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The Revs played their second placement game on Saturday morning, heading to the Nike Football Training Center early after breakfast at the hotel.
A full game story from the Revs’ second meeting with the Orlando Pirates – a 4-2 loss – will be available on revolutionsoccer.net.
Following the match, the team went back out onto the field to kick the practice balls into the stands for the many children who had watched. Thrilled about the idea of catching a ball, the kids swarmed each time another flew into the stands.
The group returned to the hotel only briefly, eating lunch and packing up the remainder of their belongings, before making the trip back to the fields to watch Atletico Mineiro take on Nacional in the 2012 Future Champions Guateng final.
Players watched the final from the grassy area of the stands, and attracted a lot attention from the local children. The kids sat among the players, interacting with the Revs throughout the entire 60-minute match and asking questions about everything from American currency to photo-taking.
Touched by their experiences with the children, many of the players began to give away old gear that they had brought along on the trip. Hats, training tops, jerseys – suddenly a large group of South African children were sporting New England Revolution apparel. And they could not have been more ecstatic about it.
Before the Revs left the Training Center for the last time, the team posed for a group photo with the K-Stars (Zambia). The two clubs developed a good relationship throughout the tournament, and the photo made for a fitting end to the week.
The group then left for the airport directly from the final to begin its 20-hour journey back to Foxborough, Mass., arriving at the stadium around 12:45 p.m. ET the following day.
Everyone has agreed the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was an opportunity for the Revs to play teams from all over the world, learn about another culture and develop chemistry of their own, and no one will ever forget it.
Since it's April Fools' day and we had some shenanigans taking place after Friday's training session, we figured this was worth sharing. What do you think of Shalrie's "Hannibal Lecter" look?
The Revs played their first placement game on Friday, so it was back to the game day routine.
The day began with breakfast at the hotel, and the team then boarded the bus for the trip to the Nike Football Training Center.
Unlike earlier in the week, it was only 61 degrees and rainy for kickoff. But buoyed by the previous night’s performances, the Revs debuted a chant of their own in the tunnel.
A full game story from the Revs’ first win of the tournament – 1-0 against Aspire (Qatar) – is available HERE.
After returning to the hotel, the team ate lunch and took a trip to a nearby grocery store to stock up on snacks and drinks.
Dinner was served shortly after, and all of teams boarded their buses for another tournament-wide excursion.
Still in good spirits after their victory, the Revs continued to practice their chant on the bus. But as soon as the team’s new CD of African dance music was on, it became a dance party instead. Everyone got involved: the self-proclaimed good dancers, the self-proclaimed bad dancers and coach Deven Apajee.
Tournament organizers had arranged for the group to see the South African musical Umoja at the Victory Theatre. A journey through the history of South African music and dance, the show told the country’s story through song, focusing on “the spirit of togetherness.”
The Revs returned to the hotel after the show and met briefly to discuss Friday’s match against Aspire (Qatar). Kickoff is at 4 a.m. ET and as always, in-game updates will be available on www.twitter.com/nerevslive, while live video can be found on www.future-champions.net.
Thursday was a rest day for every team participating in the tournament, and the Future Champions organizers had a full day of cultural activities prepared.
After breakfast at the hotel, the 12 teams were split into two groups, with two teams per bus. The Revs shared a bus with the Orlando Pirates, who they played on Monday in the first game.
The first stop was at FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City. The stadium was designed as the main stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and was the site of the Final, played by the Netherlands and Spain.
The tour included stops at the upper level of the stands, in the locker rooms and on the field. While on the field, music pumped throughout the stadium, giving players a small glimpse at what being a professional player at the highest level could feel like.
Before lunch, the bus dropped the group off near Nelson Mandela’s house in Soweto. Street vendors lined the stretch of road between there and the restaurant, so players enjoyed the opportunity to shop for souvenirs.
An authentic lunch was served at Sakhumzi Restaurant, giving the group some time to rest before boarding the bus again.
The next stop was the Lion Park. The buses drove throughout the grounds, past animals like lions, zebras and wildebeest. Lions typically sleep for up to 20 hours a day, so a highlight included one particularly active female getting up and walking over to within a couple yards of the bus.
Following the safari, players had the chance to wander the other parts of the Park. Everyone was excited to interact with the lion cubs, posing for photos and playing with the animals. A raised feeding station also allowed the boys to get up close to a giraffe. Other animals seen around the park included meerkats, hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs and antelope.
At the conclusion of the day, all 12 teams met up for the gala dinner. The players milled around the grounds for a while between formal team photos.
Once inside, each team was seated at two tables throughout the reception hall. Decorated in reds, blacks and golds, the space gave the night a special feel.
After dinner was served, each team put on a several-minute performance to highlight their culture and values, and most teams chose to sing in their native languages. Because the Revolution is made up of players with so many different backgrounds, the team chose to go a different route.
Introduced by coach Deven Apajee, the players put on a memorable performance. Luke Albertini and Matt Nyeayea showed off their unique (and very different) dance moves, demonstrating the players’ broad spectrum of natural rhythm and their shared appreciation of each other. The rest of the group, who had been supporting the pair in the background, then joined their teammates for a USA chant.
Once the night came to a close, the teams boarded the buses for the final time and returned to the hotel.
The Revs met briefly to discuss Friday’s match against Aspire (Qatar). Kickoff is at 6:30 a.m. ET and in-game updates will be available on www.twitter.com/nerevslive, while live video can be found on www.future-champions.net.
*NOTE: Larger photos with brief captions are available on www.flickr.com/nerevolution.
The Revolution Under-16s played their third and final group-stage game of the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng tournament on Wednesday morning.
After an early breakfast, the team departed for the Nike Football Training Center at 9:30 a.m.
A full game story from the Revs’ 4-2 loss to K-Stars (Zambia) can be found on www.revolutionsoccer.net.
Following a postgame meal back at the hotel, the group quickly showered and changed before boarding the bus again. The next stop of the day was at the Museum of Africa. Players split up into small groups and took in the museum’s variety of historical, cultural and scientific exhibits. Also visiting the museum was a group of several hundred school children, who enjoyed getting their photos taken with the Revolution travel party.
Everyone returned to the hotel for a bit before dinner, and shortly after, all of the teams participating in the tournament boarded their buses to go see the Orlando Pirates’ senior squad take on the Free State Stars.
The atmosphere at the game was electric, with the passionate fans singing, dancing and cheering for much of the match. The Pirates won, 2-1, and the young Revs took it all in from the first few rows of the open seating area.
Thursday will be a rest day for the teams, when they will have the chance to do some cultural activities. Games will then resume on Friday.
It's been a big five days for Matt Reis. First, he collects his 1,000th career save. Second, he earns his first win of the 2012 season over Portland on Saturday and today he celebrates his 37th birthday.
Matt shares his birthday with Lady Gaga, Julia Stiles, Kate Gosselin and Vince Vaughn.
If you'd like to wish Matt a belated happy birthday yourself, check out Matt's live video chat on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET right here on revolutionsoccer.net. And if you share your birthday with Matt - happy birthday to you!
The Revolution Under-16s played their second game of the 2012 Future Champions Gauteng tournament on Tuesday.
The group met for a 9:30 a.m. breakfast at the hotel, and then had some time to prepare before departing for the Nike Football Training Center at noon.
A full game story from the Revs’ action-packed 3-3 draw with School of Excellence can be found on www.revolutionsoccer.net.
Despite the tightly-contested and sometimes heated match, the teams shared a heartwarming moment before boarding the buses back to the hotel. What started as a few players from each team posing together for photos turned into a good portion of each side taking one large group picture. The players then continued to break off into smaller groups – some of which started to include staff members upon request – really highlighting the shared cultural experience of this tournament.
Upon arriving back at the hotel, the group learned that the building was experiencing a power outage. Largely unaffected, everyone enjoyed a postgame meal by candle- and flashlight before returning to their rooms to quickly freshen up.
Before long, players and staff were back on the bus and en route to Nelson Mandela Square. Everyone posed for more photos in front of the Mandela statue, before doing some souvenir shopping.
Power had been restored by the time the group returned to the hotel for the night and had dinner. Then, after a team meeting, the players returned to their rooms to relax before bed.
The Revs will take on K-Stars (Zambia) on Wednesday at 4 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.
We have three live chats coming up over the next seven days, here are the details:
Friday, March 30, 1 P.M. ET: Chat live with Lee Nguyen at 1 PM ET live from Los Angeles, ahead of Saturday's match with the LA Galaxy.
Saturday, March 31, 11 P.M. ET: Kyle McCarthy will join us along with LA beat writer Luis Bueno for an in-game live chat. Stay up late, head to revolutionsoccer.net and join us!
Tuesday, April 3, 7:30 PM E.T. : This one is special. You may remember a few weeks ago we had a VIDEO fan chat with Jeff Lemieux. Well, we are ramping it up this time and will have none other than Matt Reis joining us for a live video chat with YOU. Get those web cams ready, as you'll have a shot at chatting one-on-one (think Skype) with Matt Reis while the team is in Frisco, Texas ahead of next Thursday's match with FC Dallas. This was a lot of fun for the short one we did with Jeff a few weeks back (video snippet below), so you definitely do not want to miss this.
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.