Day three of the youth teams’ trip was a full one, as both the U18s and U16s played games in the morning.
The teams met for staggered breakfasts, with the U18s eating earlier in order to make a 7:40 a.m. bus to Pizza Hut Park. The 16s took a second bus trip over two hours later for their game at 11. You can read more about how the teams fared in their respective games over at the youth postseason update. Also, TopDrawerSoccer.com offers a recap of the U16s’ game, featuring a brief interview with head coach Bryan Scales.
Following the U16s’ match, the team boarded the bus to real show of support: “Ole, Ole, Ole,” as performed by the U18s.
The afternoon consisted of regen sessions, lunch, meetings and more free time. The teams then boarded the bus again for dinner at a different restaurant, where one coach in particular made a bigger mess with his pasta (and glass of water) than all of the teenage boys combined.
After dinner, the bus dropped everyone off at the mall. The players were given to option to either watch the USA-Mexico Gold Cup final at Dave & Buster’s, or do a little shopping on their own.
On Sunday, the Under-16s will play their second game of the Playoffs against Texas Rush AJ Auxerre at 8 p.m. local time. The Under-18s don’t play again until Monday, when they meet the Richmond Strikers in their third game of the Showcase at 9 a.m. local time.
