England Update #1
After traveling more than 3,500 miles, the U13 Crew Juniors arrived at Heathrow Airport in London on Friday. From the airport, the team boarded a bus at about 8:00am to tour the city, seeing Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the London Eye among other sites. After the tour the team and their parents checked into their hotel, had a quick dinner and left for a Division 1 soccer match – Brentford vs. Carlisle. The boys took the field at half time where they took PKs. The home team, the Brentford Bees won the match 2-1. Everyone enjoyed cheering and chanting with the locals!
Waiting to depart to London.
Brentford Bees
Saturday was a free day where some visited sites such as the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. Some enjoyed shopping while others took a train to France for the day.
England Update #2:
Sunday the team took the tube to Emirates Stadium where Scotland battled Brazil. The trip to the stadium was an adventure in itself as the boys cheered and chanted with the fans of both teams from the train to the stadium. The boys found the Scots to be funny and lively and their accents were a hit. Many were dressed in kilts for the occasion. The Brazilians brought their own music and it didn’t stop until well after they won the game 2-0.
England Update #3:
On Monday, the Crew Juniors took a bus from London to Market Bosworth, Warwickshire, where they checked in to the Bosworth Hall Hotel, built in 1680. The team visited the oldest soccer club in the world, Notts County, for a stadium tour. Notts County will celebrate their 150th Anniversary next year. Just a short distance away, the boys could see Nottingham Forrest’s stadium as well. Later, parents cheered on the Crew boys as they played a top England academy team –the Notts County Academy U13 team. The Crew played excellent ball finishing behind Notts County 2-1. Following dinner, the team gathered for cards and fun at Ye Olde Red Lion Pub in Market Bosworth.
Crew Juniors U13 v. Notts County U13 Academy
Celebration after the first European goal.
England Update #4
The Crew Juniors played Coach Simon Davis’ Alma matter Market Bosworth High School’s U14 team as a crowd of cheering students watched on Tuesday afternoon. The Crew won the game 3-1, and had won over some of the students who decided to root for them instead of their own team by game’s end. Later in the day, the team boarded a bus and headed back into London where they visited Wembley Stadium for the England vs. Ghana friendly, with more than 80,000 in attendance. Some of the boys described the game as the best they’ve ever seen. Liverpool striker Andrew Carroll had given England a first half lead of 1-0, before Sunderland’s Gyan scored a goal in added time.
Josh Stoner winning a header against Bosworth
Sam "Aggie" Agranoff 
Crew at Wembly Stadium. England v Ghana
England Update #5
The team began their day Wednesday with an excursion to the Warwick Castle. The boys learned that the site of Warwick Castle dates back to antiquity. Its bloody history is filled with stories of treachery, murder, mystery and intrigue. Later in the day after a bit of shopping at the soccer store, the boys faced a strong Leicester City Football Club’s U13 Academy team. It was a tough match, but our boys played competitive and stepped up to the high level of English play.
Luke, Jack and Cole with Dutchess of Warwick
Matt Roldan v. Leicester
England Update #6
Thursday morning, the team checked out of the Market Bosworth Hotel and boarded a bus bound for Brighton. Midway, the team stopped at the Northampton School for Boys to play their U14 team. The facilities were beautiful and the weather was outstanding. The boys battled hard as an Arsenal scout watched from the sidelines. Following the game, the team took the bus the rest of the way to Brighton where they settled in at the Royal Albion Hotel located on the English Channel overlooking the shore. Parents enjoyed a night of Karaoke where Aunt Kathy took second place with her rendition of Ice Ice Baby.
Cole Popelas v. Northampton
Northampton School of Boys
Lynn and Karen enjoying the Brighton nightlife.
England Update #7
The Crew Juniors and their families spent the first half of Friday touring Brighton on their own. Some of the highlights included looking for gifts in the quaint Brighton shopping area, visiting the aquarium, and the Brighton Pier. Some also visited the Royal Pavilion, which was built in stages between 1787 and 1823 for the Prince Regent, who became King George IV.
Later in the day, Coach Simon took the boys across the road from the hotel for a dip in the English Channel before everyone boarded a bus to play a challenging game against a U14 Brighton team that included Simon’s cousin, Hugo.
Jared Gerlacher v. Simon’s cousin Hugo from Brighton
England Update #8
One of the most memorable events of the trip came on Saturday morning as the England team bus pulled up to the Crew Juniors’ hotel to deliver everyone to the Manchester United vs. West Ham game at West Ham. Thanks to the Wallaces, Noah’s grandparents, who won the bus trip and offered it for the Crew Juniors visit. The boys enjoyed riding in the seats that some of the greatest soccer players have ridden to games in!
At Upton Park, the West Ham stadium since 1904, the boys sat among the West Ham fans, so those who were rooting for Man U were advised to keep their excitement to themselves, as the West Ham fans are known for their intense nature. After West Ham’s push to 2-0 at the half, Manchester United recovered to win 4-2, thanks to Wayne Rooney’s second half hat trick. Javier Hernandez added the final goal for Manchester United, much to the dismay of the West Ham fans. The game was the final exclamation point on a never-to-be-forgotten trip for the Crew Juniors!
A shout out from the team and parents goes to our tour bus driver, Trevor,
who delivered us safely throughout our 10 day adventure. Trevor shared his
knowledge of the country with humor and patience! Thanks, Trevor!
A special thank you to our coach Simon who put in countless hours of effort into planning a trip of a lifetime. Thanks for sharing your love of football and your country’s passion for the game with all of us!
