such a great time in Gothenburg! On the first day, some of us took the a boat tour thru the moats and canals that date back to the 17th century, learning about how the city was built and how the Swedes defended themselves back then. We went into the harbor where we saw the ferry that the girls took from Denmark along with a ship hotel (see photo below).

On our to do list is the Fish Church which is an indoor fish market in a Gothic church-like building, Marstrand Island and shoe shopping (very good retail here). We got museum passes (for about $6 USD) that allow us unlimited entrance to all five museums. And we heard the Bob Dylan concert as we walked to dinner last night.

The moms are having great fun exploring, eating at sidewalk cafes and watching the soccer matches. Part of the adventure is finding the playing fields each day which have so far been outside of the main part of town. Yesterday, I met a few moms from the Swedish sister team who were so friendly and welcoming, hopefully we'll get to see them again. They are also here from out of town, about 40 minutes drive.

I can report that the Swedish beer is very good and so is the Aquavit. Kathy has found really good cafes for lunch and Betsy has saved us from getting lost, more than a few times. The siblings (Molly and Claire, who both blend right into the local population) are good at scouting out dessert.

Tonight is a team dinner at a Mongolian restaurant where we look forward to spending some time with the girls. They are having a total blast, in case you didn't know!

Maria

Today was another day of changeable Swedish weather--sunny, blue skies and white clouds in the midmorning followed by a slate-grey lid of a sky and drizzle in the afternoon. Marco and Lars played in the sun; the Lions Girls played in the drizzle. 

The girls had another great game today in the rain. But beforehand, they arrived to the fields early to watch the game of their Swedish "team pals," whom they had dinner with tonight and who will be coming to visit San Francisco next spring! By the time it was warm-up time, the drizzle had started, and it pretty much continued that way for the entire game. 

The team the girls played today was not as strong as the one they faced yesterday, and though they worked hard and never gave up, the Lions Girls prevailed, 4-0. If after tomorrow's games there is a tie in points (wins, losses, draws), then goal differential comes into play, so the Lions played hard till the final whistle. The goals were varied: a corner-kick header, a right cross bumped in with the hips, a dribble around a fallen goalie (she slipped on the wet grass), and an angled shot from the right side of the box. The opposing team got close a couple times, but Matani handled everything that came her way with grace and efficiency.

After the game, the girls went back to the school to change out of their wet clothes and then went on the meet their new Swedish friends. Tomorrow is the last day of first round play; as you may already know from looking at the standings, the Lions are currently leading their group. Here are the pictures (Betsy likely has more); the group shot with the players in pink is of the Lions Girls with their new Swedish friends:

The boys' bracket continues to be incredibly tough, and Marin FC lost their game this morning 0-2 to another Swedish team with precision passing and ball control skills. The boys played hard, but gave up a goal due to a free kick following an unnecessary foul (as they did last week in Denmark). The second goal against them was strange, I thought, as the attacking player virtually tackled Marin FC's keeper and then got control of the ball and dribbled it into our goal, all while Simon, the goalie, was on the ground injured. The ref didn't call a foul and counted the goal. 

Nevertheless, both Lars and Marco were in reasonable spirits, considering, and were off with their team to go to the amusement park in the center of Gothenburg. The last two pictures are on the bus after the game.

Finally, Norman and I ran into the one team playing here at Gothia from Colombia, La Equidad, playing in the boys U18 bracket. Here's one of them warming up for their game today (which they went on to win).

That's all for today. Tomorrow we play the last games of round one and plan to go our for a team-parent dinner.

Good night, and Go Lions!
--tj

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. 

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

Today was another big travel day: some arrived from the US (yay!) by plane, and those of us in Frederikshavn traveled over land and sea from Denmark to Sweden. The kids were picked up at the school and bused to the ferry dock, which was nice as they didn't have to carry their bags the 1.5 kilometers into town, and then, along with what felt like thousands of other young footballers, boarded the ship to begin our three hour journey to Gothenburg. 

The ship had a game room (ping pong and arcade games), a duty-free store, cafés, and a slot-machine casino on board, and the kids had fun exploring in groups of three or more. A favorite find was the top deck, where the wind was so strong that they could lean way into the wind and not fall down. 

Here are some photos of the boat journey:

Once we arrived in Gothenburg, we found our luggage pretty quickly and boarded yet another chartered bus with our name on it, once again confirming our rock star status. The bus ride to the school took about twenty minutes. The classroom where the girls are staying is a bit smaller than the one they stayed in last week, but they're now pros at setting themselves up, so I think they'll continue to have a fabulous time at their most awesome sleepover ever.

Here are a few photos of the bus ride and the arrival at the school:

The Lions Girls play tomorrow at 4:00 p.m., so they'll have time to get settled in before game time. Lars and Marco play at 2:30 tomorrow. 

That's all for now. Good night and, as always, Go Lions!

--tj

I'll give the "two words" about Lars and Marco first, and put the rest of the photos below. 

Mattias took all of the Marin FC teams to Skagen today as well, but they left mid-morning while the Lions Girls left after lunch. We ran into Mattias in Skagen, and he said the boys were having a good time and had enjoyed the beach quite a lot. I have neither seen nor heard from Lars and Marco today, but I assume they had a great day. I'll see them tomorrow on the Ferry to Gothenburg.

Now on to the rest of the photos from the Lions Girls' trip north. Once again, hover for captions.

--tj