Total Futbol Academy - L.A.

Coach Willie had prepared the boys for such an occasion both mentally as well as tactically so that once the whistle blew for the start of the game it was going to be a war of wills.  Both teams came out to dictate the pace of the game by winning and trying to keep possession however the other would have none of it and would immediately engage and pressure to win the ball back.  Each team had a few chances to score in the first half however the game remained 0-0 at halftime.

The second half started the same as the first with both teams defending like savages and not allowing the other to get into a rhythm.  At the 43rd minute it was still 0-0 and things were starting to look likely that the game would head to pk's.  Unfortunately due to the persistence and acute awareness of the Sevilla players they were able to create an opportunity that saw them get in behind and ultimately score the first goal of the game.  Coach Willie had no other choice but to push a defender up to try to even the score however Sevilla took advantage on a quick counter and scored another beautiful goal.  Down 2-0 with less then 5 minutes left in the game, our boys continued to fight and in that we scored off a rebound to close the score to 2-1.  With only 1 minute left in the game Sevilla basically held on to the ball until the final whistle blew.

Sevilla would not only go on to face Chelsea in the semi's, which they won, they would also beat Barca in the final to ultimately be crowned champions.  So as it turns out we not only lost to the eventual champion, we were the only team that scored a goal against them throughout the tournament.

Although we were not successful in terms of the score of the game, the tremendous experience and exposure our boys were afforded can not be measured in terms of winning or losing. We all came away with a better understanding of where we are today in comparison to the giant academies of the world that ultimately will go a long way in helping us improve our program in order to bring it that much closer to their standard.

Congratulations to our 06' MIC team as well as coach Willie, coach Geo as well as our admins for carrying on the tradition of our Club at this prestigious tournament by representing TFA to the highest level.  

Finally, a big shout out to the coaching staffs of Man Utd & Chelsea for the warm reception and friendship throughout our stay as well as for including TFA in the three-way friendly.  Cheers mates!!