Andre Boudreaux's Brazil Blog #3
March 16, 2011 | Men's Soccer
March 16, 2011
Rio, Brazil - Today we played our first game against Palmeiras Under 20 team. These are the younger players of the game we watched on Saturday night. They were a good team with a few players close to breaking into the first team and one or two players who have played for Brazil at the youth level. It was a hot and humid day, not one made for chasing the other team around. Unfortunately that is what we did most of the game. Despite a good start and taking the lead through a goal from Paolo DelPiccolo, we could not sustain that energy for the entire 90 minutes. The field was huge, and if they didn't want us to have the ball, we probably weren't going to get it. All the running from trying to win the ball back tired us out so that when we did have the ball, it was difficult to maintain possession for a long period of time. That is not to say we never had the ball or never passed it, however. There were times when we did have it and were able to keep it for some time. We got another goal in the second half from Austin Berry on a header, but it wasn't enough as we lost the game 5-2. They were a good team, but if you ask our players, I think they will tell you that a 5-2 score is harsh on us.
After leaving the Palmeiras youth facility, we headed back to our dorms. The rest of the day brightened up, literally and figuratively. Most of the guys took advantage of the rest of the day free to hang around the pool. The sun was out most of the time and brightened the moods of the players, as well as provided a perfect chance to work on our tans.
Tuesday brought an entirely different itinerary. It was packed full of places to go, things to see, and food to eat. We started the day by leaving the dorms at 9 and heading into Sao Paulo. Our first stop was at the Estadio Municipal. It is an older stadium that Sao Paulo is currently playing their games in because their normal stadium is being updated for the World Cup in 2014. We went there to tour the soccer museum inside the stadium. It was filled with pictures, videos, radio recordings, and equipment used in past world cups. They had a ball from every world cup from 1970 to present in its own individual glass case. The changes in the technology of balls were as clear as the glass that separated us from touching a piece of World Cup history. However, these changes seem almost irrelevant when compared to the changes that soccer cleats have undergone in the last 100 years.
There were actual boots on display going back all the way to the early 1900s. In its earliest form, the boot was made of leather, came up to about mid-calf, had six metal studs that look like the spikes on baseball cleats, and they laced up all the way from toe to calf. After seeing what players of the past and present use, we moved on to part of the tour that was actually under the bleachers of the stadium. This part had four projection screens and constantly showed clips of the fans going absolutely nuts at games. Not only could we see them, the volume of the speakers made you feel as if there was a game going on just on the other side of the stands we were under. It gave us just a little glimpse of why soccer is considered a religion in Brazil. I don't believe there is anything that compares to it in the world.
After the tour of the museum, we went into downtown Sao Paulo for lunch. We ate a Brazilian steak house called Angelica's Grill. It is the type of restaurant where you sit at your table and the waiters bring different meats to your table to try. To say we ate well would be a lie. To say it was some of the best meat we've ever eaten could possibly be an insult to the chefs. They probably expect to hear it is the best food their customers have eaten. And even that is probably considered normal for them. At a place known for their meats, we ate numerous different cuts of beef, as well as chicken and sausage, my favorite item were the fried bananas.
While eating there, I tried to think of a way to describe this place. My best attempt is to say I felt like I was Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel eating the local foods in a foreign country, and I looked over to the corner booth and saw Tony Montana, the character from Scarface, sitting with his entourage.
After a lunch of epic proportions and flavors, we were lucky enough to be able to go and watch the Sao Paulo first team train. To say their facility is nice would also be an understatement. Being in awe seemed to be the theme for today. However, to say it had a jungle feel to it is not an exaggeration. The flowers, trees and animals all contribute to the presence of nature at their facility. That's right, animals. As we were leaving, we walked passed a peacock walking around as if he were one of the players.
Even after all the excitement of today, the day was not over. There was still a 6 vs. 6 game to be played; Brazilian style. That means by Brazilian rules, most of which we were shown during the game after we had broken them. The game consisted of six players plus a goalkeeper on each team on a small turf field. It took us a while to get used to the new game and conditions of the slick turf. By the time we started to understand how to play, the game was over and we had lost 2-1. After the game, we had pizza for dinner and got on the bus to head back to Itu.
Tomorrow is another exciting day as we leave Sao Paulo behind and head for Rio where we will play two more high caliber games.
