Friedland’s Maccabi Blog: Jan. 1, 2012

Stars player-coach Kevin Friedland and captain Kyle Altman are members of the USA Maccabi team competing at the 2011 Maccabi Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Friedland checked in right before the turn of the New Year with his latest entry of his travel blog covering the experience.

Day Off

Kevin Friedland outside the Museo de Futebol in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

On Monday we had our only day off during the group competition. We used the time to explore Sao Paulo a bit. We went to check out the soccer museum (Museo de Futebol) and then cruised the street Avenida Paulista for a little shopping. The museum was all about the history of Brazilian soccer. There were videos of famous players, World Cup moments, and radio calls of important moments in Brazilian soccer history. It was a nice day off before the competition resumed with three games in three straight days.

Ethan Zohn

Each of the soccer teams were given warm up shirts to honor Ethan Zohn. Ethan is the winner of the television show Survivor: Africa and a former Maccabi USA athlete and coach. I first met Ethan eight years ago in Chile at the 2003 Pan Am Maccabi Games. Ethan was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Disease about two years ago. Ethan has also spent some time in Minnesota at past USA Cups and the Dark Clouds have raised money for his charity, Grassroots Soccer, on numerous occasions. As a fellow athlete, and friend of Ethan, I’m honored to be able to support him along with my Maccabi teammates.

Game #2 – Argentina

This was a big game for the USA. Argentina was 2-0 coming into this game and we were 1-0. We have quite a history with Argentina, defeating them for the gold medal four years ago in Buenos Aires. Only three of us (Kyle Altman, Jarryd Goldberg, and myself) were a part of that team, but there were a lot of similar faces on their team. The games started off with a lot of yellow cards (we ended the game with six!). We took the early lead on a great run and goal from Mark Tonkel (Portland University). We held the lead until the 80th minute when we gave up two penalties in the last ten minutes. I’m not sure I’ve been a part of too many games where one team gave up two penalties. Argentina converted both and we lost the game 2-1.

Zico’s Testimonial

Kyle Altman and Kevin Friedland at Zico's testimonial match in Sao Paulo.

After the Argentina game, we attended Zico’s testimonial at Sao Paulo Stadium. Zico is a famous World Cup star and put together a team of other Brazilian stars to play against a team of Sao Paulo stars. Some of the players on the Brazil team included Ronaldo, Neymar, Lucas, and former Miami FC coach, Zinho. Jarryd was excited to see his former coach running around for the Brazilian stars. Though it was only a testimonial, ironically, the Brazilian stars gave up two penalties, both by Zinho…he was not happy about that. It was amazing to see Neymar in person. Despite the casual play on the field, the atmosphere changed as the crowd erupted every time Neymar touched the ball. He is an exciting talent and will be a world star soon enough (if you don’t consider him one already).

Game #3 – Israel

Our third game of the group was against Israel. An 8 a.m. kickoff meant a 5:30 a.m. wake up call. Two games in less than 24 hours reminded me a bit of my early days with the Thunder. Back-to-back games doesn’t get easier when you get older that’s for sure. We opened the game in the first half on a nice finish from Joe Slevin (Portland University). I scored the second goal on a counter attack from a corner kick. David Taylor (Claremont McKenna College) scored the third goal just after half time. Up 3-0, coach Calichman gave a much needed rest to the older ‘vets’ as we are being referred to on this trip. We gave up a late goal, but won the game 3-1.

Game #4 – Chile

Another 8 a.m. game and the last game of the group stage. It was a must-win situation as Chile also entered this game with two wins and one loss. They held all of the tie-breakers. I have a bit of personal history with Chile, as eight years ago I received a red card in the first half of the opening game against them, in Santiago. Their coach later admitted to me that the red card was fixed. You never know what’s going to happen when you play against the South American teams in South America. This game was different as we were all over them from the opening whistle. Joe Slevin scored his second of the tournament before Chile responded on a set piece. Kyle scored his first of the tournament, and we went in to half time up 2-1. We added two insurance goals in the second half, courtesy of Claremont McKenna College teammates, David Taylor and Jared Bernstein. Chile added a late goal, but we finished the game with the 4-2 win and a matchup with Venezuela in the semi-finals.

Churrascaria

To celebrate our win and advancing to the medal rounds, the entire team and coaches went out to a Brazilian Churrascaria. I was surprised how many of the guys had never been to a churrascaria. Kyle and I would sometimes go to Fogo de Chao in downtown Minneapolis. We had a great time eating, hanging out, and playing some pranks on the young guys.

Next Up

Next up is New Years Eve and a New Years Day semifinal match up against Venezuela. The other semifinal is Brazil versus Argentina. The final is on the 2nd of January. I’ll keep everyone posted with the results in one final entry before I return to Minnesota.

Obrigado and Happy New Year!

Kevin Friedland