Today was a very exciting day for the Brown Mens soccer here in Spain. We kicked the day off by eating a great breakfast in Hotel Embasadores. The breakfasts at the hotel are amazing. They offer all types of fruits, fresh squeezed orange juice and all different types of cheeses and breads. After breakfast, we headed to our match against Atletico Madrid. The team was extremely excited to get to the game and compete against such a storied soccer club.

We arrived at the Spanish National Team’s training ground and got the game under way a few minutes late. After a slow start, we were able to match the level of play of the Spaniards. During the first half, senior midfielder Taylor Gorman aka “Sweet Lewww” thumped home an absolutely stunning strike to put Brown up 1-0 on the Spaniards. The second half was a battle, but with 20 minutes to play, coach Pat Laughlin brought in subs Tom Arns and me (Voltaire Escalona), which proved to be a good decision. Just minutes after being subbed into the match, Arns made a dashing run down the right wing and was able to cut the ball back to Voltaire who crashed the net and slotted the ball in the back of the net for the second score of the match. The game would end 2-0 in favor of Brown and we left the field confident and happy with the result. From the field, we went straight to the Spanish Museum of soccer.

In the museum, we were fortunate enough to walk see and read all about Spain’s rich soccer history. We saw trophies like the Spanish Cup and the World Cup. Getting pictures with the actual world cup was a very great moment for me and I will remember that for the rest of my life. 

From the museum we went to the Santiago Bernabeu (the Stadium of Real Madrid) and we got a tour of the stadium. We got to walk all around to different sections of the stadium including the bench and even the locker rooms! It was really cool to see the stadium and learn about the history of Real Madrid.

After touring the Bernabeu, we went to our teammate Pepe Salama’s house where his family was nice enough to offer us soft drinks and food. They were excellent hosts and the team truly enjoyed hanging out in their beautiful home.

Some of the team then went shopping and went out to different areas of Madrid to explore, while others rested up.   We all had a great time in Madrid and were ready to head off for Barcelona.

- Voltaire Escalona

BMS en Espana dia 3

Day 3 of the Brown Men’s Soccer trip to Spain was certainly one to remember. There could not be a better way to start off the day than feasting on Hotel Ambassador’s breakfast spread: deliciously ripened fruit, a variety of juice, several types of bread and pastries, over easy eggs, scrambled eggs, sausage, veggies, bacon, you name it-they had it! The boys were ready to start a long day with full bellies and high spirits.

At 10 am, about two thirds of the group went to the Prado Museum. The other third were still feeling a bit jet lagged and stayed at the hotel to catch up on some more sleep. The Prado Museum allowed students to enter for free and our tour guide, Paul, was able to get the coaches in for free as well. Needless to say, it was worth every penny! The museum was two floors and contained mostly Spanish paintings ranging from 12^th century Romanesque mural paintings to 19^th century works by Goya. The Goya collection was most plentiful, including more than one hundred of his paintings with his most recognizable one’s being The Second of May, The Third of May, and Saturn Devouring his Child. We left the museum more “cultured” especially with the help of Mike Manella (art history major) and his vast knowledge of the paintings.

We were given free/down time for the rest of the day before our first game against Rayo Vallecano at 8pm. Most of us walked to El Plaza Mayor, which was a large square that attracted a lot of tourists. There were restaurants and ‘cervecerias’ lining the outskirts of the square, but we chose to eat at El Mercado de San Miguel. El Mercado de San Miguel was a very cool glass structure with several different vendors selling fruits, sweets, seafood, and a variety of tapas, which are delicious Spanish appetizers that are fairly cheap. In anticipation of the game, we walked back to the hotel around 2-3pm in order to rest our legs and experience the legendary Spanish “Siesta!” Here is a hilarious quote from Kevin Gavey that sums up our siesta knowledge: “I think people take siestas because they’re still on American time, so they’re always tired and need to nap.”

Finally, the time had come for BMS to compete in its’ first international match versus Rayo Vallecano. The soccer facility was beautiful and had 4-5 fields that were being used by all sorts of age groups for training when we arrived. We were all excited to play and felt grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Rayo Vallecano was a very talented team and possessed the ball well for the first 10 minutes of the game. We settled into the speed of the game and created several dangerous opportunities through the run of play and set pieces, but were unable to finish in the first half. Coach Laughlin made a few substitutes at halftime and a couple more at the 60 minute mark, totaling 17 different BMS players throughout the game. Rayo Vallecano struck first in the second half finishing a cross from the right side. However, we responded quickly from a Tom McNamara driven free kick. Crossed in from the right side, Captain Eric Robertson calmly received the ball with his back to goal, and found Dylan Remick with a splitting pass at the penalty spot who slotted it back post in the side netting! The match ended in a 1-1 draw and although we played well for our first game together since the fall season, Eric Robertson firmly reminded us that we should not be satisfied with a draw no matter what opponent we face.

BMS capped the long day off with a much-appreciated 4-course dinner at Hotel Ambassador. After the first two courses, spaghetti with tomato sauce and an eggplant dish stuffed with sausage, we thought the meal was over. However, the servers brought out meat and potatoes capped off with a piece of layer cake. If there is one thing that we learned about Spanish meals, it is that the dessert will never be disappointing! By the time dinner concluded, it was 11:30 pm and time for a much-needed night’s rest. We hit the sack with wake-up calls set around 8 am for breakfast, and our second game versus Atletico Madrid to be played at the Spanish National Team’s facilities at 11:45 am!

Til' Next Time,

Ya Boy Bobby Belair

Our first few days in Madrid - by Pepe'

Hello to all our followers and Brown supporters. We are having an absolutely amazing day today in Madrid. Let me tell all of you the details of our stay at Madrid so far. After having a good night sleep tonight, necessary for our recovery after such a long flight, we woke up today at 9 am and headed to breakfast. We had a delicious looking spanish-style breakfast awaiting us, a variety of fruit, natural juices, yogurts, croissants, eggs, and typical spanish foods such as jamon serrano, lomo, churros(further details on its flavor ask jay hayward, he had about 10) and pan tumaca, my personal favorite, consisting of jamon serrano in a toast with tomato and olive oil dressing.

After breakfast, we headed to the soccer fields in Las Rozas, where the Spanish National team trains when the team is in Madrid. We had a pretty intense morning session, agility, speed and strength drills followed by a short scrimmage in order to get our minds set for two difficult games on Monday, against Rayo Vallecano, and Tuesday, against Atletico de Madrid. After practice, we went back to the hotel, showered and got ready for lunch. We all went to a restaurant that was 2 minutes away from the hotel, very convenient as we were all a bit tired. To our surprise, all the food was ready and served to us at our arrival. Another great meal with all the teammates, and after that , time to get deep into the streets of Madrid. The Banditos(Juniors), some seniors, Voltaire, Josh and I went through the streets were many nice stores are located. Sam Bam wanted to buy a shirt in El Ganso, my personal favorite store for shirts. After that, we went to a street market, where vendors sold watches, sun glasses, bracelets and other items for relatively inexpensive prices. Gavey, Voltaire, Sam and I had a good time trying to bargain with the vendors and making good deals for their products. 

After a long walk through the streets of Madrid, we went back to the hotel ready for "siesta" time. We napped till 5 pm, and then got dressed in our Brown polos and khaki pants ready to go to the embassy and meet the ambassador of the US in Spain. Upon our arrival, we were warmly received by the ambassador in person and his wife, Susan. Mr and Mrs Salomont offered to give us a tour around the embassy, and asked all of us a lot of questions regarding our experience at Brown. After a very warm welcome, Mr Salomont gave us a short talk where he spoke about his experience in Spain after being appointed by President Obama in 2009. Voltaire, Bobby and a few others were brave enough to ask Mr Salomont about what it takes to be the ambassador, details on his daily life, and his most anecdotic experiences in Spain. He highlighted his audience with the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, to whom he refers as an affectuous and charismatic leader. Julen Lopetegui, currently the coach of Spain's U21 national team, came to the embassy and met the players. Julen also played for Barcelona, Madrid, and in the national team as a player.

At 7 pm we left the embassy and headed off to Rayo Vallecano's stadium. Rayo Vallecano, 8th in the Spanish league, played against Villarreal, a team that played in the European League this year. The game ended up 0-2 for the visiting team, but it was a very intense game where the local team never gave up and fought till the end. We were all amazed with the spectators, the stands were completely full and the viewers were very loud and supporting their team for the whole 90 minutes.

After the game, we went back to the hotel, then headed off to dinner and back to the hotel ready for a good night sleep. What a long day, we did so many things, and had so much fun. This is the city where I grew up, but it has never been so exciting to be back. It's just awesome to see how my teammates are enjoying the city and the experience, such a different lifestyle compared to the US but always positive to learn about other cultures.

This is all we have for today, we'll make another entry for tomorrow. Thank you all for supporting us in this great trip.

#BMStilldie,

Pepe 

BMS IN SPAIN 2012

Thanks to the support received from Alumni and Friends of Brown Men’s Soccer our dream trip to Spain has become reality.  A special thanks to the Salama’s: Parents of Jose’, who have helped plan the trip from Spain. 

The Team and Staff are ecstatic looking forward to our departure this tomorrow.  We have been preparing physically for four matches against formidable opponents over nine days.  Coach O’Neal and the rest of the strength & conditioning staff have done a tremendous job holding the Boys’ to a high standard in the weight room.  Combining that with our six man groups and the past two weeks of practice we feel ready to compete in Spain.  We are happy to say that the senior class has decided to join us. They have been working out secretly in super senior fashion with Coach Groves. 

We will depart from Logan International Airport on Friday evening after classes, make a short pit stop, and arrive in Madrid on Saturday.  We will begin our trip with a once in a lifetime experience: We have been offered the honor of sharing a meal with the U.S. Ambassador to Spain. 

We have scheduled matches in Madrid with two of the top clubs: Rayo Vallecano and Atletico Madrid.  These will be fantastic challenges for our squad.  Our final day in Madrid will be spent sight seeing, touring a major stadium and attending a La Liga match.  The two possible matches we could attend are:  Real Madrid Vs Real Sociedad or Rayo Vallecano Vs Villareal, either of which would be incredible. 

On Wednesday we travel to Barcelona.  There we will have a match against either UE Llagastera or Reus UE. 

Friday and Saturday will be spent in Lloret De Mar, a beautiful coastal town bordering the Mediterranean.  There we will play the Norwegian Team Nesodden IF.

Four great matches, three very different areas of Spain, resulting in a one incredible trip.  We can’t wait to get started and we hope you’ll follow along.  The players will be posting here every other day while we are abroad with pictures and blog entries.  Thanks again to all of you who have helped create yet another chance of a lifetime for Brown Men’s Soccer.

NCAA Round 2

New York...for the fourth time this season.  The most comfortable trip to the city we took because from previous experience we knew what we were getting into.  After viewing the final chapter of the Star Wars trilogy (as requested by the team and reluctantly accepted by the staff) we arrived at the hotel.  An exclusive BMS buffet awaited us and the boy's dug in'.  Ecstatic to be off the bus and eating again there was a positive energy surging through the room.  Shortly after we all took our seats a figure from the past pleasantly surprised the team; Greg Miller showed up in fashionable style.  The boys' lit up when they saw Greg, a reminder of past seasons’ success. Post-meal we studied our opponent (again).  

Arising from a full night of hibernation the boys’ looked lively after some much needed rest.  They hit the breakfast buffet hard forcing the hotel staff to replenish each dish on several occasions. Then we entered the “dead period”.  From breakfast til’ lunch, biding our time to pre-game meal.  Then finally it was upon us and we were boarding the bus for yet another delicious Italian dish.

We arrived at St. John’s ready to rock n’ roll.  The timing of our arrival was perfect, plenty to prepare.  Our locker room’s temperature was conveniently set at 88 degrees, didn’t bother the boys’, in fact it seems as though the perform better with the odds stacked against them…so thanks for the help.

Bruno took the field like they owned the place deflecting the home team’s attacks over and over again.  We found ourselves defending against a very quick and talented team for significant periods of time, however, we got our opportunities and we made them count recording close to equal amounts of SOG.  The boys’ were fighting through bumps and bruises defining the difference between being hurt and being injured. Three dislocated shoulders, some plantar fasciitis, shin splints, scar tissue, pulled hamstrings, stress fractures and pulled back muscles…just a few of the injuries on the list that the Bears were battling through.  All of that being said Bruno entered the second half even at 0-0. 

Just minutes into the second segment Remick made yet another overlapping run down the sideline, lost the ball, then won it back again.  He beat a defender easily and played the 7’5’ 300 pound freshman Maurey down the sideline.  Ben beat Lade and shortened his distance to the goal with a soft first touch.  Making his way to the endline he slotted the ball back to Remick who buried it into the back of the Red Storm’s net.  Brown 1 St. John’s 0.  After the Storm proved their frustration with a red card shortly thereafter it seemed all but certain that the Bears would leave the city victorious.  The team held down the “Alamo” (as they call it) and kept the lead til’ the final whistle.  The boys’ were drunk with emotion, sprinting to the middle of the field just to enjoy the presence of their teammates as Bruno advanced to a historic round of 16 for the second consecutive year. 

Upon the result it was time for the staff to start planning for our next opponent.  Unfortunately the game wasn’t being played for another 3 hours.  We waited impatiently for the result.  Shortly after we arrived back in Providence we knew that we would be playing St. Mary’s…hopefully at home.  But beyond that the team had accomplished another goal: to spend Thanksgiving together again.

Everyone got to Coach’s house good n’ early ready to feast.  Each class was given the responsibility of bringing a dessert.  The sophomores baked a pie (very nice), the juniors brought ice cream (easy but satisfying), the seniors brought cookies (half cooked by Manella and half store-bought), and the first-years brought this…

All of which was bought at the closest CVS, the presentation of the dish was too good to try, I’m sure it made a nice snack.  As for the rest of the food everything was delicious.  The staff and their significant others’ did an awesome job.  As you can see the guys’ ate a lot:

Which led to some post-meal napping...

The boys’ loved it and left with a full stomach…

NCAA Round 1

Floating on the emotional high of being named Ivy League Champs the boys' began another week with the potential of it being the last of the season.  As a team, we gathered in the Pizz for the NCAA's announcement of the 2011 tournament bracket.  The video stream loaded and the silence was sickening.  Although we had confidence in the committee, there was a significant chance that we may not get a bid.  Finally the announcers finished their babbling and were ready to unveil the bracket.  Unlike previous years, the bracket appeared in full all at once, but the catch was the print was very small. Coach was the first person to the screen panning the bracket as it flashed in front of our eyes.  Fairfield at Brown!  A roar of cheers cascaded through the halls of the Pizz.  Another goal to cross off the boys' preseason checklist as complete.
Preparation for the 1st round match began that night with practice under the lights at 7 PM.  The boys' were still flying from all of the recent news.  Taking that into consideration, practice went well.  Finishing up with a full-field scrimmage where the meat of our CB's greeted the sweet feet of our frontline with hostility, so much that the idea of "extra time" was out of the question.  Our back line in combination with Big Ben Maurey up top creates a team with a whole lotta meat as we like to put it.  It's a gamble depending on the day as to whether the small and skillful can prevail over the large and athletic.  Typically, it's the dimensions of the pitch that determines the outcome, our smaller players enjoy a short and tight game much more than their larger counterparts.  
The day of the day was upon us.  The conditions, cold and rainy, were less than ideal.  However, those were just the type of conditions that Bruno strives in.  Mental fitness is one of the many invaluable characteristics of the BMS identity. ( You know what I mean if you already saw the result.)
From the kick-off til' the first half's whistle the Bears were all over the Stags.  A first half effort by Evan the "Legend" Coleman and E-Rob was pulled out of the net by a late offsides flag. It seemed all but inevitable that the Bears would put numbers on the board in the first half.  Opportunities rained in for Bruno but none could find the net.  Then on their first shot of the game a lanky attacking midfielder found a ball that bounced perfectly to him in stride and struck it into the upper left corner of the goal.  Stags 1 Bruno 0.  Just minutes later Fairfield found their second goal; nothing short of miraculous for a team seemingly being pummeled throughout the first half.  The bears entered the locker room facing a two goal deficit but not one of the players gave way to the thoughts of impending doom.  After an inspirational halftime speech the boys' took Stevenson once again for what could be the final 45 minutes of the season.  
As the clock counted down from 15 minutes remaining the boys' stayed focused.  They pushed forward.  Rosa finds a goal from the top of the box, 2-1. We were closer but not close enough.  Less than a minute later Rosa takes another shot, rebound, goal for Mandel!  At this point we could feel it, we were back in the game with the momentum at our backs.  We drew a corner with 5 minutes remaining.  The ball bounced around the box out to Leonard who dropped the hammer and struck a volley into the bottom corner. Brown 3 Fairfield 2.  A much deserved win for Bruno.  Three goals in 6 minutes, a fantastic come back victory.  Touched with the magic of Stevenson Field we move on for a rematch at St. John's.

The Ivy Title At Stake

Immediately after our victory at Yale we heard the news that Dartmouth had beaten Cornell.  The result set up a historic showdown at Stevenson Field.  Starting in the year of 2000, five different teams have won multiple league titles.  Brown and Dartmouth each have four since then, either sole or co.  Being new to staff, all of these facts are impressive to me.  The excitement which was building up day by day before the game was a cross between being free-falling and pure ecstasy.  The trick was to keep everyone as calm as possible until just before kick-off.  Once the whistle blows, it's out of everyone's hands and then it's time to just let the boys' play.  

It was practice as usual, keeping our weekly routine to a T.  The training sessions leading up to this match were some of the most intense and competitive sessions we had all year.  The boys' were fired up, and rightfully so, they should be.  The 2012 class had yet to win an Ivy League Title.  

It had seemed like a long season to this point, but once the team heard it was down to one game, the growing pains melted away.  The feeling that the Seniors had is something that I admittedly could not explain.  Being at Brown and a part of this team has been a fantastic experience for the past three months, but beginning to wrap my mind around their experience through four years would be impossible.  I of course had my own college experience much like others' that I'm sure you've heard, which lack comparative value to that of a member of Brown Men's Soccer.  

After a short but hard training the day before the day, the Seniors, who have compiled 46 of the team's 62 points this season, stepped in front of the squad.  One by one, each soon to be alum, vocalized their thoughts of wisdom for the next group to use in their quest as a BMS player and student.  The theme was  "enjoy it". Enjoy every aspect of it.  Don't be distracted by what could be, focus on what is.  Stay in the moment, and take advantage of the opportunity you have been given.  As we all listened, the sincerity in the voices of these eight young men was apparent.  They each had something to say, equally important to themselves and the group.  It was the type of moment that seems to never end and yet it is over in a matter of minutes.

Finally, it was the day of the day.  The seats at Stevenson were beginning to fill.  Students had grouped together in the small parking lot next to the field preparing to cheer on Bruno.  It was Senior and Alumni day adding to the intensity of the match.  Thoughts of this being the last game of their career rattled the Senior’s brains’, not to mention the Ivy Title at stake.  We started out the match nervous, playing conservatively weary that Dartmouth may get Lucky.  Once the first ten minutes had passed we were in a groove and the nerves seem to dissipate for the time being.  Finally, the boys’ just began to play instead of worry.  Dartmouth put up a good fight as expected.  They looked for Lucky every chance they had, one timing balls over our back line in hopes that he could run on to them.  Our defense shut the “one man show” down.  The few opportunities he had he squandered either wide of the goal or at SKS. 

Everyone was focused and we were going for the win, not the tie.  Some of our frustrations offensively could be accredited to Dartmouth’s defense.  We did have three glaring chances to score, unfortunately in those moments we could not finish. Rosa was in behind the back line, had the keeper beat, but a defender was able track back just in time to cover the net, making it difficult for him to find the open goal.  We also had several opportunities from corners and set pieces, which narrowly missed the frame or were gathered by Cohen. 

Early in the first OT, Lucky had a header off the post but the referee held his flag up for offside.  Other than a few shots from distance and acute angles, which were saved by SKS, Dartmouth did not have many opportunities to score goals. 

The game was by far the most intense 110 minutes of the season.  The 2200 at Stevenson were one with the game, hoping to see Bruno send the Big Green home and take the Ivy rings.  However, after two overtimes the game ended scoreless.  It was an eerie feeling as the crowd didn’t know what to think, neither did the players.  The waiting game began.  Columbia was at Cornell for a 7 PM kick off with plenty of Ivy scenarios possible. 

That game ended in a tie making Brown Ivy League Champions! 

It’s a fantastic feeling! 

We celebrated for the night then had our eyes set on a possible NCAA tournament birth.  Brown standing tall from the Ivy League!

A huge thank you for all of you who supported us this season and at the final game.  Thank you to the alumni who attended the get together post-game. 

Fairfield @ Brown this Thursday, kick-off on Stevenson at 7 PM.

Go Bruno.