Pictures are Ready!

We had an awesome time in England for 2 weeks, but it is great to be back home! It has taken me several days to go through all of the pictures from the trip and get them uploaded so that everyone can see them. In an attempt to save space and time, I have only uploaded the pictures with people in them! I assumed that those would be of most interest to everyone...especially the team. However, if you are interested in seeing the "scenic" pictures as well, just let me know in the comment section below and I will work on getting those uploaded!

Again, we had a wonderful time. Thank you to everyone who played a part in the planning and execution of the trip, especially Mr. Maloney and Coach Pratt...it couldn't have gone more smoothly!

To view and/or purchase the pictures CLICK HERE.

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Hope you enjoy!

Unconnected

It has been a crazy week full of fun activities and soccer matches. We moved to a new school on Sunday and have been unable to connect to a wireless connection in order to update our blog and post pictures. We were assured on Sunday that the WiFi would be up and running on Monday and we would be given the security codes to log on. Well, Monday came and we were told that they were having issues setting it up, but that we would absolutely be up and running by Tuesday. On Tuesday, we were given the security codes to log on, but when we tried them they didn't work! AAAH! It was too late in the day to do anything about it and we were going to be gone from 8:00am until around midnight on Wednesday, so we were stuck! I will be posting pictures from the rest of our trip next week when we are back in Montevallo. We apologize for not being able to do so sooner! We are headed back to the States at 5 am tomorrow morning and even though we have all had a fantastic time here, we are all ready to be home! Thanks for checking in with us everyday!

UM vs. Garforth Town by Juan Lemos

We arrived at the stadium just about an hour prior to kickoff. The pitch was in perfect condition and you could feel the professional atmosphere. We walked out of the tunnel to begin the match just like all the professional teams.

We played really today...the team was finally able to gain some chemistry as everyone was moving off the ball good and passing well into the spaces. Everyone new where their teammates was and it was a real joy to play in a stadium with so much history. It was even more enjoyable as we went on to win 6-1.

English Premier League game (Sunderland vs Chelsea) by Matt Maughn

Today I can say that one of my dreams became a reality! Today I got to experience an official English Premier League soccer match. What made this experience even better was that I got to watch my favorite team play...CHELSEA FC!! As my teammates and I walked towards the stadium it still felt as if I was dreaming. I'm so used to watching to European soccer games on TV or the internet so the excitement I was feeling was overwhelming.

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere was electric and fascinating. 40,000 screaming Sunderland fans coordinating chants and becoming one voice was incredible. I wanted to cheer on Chelsea squad so desperately but couldn't because we were right in the middle of the Sunderland fans and thats a big no-no over here!!

As for the game itself...Chelsea dominated the match. They were in control from start to finish despite going down 1-0 within the first 15 minutes...they came back to win by scoring 3 second half goals for the final of 3-1. Chelsea's passing and their movement was a beautiful thing to watch.

I really enjoyed and apprecitat my experience tonight! I hope some day I can come back to Europe to watch my team play again!

I want to thank the Coaches, Ged Maloney, my teammates, and my mother for providing and making this day one I will never forget...Thank You!

London by Alex Ghoja

We arrived in London by train from Stanmore to Green Park. As we mosied our way out of the station, we came upon such an enormous resurrected structure that blocked any possible sunlight from reaching us, Big Ben. After taking many photos of this great architectural wonder, we proceeded toward the House of Parliament. After seeing the gigantic line at the house of parliament, we settled for taking pictures with the eloquently dressed, top-hatted security guards. Not wasting any of our precious time, we steadfastly moved toward the London Eye (aka Giant Ferris Wheel). Overlooking a river in London, the London Eye is a great place to view one of the most historic and cherished cities of all time. To stay in tune with our fashionable senses, we ventured to Oxford Street. On Oxford Street, we shopped until our hearts were content and our pockets were empty and we took away our piece of London. Having some energy left to carry on forward, we jaunted over to Buckingham Palace. Though Americans will never understand what living in a monarchical society is about, it is evident that the British have lived in harmony with one for centuries and Buckingham Palace is a true testament of time. Feeling a bit claustrophobic, we headed towards the nearby park to get some fresh air. At the park we saw an extraordinary amount of people, some that lived there and some that didn't. Never have I ever seen such friendly squirrels and though it was time consuming, my time with the squirrels will never be forgotten. After contributing some welfare to the squirrels, it was time to contribute to myself. We scurried over towards the closest restaurant to have a taste of London cuisine. Not to spoil ourselves, we settled for a British favorite "fish and chips" and quenched our thirst. Feeling rejuvenated and energetic, we whisked our way toward the streets of London. Shortly after time was coming to an end and we had to meet at the station. Arriving at the station, I reminisced about my journey to London. Just being in the city where William Shakespeare once resided had a profound impact on my outlook of life. Though many people look to Shakespeare's work as marvels, I aspire to have people visit my culture in America and marvel over my blog.

day 4

This morning the team had a 2 hour practice session at the Doncaster championship training facility. Afterwards, we came back to campus to eat lunch and allow the guys to shower before heading out to York to do some shopping at an outlet center. It was a nice, much needed break for everyone. Ryan and Justin have finally mastered the left-side driving, and as of yesterday, Ryan and I have become navigator extraordinaires! (Take THAT Roundabouts!)

Tomorrow, we take our trip down to London. It will take us about 3 hours to get there and even though it will be an extremely long day, we are all super excited to see all of the beautiful sights the city has to offer. Check back on Sunday to read about all of our adventures in the magnificent capitol city!!

various pictures

**I've added pictures to earlier posts as well, so be sure to scroll down to see them!

Lucas Manzoli

We decided that it would be a good idea to have a few of the guys write a post every now and then so that everyone back home can get a different perspective on what is happening here in England. Today, we asked Lucas Manzoli to share with us.....

'We have encountered several different situations and the boys have all been pretty excited about everything. The food is definitely different than the cafe food at UM or the southern cooking in Alabama. This lovely Italian lady is taking good care of us; today's lasagna was great! We are trying to stay focused and make the most out of this opportunity to be together for such a long time in a challenging and exciting environment. We have now overcome the toughest part...jet-lag, time difference, and getting used to Justin's driving...and feel like we're creating a great atmosphere. It was also great to watch Jono {Jonathan Maloney} play, and we all knew he would score, as he loves to show off! Today we visited Doncaster's championship team training ground and stadium and it was good to see how the facilities we have at Montevallo are just as good as theirs. Can't wait for the London trip!'

Game Day Update

Today the Falcons took on Wetherby Athletics and came away with a 7-1 victory! I asked Austin McIntosh afterwards to give me his thoughts about the game and this is what he had to say:

'It was a good, positive way to start the tour on a winning note. It was a good opportunity for each player to get a good 45 minutes to shake off the 'cobwebs'. I was pleased at how both of Montevallo's sides worked hard, kept things simple and overall just played a good, professional performance. All of the players are excited about the way the team looks and how the new guys have adapted quickly.'

1st Game Day

Today the team has their first game against Wetherby Athletics. This morning we drove into the town of Doncaster to practice at the Doncaster Rovers Football Club practice facilities. Afterwards, a few of the club administrators offered to show us to their stadium and give us a tour. It was a very nice and impressively large place and all of the guys really loved seeing all of the behind-the-scenes stuff.

We leave in 30 minutes to go to the game, so I will be back later tonight to post pictures from the day as well as the results of the game. Go Falcons!!

Sorry!!

Sorry for the delay, everyone! We have had quite a time trying to find an internet connection here in England. We were able to get one for a few minutes in the campus library of Doncaster College (where we are staying) yesterday afternoon before rushing off to practice, but were never able to gain access to a wireless connection on our personal computers which would allow us to upload the photographs. We have used every spare minute that we have been on campus searching for internet, and finally, at 10:00 pm on Wednesday night, a sweet lady named Julie in the reception office has lent us her portable wireless access card! So, without further adieu, welcome to the adventures of the UM Falcons in England!

I believe when we left off yesterday we were about to tempt our fate by allowing Ryan and Justin to drive us to the practice fields, and OH! what an adventure!! Driving on tiny, narrow streets in an enormous "mini-bus" on the left side of the road, in the right side of the car, narrowly missing the stone walls that line the streets at every twist and turn, and getting lost at every "roundabout" (which happens to be the single most confusing driving-concept here!) we made it to practice all in one piece.....and without any scratches on our vehicles! Practice was held in a beautiful park in the town of Doncaster and we couldn't believe the beautiful weather....sunny and a crisp 70-ish degrees.

After practice we headed back to campus to let the guys shower and then have dinner. The staff here have been absolutely fantastic! Everyone is so nice and very accommodating and there is no short supply of food.....which, i believe some of the guys were worried about. We didn't know quite what to expect as far as meal-times would go since we are used to buffet-style meals in our cafeteria, but so far there has been plenty for these hungry boys to devour! Once dinner was finished, we headed to Harrogate to see former UM Falcon, Jonathan Maloney, play in a semi-professional soccer match. We all loaded up the vans.....Ryan and I (Emma) in one van with half of the team and Justin and Jennifer with the rest of the team in the second van. Ryan's van is the leader of the caravan because it is equipped with a GPS system so that we are able to navigate our way around, so obviously, Justin's van is supposed to follow......."supposed" being the operative word there. We lost them before we even exited the campus gates! Less than half a mile down the road we realized they weren't behind us so we pulled over to wait for them to catch up...it never happened. We decided to turn back to find them and ended up driving all over town searching with no luck. Finally, with no cell phone service to get in touch with anyone, we gave up and headed to the game (which was about 45 minutes-1 hour away) certain that the lost van would never make it and worried about their whereabouts. Once we arrived, Ged and Lesley Maloney were there to greet us and we were all taking bets on whether or not the missing van would actually make it. We were SURE they would not because, other than knowing the name of the town in which the game would be played, they basically had no directional information.

We were all settled in our seats about 2 minutes before kickoff when Mr. Maloney looks up and starts laughing. There they were! Unbelievable!! They had actually found us. Everyone starting yelling and clapping and we even gave them a standing ovation! Good work Coach Justin and Jen!!!

Everyone had a great time at the game. Jonathan scored the first goal of the game within about 2 minutes of starting! (#10)

The team even presented Ryan with an autographed ball.

After the game, since we were all exhausted from travelling and being awake for 48 hours, we headed back to campus for a much needed good night's sleep. Unfortunately, on the way there, we got lost! Not seriously lost, we did have a GPS, but sometimes those things aren't the most accurate. We ended up taking a few wrong turns, winding our way down a few pitch black dark country lanes and eventually finding our way back. All in all, Day 1 was a great day and we are all looking forward to the rest of the trip and all of the adventures that are sure to follow.

Arrival

We have finally arrived in England! After an extremely long day and night of travel, we made it. We arrived in Manchester at 7:00 am (1:00 am for us) and were driven by Ged and Lesley Maloney, andPhil Jackson's father, Michael Jackson to Doncaster College where we will be spending the week. So far everything is beautiful, but the real adventure begins this afternoon when Ryan and Justin attempt to drive us on the 'wrong' side of the road!! Stay tuned.....

(pictures to follow)

University of Montevallo Men's Soccer Team