Youth Teams
The Revolution Under-16s played their first game of the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng tournament on Monday, just one day after the 18-hour trip from Boston.
After sleeping in for a bit, the team met for breakfast on the first floor of the hotel. Between then and a light pregame lunch, players had a chance to receive treatment and prepare for the match.
The group then got to see a little more of the surrounding area en route to the Nike Football Training Center in Soweto, including Soccer City, site of the 2010 World Cup final.
A full game story from the Revs’ 3-0 loss to the Orlando Pirates can be found HERE.
Following the match, which was broadcast live on television here in South Africa, head coach Bryan Scales and captain Christian Sady were interviewed as part of the postgame coverage. The group then headed to the locker room to change, returning to the field after for the opening ceremonies. As part of the ceremony, all of the teams were welcomed and were treated to a performance by a zulu dance troupe.
Upon returning to the hotel, the team held a quick regeneration session in the pool. Finally, everyone met back up for dinner and a team meeting before spending some time unwinding before bed.
The Revs will take on SAFA School of Excellence (South Africa) tomorrow at 7:45 a.m. ET. In-game updates will be available on www.twitter.com/nerevslive, while live video can be found on www.future-champions.net.
The Revolution Under-16 squad arrived in South Africa early this morning after a long day of travel. Players and staff met at Gillette Stadium at 4 a.m. on Saturday, before bussing down to New York to catch a direct flight to Johannesburg. 14.5 hours later, the group collected their bags at O.R. Tambo International Airport and after Head Coach Bryan Scales conducted a flash interview for the Future Champions Gauteng tournament website, hopped on a bus – complete with police escort – to the hotel.
After several meetings with tournament officials and team staff, the players went up to their rooms to unpack before a quick stretch and prehabilitation session. Lunch followed shortly after in one of the hotel’s restaurants, and nearly everyone then took the opportunity to battle their jetlag with a nap.
Ahead of dinner, the group went for a walk around the hotel’s surrounding area, which we learned is near a university. Following our return, first-year Rev Guy Kabala shared a nice moment with his sisters, who he met up with briefly for the first time in six years.
Dinner was held in a second restaurant at the hotel and the team met after to discuss logistics for Monday – the first game day of the tournament. The rest of the night will continue to be low key as players continue to prepare.
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3