Amber Brooks
Amber Brooks is a junior at The University of North Carolina and a member of the U-23 US Women's National Team.
Sept. 9, 2011
There is always another step to take forward
I firmly believe in the notion that there’s no staying the same. You’re either getting better, or getting worse. Because of this, I choose to neither wallow in defeat nor celebrate in victory for an extended period of time. While I think it’s important and absolutely warranted to pat yourself on the back and embrace joyous moments, the harsh reality is that there is always another step to take forward, another goal to achieve. However, I have hugged few people harder than my teammate, Courtney Jones, after she perfectly shot low, across the frame, and side panel for the winning goal in overtime against Notre Dame. The celebration that commenced was a complete reversal of what had occurred on Fetzer Field nine months before.
Last year, on November 20, 2010, I watched through tears and anguish as the Irish sprinted onto our sacred field and dog-piled in jubilation. This time, we defended our home, and the dog pile consisted of a sea of Carolina Blue jerseys. Now, obviously it’s a new year, a new season, and our victory on August 26, 2011 does not begin to avenge our loss from the NCAA Tournament last year, or take away from Notre Dame’s accomplishment of winning the National Championship. And, I’d be arrogant to pretend that we dominated the game and had the better percentage of chances. However, in a sport where the majority of activity occurs in the middle of the park, it is of utmost importance to be able to finish your chances. We put two of our nine shots in the back of the net, and with the help of our goalkeeper Hannah Daly, who was brilliant on the day, and our team’s ability to fight and play for one another, we came out with the W.
On this hot, balmy, Hurricane Irene stricken day, we were the ones celebrating amongst 5,236 Tarheel-faithful fans. It’s a long season though, and our challenge now is to continue improving so we are a better team when we likely face them again further down the road. In accordance with Anson’s motto of living life on a “never-ending ascension,” we refocused for Houston on Sunday (6-1 Win), took Monday off, trained Tuesday, and on Wednesday, lined up for 10 120s with our weekend victories in the past and our upcoming game vs. Ohio St, one of last year’s Final Four participants, on our minds.
There is always another step to take forward
I firmly believe in the notion that there’s no staying the same. You’re either getting better, or getting worse. Because of this, I choose to neither wallow in defeat nor celebrate in victory for an extended period of time. While I think it’s important and absolutely warranted to pat yourself on the back and embrace joyous moments, the harsh reality is that there is always another step to take forward, another goal to achieve. However, I have hugged few people harder than my teammate, Courtney Jones, after she perfectly shot low, across the frame, and side panel for the winning goal in overtime against Notre Dame. The celebration that commenced was a complete reversal of what had occurred on Fetzer Field nine months before.
Last year, on November 20, 2010, I watched through tears and anguish as the Irish sprinted onto our sacred field and dog-piled in jubilation. This time, we defended our home, and the dog pile consisted of a sea of Carolina Blue jerseys. Now, obviously it’s a new year, a new season, and our victory on August 26, 2011 does not begin to avenge our loss from the NCAA Tournament last year, or take away from Notre Dame’s accomplishment of winning the National Championship. And, I’d be arrogant to pretend that we dominated the game and had the better percentage of chances. However, in a sport where the majority of activity occurs in the middle of the park, it is of utmost importance to be able to finish your chances. We put two of our nine shots in the back of the net, and with the help of our goalkeeper Hannah Daly, who was brilliant on the day, and our team’s ability to fight and play for one another, we came out with the W.
On this hot, balmy, Hurricane Irene stricken day, we were the ones celebrating amongst 5,236 Tarheel-faithful fans. It’s a long season though, and our challenge now is to continue improving so we are a better team when we likely face them again further down the road. In accordance with Anson’s motto of living life on a “never-ending ascension,” we refocused for Houston on Sunday (6-1 Win), took Monday off, trained Tuesday, and on Wednesday, lined up for 10 120s with our weekend victories in the past and our upcoming game vs. Ohio St, one of last year’s Final Four participants, on our minds.
August 30, 2011
Ocean Isle Beach, NC
After four days of fitness and technical testing, our team departed for our annual preseason trip to Ocean Isle Beach, located between Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC. After the three and a half hour drive southeast, we arrived at our two adjacent houses right along the beach, which ensure an optimal team bonding experience. It didn’t take long for the majority of us to unload our bags, throw our swimsuits on, and jump into the ocean! Our Monday morning practice featured our iSoccer “warm-up” which includes a series of technical tests such as toe-taps, foundations, juggling, turning, figure 8s, etc., that are performed for twenty-seconds and of course, recorded. Then the team split up according to position, with the defenders working on clearing with Dino and the midfielders/forwards focusing on back to pressure with Anson. We came back together and were randomly sorted into four 5vs5 teams and we played half-field games where each of us was man marking. It was awkward to say the least, considering one of our core principles is double-teaming, and with this restriction, we could not assist our teammates in defending. We finished up the session with a shooting competition between the four teams. The rest of the afternoon and all of Tuesday were free for us to do as we please! We primarily spent time outside, “bronzing,” and saw the movie, Crazy, Stupid, Love. On Wednesday our favorite beach trip competition occurred; Animal Wars! During this event, we are “sorted” according to our body types (height, roundness, protruding muscles, etc.) into different animal categories. For example, I, as a medium height, muscular, not skinny, and aggressive player, am a proud Water Buffalo. The short players are Hobbits, the tall players are Yetti, the ferocious speedsters are Velociraptors, and the “fairy” speedsters are Gazelles. While the Hobbits swept last year’s tournament, there was a turn of events this year as the Hobbits squandered and the Gazelles (Kealia, Alyssa, and Cailtin) surprisingly came out victorious, with my Water Buffalo team finishing in a close second. To catch highlights of the Animal Wars Tournament, check out our YouTube channel (UNCwsoc) and the videos that our Undergrad Assistant Coach, Brittani Bartok, fabulously films and edits.
Lincoln, Nebraska
After a great give days or training and tanning at Ocean Isle Beach, the team loaded up the vans and embarked back to Chapel Hill for another solid week of practice before our season opener against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday, August 19th. I can’t say I ever thought Nebraska would be a state I’d travel to, but senior, Rebecca Crabb’s, family gave our team a jolly warm welcome in Omaha. After stuffing our faces with pasta and taking an afternoon nap, we drove an hour to our hotel in downtown Lincoln. Most of us slept in and spent the morning and early afternoon hydrating in bed before our routinely pregame lunch at Panera. After filling up on the same pregame meal for the past two years, half Fuji apple chicken salad and half mac-n-cheese, I through on my Dr. Dre Beats headphones and played my pregame pump-up playlist. While it consists of the latest and greatest hip-hop and rap from Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, etc., nothing pumps me up more than listening to my man, Bruce Springsteen. As soon as Anson enters the locker room, the speakers are turned off, the dancing ceases, and all eyes are him and his “poof.” A lot of the pregame speech is rather repetitive, but important and amazingly, Anson finds a way to motivate us in a different way each and every game. The question, “Are you with me?” that he poses at the end of every hour long pregame continues to resonate with me and get me focused on the warm-up and game at hand. And after our short and sweet, 25-minute warm-up, it was time for our team cheer, “Tough-FTS” and kick-off against the Big-10’s newest member, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. We won the game, 2-1, and if you want to know more details, you can find the game summary on tarheelblue.com. I will mention though, that while we were able to win away from home, always a positive, it certainly was not one of UNC Women’s Soccer’s best performances. So, while happy with the result, we knew that we had a lot of strides that we needed to make in the next week of training before hosting #1 ranked and defending National Champions, Notre Dame, the following Friday. After dinner with my mom, who I must mention has to be one of the most devoted Soccer Moms out there considering she’s only missed two games in the past two years that I’ve suited up for the Tarheels, our team boarded a flight the next morning back to “the southern part of heaven.” We arrived in Chapel Hill at 8pm, and set practice for 3pm the next day. We kicked off the week’s training with 8, 120s, bogies, and a 3 vs. 3 tournament. There was a lot of work to be done ahead of our match up on August 26th, a date that had been circled on our schedule since November 20, 2010.
Ocean Isle Beach, NC
After four days of fitness and technical testing, our team departed for our annual preseason trip to Ocean Isle Beach, located between Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC. After the three and a half hour drive southeast, we arrived at our two adjacent houses right along the beach, which ensure an optimal team bonding experience. It didn’t take long for the majority of us to unload our bags, throw our swimsuits on, and jump into the ocean! Our Monday morning practice featured our iSoccer “warm-up” which includes a series of technical tests such as toe-taps, foundations, juggling, turning, figure 8s, etc., that are performed for twenty-seconds and of course, recorded. Then the team split up according to position, with the defenders working on clearing with Dino and the midfielders/forwards focusing on back to pressure with Anson. We came back together and were randomly sorted into four 5vs5 teams and we played half-field games where each of us was man marking. It was awkward to say the least, considering one of our core principles is double-teaming, and with this restriction, we could not assist our teammates in defending. We finished up the session with a shooting competition between the four teams. The rest of the afternoon and all of Tuesday were free for us to do as we please! We primarily spent time outside, “bronzing,” and saw the movie, Crazy, Stupid, Love. On Wednesday our favorite beach trip competition occurred; Animal Wars! During this event, we are “sorted” according to our body types (height, roundness, protruding muscles, etc.) into different animal categories. For example, I, as a medium height, muscular, not skinny, and aggressive player, am a proud Water Buffalo. The short players are Hobbits, the tall players are Yetti, the ferocious speedsters are Velociraptors, and the “fairy” speedsters are Gazelles. While the Hobbits swept last year’s tournament, there was a turn of events this year as the Hobbits squandered and the Gazelles (Kealia, Alyssa, and Cailtin) surprisingly came out victorious, with my Water Buffalo team finishing in a close second. To catch highlights of the Animal Wars Tournament, check out our YouTube channel (UNCwsoc) and the videos that our Undergrad Assistant Coach, Brittani Bartok, fabulously films and edits.
Lincoln, Nebraska
After a great give days or training and tanning at Ocean Isle Beach, the team loaded up the vans and embarked back to Chapel Hill for another solid week of practice before our season opener against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday, August 19th. I can’t say I ever thought Nebraska would be a state I’d travel to, but senior, Rebecca Crabb’s, family gave our team a jolly warm welcome in Omaha. After stuffing our faces with pasta and taking an afternoon nap, we drove an hour to our hotel in downtown Lincoln. Most of us slept in and spent the morning and early afternoon hydrating in bed before our routinely pregame lunch at Panera. After filling up on the same pregame meal for the past two years, half Fuji apple chicken salad and half mac-n-cheese, I through on my Dr. Dre Beats headphones and played my pregame pump-up playlist. While it consists of the latest and greatest hip-hop and rap from Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Wiz Khalifa, etc., nothing pumps me up more than listening to my man, Bruce Springsteen. As soon as Anson enters the locker room, the speakers are turned off, the dancing ceases, and all eyes are him and his “poof.” A lot of the pregame speech is rather repetitive, but important and amazingly, Anson finds a way to motivate us in a different way each and every game. The question, “Are you with me?” that he poses at the end of every hour long pregame continues to resonate with me and get me focused on the warm-up and game at hand. And after our short and sweet, 25-minute warm-up, it was time for our team cheer, “Tough-FTS” and kick-off against the Big-10’s newest member, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. We won the game, 2-1, and if you want to know more details, you can find the game summary on tarheelblue.com. I will mention though, that while we were able to win away from home, always a positive, it certainly was not one of UNC Women’s Soccer’s best performances. So, while happy with the result, we knew that we had a lot of strides that we needed to make in the next week of training before hosting #1 ranked and defending National Champions, Notre Dame, the following Friday. After dinner with my mom, who I must mention has to be one of the most devoted Soccer Moms out there considering she’s only missed two games in the past two years that I’ve suited up for the Tarheels, our team boarded a flight the next morning back to “the southern part of heaven.” We arrived in Chapel Hill at 8pm, and set practice for 3pm the next day. We kicked off the week’s training with 8, 120s, bogies, and a 3 vs. 3 tournament. There was a lot of work to be done ahead of our match up on August 26th, a date that had been circled on our schedule since November 20, 2010.
July 27, 2011
Ready or Not, Here Comes Preseason
Since our team’s return from Germany, I’ve spent the past few weeks training with some of my teammates, watching the WC games, and finishing up my online summer class. Our training consists of our summer almanac that is designed by the Leadership Council, Anson, and Greg, our strength and conditioning coach. If you complete the daily workouts and technical training at the correct intensity, or what Anson refers to as “deep practice,” then you have nothing to fear during preseason. For those who skipped a day or their least favorite workout, your preseason testing results will reflect the areas you didn’t address. After all, it’s the work you put in when “no one is watching” that makes a champion.
With preseason on the horizon, I decided to escape to my third favorite place in the world (my hometown and Chapel Hill being No. 1 and No. 2), Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. My oldest brother, Allan III, lives down there with my sister-in-law, so my mom, my other older brother, Aaron, and I flew down for a quick family vacation. Since we all live hectic lives in different parts of the world, it was nice to all be together and enjoy “Pura Vida.” Of course I could never completely abandon my training platform, so I always have a soccer ball and cleats in hand. Usually there is a game being played on the beach that the locals let me jump into, and my brothers are always interested in racing to see who the fastest Brooks is these days. After a few quality days of R&R and fun in the sun, I was ready to head back home and then on down to Chapel Hill for some last minute preparation before preseason begins on August 3.
I’m sure everyone is under the misconception that our preseason at UNC is absolute hell and the worst two weeks of our year. While it is challenging, both physically and mentally, competing everyday against 25 other skilled players and your body that’s urging you to stop, the light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of our annual beach trip. After the first five days of preseason, which includes athletic testing (vertical jump, agility, 7-30 meter sprints, beep test), starters vs. reserves scrimmages, partner technical testing, and everyone’s favorite - 120s - those who have made “the cut” head to Ocean Isle, N.C. for some quality team bonding. Everyone has August 7 in the back of their minds, but the reality is that there are a few days of work before you earn the right to sport the Carolina blue.
Ready or Not, Here Comes Preseason
Since our team’s return from Germany, I’ve spent the past few weeks training with some of my teammates, watching the WC games, and finishing up my online summer class. Our training consists of our summer almanac that is designed by the Leadership Council, Anson, and Greg, our strength and conditioning coach. If you complete the daily workouts and technical training at the correct intensity, or what Anson refers to as “deep practice,” then you have nothing to fear during preseason. For those who skipped a day or their least favorite workout, your preseason testing results will reflect the areas you didn’t address. After all, it’s the work you put in when “no one is watching” that makes a champion.
With preseason on the horizon, I decided to escape to my third favorite place in the world (my hometown and Chapel Hill being No. 1 and No. 2), Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. My oldest brother, Allan III, lives down there with my sister-in-law, so my mom, my other older brother, Aaron, and I flew down for a quick family vacation. Since we all live hectic lives in different parts of the world, it was nice to all be together and enjoy “Pura Vida.” Of course I could never completely abandon my training platform, so I always have a soccer ball and cleats in hand. Usually there is a game being played on the beach that the locals let me jump into, and my brothers are always interested in racing to see who the fastest Brooks is these days. After a few quality days of R&R and fun in the sun, I was ready to head back home and then on down to Chapel Hill for some last minute preparation before preseason begins on August 3.
I’m sure everyone is under the misconception that our preseason at UNC is absolute hell and the worst two weeks of our year. While it is challenging, both physically and mentally, competing everyday against 25 other skilled players and your body that’s urging you to stop, the light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of our annual beach trip. After the first five days of preseason, which includes athletic testing (vertical jump, agility, 7-30 meter sprints, beep test), starters vs. reserves scrimmages, partner technical testing, and everyone’s favorite - 120s - those who have made “the cut” head to Ocean Isle, N.C. for some quality team bonding. Everyone has August 7 in the back of their minds, but the reality is that there are a few days of work before you earn the right to sport the Carolina blue.
July 5, 2011
From USA vs. Colombia to UNC vs. Bayer Leverkusen
From USA vs. Colombia to UNC vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Amber Brooks, right, with Penn State's Maddy Evans, at the U.S. vs. Colombia game.
Our Thursday consisted of a seven-hour bus ride southeast from Berlin to Frankfurt. All the upperclassman were exited that our former teammate, Lucy Bronze, greeted us when we arrived at our hotel. She flew in from her home in Newcastle, England to spend a few days with our team. It was a great reunion, as most of us have not seen her since she left campus in December 2009 to play professionally for Everton. On Friday, we had a morning training session that featured our iSoccer technical warm-up, partner technical training, and lots of crossing and finishing. After our normal routine of showering quickly and hopping on the bus, we drove a couple hours west to Heidelberg for some sightseeing. There we saw the Heidelberg castle a famous ruin of Germany that dates back to 1200 AD, watched the Mexico vs. Japan game on an ESPN JumboTron in the center of the city, and met up with Mia Hamm for a team dinner at an Irish pub and to watch England vs. New Zealand.
On Saturday, we ventured to Stuttgart for some shopping and then to Sinsheim to watch the USA vs. Colombia game. Again, our team was spoiled with VIP Business Class seats, eight rows behind the USA bench. The atmosphere was amazing with a sold-out crowd of more than 25,000 screaming fans. It was a great day for the Tarheel alumni too, as HAO scored the best goal of the tournament so far, and Tobs made her World Cup debut! I was also fortunate to connect with one of my oldest friends, Maddy Evans, who plays for Penn State and is also in Germany to play and watch games, but with a USA U-19 All-Star team. Her and I go way back to our youth days and first met when our respective U-10 boys' travel teams played against one another. Since then, we’ve grown up together through the ranks of state and region ODP, and spent the past few spring breaks catching the rays in Costa Rica. On Sunday, our final day of our adventure in Germany, we suited up in our Carolina Blue jerseys and took on Bayer Leverkusen, who is in eighth in the first-division of the women’s Bundesliga. Although it wasn’t our best showing, we came out with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Burch and Ranee. You could also see glimpses of our 5 vs. 2 possession sessions to get out of pressure situations. Following our game, we drove to the nearby city of Köln to grab some dinner and see the cities famous Cathedral, which took more than 500 years to build and is Germany’s most visited landmark. Our bus ride back to the hotel was a big dance party as we celebrated the one and only, Crystal Dunn’s, 19th birthday. The next morning, July 4th, we had yet another birthday to celebrate, this time our team manager of 20 years, Tom Sander, without whom our team simply would not operate! He has a completely thankless job, but our team would appear even more chaotic than it already is without him. He even organized this entire trip in five days after the travel agency forgot to book our accommodations. Our team is entirely thankful to him and the rest of our coaches and donors that made this amazing and unforgettable experience possible for all of us.
Overall, it was a great 10-day adventure in Germany and so much fun to be able to play with one another again. A lot of team bonding, sightseeing, watching, and playing good soccer took place, and we cannot wait to incorporate our incoming freshmen in August. For now, some of the girls return home, while me and a few others will go back to Chapel Hill to continue training before preseason. We will continue to work hard to prepare for the upcoming season and cheer for the USA in the World Cup!
On Saturday, we ventured to Stuttgart for some shopping and then to Sinsheim to watch the USA vs. Colombia game. Again, our team was spoiled with VIP Business Class seats, eight rows behind the USA bench. The atmosphere was amazing with a sold-out crowd of more than 25,000 screaming fans. It was a great day for the Tarheel alumni too, as HAO scored the best goal of the tournament so far, and Tobs made her World Cup debut! I was also fortunate to connect with one of my oldest friends, Maddy Evans, who plays for Penn State and is also in Germany to play and watch games, but with a USA U-19 All-Star team. Her and I go way back to our youth days and first met when our respective U-10 boys' travel teams played against one another. Since then, we’ve grown up together through the ranks of state and region ODP, and spent the past few spring breaks catching the rays in Costa Rica. On Sunday, our final day of our adventure in Germany, we suited up in our Carolina Blue jerseys and took on Bayer Leverkusen, who is in eighth in the first-division of the women’s Bundesliga. Although it wasn’t our best showing, we came out with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Burch and Ranee. You could also see glimpses of our 5 vs. 2 possession sessions to get out of pressure situations. Following our game, we drove to the nearby city of Köln to grab some dinner and see the cities famous Cathedral, which took more than 500 years to build and is Germany’s most visited landmark. Our bus ride back to the hotel was a big dance party as we celebrated the one and only, Crystal Dunn’s, 19th birthday. The next morning, July 4th, we had yet another birthday to celebrate, this time our team manager of 20 years, Tom Sander, without whom our team simply would not operate! He has a completely thankless job, but our team would appear even more chaotic than it already is without him. He even organized this entire trip in five days after the travel agency forgot to book our accommodations. Our team is entirely thankful to him and the rest of our coaches and donors that made this amazing and unforgettable experience possible for all of us.
Overall, it was a great 10-day adventure in Germany and so much fun to be able to play with one another again. A lot of team bonding, sightseeing, watching, and playing good soccer took place, and we cannot wait to incorporate our incoming freshmen in August. For now, some of the girls return home, while me and a few others will go back to Chapel Hill to continue training before preseason. We will continue to work hard to prepare for the upcoming season and cheer for the USA in the World Cup!
June 30, 2011
Amber Brooks: Berlin, USA vs. North Korea, and UNC vs. FC Leipzig
Amber Brooks: Berlin, USA vs. North Korea, and UNC vs. FC Leipzig
The University of North Carolina women's soccer team prior to the start of the U.S. vs. North Korea game.
After training in the morning, our team was set free to explore Berlin in small groups. My group decided to make use of the train system for the afternoon, and we made stops at Niketown Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie, and Brandenburg Gate. After a sunny day of shopping and seeing the historical sites, we went back to the hotel lobby to watch Mexico vs. England. I was pumped to see my former U-20 teammate, Teresa Noyola, sub in for Mexico! Then we were given 10 Euros to grab dinner at a restaurant of our choice. I ventured with the coaches to a local Turkish restaurant, which was delicious!
Tuesday morning we all hopped on the bus for our three-hour drive to Dresden for the USA vs. North Korea game. We arrived early so we had time to see the historical sites of Dresden, which were primarily destroyed during WWII. We were handed our VIP Business Club tickets, worth $300 apiece, and entered Rudolf-Harbig Stadium. This venue was a familiar site and bittersweet for Meg Morris, Crystal Dunn, and I, because we played our first two group games of our U20 WC last summer against Ghana and Switzerland there. As our team is always hungry, we were all enthused that before and after the game there was a nice spread of German food for us to feast on. The best part, however, was taking our seats, which were in the second row, right behind the USA bench! Perfect for taking photos, saying hi to some of the USWNT’s staff that I’ve met before, and cheering on our two Tarheels, HAO and Tobs. I’m sure anyone reading this blog watched the game, but I’ll add that the atmosphere was awesome and you could tell by listening to the USA players and coaches that they have great camaraderie. I, personally, got goose bumps during the FIFA entrance song and National Anthem, as it brought up memories from last year and reinvigorated my dream of playing in the WC next time around! Nothing is more inspiring than watching players stand where you want to be.
Following breakfast and pregame meal, our team once again loaded on the bus for another three-hour ride to Leipzig for our game against FC Lokomotive Leipzig. Although the first-team was recently promoted to the first division of the Bundesliga, the European teams are on break for the summer, so we took on their reserve team. With only 13 players, we came out with a decisive 5-1 win. Our freshmen (rising sophomore) scoring duo of Kealia Ohai and Crystal Dunn scored two goals each, and I added one as well. Fellow midfielder, Ranee Premji, had a couple of nice assists and overall, it was a good performance for everyone. When our injured players get healthy, and with the addition of our incoming recruits, our season looks very promising! For now, we’re off to Frankfurt for the last few days of our trip. We will train tomorrow, watch the USA vs. Colombia game in Sinshiem on Saturday, play another game on Sunday, and then fly home on July 4th.
Tuesday morning we all hopped on the bus for our three-hour drive to Dresden for the USA vs. North Korea game. We arrived early so we had time to see the historical sites of Dresden, which were primarily destroyed during WWII. We were handed our VIP Business Club tickets, worth $300 apiece, and entered Rudolf-Harbig Stadium. This venue was a familiar site and bittersweet for Meg Morris, Crystal Dunn, and I, because we played our first two group games of our U20 WC last summer against Ghana and Switzerland there. As our team is always hungry, we were all enthused that before and after the game there was a nice spread of German food for us to feast on. The best part, however, was taking our seats, which were in the second row, right behind the USA bench! Perfect for taking photos, saying hi to some of the USWNT’s staff that I’ve met before, and cheering on our two Tarheels, HAO and Tobs. I’m sure anyone reading this blog watched the game, but I’ll add that the atmosphere was awesome and you could tell by listening to the USA players and coaches that they have great camaraderie. I, personally, got goose bumps during the FIFA entrance song and National Anthem, as it brought up memories from last year and reinvigorated my dream of playing in the WC next time around! Nothing is more inspiring than watching players stand where you want to be.
Following breakfast and pregame meal, our team once again loaded on the bus for another three-hour ride to Leipzig for our game against FC Lokomotive Leipzig. Although the first-team was recently promoted to the first division of the Bundesliga, the European teams are on break for the summer, so we took on their reserve team. With only 13 players, we came out with a decisive 5-1 win. Our freshmen (rising sophomore) scoring duo of Kealia Ohai and Crystal Dunn scored two goals each, and I added one as well. Fellow midfielder, Ranee Premji, had a couple of nice assists and overall, it was a good performance for everyone. When our injured players get healthy, and with the addition of our incoming recruits, our season looks very promising! For now, we’re off to Frankfurt for the last few days of our trip. We will train tomorrow, watch the USA vs. Colombia game in Sinshiem on Saturday, play another game on Sunday, and then fly home on July 4th.
June 30, 2011
Amber Brooks: Falun-Stockholm-JFK-Chapel Hill-DC-Frankfurt-Berlin
Amber Brooks: Falun-Stockholm-JFK-Chapel Hill-DC-Frankfurt-Berlin
Amber Brooks and her teammates at the Dachau concentration camp, just outside of Munich, Germany.
June 22nd and 23rd were chaotic travel days. After flying back from Sweden with the U23 WNT, I was delayed at JFK airport for seven hours, so I didn’t make it back to my house in Chapel Hill until 3 a.m. Of course with the time change, my body was six hours ahead, so I only slept for about three hours that night. After repacking my bag for my trip to Germany and spending a few hours with one of my older brothers, Aaron, I drove back to RDU airport at 4 p.m. for our flight to Dulles and eventually Frankfurt. Luckily, I had an aisle seat and slept the entire seven-hour trans-Atlantic flight, my second in less than 36 hours! Upon our arrival in Frankfurt, I was frustrated when the baggage claim belt stopped and I didn’t have my bag. Up until that point, our trip had been going smoothly, but of course it wouldn’t be a true Carolina adventure without some sort of mishap. What worried me most was that we were immediately hopping on a bus and driving six hours south to Munich. Fortunately, my 20 other teammates would have enough clothes for me to borrow the next few days until my bag was delivered to our hotel.
Our first day in Munich was a busy, yet fun-filled day of touring. We left early in the morning to catch a train to Dachau, where we took a tour of the concentration camp. As a history buff, WWII and the Holocaust have always intrigued me, so I was intently focused on all the information our tour guide, Gordon, was telling us. An interesting fact I learned was that Dachau was the longest operating (1932-1945) of more than 2,500 concentration camps throughout Western Europe during Hitler’s reign! We walked the entire grounds and had the opportunity to walk through one of the inmate's barracks, the gas chamber, and the crematorium. It was truly a humbling experience and reminder that we all have so much to be thankful for. I can’t imagine the mental anguish millions of inmates faced, waking up every morning knowing full well that their fate rested in the luck of the draw and unaware of their family member’s existence. The same resilience and positive attitude the survivors exemplified is the origin of one of our team’s 12 core values and can be found in Viktor Frankl’s novel, Man’s Search for Meaning.
Following the tour of Dachau, we trained back to Munich and sat down for an early dinner at one of the more famous, local Biergarten’s. The roasted chicken was delicious and provided me the energy for our first training session. Our practice featured our partner technical training that we are supposed to do every Tuesday, Thursday throughout the summer and that we are tested on during preseason. Specifically, it includes 1vs1 games, one-touch passing, figures 8s, long service/long reception, crossing/finishing, and we finished up with a 15-minute scrimmage. It was a good practice for us to shake out our legs because we knew our training the next morning was going to be tough and include fitness. It was a restless night's sleep for most of us who have nightmares about running the dreaded 120s, and an even quieter breakfast. As much as we don’t enjoy running 120s, it’s a necessary evil because our anaerobic fitness is an essential part of our team’s dynamic and reason for a lot of our past success. With Mia Hamm’s motto, “Remember, you’ll pass out before your die” in the back of our minds, we took the line and waited for Anson’s hand to drop, signaling us to get on our horse and make it to the other end in 18 seconds. After a painful 13 minutes, we played what we refer to as the “Barca” game. Our coaches were able to watch several of Barcelona’s training sessions last spring and since then have implemented a few of their drills into our practices. Then we finished up with another small-sided scrimmage and hurried back to our hotel to shower and check out so we could begin another six-hour bus ride north to Berlin.
Our first day in Munich was a busy, yet fun-filled day of touring. We left early in the morning to catch a train to Dachau, where we took a tour of the concentration camp. As a history buff, WWII and the Holocaust have always intrigued me, so I was intently focused on all the information our tour guide, Gordon, was telling us. An interesting fact I learned was that Dachau was the longest operating (1932-1945) of more than 2,500 concentration camps throughout Western Europe during Hitler’s reign! We walked the entire grounds and had the opportunity to walk through one of the inmate's barracks, the gas chamber, and the crematorium. It was truly a humbling experience and reminder that we all have so much to be thankful for. I can’t imagine the mental anguish millions of inmates faced, waking up every morning knowing full well that their fate rested in the luck of the draw and unaware of their family member’s existence. The same resilience and positive attitude the survivors exemplified is the origin of one of our team’s 12 core values and can be found in Viktor Frankl’s novel, Man’s Search for Meaning.
Following the tour of Dachau, we trained back to Munich and sat down for an early dinner at one of the more famous, local Biergarten’s. The roasted chicken was delicious and provided me the energy for our first training session. Our practice featured our partner technical training that we are supposed to do every Tuesday, Thursday throughout the summer and that we are tested on during preseason. Specifically, it includes 1vs1 games, one-touch passing, figures 8s, long service/long reception, crossing/finishing, and we finished up with a 15-minute scrimmage. It was a good practice for us to shake out our legs because we knew our training the next morning was going to be tough and include fitness. It was a restless night's sleep for most of us who have nightmares about running the dreaded 120s, and an even quieter breakfast. As much as we don’t enjoy running 120s, it’s a necessary evil because our anaerobic fitness is an essential part of our team’s dynamic and reason for a lot of our past success. With Mia Hamm’s motto, “Remember, you’ll pass out before your die” in the back of our minds, we took the line and waited for Anson’s hand to drop, signaling us to get on our horse and make it to the other end in 18 seconds. After a painful 13 minutes, we played what we refer to as the “Barca” game. Our coaches were able to watch several of Barcelona’s training sessions last spring and since then have implemented a few of their drills into our practices. Then we finished up with another small-sided scrimmage and hurried back to our hotel to shower and check out so we could begin another six-hour bus ride north to Berlin.
June 25, 2011
Amber Brooks: Always Playing for Charlotte
Amber Brooks: Always Playing for Charlotte
While I was playing in Sweden with the U23 WNT, the third annual Score for the Cure 3vs3 soccer tournament took place near my hometown in Yardley, PA. Three years ago, my friend Heidi Sabatura, who now plays at Villanova, and I, established the tournament for our senior internship in honor of Charlotte Moran. If you’re involved in girls’ and women’s soccer and haven’t heard of Charlotte Moran, I’d be shocked. But, just in case you haven’t, let me tell you a little bit about this amazing woman.
Charlotte was involved in youth soccer for more than 20 years! She served as executive Director of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association as well as Region 1 Girls ODP Administrator. However, despite all of her professional titles, for me, Charlotte was a caring mentor and my “soccer mom.” It’s difficult to put into words all that Charlotte did for me and countless of other girls soccer players, but without a doubt, she has been one of my biggest influences. Charlotte, my mom, and I used to meet up at IHOP for brunch on weekends and gossip about all the news in the soccer world. My favorite story she used to tell me about was when she called my UNC coach Anson Dorrance and told him that she had a “future Tarheel in Eastern PA.” I’m sure Anson’s heard this hundreds of times, but even he will admit it meant something special from Charlotte. She simply knew her players and was always looking out for us. Unfortunately, Charlotte passed away from pancreatic cancer in May 2009, just a few months shy of being able to watch me run out of the UNC tunnel in my Carolina Blue #22 jersey. However, she is constantly on my mind and never far from my heart. I ink “CM” into my wrist tape with a permanent sharpie before every game, and I am always playing for her. She helped me achieve so many of my dreams and I am eternally grateful to have known her and to know represent her.
This year, former high school teammate’s and Pennington School seniors Shannon Roche and Meg Castranova took it upon themselves to continue the tradition of honoring and remembering Charlotte. They organized the successful event that hosted over a hundred girls aged 10-14 at YMS Maccelsfield Park on June 17th and saw $4,400 raised for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Charlotte’s name! A big hit at the event was the raffle, which featured two USA warm-up signed by the members of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team, a soccer ball signed by my UNC Women’s Soccer Team, and other college soccer paraphernalia. I would like to personally thank Shannon, Meg, and one of my former Pennington coaches, Patrick Murphy, for all their hard work in the past few month’s to ensure that the Score for the Cure tournament successfully honored the amazing and never forgotten, Charlotte Moran.
Photo accredited to Pennington School Junior Hope MacKenzie
Charlotte was involved in youth soccer for more than 20 years! She served as executive Director of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association as well as Region 1 Girls ODP Administrator. However, despite all of her professional titles, for me, Charlotte was a caring mentor and my “soccer mom.” It’s difficult to put into words all that Charlotte did for me and countless of other girls soccer players, but without a doubt, she has been one of my biggest influences. Charlotte, my mom, and I used to meet up at IHOP for brunch on weekends and gossip about all the news in the soccer world. My favorite story she used to tell me about was when she called my UNC coach Anson Dorrance and told him that she had a “future Tarheel in Eastern PA.” I’m sure Anson’s heard this hundreds of times, but even he will admit it meant something special from Charlotte. She simply knew her players and was always looking out for us. Unfortunately, Charlotte passed away from pancreatic cancer in May 2009, just a few months shy of being able to watch me run out of the UNC tunnel in my Carolina Blue #22 jersey. However, she is constantly on my mind and never far from my heart. I ink “CM” into my wrist tape with a permanent sharpie before every game, and I am always playing for her. She helped me achieve so many of my dreams and I am eternally grateful to have known her and to know represent her.
This year, former high school teammate’s and Pennington School seniors Shannon Roche and Meg Castranova took it upon themselves to continue the tradition of honoring and remembering Charlotte. They organized the successful event that hosted over a hundred girls aged 10-14 at YMS Maccelsfield Park on June 17th and saw $4,400 raised for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Charlotte’s name! A big hit at the event was the raffle, which featured two USA warm-up signed by the members of the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team, a soccer ball signed by my UNC Women’s Soccer Team, and other college soccer paraphernalia. I would like to personally thank Shannon, Meg, and one of my former Pennington coaches, Patrick Murphy, for all their hard work in the past few month’s to ensure that the Score for the Cure tournament successfully honored the amazing and never forgotten, Charlotte Moran.
Photo accredited to Pennington School Junior Hope MacKenzie
June 23, 2011
Amber Brooks: Downtown Falun, Win, and Tie
After our loss to Norway, the team came together for a light regeneration training session on Saturday morning. However, I was unable to attend because I spent four hours in the local Falun Emergency Room getting an X-ray of my wrist. In the game the previous night, my wrist was stepped on by a Norwegian girl wearing studs. It swelled up, turned pretty colors, and was painful enough that after our doctor’s evaluation he thought it’d be best to rule out a fracture. So, while the team got on the bus to go to our training field, our team Doc, Brad Moser, and I were escorted to the hospital only a mile away from our hotel. Luckily, after a four-hour stay during which Doc and I really got to know one another, the X-ray revealed that my wrist was not broken and I just had a bad contusion. Relieved that I wouldn’t have to sport a cast for the next 4-6 weeks, I rejoined my teammates for a stroll to downtown Falun for some local shopping.
Some of us found a local pizzeria whose pizza and garlic bread tasted like heaven after a week straight of chicken, rice, and pasta. And of course, we hit the grocery store to stock up on Swedish chocolate and Ballerina cookies. While we claimed we were buying the treats for our family and friends back home, the majority of them were consumed well before they even found their way into our luggage. Sorry, mom! Upon returning to the hotel, our awesome Team Coordinator, Jon Fleishman, booked a few lanes at the bowling alley just alongside our hotel. While I don’t have the prettiest form, I have to admit that I bowled a handful of strikes and spares! After a fun-filled and relaxing day, we went to bed and began mentally preparing for our game against Sweden the next afternoon.
June 19, 2011: We looked like a whole other team when we took the field for our first game versus Sweden on Father’s Day. After a few lineup changes, it only took us six minutes to get on the board. The goalkeeper parried Apple’s (Sarah Hagen's) header, but fellow midfielder and rising FSU senior, Tori Huster, was there to volley in the rebound from 10 yards out. A few minutes later, Apple scored a header off a cross served from left-back and longtime friend, Kristie Mewis. Just before halftime, we went up 3-0 when Apple scored her second of the game and third in two games, again off a cross, this time from a beautiful give-and-go sequence between Casey Short and Mel Henderson. We continued to apply pressure in the second half and got our forth goal off a great chip from captain, Ingrid Wells, that fell perfectly on Casey Short’s laces for her to volley it over the goalkeeper’s head. Overall, it was a much better team effort in all aspects of the game. We were able to constantly apply high pressure and win the ball back Sweden’s half, which provided us numerous goal-scoring opportunities. We had good combinations and flank play, and were clinical in our finishing. Our defense kept a clean sheet and the midfield possessed the ball. Most importantly, we proved that we could learn from the mistakes we made against Norway, and it was a great feeling to smash Sweden in their home country!
June 21, 2011: Our second game versus Sweden was not until 7 p.m., so Tuesday seemed to last forever! After a late breakfast, a team walk and stretch, plenty of free time, and finally pregame meal, we were ready to take the field and stick it to Sweden for the second time in two days. Obviously it’s never easy to turn around and play a team that you just solidly defeated on their home soil, but we were determined to end our trip and the 2011 U-23 cycle on a good note. The first half was pretty hectic. Sweden had their chances, we had our chances, but it remained scoreless at halftime. After reorganizing ourselves and regaining composure, we started the second half on fire! About 15 minutesin Apple scored her fourth goal of the trip. Kristie Mewis swung in a great corner kick that I was able to get my head to. A Swedish defender cleared my header off the line, but Apple was there to head the rebound into the back of the net. We continued to push for a second goal, but instead Sweden was able to equalize in the 78th minute off a powerful strike from one of their forwards. Unfortunately we were unable to regain the lead and the game ended 1-1. Although we were not completely satisfied with a draw, we were able to battle fatigue from three games in five days and the overcome the difficulties of being an American team playing on foreign soil, and leave our best efforts on the field.
As all the domestic and international camps I’ve partaken in during the past five years with the US National Teams have been, our trip to Sweden was a great learning experience. There is no better way to improve your game than playing with the top players in the country, against the top players from other countries, and learning from
some of the best coaches in the US. I’m thankful that I’m one of the youngin’s on the team, and if I continue to perform, have another three years with Bill and this U-23 age group. Of course, our trip would not be possible without the help of all our wonderful staff. Shout out to all of them: Head Coach Bill Irwin, Assistant Coach Dean Duerst, Team Coordinator Jon Fleishman, Massage Therapist Mark Higgins, Athletic Trainer Kelly Flynn, Brad “Doc” Moser, and Equipment Manager Francis Pyle. To you and my awesome teammates from this trip; hopefully we will all meet again in the future! Until then, USA-USA-USA-AHH! And now, I’m headed back to Chapel Hill for all of 16 hours before turning around and flying back over the Atlantic to Germany. I will be there from June 24-July 4 with my UNC team to follow the USWNT in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and to play few games against local club teams. Cheers to racking up frequent flyer miles!
Amber Brooks: Downtown Falun, Win, and Tie
After our loss to Norway, the team came together for a light regeneration training session on Saturday morning. However, I was unable to attend because I spent four hours in the local Falun Emergency Room getting an X-ray of my wrist. In the game the previous night, my wrist was stepped on by a Norwegian girl wearing studs. It swelled up, turned pretty colors, and was painful enough that after our doctor’s evaluation he thought it’d be best to rule out a fracture. So, while the team got on the bus to go to our training field, our team Doc, Brad Moser, and I were escorted to the hospital only a mile away from our hotel. Luckily, after a four-hour stay during which Doc and I really got to know one another, the X-ray revealed that my wrist was not broken and I just had a bad contusion. Relieved that I wouldn’t have to sport a cast for the next 4-6 weeks, I rejoined my teammates for a stroll to downtown Falun for some local shopping.
Some of us found a local pizzeria whose pizza and garlic bread tasted like heaven after a week straight of chicken, rice, and pasta. And of course, we hit the grocery store to stock up on Swedish chocolate and Ballerina cookies. While we claimed we were buying the treats for our family and friends back home, the majority of them were consumed well before they even found their way into our luggage. Sorry, mom! Upon returning to the hotel, our awesome Team Coordinator, Jon Fleishman, booked a few lanes at the bowling alley just alongside our hotel. While I don’t have the prettiest form, I have to admit that I bowled a handful of strikes and spares! After a fun-filled and relaxing day, we went to bed and began mentally preparing for our game against Sweden the next afternoon.
June 19, 2011: We looked like a whole other team when we took the field for our first game versus Sweden on Father’s Day. After a few lineup changes, it only took us six minutes to get on the board. The goalkeeper parried Apple’s (Sarah Hagen's) header, but fellow midfielder and rising FSU senior, Tori Huster, was there to volley in the rebound from 10 yards out. A few minutes later, Apple scored a header off a cross served from left-back and longtime friend, Kristie Mewis. Just before halftime, we went up 3-0 when Apple scored her second of the game and third in two games, again off a cross, this time from a beautiful give-and-go sequence between Casey Short and Mel Henderson. We continued to apply pressure in the second half and got our forth goal off a great chip from captain, Ingrid Wells, that fell perfectly on Casey Short’s laces for her to volley it over the goalkeeper’s head. Overall, it was a much better team effort in all aspects of the game. We were able to constantly apply high pressure and win the ball back Sweden’s half, which provided us numerous goal-scoring opportunities. We had good combinations and flank play, and were clinical in our finishing. Our defense kept a clean sheet and the midfield possessed the ball. Most importantly, we proved that we could learn from the mistakes we made against Norway, and it was a great feeling to smash Sweden in their home country!
June 21, 2011: Our second game versus Sweden was not until 7 p.m., so Tuesday seemed to last forever! After a late breakfast, a team walk and stretch, plenty of free time, and finally pregame meal, we were ready to take the field and stick it to Sweden for the second time in two days. Obviously it’s never easy to turn around and play a team that you just solidly defeated on their home soil, but we were determined to end our trip and the 2011 U-23 cycle on a good note. The first half was pretty hectic. Sweden had their chances, we had our chances, but it remained scoreless at halftime. After reorganizing ourselves and regaining composure, we started the second half on fire! About 15 minutesin Apple scored her fourth goal of the trip. Kristie Mewis swung in a great corner kick that I was able to get my head to. A Swedish defender cleared my header off the line, but Apple was there to head the rebound into the back of the net. We continued to push for a second goal, but instead Sweden was able to equalize in the 78th minute off a powerful strike from one of their forwards. Unfortunately we were unable to regain the lead and the game ended 1-1. Although we were not completely satisfied with a draw, we were able to battle fatigue from three games in five days and the overcome the difficulties of being an American team playing on foreign soil, and leave our best efforts on the field.
As all the domestic and international camps I’ve partaken in during the past five years with the US National Teams have been, our trip to Sweden was a great learning experience. There is no better way to improve your game than playing with the top players in the country, against the top players from other countries, and learning from
some of the best coaches in the US. I’m thankful that I’m one of the youngin’s on the team, and if I continue to perform, have another three years with Bill and this U-23 age group. Of course, our trip would not be possible without the help of all our wonderful staff. Shout out to all of them: Head Coach Bill Irwin, Assistant Coach Dean Duerst, Team Coordinator Jon Fleishman, Massage Therapist Mark Higgins, Athletic Trainer Kelly Flynn, Brad “Doc” Moser, and Equipment Manager Francis Pyle. To you and my awesome teammates from this trip; hopefully we will all meet again in the future! Until then, USA-USA-USA-AHH! And now, I’m headed back to Chapel Hill for all of 16 hours before turning around and flying back over the Atlantic to Germany. I will be there from June 24-July 4 with my UNC team to follow the USWNT in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and to play few games against local club teams. Cheers to racking up frequent flyer miles!
June 20, 2011
Sweden (Part 2)
Unfortunately we didn’t get the result we had hoped for against Norway. They scored an early goal in the 3rd minute and although the possession was probably 80:20 in our favor, they were able to go two goals ahead just before halftime. We simply didn’t come out ready to play and they punished us for it. But, after a rather poignant halftime speech by our coach, Bill Irwin, we came out all cylinders firing in the second half and quickly pulled within one goal. Kristie Mewis played a heads-up short corner to our outside back and my roommate for the trip, Cami Levin, who then sent a cross into the middle of the box where I headed the ball into the back of the net for my first goal with the U-23 WNT! I didn’t have much time to celebrate though because we hurried to pick the ball up out of the back of the net knowing that we needed another goal to tie it up and then another to win. However, we knew this was very possible, as some of us had participated in a 2-0 down comeback win versus this same Norway team just three months prior.
It took about twenty minutes for us to get the equalizer. Substitute Casey Short made a run down the sideline and played a beautiful slip pass through to Sarah “Apple” Hagen who ran onto it and one touched it into the back of the net. Momentum was really going our way, and we continued to push for the go ahead goal. We had several opportunities to score, but then, in the 90th minute, they launched a hail-Mary free kick from 40 yards out that found its way in the back of our net. It was an extremely lucky shot, and as Bill told us, “if we gave that girl another 99 tries, she wouldn’t make any of them.” However, it only takes one shot, and that day Norway had all the luck. We had twenty-some shots to their five, dominated possession, and essentially gave them their goals from our defensive miscues. But, coming together as a team is certainly never easy, especially when you play for the USA and have a big target on your back. Add to that the fact that you’re playing on foreign soil and the referee is acting like their 12th man and it simply wasn’t our day. And seeing the Norwegian’s celebrate on the field by dancing and chanting only added to the sting of defeat. Yet, the beauty is that we still had two games to play against Sweden and make improvements. Bill is constantly reminding us that we all make mistakes, but it’s how your recover and learn from them that matters. Everyone left that locker room frustrated with the result and disappointed in our performance, but determined to put forth a better effort on Sunday and Tuesday. With that game behind us, we now had our sights set on the Swedes!
The starting for our game vs. Sweden:
Goalkeeper: Adriana “AD” Franch
Defenders (L TO R): Cami Levin, Toni Pressley, Ashley Rape, Morgan Stith
Midfielders: Ingrid Wells, Amber Brooks, Katy Frierson
Forwards: Mel Henderson, Sarah Hagen, Laura Heyboer
Substitutions: Kristen Mewis for Stith, Tori Huster for Frierson, Casey Short for Heyboer, Erika Tymrak for Henderson
June 20, 2011
Sweden (Part 1)
Hej (pronounced Hey) från Falun, Sverige
According to our Assistant Coach, Dean Duerst, that’s how you say “Hello from Falun, Sweden!” Whichever country we travel to, Dean takes it upon himself to learn and then teach us a few lines in the native language so that we don’t come off as arrogant Americans. We’ve been in the land of the blondes for three days, so let me catch you up on what our team has been up to!
After traveling 6,000 miles over the course of 20 hours, our team finally arrived at Scandic Lugnet, our hotel and home for the next nine days. The time change and overnight flight did a number on our bodies, so after lunch and a quick nap, we headed to our training field for our usual travel day session consisting of brief 6v6 plus 6 on the outside games. The bus ride from our hotel in Falun to our practice field in Svärdsjö is about 30km, so I’ve spent a lot of quality time rockin’ out to my latest playlist with my new Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, courtesy of my wonderful mother, Jean Brooks. As much as I miss my Whitecaps teammates, I was excited to look up the weather report and see sunny skies with an average temperature of 75 degrees projected for our time in Sweden. However, I’m afraid the Vancouver clouds and rain have followed me here because we’ve been rained on every training session since our arrival!
On Monday, our first full day in Sweden, we played a 60 minute 9v9 scrimmage in the morning, and our team’s favorite training session of all (sarcastic tone), 1v1s through 4v4s and a short 8v8 scrimmage in the afternoon. Fun fact: it may be one of the least fun training sessions we encounter every camp, but our coaches calculated that out of 160 opportunities to score, 20 for each team at 1v1, 2v2, and so on, there were only 14 goals scored in total. That’s less than 10%! Let’s hope we can display this same defensive pressure throughout our three games.
Our massage therapist’s arrival was perfect timing after an intense double day as many of us were treated to much-needed flushes. That night, the majority of us were in bed early and then up in the wee hours before our scheduled 8am breakfast because our bodies aren’t quite acclimated to the time change. Especially for us west-coasters, for whom the time change is +9, it’s difficult to sleep in until 7:30 am when our biological clock thinks it’s 10:30 pm and we normally wouldn’t even be asleep yet. Our second full day of training featured another double-day with the defense and offense working on their respective shape and movement in the morning and a fun-filled afternoon session of all crossing and finishing.
Following the morning session, boys and girls from the local club team greeted us and were anxious to get our autographs and take pictures. After our afternoon trainings we bus back to the hotel, shower, and head down for dinner, which consists of the usual carbohydrates and proteins such as potatoes, rice, chicken, and what appears to be favorite of the Swedes, fish. Interesting to note is that all of the food in our hotel is organic. Thankfully, if we’re not completely full from our meals, there are always plenty of pretzels, cookies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a team favorite when traveling in Europe, Nutella, in our training room for us to snack on.
Following dinner we all have free time on our own. Most of us spend the time connecting with our world back home via Twitter and what Kristie Mewis refers to as “Creepbook” (Facebook), and for those of us in summer school we do our best to stay on top of our homework. Tomorrow morning we have a pool workout and then our pregame training at 6pm so that we will experience playing at the same time as our game on Friday vs. Norway. The last time we played Norway was at the end of February in La Manga, Spain and in that game we were losing 2-0 until the final 20 minutes when we came from behind to score three goals and win the Four Nations Tournament. Two girls on our current team, Mel Henderson and fellow Our Game blogger, Sarah “Apple” Hagen, contributed two of those three comeback goals! Only a third of us on this 18-player roster were at that event, and given the long-standing rivalry between our two countries, it promises to be an exciting game. Check back in a few days to find out how we fared against the Norwegians! GO USA!
June 12, 2011
Hello Readers
My name is Amber Brooks, most commonly referred to as “Ber” by my family and friends, and I am from New Hope, PA, a small town located on the bank of the historic Delaware River. I went to high school (The Pennington School) and played club ball (Arsenal World Class) in New Jersey, but by no means would I ever refer to myself as a “Jersey Girl.” I might wear my hair in a high bun when I play, but I am proud to have played for Charlotte Moran’s Eastern PA State ODP and Region 1 Teams throughout my youth. I’ve also had the privilege of growing up in the US National Team system and representing the stars and stripes at the 2008 U-17 and 2010 U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cups in New Zealand and Germany, respectively.
Currently, I am a rising junior who plays for the most hated and respected women’s college program; the North Carolina Tarheels. So, to best prepare for our upcoming season, I have spent the past month playing with the Vancouver Whitecaps Women’s Team and in between spent a week training with the US U-23 WNT at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA. I have loved my time in Vancouver and it’s been a great learning experience playing alongside players from all different backgrounds. And I have to admit that Canada and Canadians as a whole are not as bad as the rest of the world makes them out to be. I’ve made some great friends and even become a Vancouver Canucks fan…GO CANUCKS GO!
However, I only have couple of days left before I fly halfway across the world to Sweden for an international tournament with the U-23 WNT, so I will unfortunately miss the downtown celebrations when the Canucks win the Stanley Cup (knock on wood). I’m excited that Our Game has asked me to chronicle my upcoming adventures with the U-23 WNT in Sweden and then my UNC team’s international trip to Germany to follow the USWNT in their quest to win the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. So for now, stay tuned to my blog for information about our trip to Falun, Sweden from June 12-22 that you will not find at ussoccer.com.
