• BLOG POST #2 (Aug. 8): Watching a La Liga Match
     • BLOG POST #1 (Aug. 7): Traveling from Seattle to Madrid
     • VIDEO: Shamele Battan (trip preview)    
     • SPU Visits Spain preview story

DAY FOUR:  Opening with a Victory
August 9, 2015

Sunday we had an early morning. Everyone had to wake up early and get their day started in order to check out of the hotel.  We headed over to La Ciudad del Fútbol, which will be our home for the remainder of the trip.
 
Personally staying at this complex is an extremely large honor. The Spanish National Soccer Teams train here, and stays here before every major game or tournament.
 
When we arrived at the complex, we were escorted into a back room in order to store our luggage due to our rooms not being ready yet. During our time in the building we came across the U-19 Spanish National Team, they were very professionally dressed, walked with confidence, and passion.
 
Once our luggage was stored, we headed out to a locker room in order prepare for our game against Rayo Majadahonda, a U-19 Men's team.
 
They played with a very European style. Every player was confident on the ball, and the entire team played as a single unit with fluid movement. We were larger, more athletic, and more technically sound than our opponent. This allowed us to pull off a 4-1 victory.
 
After the game was over, we shook hands with the Rayo Majadahonda players, and everyone seemed to be in great spirits after the international friendly.
 
We had a few hours of downtime before our next game. Most of us took advantage of this time, and took naps in order to catch up on sleep. Our next game was at 8:00 pm. The weather was much cooler at this time, and we had the pleasure of playing on grass. Grass was a nice relief due to it not radiating as much team as turf.
 
The team that we played was the RSD Alcala U-19 men's team. They also had a very European style of soccer. They moved the ball rapidly and every player seemed technically sound. About 15 minutes into the second half we had conceded a goal to go down 1-0. Shortly after this, the field's sprinklers had come on, and the game was delayed for about 10-15 minutes. This was rather frustrating for the players and coaches. The ref eventually moved us to another field and resumed the game.
 
As a team we had built up quite a bit of momentum and the game was starting to go our way. But at the 27th minute of the second half the game was cancelled due to the lights not being turned on and it being too dark to play anymore. Despite the frustrating cancellation of the second game, this day was quite an honor for all of us.
 
We are privileged with the opportunity to stay at La Ciudad del Fútbol, and for many of us this was our first international game. For our five freshman this was also their first collegiate soccer match. So all in all, not a bad way to get the first collegiate game under your belt.
 
Thanks for reading my blog about the trip and I will post another entry soon,
 
-- Shamele