From University of Rochester Athletics
Goalkeeper Patrick Conway talks about the trip overseas and the opening game:
The past two days have been our first on the foreign tour. On Thursday, the 17th, we were all packing up our dorms and moving out. Of course no one was really ready to leave their rooms; with our meeting 25 minutes away, Patrice still had more than half his room to pack. I have no idea how he finished and got to the locker room. It was wicked hot; it was the first real summer day we've had in Rochester. Slightly bittersweet - we were blessed with fantastic 60 degree soccer weather during our 4 day mini camp, but it would have been nice to hang out for a day.
By the time everyone got to the locker room, we were all pretty much drenched in sweat. Just a bunch of sweaty guys getting onto the bus for Toronto. While crossing the border into Canada, the women were speaking to us in Canadian, so no one knew what they were saying. "Oh sorry, didn't see ya there, ya hoser" was a flying around the bus. We hit a lot of traffic (a zamboni accident, probably) en route to Pearson Airport so we had to get through security pretty quickly. Despite their body odor, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Nate and Redd on the plane. We watched The Accountant and Hidden Figures, but also rotated in some naps.
We landed in Amsterdam and got on a bus to Hamburg. The countryside of the Netherlands looked a lot like the ride from Boston to Rochester - a lot of farms, but not as hilly. We "moo-ed" at the cows, but realized they couldn't understand us; we started to moo in Dutch - "fleeeeeerg." There are a lot of windmills and solar cells in the country side. Again, we hit traffic. The ride was supposed to take 4.5 hours, but ended up taking about 7. After we got in, all the guys went out to eat together. We found a pedestrian zone not far from the hotel and had pork schnitzel.
The following morning we had training. We went to the field of the team that we would be playing later that night, SC Elmenhorst. It was a short and quick session; wineglass, directed possession, and finishing. Even though it was the same type of session we would do on Fauver (Stadium) or North (Field), it felt pretty cool that we were doing it in a foreign country as if we were a professional team.
After training, we got back to the hotel and then walked around the city and grabbed lunch. We walked along the Langereihe and stopped into a lot of the small shops and food places.
Later that night we had our first game. We didn't know what to expect from the competition. They were a 6th Division team, but we have no barometer for that level. The first half the game was played tight. We had more of the possession but they were clearly smart in their attacks. We both traded chances but we were able to break the deadlock just before half. We played really well in the 2nd half scoring some nice goals and the game ended as a 4-0 victory. During the game, the players on the other team were joking around that we were "too fast and tricky" for them.
We went to their team clubhouse after the game for a meal with them. Schnitzel and potatoes. The players were telling us about all the places we have to go and see in Hamburg before we leave. It was fun to get to talk to them and hear about some of their lives. After a while of talking and eating...and a humiliating 10-1 loss by Dip and I in foosball to Coach Burg and Coach Apple…we headed back to the hotel. After a long day, it was great to call it a night.
Today, Nate Leopold '20 talks about a Bundesliga match in Hamburg that meant survival for the victors and probably relegation for the losers:
HAMBURG - It wasn't until Saturday that Hamburg's true colors showed. Saturday marked game day. Without bashing on what American sports games have to offer, this was different. A little drive outside of the city to the Volksparkstadion gave birth to a scene unlike most others. Death Valley at Clemson, Bryant Denny at the University of Alabama, the Big House at Michigan or even New Era field (for all you prideful Bills fans out there) all do great jobs of showing the religion of sport but add Hamburg's Volksparkstadion to that list. Turns out 57,000 frenzied soccer fans give Frat row on any of these American college campuses quite a run for their money.
Arriving at the stadium had our team buzzing with excitement. There was only one problem: three of us had to use the bathroom and we quickly found ourselves in a river of people with no hope of swimming against the current. This was the case because the Hamburg players were about to arrive by team bus. The goal for each team – Hamburg as the home team, Wolfsburg as visitors – was the same. Win and avoid relegation.
Apart from jaywalking, there appeared to be no greater sin than to not be there to ambush these heroes with personal cheers of encouragement. These players were greeted much like soldiers coming home from war – maybe because in the eyes of the Hamburgers, today, they really were soldiers. These were soldiers fighting for the pride of Hamburg – a club that hadn't been relegated since the inception of the Bundesliga. In fact, whether to serve as an intimidation method or simply to represent their pride, a clock stands in the stadium with the exact time, down to the second that the team has been playing in the Bundesliga. With the clock at well over 53 years and counting, this game held weight that the city felt through and through.
Pardon my digression, back to the very urgent bathroom situation. Once the team bus passed into the stadium, the crowd started to move. A great migration was about to take place and for the young American boys it meant a promise of relief. After 30 minutes in line and an overaggressive pat down from the security guard at the gate, we were in. With that, we made a beeline for the toiletten.
I overheard a concession stand worker explaining to someone in English that all of the beer in the stadium today was alcohol free because today was a "special game". Two main things must be inferred from this. Firstly, understand that this proves how seriously the authorities take the threat at such an intense game and banned the alcohol so to better ensure the peace. Secondly, and by far most importantly, the fans were still drinking the alcohol free beer which leads to only one conclusion: they don't know what else to drink.
Young and old, skinny and fat, everyone was sporting their best HSV jerseys. A buzz of energy amongst the crowd and a constant chant showed a supporters group eager for kickoff. It wasn't long before they got their wish. Kickoff gave rise to a sloppy start from both sides. You could easily chalk it up to nerves, after all this game was about job security. Win and they keep their jobs and Bundesliga salaries, lose and who knows what happens if the team gets relegated. To make matters worse, Wolfsburg bags an early goal. The next closest section to us in the stadium was blocked off exclusively for the Wolfsburg supporters. Dressed in nothing but green, when the first goal went in, there was only one section in the entire stadium making noise. Since Wolfsburg was also in the relegation zone, the game meant just as much to their own survival in the league.
Fortunately for the Hamburgers, an equalizer came soon. But, the real excitement didn't come until the 88th minute when a hero was given his cape. Luca Waldschmidt, on his birthday no less, drives a hard header in to take the lead. The stadium erupts in excitement, only to have that excitement amplified 2 minutes later by the final whistle. This was a whistle that cemented their position in the Bundesliga next year and thereby brought similar relief to these fans that the German bathroom brought to three American boys. It was in that moment that I could relate best to the home side.
Then the party started. Immediately after the final whistle, an entire SWAT team equipped with horses and riot gear trotted out onto the field to block off part of the Wolfsburg half. This was to protect the Wolfsburg players from the Hamburg fans who soon stormed the field. At one point probably over 10,000 found themselves on the pitch, sitting on the goal, waving flags and celebrating their team's win.
Meanwhile, in a fashion that I've never seen before, the Wolfsburg players were forced to walk over to the one Wolfsburg section and stand in silence in front of them. In what appeared to be a public shaming, these players stood in front of their loyal supporters with their heads held low.
It was a good day for Hamburg SV and a good day for their supporters and as if relapsing from two-hour withdraws of real alcoholic beer, the Germans were back at it – "prosting" to their team and to their city.
The next day was all about exploring the city. A long meal at a café started off the day. This was as European as it gets, nothing to do except sitting and enjoying the day. From there, a walk through the park showed us typical European culture. A pickup soccer game was going on with people of all ages, and both boys and girls. A 4 year old pitted up against a 40 year old was a sight to see. The 4 year old was buzzing with energy and the 40 year old was having an off day, struggling to keep his touches clean. Meanwhile, there were two guys in their "Sunday's best", not church clothes that is, but rather full Hamburg SV kits. From the authentic jersey all the way down to the socks, they were playing this Sunday morning pickup game in their beloved Hamburg colors. A walk in front of the Hautbanhauf gave witness to a political protest and not far away, a street performer was making a symphony on nothing but pots and pans.
These small little moments are what painted the mosaic of the city, a city of culture, a city of passion, a city of flavor and most importantly, a city still in the Bundesliga.
Today's blogger is Zach Lawlor '20 who talks about the team's visit to the city of Cologne and the next two competitive games:
COLOGNE, GERMANY - The city of Cologne, or as the Germans say "Köln," was the next stop on our European tour. After spending three days in the beautiful city of Hamburg, Köln was met with high expectations by the team. Needless to say, these expectations were met and Köln did not disappoint.
Despite our excitement to experience the city, we would face miles of traffic and a long nine hour bus ride before finally arriving at the University de Sport Gästehaus where we would be staying. The University de Sport is home to Olympic-caliber training facilities where athletes and teams from all around the world come to stay and train. In fact, the girls U16, boys U16 & boys U18 German national field hockey teams were also staying there. It is also located right next to the RheinEnergieStadion, the grounds for Bundesliga side 1. FC Köln who finished 5th in the table this season. After grabbing dinner nearby and walking around the university and stadium area, a few guys were even converted to 1. FC Köln supporters!
The following morning, we trained at SV Weiden's ground in preparation for our match later that evening. After a shortened training session, we hopped back onto the bus and made our way into Köln for a few hours of sightseeing. We were dropped off at the great cathedral, Kölner Dom, of the city and were immediately taken back by its expansive size and architectural detail. The structure stands over 516 feet tall, and after its construction in 1880 it was the tallest cathedral in all of Europe. After exploring it further, we split into smaller groups to check out the city's churches, café's, and shopping areas. It seemed like only minutes before we were back on the bus returning to the Gästehaus for our match preparation.
At 7:30 p.m. we kicked off against a quality SV Weiden side of German regional leagues in the fifth tier of the professional system. Almost immediately we faced Weiden's fast-paced play and quality ball movement. We were forced to defend and Redd Brown made some strong saves in goal. They were a strong solid that had really quality movement off the ball. We worked our way into the game as the 1st half went on and eventually got a goal before the break. We came out flying in the 2nd half and scored two more to go up 3-0…with one goal from yours truly! Weiden fought to the very end and scored two in the final 10 minutes to make it a tense finish to the match. After the game ended, we sat down at the team's clubhouse with several of the players and had the customary German schnitzel and pommes frittes (french fries).
The next morning we headed back into Köln to further explore. Several guys spent the morning touring the city's chocolate museum, while others opted to stroll along the Rhein River. I was in a group that explored the cathedral in more detail, and later we spent a few hours touring the German-Roman history museum. Others chose to spend their time in Köln's bustling shopping district filled with diverse shops, food, and various stores. Overall, everyone was impressed with the character charm and history that makes Köln so special.
We finished the day with our third and final match against Bergisch Gladbach's U19 team. They play in the 2nd division, one level below the Bundesliga U19. Immediately off the first whistle they played a high pressure pace all over the field. After our second game in as many days, we unfortunately started slow and paid the price going down 3-0 by halftime. However we regrouped and came out much stronger scoring two goals quickly and putting Gladbach on their heels. We came very close to equalizing several but could not convert. We ran out of gas and they scored twice to make the final 5-2.
It was great to play three really quality sides while in Germany. Tomorrow we head to Gelsenkirchen for a tour of the city's coal mining history and its' strong connection to their beloved club, Schalke 04!
Yes, soccer is an emotional game for the fans – as Bryce Ikeda '19 and Alec Hay '19 discuss in this visit to Gelsenkirchen:
GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - It was an early start to our day with breakfast at 8 am and an 8:30 bus ride into the heart of Schalke 04 territory: Gelsenkirchen.
We were greeted at an old coal mine pit by our friendly and passionate tour guide Olivier who had what seemed to be the keys to the city with him. These keys opened up anything Schalke 04 related. He gave us a look into what it means to be a true Schalke fan- it's much more than just following the players and watching the games on TV.
People moved to the region and more specifically to Gelsenkirchen during the industrial revolution in search of a better life. The town revolves around the coal mining business. People from ages 14 and up would work 8 hours a day and 6 days a week in the coal mine. In these tough conditions, the people felt unified and proud of their heritage. The coal mining company founded the Schalke soccer club in 1904 as a representation of their home to compete against other regions.
We got to see an exhibit of a coal mining structure to illustrate how this process worked. Then we went to the first Schalke 04 stadium, which Olivier declared sacred. The stadium was built by the coal miners architects and engineers and also their own tools. At one point this stadium held over 70,000 people! What was left was one side of the stands on the left sideline with wooden seating and where the locker rooms were held, and directly across from it, a small area of concrete steps. The rest of the stadium had grassy hills and bushes growing over it. This is also the point where many people learned something new. On the logo for Schalke, the white that borders the S and the 04 is a big G, not just some random white colors. It stands for their coal mining city, Gelsenkirchen. The original stadium was closed around the 70's for a bigger, modern stadium.
After that we went to the supporters club gift shop in which Olivier would make fun of whoever asked to buy water because that is never a German drink of choice. It's more of a last resort to every other drink.
Once everyone bought their scarves and souvenirs, we went over to a church in town.
All the townspeople, including the professionals, would go to this church on Sunday's before the game. It was damaged by bombing during World War 2. After it's renovation they added a large stained glass of their patron saint of football. He stood with a blue and whiter football between his feet. It illustrates the deep religious-like connection they have to their beloved club.
After this we said farewell to Olivier, who was excited to get started with his German Father's Day traditions. We travelled to the current stadium.
The current Schalke stadium was very modern, seating 62,000 people, and with classy accommodations such as an HD Jumbotron donated by the company which displays its logo on it and a VIP lounge. A unique part of the stadium was that they rolled the field outside to give the grass sunshine and air. This allows Schalke 04 to save a million dollars a year because the grass did not need to be replaced multiple times per year. It also allows the stadium to be used for concerts and other performances. They have housed AC/DC and Coldplay which both filled the stadium to capacity at 80,000.
We also went to see the media room and pretended to be professionals being interviewed. There is a chapel in the stadium where anyone can go to pray before the game, get married and/or baptized. The locker rooms were just a little better than Fauver Stadium. With 20 seats for 18 players on game day, the goalkeepers were the special ones being allowed 2 seats because they are apparently the divas of the team. They had massage tables, the cleanest bathrooms you've ever seen and a TV that they would use to play video games.
Schalke 04 were once German champions and they had a trophy that weighed around 34 kg. It was lost during WWII so a new trophy, the Deutsche Meisterschale, which was much lighter and easier to raise above their head, was created. Eventually, the old trophy was found, hidden in a cellar after the Berlin Wall was torn down.
Another stop of the tour brought us to the tunnels where the players walk onto the field. Here the walls were made to look like coal shafts because as the players would walk down the tunnel to go to work on the pitch. As we were nearing the end of the tour, we were given one of the most important facts of the day. The stadium has a beer pipeline that spanned over 5 km underneath and carries 52,000 liters of beer per game.
Once we were done with the tour we went back to the center of the city of Köln. We enjoyed a great meal by the Rhein river to wrap up our final night in an amazing city.
As the trip to Germany concludes, the men's soccer team visits Amsterdam and finds the streets crowded with people and bikes. Redd Brown '19 discusses the experience:
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - Our final day in Germany started on the bus again. This was a much welcome ride; we were all ready to catch up on some sleep after the games and a couple nights in Cologne. This last trip on the Germany highways was as scenic as the first. The only thing taking away from the views was the chorus of snores inside the bus, myself contributing no doubt. Germany was green and beautiful and there isn't a guy on this team who doesn't plan on coming back already. The people were kind and put up with our ridiculous antics including: Patrice yelling "We live baby!", Nate trying out new German phrases whenever he could, visiting quiet cafés when we were anything but, and, worst of all, Peter's sad, unfortunately constant attempt at an accent. The days spent there went so fast and we were noticeably reluctant to leave, but the next destination being Amsterdam made the exit easier.
Our first taste of the Dutch capital was the Ajax stadium. The Amsterdam Arena really set the tone for what the rest of the city was going to look like: attractive and breathtaking. After this view we were quickly in the city. Our bus driver Jack, from the Netherlands himself, was eager to point out a few sites as we pulled into the city center. He somehow managed to do this while simultaneously dodging what seemed to be wave after wave of bikers. We were convinced everyone was on a bike. Jack held his own though and dropped us off by a canal. After that the city was really at our fingertips. The groups spilt up right away and we were on our own to explore.
I was expecting to have to go down a few streets before we saw the real Amsterdam, but after one left turn we were hit by a wall of people. People walking fast, people walking slow, people just standing, so many people! The cobblestone streets were narrow which only served to multiply the number of people there seemed to be. Even more than the other cities we visited this trip we heard languages that came from all over the world.
After the long, sleepy bus ride food was first item on the agenda. As we strolled looking for food, Pat, one of the three "chubby goalies", had to pull out of at least two suspect food spots, until my particular group stumbled into a nice little sandwich spot. We sat in the back, drank coffee, and got sandwiches too small for how delicious they were, doing our best impression of Europeans. We felt the next stop had to be gelato, at least according to Di Perna. I took advantage of this next adventure to keep exploring the streets. Amsterdam is a weird city, by any standard, to say the least.
On Di Perna's search for gelato, which I was undermining with every turn, we got lost in the city. There was no panic as we walked slowly down streets that were really alleys. Finally away from the high traffic areas (and the bikes) we got the chance to appreciate just how different Amsterdam is. Every house, no matter how skinny, had its own character. Some looked like they hadn't changed since construction was finished, while each door was the cutting edge of design and aesthetics.
We walked over canals and admired the houseboats as we made our way back towards the center city, finally giving in to Di Perna's gelato request. We chose to end our brief Amsterdam experience by finding a café on a corner and watching the world go by. So coffee induced conversation was the perfect way to end the day in the Dutch sun.
All in all this was a great, satisfying, fulfilling trip. From Hamburg to Amsterdam, we got a taste of what Europe is like. The differences in cultures were very apparent. For example the first thing I noticed was that everyone was on bikes. Walking around we had to be constantly on the lookout for a biker. Additionally during lunch time, it seemed as if everyone ate out. Typically during the week, all restaurants were packed; unusual to see during work hours. Lastly people undoubtedly cared about the way they looked. You never saw someone in sweats walking around and women always wore makeup. Furthermore, playing German soccer teams was one of the most memorable and humbling experiences. Playing the U19 soccer academy was the most challenging but the most exciting. We proved we could play with them; however, also felt the wrath of the Germans. Overall the food was great, the people welcoming, the scenery alive, and the soccer was passionate.