DAY 7 - Blog from Molly Cousins - 96 Girls Admin

The 97 Boys played mid-afternoon yesterday.  They had a runaway victory, but most importantly, had the opportunity to mix it up with the other players and fans.  They got out on the fields and kicked the ball around with each other, chatted, laughed and generally socialized for several hours.  The town mayor even came out to greet and welcome them!!

96 boys played in the Schule complex at a beautiful turf facility.  They had a very competitive match, resulting in a 2-2 tie.

The girls had the day off and made the most of it!  They went into downtown Cologne and boarded a ferry tour of the Rhine river.  Quite a few of them used the opportunity to bask in the sun and catch a few extra zzz's.  They spent a few hours shopping and having lunch in the old city and then came back to challenge their coaches to some 4 x 4 games.  It's up for debate who triumphed in those matches.  Despite what the coaches say, I think the girls bested them!  We then headed down to watch the 96 boys game. 

Today, we're off to Brussels!!  (instead of Liege) I'm sure there will be MANY pictures with Manneken-Pis (the Pee-ing boy)!!

DAY 5 - Blog from Molly Cousins- 96 Girls Admin

Great day! 

The boys teams had the day off on Wednesday and spent their morning in training.  I believe that the 97 Boys were treated to a training session in Portuguese and Spanish only!  Our girls did light training and then both groups headed to downtown for some sight-seeing and shopping.

Many of our players had the opportunity to tour Dom Cathedral - SPECTACULAR! 

Games for the girls were hosted by FC Cologne, on a beautiful newly built turf field.  The boys came out to watch the girls games and support their ODP peers.  We were fortunate to encounter some strong competition in our games here, challenging our girls in many ways.  Each of our girls teams produced a win and we shared some moments on the pitch as a large group at the end, exchanging banners, hugs, and smiles. 

We ended the day watching the Barcelona/Real Madrid game in the cafeteria area of our Gesthause as a large group (that was one noisy room!). 

Day 4: Blog from Gordon Miller, VYSA TD

Day 4 began with a lively training session at the all turf fields a mere 10-minute walk through the backstreets of Cologne. The players were greeted by the blue skies and another 70-degree day.

The boy’s teams ventured off downtown while the girls’ teams began their pregame preparations. In the afternoon the '96 girls team played the DJK Sudwest first and came out 1-0 victors.  The '97's then took the field and too, also came out victorious by the same score line. In the spirit of trying a new experience, 4 of our girls joined the German squad for both matches. They were made welcome by their hosts as they toiled in Sudwest colors. The other unique aspect was the game was played on an all weather clay surface.

The '97 boys played the professional U13 team from FC Koln of the German Bundesligia. The boys learned some valuable lessons as they came out on the end of a 7-0 drubbing. Their opponents are the current champions of Germany and recently defeated the famous Ajax Academy in a tournament. The boys will learn greatly from this lesson.

We visit the famed Cologne cathedral tomorrow and have changed the schedule to visit Brussels later in the week. No major injuries, other than some hurt pride, are to be reported.

Day 3: Blog from Gordon Miller, VYSA TD

After a morning of training the ODP program ventured off to Holland for a day of sightseeing. The 1 1/2 hr. drive brought the group into the old historic town of Maastricht. The narrow cobblestone roads, old churches and outdoor cafes provided a terrific backdrop for lunch and a little shopping.

Later in the day the group traveled to a famous cave site where, during WW II, the Dutch residents hid from the invading Nazis, along with their priceless paintings and artifacts. Afterward we visited the famous Netherlands American cemetery where US servicemen lay buried from the Allied Operations of September 1944-Spring 1945. The rows upon rows of white crosses had a humbling and reverent effect on all those who were present.

Later that evening, after consuming another masterpiece from Uli's culinary kitchen, Dr. Freigang made his long anticipated group presentation. He focused on dealing with adversity in a foreign situation and how to control your own environment.


The evening finished off with the staff soundly thrashing the players in a game of indoor soccer in the university's sports hall. Dr. Dan's session couldn't have come at a better time as the young players will be applying their recently acquired lessons.


Day 4 tomorrow and back to matches and the beautiful German sunshine.

Auf Wiedersehen

Day 2: Blog from Gordon Miller, VYSA TD

After settling in at the Cologne sports school the Virginia ODP teams hit the road running. The boy '96's played in a unique tournament where they played 3 20 minute games tying 2 and losing 1. This memorial tournament was an honor for us to compete in as we were the only foreign team in the competition.

The '97 boys got out to a quick 2-0 lead before giving it right back to their JFS Koln host and eventually hanging on for a 3-2 victory. The professional training center provided the backdrop for their first ever match on European soil.

Wolfgang Puck has nothing on our sports school chef Uli who prepared a traditional German meal for the elated group. After the culinary delight we all took the subway to downtown Cologne for a little sightseeing and shopping.

Due to the games, jet lag and busy schedule,it was no problem for the players to find their beds.

Everyone is healthy and eating fine.

Off to Holland tomorrow where we will take in the sights and sounds of the old historical city of Maastricht.

Later that afternoon we walked the 300 meters to the famous FC Koln stadium where a sold out crowd of 45,000 provided an atmosphere that none in the group had ever witnessed before. Vfb Stuttgart upset the hosts 3-1 much to the delight of of their unison singing fans who we were a mere 15 meters from the wide eyed group.The '97 girls took the field against the strong Bayer Leverkusen club and succumbed to their hosts 5-2. The '96 girls, straight after, were able to beat the Bayer girls 5-1. The girls mixed with their host after and fun and quality photos were had by all. The field complexes and lockerooms were first rate and the teams were treated with outstanding class and hospitality.