ELCO 2008 Brazil Trip Summary

The following write-up and pictures have been provided from Coach Kirk Keppley.

July 27,2008: Day 1

We arrived in Sao Paulo last night. Had a 1.5 hour bus ride to Santa Filomena. The first full day in Santa Filomena we had time to take in the view and see where we would be staying for the next week. The first picture is the building the moms and girls stayed in, and the next picture is where the coaches and dad stayed. That night we traveled into Sao Paulo to see Sao Paulo v. Portuguesa. Sao Paulo won and since they were the home team and Ricardo and Zinho support them, we had no choice but to cheer for them.

July 28, 2008: Day 2

This morning we trained with a former Brazilian National team player
and another Brazilian player. They are both currently playing
professionally in Spain.

In the afternoon the girls played a 4v4 tourney with the winning team
facing the coaches, of course the coaches won! The girls then faced
the Brazilian team, made up of the two pro players, Zinho, and
Ricardo. The Brazilians were just too much for the girls, but they
did give the coaches a much needed breather before they faced the
Brazilians. Unfortunately, the fitness level of the coaches left them
struggling to keep up with the Brazilians and they were defeated 3-1.

July 29, 2008: Day 3

Today was our first game against a very good Sao Bernardo FC. They
were a very good team all around. They had size, speed and great ball
movement. They gave us a lesson today in futebol. The final was
11-0, but a good lesson for the girls to see how the game is played by
girls that live, eat, and sleep soccer.

July 30, 2008: Day 4

The girls went for an early morning run at Santa Filomena to the top
of the hill to a miniature version of Christ statue. Later that
afternoon we left for Sao Paulo where we went to a sports club called
EC Pinheiros. It had everything for training for almost every sport
you could imagine. It covered a large area of land, has almost 40,000
members, with many of them participating in the 08 Olympics. We
played a 7v7 game, with the score being 7-1 in favor of Pinheiros. We
then had pizza in their club, and left for the Palmeiras v Flamengo
game. Tonight we were Palmeiras fans since they were the home team
and had about 27,000 in attendance. Palmeiras won 1-0.

July 31, 2008: Day 5

Today was a light day for us since we did not get home until after 2AM
from the pro game last night, it only started at 9:45. We had a photo
session with the girls before our game today. We played another pro
club team called Jundiai, we lost 9-0. All three teams we've played
so far are big, fast, strong, and technically and tactically very good.

August 1, 2008: Day 6

Today at Santa Filomena we spent the morning horseback riding. Almost
all the girls took a turn riding on two of the many horse they have here. In the afternoon we had a training session with a Brazilian Coach, Rodrigo Rocha. Coach Keppley had met him two summers ago while doing camp at Penn State. He is a very knowledgeable about the game, and had the girls go through a very good session with lots of movement and touches on the ball. In the evening we had a group come to Santa Filomena to teach them Capoeira. Copoeira is a mix of dancing, martial arts, and gymnastics. It was started by the slaves as a way to hide their training for fighting.

August 2, 2008: Day 7

Today we went to see Corinthians women and men play. The women played Santos and tied 0-0. The men played Criciuma and also tied 0-0. The men's team is supposedly the 2nd most popular team in Brazil. They are currently playing in the second division because of being relegated last year due to bad administration. They are currently in 1st and will probably move back to the 1st division after this season. This was probably the craziest crowd we have seen in the three games we have been to.

August 3, 2008: Day 8

Today we left Santa Filomena, we traveled through Sao Paulo to Santos, where Pele began his pro career. We went to the Pele Museum, it was amazing to see the pictures and trophies. Santos was the first club to score over 10,000 goals recognized by FIFA and they have played in 71 countries. We then took in the Santos v Coritiba game. Unfortunately Santos lost 3-1. Again the home crowd was wild.

August 4, 2008: Day 9

Today and tomorrow we are staying in Riviera, which is along the Atlantic Ocean.  This morning the girls had a fun training session at the beach.  Although it was somewhat overcast the girls still enjoyed the water.  In the afternoon, the girls, coaches, and some adventurous parents went for a hike and then went canoeing.  We ended our day at the local amusement area with some bowling.  I think we should stick to soccer! Just so everyone knows, I was in the water first!

August 5, 2008: Day 10

Today we played a local team near where we are staying, a brief bus ride, about 20 minutes. Before we left, it was another short photo session, this one was only in one location, unlike Santa Filomena. We won 3-0, with goals from Brittany Gockley, Erin Moore, and Erika Smith. They field was located between the mountains and the ocean. It was an incredible view, luckily we arrived before the clouds and rain showed up. Tonight is a relaxing night at the hotel as we leave at 4 AM for the airport in Sao Paulo to fly to Rio.

August 6, 2008: Day 11

Today we arrived in Rio. We are staying in a beautiful beach front hotel. In the afternoon we had a fun beach soccer game with Barra. We divided into two teams and played the same team in two games. Playing on the beach is definitely more difficult than playing on a regular field. Later that night we saw our final pro game at Maracana Stadium, the most famous in all of Brazil. Fluminense defeated Sao Paulo 3-1.

August 7, 2008: Day 12

Today, the girls and some of the parents had some free time at the beach in the morning, the water is unbelievably clear.   A few of the parents weren't up for pictures though.  In the afternoon, we played the Barra team in an 11 side match.  We lost 5-1. We did not have a goal scorer, it was an own goal. We went to dinner and had some time to do a little shopping.

August 8, 2008: Day 13

Our final Day in Brazil was spent sight seeing.  First we went to Christ Statue.  In order to get there we had to ride an electric trolly car almost to the top, were you could either take an elevator or stairs the rest of the way to the top.  Not only is the statue amazing, but the view at the top was incredible. After Christ Statue, we went to Sugar Loaf.  Sugar Loaf is the top of one of the higher hill tops in Rio.  You ride two cable cars to the top, and again the view is breathtaking.  After that we had a late lunch at Tourao.  This was our second trip to the buffet style steakhouse in three days.  The food again was amazing.  After that we had our final photo session on the beach before preparing to head home.

Summary:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those that went on the trip for a very memorable trip.  Hopefully everyone that went will be talking about this for a very long time, and have lots of memorable moments, especially the last photo session on the beach!!!

I would also like to take a moment to thank everyone that made this trip possible.  I cannot possible name everyone personally for fear of missing someone, but if you donated anything for any fundraising event we had, if you purchased any fundraising items, participated in our indoor tournament or golf tournament, gave a donation in any way, or support the girls, parents, or coaches to help make this trip possible.

THANK YOU!!!

Sincerely,

Coach Kirk Keppley