APIA Leichardt Tigers guest player Joshua Colosimo reveals preparations now accelerating ahead of the prestigious youth competition, the Viareggio tournament.
After breakfast, coach Lince Romeo and physiotherapist Steve Howard, took the boys for a walk and stretch along the beach. It was then, that we noticed just how much the residents of Viareggio love dogs! Nearly every person walking in the morning had a pet dog. Some would even go as far as dressing the dog in a fur coat, treating them like one of their own children.
The time came for the team to get on the bus and begin the hour-long trip to La Spezia, where we would be playing Serie D side U.S.D Canaletto. During the bus-trip, President Tony Raciti passed out two sheets of paper, both of which had the line-ups for game 1 and game 2. With so many players, Tony thought it was suitable for the younger team to play game 1, against Canaletto's youth team, whilst the more senior team would play game 2, against Canaletto' first team.
We arrived at the ground to find a generation 1 synthetic surface, which in all honesty, looked more like a tennis court. In the pouring rain, the younger players (aged 16/17) began their warm-up. Puddles started to form on the pitch, casting doubt over whether or not the game would actually go ahead. After much debate, the game started, and APIA found themselves 1-0 down after 20 minutes. However, just before the stroke of half time, we equalized, going into the break all square at 1-1. The second half started much like the first, with Canaletto scoring an early goal. With APIA pushing forward, Canaletto used the counter-attack to their advantage and eventually prevailed 3-1.
The time came for the second game, and APIA also gave away an early lead, conceding a penalty in the 10th minute. Keeper Jason Saldaris guessed the right way, however, could not get a hand to it.
We went into the break 1-0 down but came out firing in the second half to equalize through centre-back Mark Vangelli. The game continued at a frantic pace but in the 2nd last minute of the match, we were awarded a penalty which was duly converted, to give us the 2-1 lead and ultimately, the win.
One thing I have noticed so far, is that Italian teams are extremely structured and difficult to break down. Players who can stick to a structure are preferred to those who are born with natural talent. This is probably why players such as Antonio Cassano, Giuseppe Rossi and Mario Balotelli did not make the 2010 world cup team.
Tomorrow, we are going to watch Italy Under 18's vs. Norway Under 18's in what is sure to be a very interesting match.
Until next time...
