Men's Soccer: Day 11 In Scotland
8/27/2004 8:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 27, 2004
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
8:30 a.m.-- The day starts with breakfast at the University of Glasgow dining hall.
9-10:30 a.m.-- The team's lone training session of the day begins with drills, and then concludes with a light game. Those injured and those who logged plenty of minutes throughout the week sit this one out.
After practice, Michael Dello-Russo attempts to tutor a member of the support staff on how to properly kick a soccer ball. Dello-Russo's patience as a teacher far surpasses the natural talent of the support staffer, which leads to some success as the ball is belted into the net from 15 yards.
11 a.m.-5 p.m.-- The team travels an hour to the small town of Stirling. The route is scenic, but the roads are filled with turns. The bus driver apparently disregards all rational thinking on the drive, flying through the hills of Scotland in a 50-seat bus. At one point, he got right on top of a tractor that was going in the same direction, veered to get around him at the last second, and then tucked right back in front of him. Thankfully, most of the team does not notice the antics of the driver as they are either catching a nap or watching the movie "Snatch."
Most of the team elects to tour the castle first. The group begins to get a tour from a very knowledgeable, but long-winded, Scotsman. Whereas the tour guide from the Edinburgh castle was very engaging and entertaining, this guide dryly rattled off fact after fact after fact. If the over-zealous nodding lady from the Edinburgh castle was here, at least that would have provided some comic relief. One by one, the Terps peel off away from the tour. No one stayed for the duration of the tour, but after roughly 20 minutes, the group hadn't made it but a few feet inside the castle.
After spending some time at the castle, the group then splits up and goes their separate ways in smaller groups of threes and fours. There are plenty of shops and restaurants to pop in and out of in Stirling and spend some time and get a bite to eat, and that's how most will spend the afternoon. The team is growing light on the pounds, so there wasn't much shopping done save for a few cheap posters bought in town.
While waiting for the bus to arrive to take the squad back to Glasgow, the boys talk about being very ready to head back home. School starts on Monday, and after the flight tomorrow, they will have a few days away from soccer - which is a welcome relief for them after having had an intense dosage of it over the past few weeks.
6-10 p.m.-- Dinner is served at the University of Glasgow. The choices are meat pie (it's about as good as it sounds) or good old fish and chips. After dinner, the team again displays its patience for watching anything on television by watching the women's 10,000 meters. They'll spend most of the night watching the television and packing, and each player as an individual meeting with the coaching staff.
With the trip winding down, it's time to look at some of the highlights from the men's soccer trip and awarding superlatives (a rip-off of high school yearbooks' "Most Likely To..." sections).
Men's Soccer Europe 2004 Superlatives
Least Likely To Be Investigated For An Association With BALCO: Kevin Reiman, that is unless he does create some suspicion by actually becoming the burliest man in the ACC.
Word Most Likely To Be Imported: Dodgy, courtesy of a Scot after witnessing a questionable foul call on the Terps in the box. Runner-ups: Rubbish, cheers and footballer.
Best Footwork: Unfortunately, this award can't go to a member of the Maryland soccer team, but to the Dance Dance Revolution wiz at the bowling alley arcade in downtown Glasgow.
Most Likely To Be Heard Three Blocks Away: A.J. Godbolt, who generally makes his point in any conversation by yelling or screaming, or just yells and screams for fun.
Least Likely To Be Heard Three Feet Away: Ian Rodway, who is a four-year letterwinner at being quiet, and speaks only when it is sunny in England or Scotland (which is never). Runner-ups: Spencer Darman Allen, Domenic Mediate and Dan Waldo.
Most Likely To Turn Pro (In Bowling, That Is): Michael Dello-Russo and Ellis Welker. Dello-Russo made like Pete Weber Jr. with a 189, but Welker casually rolled a pair of high-quality games ambidextrously.
Best Eaters: "Hercules! Hercules! - My little boy's a little Hercules!" Those words from Mama Clump from "The Nutty Professor" could be used to describe Craig Salvati and Kenney Bertz at the dinner table. Usually first and second in line for chow and then first and second for round two, the Ohio natives always did their best at curing their appetites.
Best Passport Photo: A tan and long-haired Assistant Coach Brian Pensky. Runner-up: A young Maurice Edu.
Best Goal: Domenic Mediate's laser off the near post against Hearts.
Worst Officials: The offside-happy official from the Terps last game in Glasgow, who waved his offside flag like he was landing a plane. Runner-up: The rotund referee from the Accrington game, who somehow lasted the entire 90 minutes of action.
Best View: Any seat in Old Trafford Stadium when Manchester United scored a goal. Runner-ups: The view from atop the Edinburgh Castle or the Stirling Castle.
Most Likely To Have The Chair Next To The Door In The Barbershop: Maurice Edu, who took a nice chunk out of A.J. Godbolt's head when doing a little hair care during the trip.
Most Likely To Buy A Bag To Carry All The Stuff He Bought: Abe Thompson. We will need to verify with Abe's friends and family that he actually delivers on all of the things he claims he bought for them.
Best Meal: Does the team's first meal, at Three Brothers in Greenbelt before they went to the airport, count? A tough one, not because there were so many, but because there were so few. The award is split between meal at the Red Café and the pregame meal in downtown Edinburgh (judging based on quality, not quantity).
Least Likely To Correctly Estimate The Number Of Jellybeans In A Jar: Our tour guide, Eric. Take whatever he would guess, multiply it by two and add 10.
Most Likely To Buy Stock In Euro-Starbucks: Sasho Cirovski, who sighed with relief at the sight of a Starbucks. Runner-ups: Trainer Terry Gee, Assistant Coach Rob Vartughian.
Most Likely To Be Confused For An International Superstar: Chris Lancos. Maybe it's the long, Beckham-ish type hair or the rail-thin half beard, but Lancos just looks like someone you should stop and have your picture taken with.
Most Likely To Run Into A Wall: David Glaudemans, who reads and listens to his i-Pod while he walks.
Best Impression: Aki Kadotani, for his dead-on impersonation of the small Chinese acrobat from the movie Ocean's 11. That character only has one line in the movie, and Aki can nail it.
Best One-Liners: Pat Wilson, who slides comical jabs like a pass through the midfield. Runner-ups: Jason Arnold and Ellis Welker.
Olympic Sport Most Likely To Be Televised In The Morning: Equestrian. Not a huge Neilson ratings draw, but that didn't stop the entire team for watching it for an hour. Runner-up: The women's 10,000 meters.
Best Scruff: Jason Garey, who either forgot to buy a razor or took the time away from his girlfriend as an opportunity to experiment with a beard.
This is the final journal installment of the Terps' trip to Europe. Stay tuned to umterps.com for all the latest news and scores throughout the season. Maryland will open the season next weekend in Charlottesville, Va., on Sept. 3 against Long Island.
Here's to a safe trip back to College Park! Cheers!
