Though some lucky college students get a chance to spend spring break in Europe, not all do so immersed in high-quality soccer.
Last week the Akron Zips soccer team got to do just that, spending the week training and playing in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
“It was an incredible experience,” Caleb Porter told MLSsoccer.com over the phone. “Obviously to be over immersed in the game in arguably the top soccer country in the world, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
It was a complete soccer experience for the reigning NCAA champions, who are in transition after losing seven starters to MLS. Along with playing two games against reserve teams, the Zips had the opportunity to watch two La Liga matches and Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League.
“To see a professional game at that level, it’s incredible,” Porter said. “There was a lot of things you could see in that game live that you can’t see on TV – their movement, spacing, awareness.”
From Porter’s perspective, more important was the chance to play two games during the trip. The first was a 3-0 win over Rayo Vallencia’s reserve side, the first-place team in Spain’s second division.
“I think they were probably surprised that we were able to hang onto the ball as much as we were," he said. "I don’t think anybody over there expects much from the Americans, and I think we earned their respect.”
The second match of the week was against a Real Madrid reserve side that was a combination of a B and C players around college age. If the Zips were able to turn some heads in the first match, they were certainly up against it when playing against Real Madrid.
[inline_node:324705]“These guys were the real deal," Porter said. "And we were hanging off – we hadn’t seen a team like that or been in a game like that in the last several years, where we’re actually defending for long periods, where we’re not able to keep the ball as much, where we’re drowning in some ways."
Following a day to recover from the 2-1 loss, the Zips had one final training session before taking in the Madrid derby, a 2-1 win for Real over Atlético.
The week prior to the team’s arrival, Porter and his coaching staff traveled all over Western Europe, flying into Barcelona in time for the Champions League match with Arsenal, before a quick trip to London to watch Inter Milan play Tottenham in the Champions League. Finally they headed to Madrid to meet the team.
At each stop, the coaching staff took time to observe various academy training sessions of Barcelona, West Ham and Real Madrid.
“As a staff this was a development opportunity, and we were able to pick a lot of things from being over there and watching these academies train and getting a feel for their philosophies and methodologies behind what they do,” Porter said.
