First Game / Opening Ceremonies

I am sure people back home have been anxious to hear how the first game went. So, to remove the suspense I will break the bad news that the boy’s suffered an opening day loss to Bodens BK (SWE).

How did the game go? To be completely honest, it was not a game that the team deserved to lose. After getting over a few jitters to start the game the Hurricanes dominated play the rest of the way. Ball movement was excellent and we created a number of dangerous scoring chances, but were unable to put away the important first goal.

Play continued much the same way deep into the second half until with 3 minutes to go Bodens BK converted on a corner kick. An unlucky way to begin the Gothia Cup, but a lot of positives came out of the game. Hide Ozawa had an excellent game in net, and made some big saves to keep the scores level early. The play of the outside backs Owain Jones and Declan O’Callaghan was incredibly solid and led a lot of stability to the team play going forward.

After the tough loss we cleaned ourselves up and headed out to the opening ceremonies. A rumor had reached the coaching staff that it costs $500 000 dollars to put on the event, but we were all skeptical. However, after seeing the amazing event that the tournament had organized, no one could doubt it.

The enormous crowd of teams from every corner of the globe made it more than a memorable experience. Fireworks, live music, dance numbers, parades – the opening ceremonies will inevitably be a highlight of the trip for everyone.

More to come tomorrow after our game, so check back!

* a quick side note, we were without Micheal Abbey because he was feeling ill - get well soon Mike, we missed you on the field today!