erikcpanzer

September 4th – 10th: Sysslebäck, Skoftebyn

Published on September 11, 2017September 23, 2017 by erikcpanzer

Well, positivity sheds positivity. After last weeks post, I got some great feedback and it led to some great conversations with friends, looking for advice and guidance. That is why I went into the field of psychology, to continue to help people on a personal level to allow them to perform at their potential. Having these types of conversations with people allows you to connect on a deeper level than what is just on the surface, and that is something that isn’t too often achieved in many friendships.

I have also begun to do more for myself, because that is one side that is very important for ones well being. After studying well being for my Senior Psychology thesis, I have a greater understanding of two types of well being, eudemonic and hedonistic. There is a distinct difference between these two types of well being, eudemonic is psychological, where as hedonistic is subjective. Simply put, eudemonic well being is an individual acting in a certain way that leads to growth and developing the best version of themself. Each individual has their own ideal of the best version of themselves, and for me, my best version of myself is a happy and healthy man, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

As the time ticks down on my time here in Sysslebäck, Sweden, my focus continues to shift. I have increased my self focus for the next 5 weeks to strive to be the best I can be. I have lessened the hours I work and will be spending more time training my body and mind to chase my goals. An improved mental preparation allowed me to really prepare for training and our game this week. After a 4.5hr bus trip on Sunday morning, we arrived in Skoftebyn with enough time to relax a little bit before preparing for our game. I was focused and ready, however I was tested with various challenges after things didn’t go the way I had envisioned. But that is football and you adapt and overcome. We struggled in the attacking third and lacked a bit of concentration and communication in the defensive end and found ourselves down 2-0 with 88 minutes on the clock. Somehow we came back to draw 2-2. I still can’t quite believe it. And not being too pleased with my performance I went straight to watching the film on the bus on the way home. After watching the film within a couple hours of playing, my opinion changed of my performance as I had just been very critical and hard on myself, and was fairly pleased with my performance. Of course there were little things here and there to improve, and I will review those and process them to make sure I make the appropriate adjustments. The focus on myself will continue this week as I prepare for the next game this weekend and truly prepare my body and mind!

August 28th – September 3rd: Sysslebäck

Published on September 4, 2017 by erikcpanzer

This week has been such a positive week for me. From the conversations I had with mentors and friends, to the challenges I faced and overcame to better myself, and it was all topped off with a win that has been a long time coming.

As always, there were hedges to trim, lawns to mow, and other various manual labour jobs that filled the days during my week. These work hours are great for thinking and processing. Spending so much time alone with lots to think about, the mind wanders, and I have been able to use this time to focus my mind a little more when important thoughts filter through and allow myself to problem solve or at least process them. The whole journey over the last 18 months has been as much of a mental journey as it has been about the actual experience. I am pleased where it has led me, and embracing the opportunities and experiences it has given me, and I still continue to strive for better. This mentality has been with me on the football pitch for most of my time here in Sweden, every pass, every tackle, every movement, I aim to be better, and develop those skills to a higher level. It is these high standards that often frustrate me, as I fight with the voices in my head about my performance, what I did was right or wrong, however I continue to learn that this cannot be the focus. After every action; pass, tackle, no matter the outcome, it has happened and you must move on. The amount of mental processing every training and every game I go through is incredible, and it is all in an effort to perform with clarity and composure.

When Saturday rolled around, I was ready and prepared for what felt like a moment we had all been waiting. And it certainly was a performance that has been a long time coming. We were hot out of the box and capitalized early with 2 goals within 10 minutes. We knocked one in just before half time also and less than 10min into the second half we essentially put the game to bed. We weren’t done, scoring two more to win 6-0. A resounding win, after many sub par performances and results. As a defender most people will know which part pleases me most, seeing that zero for the opposition. This was the first official win for the team since I have been here and so along with it came a few traditions; a celebration with the fans and a chant in the changing rooms. We might need a few more wins before I know exactly what we are saying in these moments, but what I do know is that it is these moments that will become the memories of my time at Nordvärmlands. Results will become statistics, however these celebrations, these emotions, these moments will be what stays with me long after I depart. And more memories were made that evening as we chilled by the fire at our apartments with many of the lads and a couple girlfriends. It sure is amazing what a win can do for spirits!

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Sunday was as always relaxing. I went for the coldest ice bath since I have been here. Not sure but it felt like the Norwegian glaciers had just melted a few hundred meters up the river because boy was it cold. I spent much of the afternoon enjoying myself in the kitchen with a bit of baking (banana bread) and cooking. Long may this positivity continue within the team and individually!

August 21st-27th: Sysslebäck, Lerum

Published on August 27, 2017 by erikcpanzer

It has been a busy and full on week here up and down the valley. I did a variety of jibs this week during the days, stacking firewood, patching up the field from the match on Saturday, shifting hundreds of pallets and clearing out piled up stuff behind the shop. The jobs kept us busy for sure, but its always nice to see visual results that we achieved something. The manual work is simply just all part of the grind.

On the field, we had some good training sessions, where I felt as though I had performed consistently. As always, I found time to do some extra ball work making sure I got in enough touches. Because I was on the bench for the first team last week, I was eligible to play for the reserves this week who played on Friday. It was a firey encounter and turned out to be men against boys. Unfortunately, our team had the boys. Although top of the league, the reserve team didn’t show enough fight and guts to grind out a result, so it was a lessoned learned for them. For me, although a lesser level, getting an extra 90 minutes on the field was great, as I was able to take away little things from the game regarding my mentality and attitude. A short sleep Friday night as a 5hr away trip began Saturday morning to Lerum. We got there 90 minutes before kick off so not much time to rest and rejuvenate before we were into our warm up. I backed up playing a full game the night before with another full game Saturday afternoon with the first team. It was a much more positive performance from the team, although a poor refereeing decision led Lerum to winning a penalty in the last few minutes. I was happy with my performance, and glad to be back at Center Back where I felt I was solid and reliable throughout the game. We then had to drive the 5hrs back to Sysslebäck. Long day!

Sunday was a wonderful day to relax and recover. Had a great catch up with my parents over FaceTime, before I spent time rolling out, stretching and had a great chilly ice bath in the river. In the evening we got the fire pit cracking and chilled out. Another week beckons in the valley!

August 14th-20th: Sysslebäck

Published on August 21, 2017 by erikcpanzer

The journey continued this week with a fairly uneventful week in Sysslebäck. Had a few different jobs during the week, but nothing too great to report on. Certainly clocking a few miles up and down the valley in the cars though, so my manual skills are fine now. The valley is special to drive up when the sun is going down and the reflection off the river is lovely. As always, nature reminding me of its beauty no matter where I am!

Training unfortunately wasn’t as intense as previous weeks had been, but nonetheless, the work was put in, and no matter the session, I always make sure to focus on a certain area and accomplish something during the sessions. Game day rolled around and I was disappointingly left out of the starting 11. It was a little bit of a surprise, but the recent results showed that something had to change. That is all part of football, and even if you or others don’t believe that you should be on the bench, it is part of it and you have to deal with it, be a team player and contribute when you get a chance. It was a tough game to watch from the bench as we lost 2-1. Games are now becoming very crucial as we need to establish a bit of space above relegation again. I did get 90 minutes for the reserve team on Sunday in a resounding win, and a clean sheet.

Over the weekend, I also had a visitor, Fred Hagen. Unofficially my Uncle from Pennsylvania. He has many ties to Norway and Sweden through his family heritage, and so he made sure that on his trip this year he got up to see me. We had a great time catching up, and I loved hearing the stories he has to share. He has so many stories that are very interesting and are too funny not to tell. On Sunday morning we headed up the valley a few kilometers and turned off up a gravel road to a walking path along a river. It led to a quite spectacular waterfall, Digerfallet. We spent time exploring the surrounds of the falls, as well as the old power station house that used to be used to generate power from a stream near the falls. We then climbed above the falls to see the view and followed the river up further. It was a great adventure and was quite stunning. Nature can be so powerful and ruthless, all the while being beautiful and peaceful. It was just wonderful to be out in the forrest enjoying nature with a friend! After the reserve game on Sunday, Fred headed back to Oslo where he will spend more time before returning to the USA.

August 7th-13th: Sysslebäck, Karlstad

Published on August 14, 2017 by erikcpanzer

Time has certainly flown by, especially when I realize it has nearly been a month since I arrived into Sysslebäck, Sweden. A lot has happened in that time, and I have been able to reflect on things positively and I look forward with excitement for what is to come in the coming weeks and months.

On Tuesday, Grant and I ventured down to Karlstad, the nearest city to Sysslebäck and the capital of Värmland County. Our purpose of the trip was to pick up his wife, Libby from the train station. We arrived early to wander around and see what was about, plus just enjoy a little bit of civilization and experience a Swedish City. It was a nice break from the quiet valley. We successfully picked up Libby and husband and wife were reunited after over a month apart. So our apartment now has another member and its been lovely.

I had another good week of training this week, on the field with the team, in the gym, and doing individual ball work and things. Training led up to a crucial game against FBK Karlstad on Saturday. We had such a positive performance last week against the league leaders that I was hoping would carry over to this game. FBK were only a point above us in the standings and certainly didn’t have as much quality as Grebbestad the week before. We were without a couple important players due to injury and suspension, and unfortunately we didn’t play well at all, losing 3-1. It was a tough one to swallow and at times very frustrating. As a team, we weren’t fluent enough, giving away the ball in important areas, and being punished for it. I just have to remind myself that I can only control what I can control, and that was my individual performance. I was content with how I played, but felt a little helpless in the sense that I wanted to do more and have more of an impact.

Sunday dawned a new day and I had wiped away the disappointment from the day before and I enjoyed a wonderful sunny day. I spent a lot of time reading “Quiet Leadership” by Carlo Ancelotti, which has been a great educational book for me, learning about different ways of leading and influencing, and the crucial relationship between player a coach. I was able to watch some Premier League games and spend some time on the river bank as the sun went down in the evening. A Sunday well spent!

After a few requests, I took a few pictures of the apartment and my room. The room is awaiting the arrival of a New Zealand flag to fill the wall!

July 31st – August 6th: Sysslebäck

Published on August 6, 2017 by erikcpanzer

This week gained a little more routine with consistencies in work and training. For it only to be the third week of being in Sweden, I have settled pretty well and have gotten into a good rhythm with things. We continued working on the farm clearing out an old house and got to experience an auction for all the items in the house on Tuesday. We helped the family that was running the auction and they were lovely people. People like them are what makes these experiences special. It was topped off with a wonderful dinner at their own house where we enjoyed great conversation, learned about the Värmland Region, learned a few more Swedish sayings and phrases, and best of all, Moose was the meat of choice for dinner. It tasted really good!

Trainings throughout the week were good. The squad is settling down now with most of the new players sorted and settled in and so the competition has increased now that we have some squad depth. Being so close to the river, I enjoyed a Norwegian Glacier river ice bath after training a couple times after training during the week.

During the the week, I still hadn’t heard anything about my International Clearance coming through, and the source of the hold up was at the English FA. It took a phone call from our Sports Director to the FA to get them moving, and after acting very casual about the whole thing, they cleared me on Friday. What a relief it was, and I was very happy. This meant that I was able to play for the reserves on Friday night to get some game time in, before our First Team game on Saturday. I logged a full 90 minutes at Center Back for the reserves in a comfortable win and solid clean sheet, 3-0. On Saturday we were facing the league leaders, Grebbestad. I didn’t know whether I would be starting or not seeing as I had played a full 90min the night before, but when I turned up to the changing rooms and saw the team, I was excited to be starting and surprised to be starting at Left Back. It sure has been awhile since I played there. After a bumpy first 20 min I settled down and did my job, trying to get forward when I could, but making sure I was doing my job defensively. We went in at half time 0-0, and in the second half, came out and played very solidly.

I was much happier with my second half performance than my first half. We managed to come away with a big point against the league leaders, keeping it 0-0. A very positive result for us, and now that we have played 2 of the top 3 teams we can really crack on and get some results against mid and lower table teams and hopefully climb the ladder ourselves.

On Sunday, Grant and I helped out at a local market that had been part of a Homecoming weekend for people from the Sysslebäck area. Unfortunately the weather didn’t want to play its part, however it was a nice afternoon spent embracing the cultural and continuing to learn Swedish with different people we met.

July 24th – 30th: Sysslebäck

Published on July 31, 2017 by erikcpanzer

I am slowly settling into life in Sysslebäck, Sweden. It has been a very smooth transition, with the accommodation very comfortable, transport is never a problem, able to get groceries often and a good group of guys always around.

On Monday was the last friendly of the midseason break for the team against another Division 3 team. It was the best performance we had put in over the last few games and we won comfortably, 3-0. I managed to get another 90min under my belt at right back, a position I may have to become familiar with. I enjoyed it and was fairly pleased with my play. It has just been great to be a part of a team again and soon to be competing and fighting together to win games.

We returned to training on Wednesday after a day off on Tuesday and the intensity had risen a little bit. Now that everything is for real, getting back into the league games, and having players fighting for spots, its great for the training environment and the standards just lift. That was very pleasing for me, and the higher intensity will be a good test, especially to train the concentration levels in pressure situations.

Grant and I began working on Thursday. Yes, on top of football, we are working various little jobs around the area for a few reasons, to keep busy, but also to make more money to make life comfortable. It is all part of the grind. The grind is very real, and a lot of people are aware of it, but many young guys are not. Maybe they have been given things all their life and never had to work hard for something. And that is why your mentality is crucial in professional sports, especially because you are not given anything, you have to work hard for it, and you have to deserve it. Only the top 2% of footballers live the life we see on TV and social media, driving nice cars, living in big houses, wearing expensive clothes and going on lavish holidays in the islands, nope not my life. Hopefully one day, but at this stage, its still about getting by, along with taking the opportunity of playing competitive football and developing myself to prove that I can play at the next level. After our days of work, which was manual labour, we would head off to training, still with energy and grit to push ourselves to get better and contribute to the team. Now, don’t think I’ve come to Sysslebäck to work, I have come here to play football, and work is just an opportunity to continue the hard work that has got me here and make some extra money to allow me to live a little more comfortably.

My weekend began nicely on Saturday with a few conversations with very special people in my life. Firstly I had a great catch up with my parents as I shared with them what had been going on throughout the week and how life was here in Sweden. And then the second was with a good friend of mine who impacts people simply with the energy he expresses. I hadn’t spoken to him in nearly a couple years and many very important events had happened in both our lives, so it was very special to have a conversation about life, and to cherish it and live in the now, experiencing moments as they come!

Sunday rolled around and it was game day. Unfortunately my International Clearance had not come through to allow me to play, so I had to settle for watching on from the sidelines. It was very frustrating as one can imagine, and I just wanted to be out there helping the lads. It was a tough start to the game, however the lads pushed through and I felt played fairly well against a team that is near the top of the table. We lost 2-1 and a few injuries occurred, which added a bit more salt to the wound. From everyone I have spoken to, they were pleased to see an improvement in performance from the team compared to the first half of the season, so the signs are looking positive, I just need to get on the field and help contribute to the effort!

July 17th- 23rd: Sysslebäck,

Published on July 23, 2017 by erikcpanzer1 Comment

What a week I have had. Waking up on Monday in a very scenic and secluded area of Sweden, Sysslebäck, and having lots of surrounding nature to explore, thats just what we did. There is one main road and then a few side roads, so a lot of the exploring that was done was off the beaten path. The Klaräven (The Clear River) follows the main road that is our escape to any place we need to go. The Klaräven flows from Norway and through Sweden, and the section near Sysslebäck is fairly wide and free flowing. There are many paths along the river banks that we were able to explore.

Monday night was my first training, and like most people, it took a little bit of adjusting to with different players, different style, and a different language too. At the end of the day, football is a language and so I was able to overcome these adjustments and settle in. I wasn’t too happy with my performance on Monday, however I was more comfortable and focused on Tuesday and I was pleased with how I performed.On Wednesday we had a friendly against a team from the division below Nordvärmlands FF. I was fortunate enough to play the whole game, first half at right back and second half at center back. A game is the greatest way for a player to prove his ability and I felt as though I did that pretty well in the friendly. Once again, the style of play in the game was different to what I had gotten used to with Bridges, so I just had to read and observe how our team played and then apply myself appropriately.

Thursday morning rolled around and our adventures continued. There is an old olympic ski jump a couple kilometers down the road, so as a bit of a recovery walk, Matt, Grant and I headed there. Matt and Grant are from my Bridges team and they are also on trial. We eventually found the ski jump and then took the challenge of climbing it. Its quite incredible the height you are at up there and the sheer decline the jump goes on. How they do it, I am not sure. We got some great views from up the top! Training continued that evening, and part of training was a bit of fitness, which consisted of forest runs. Yes like tree forest. The location of one of our training fields is right beside a forest and so the coach utilized that!

Friday rolled around and the three of us had been requested to go down to the office of the Sports Director for the club. My agent had informed me that they would be offering me a contract and we would be discussing terms, so it was an exciting time. After a positive meeting, I had a contract in hand and just had to make sure it was satisfactory for myself and my agent was happy with it. Grant was also offered a contract, and Matt is likely to sign with a lower division team. Saturday was another friendly and this time we had to travel about an hour down the road. I played the full game at Center Back and was pleased with my performance again. We won convincingly, 5-0. After the game I signed my contract, international clearance was sent through, and an official photo was taken! It was a special moment, but more so a moment of relief that finally all my hard work has paid off. Now I can truly settle in and crack on with developing myself and getting better and contributing to the team climbing up the table! Hoping my international clearance comes through this week so I can play next Sunday when the league restarts. Once we got home, we headed to the rive for a quick dip. Ill call it a Norwegian Glacier Ice Bath! That is where the water comes from, and although its travelled a fair distance, its still bloody cold, but great for the muscles!

Sunday was a nice lazy day but as always there was time and places to explore. Matt and I found a new path along the river and followed it for as long as we could. Many cool little spots along the way! Now that the week is over and the future begins Monday, I can really begin to settle into a routine and get things cracking!

July 10th-16th: Køge, Nordsjælland, Næstved, Värnamo, Gothenburg, & Nördvarmland (Sysslebäck)

Published on July 16, 2017 by erikcpanzer

The week began with a fairly relaxed Monday. I got some individual technical work in the morning before we had team training in the afternoon. That evening we walked down the street to a nice little Italian restaurant for a team meal there. The lasagna was incredible!

Tuesday was game day #4 against FC Nordsjælland, another Danish SuperLiga team. We prepared for them as our toughest opponents of the trip and that served us really well. After a one hour drive we arrived to their facilities. Their main stadium was incredible and the surrounding training pitches went for miles and miles. The changing rooms and things below the stadium were very impressive, with a wall devoted to players who have played for them and represented national teams around the world. After the original excitement of playing a big time team, we got into game mode. We played on a training pitch, which was still very high quality! As has been the whole trip, I played the second half. The first half boys did well to keep the score at 0-0 after a few adjustments. In the second half we defended very well. We were under pressure for most of the game, but the defense stayed strong and we caught them on the counter a few times. The game finished 0-0, a very fair result and a huge surprise as we were not expected to compete with them. Personally, another good performance from me, so the consistency continues. As it turned out, the striker I was marking used to be at Manchester City, and one of their midfielders was on loan from them. So the team was full of quality, we just had more grit. It was a happy car ride home.

Wednesday was game day #5, and after a light walk and stretch in the morning, we headed south for Næstved. They are Division 2 in Denmark, so tier 3, however they weren’t to be taken lightly. Unfortunately the way we lined up and our mentality didn’t help. The first half team was a lot of guys that hadn’t gotten many minutes at all in the first 4 games, plus a couple guys from our second half team. So I started and got to captain the team. It wasn’t the proudest of displays, as the team lacked effort and courage. It was a tough first half and we had some opportunities, but we were just too poor and we went into the half 2-0 down. Coach complimented myself, the other center back and our goal keeper for keeping us in the game as things fell apart in front of us. The second half team put a little more pride in the performance and we came away from the game with only a 2-1 defeat. Another short journey home and time to relax and recover after a busy couple days with games.On Thursday, I woke up a year older. I am not the biggest fan of birthdays/celebrations so I kept it fairly quiet that it was my birthday. What I attempted to spread upon those wishing me a happy birthday was that it was a special day to remind myself of the fortunate life I have, the health and happiness that I have in my life that allows me to chase my dreams. Hopefully I made a couple people think with that one. The day turned out to be pretty much an off day for us as we only did a light morning walk and stretch before heading into Køge central for lunch with the whole team. We were given a little time to explore the town a little bit before we returned home. A big group of us had decided that we wanted to go watch Brøndby IF (Denmark) and VPS (Finland) in their round 2 Europa League Qualification game.
The game was about 40min away and it was a great atmosphere. The game was fairly one sided, but it was nice to watch a competitive game, although a little frustrating sitting their and thinking that we had played 3 teams of Brøndby IF’s level during the trip. Certainly something to strive for! So my birthday turned out to be a good one thats for sure, and a few more people picked up on it.

On Friday we were back into training to prepare for our next match against IFK Värnamo in Sweden. After a good day off, the boys were ready to get going again, so we had a good session in preparation. I was able to get some extra 1v1 defensive work in after training also which was great. Later that evening I was told by the agent to pack my bags up ready to leave after the game the next day, so that was exciting. And that was really all I got until I had a brief conversation after dinner with him. He outlined the possibilities of what might happen after the game and where I could go and things, so it was exciting that something might be happening. I wasn’t the only one confirmed to be going somewhere, as he requested that all players who were looking to sign bring their gear, just incase they got picked up from the game. So the rest of the night was spent doing last bits of laundry and packing up my things. I also managed to sneak in a little me time and drove off to the Køge beach just after sunset. It was nice to just relax and get some fresh air in my own personal space and reflect a little on the experience that had been so far!

Saturday dawned and everything was ready to go. But the focus was solely on the game because my game performance could have determined a move elsewhere to what was looking likely. Our 6th game was against IFK Värnamo who play in the second tier in Sweden. They were another very strong team, and a little different tactically to teams we had played previously on the trip. We started a little shaky, before settling into the game and hitting them on a few counter attacks. We held out well until half time and you could tell they were a little frustrated. The second half was once again my chance to continue the defensive effort and see out the game, and we did exactly that. We held very firm not allowing too many clear cut chances. We were able to finally convert on a counter attack and managed to sneak out a 1-0 win for our first win of the trip and a second clean sheet for the boys. It was a great result. After the game, our agent confirmed the number of players and who specifically they were that would be leaving after the game, and it was confirmed for me. This was exciting news but it really was the whole purpose of this trip, to get an opportunity somewhere, so a relief that it had paid off. After the game I had a nice chat with Tyler Lissette who is a Kiwi playing for Värnamo. We seem to end up everywhere in this world so it sure is nice to catch up with another Kiwi whenever given the chance. Once we finished our post match meal, I said my goodbyes to the team and got in the car with 4 others who were also going to trials. Grant, and Myself are headed to Nördvarmlands FF which is a division two team in Sweden, with Matt joining us to head on trial with the teams reserve team. Abbai and Isaac were heading to a division 3 team in Sweden. We headed to Gothenburg Train Station, where we spent the night, as our trains weren’t leaving until the next morning. After going from bench, to floor, to seat, to corner, we eventually settled in for the night and attempted to get some sleep. As it was a Saturday night, the station was busy until about 4am. That was when I finally fell asleep.

As Sunday rolled around with people streaming back into the station, we were counting down the hours till our new journey would begin. Numerous games of cards, a bit of reading and trying to find alternative ways to go to the toilet as the ones in the station cost money, we got on our first train and began the journey north. First it was to Kil, and after a 2hr lay over in Kil, where we spent most of the time trying to throw a paper ball into a rubbish bin from 20yds away, we were on our way further north to Torsby. The weather was quite grey as low cloud and rain was around, but the countryside we travelled through was lovely. Nice forests, big lakes and flowing rivers. After a little wait at the station, we were picked up by two of the guys on the team, one whom was a part of the Bridges tour last year. We then had another 45-60min car ride further north to where we would be settling in. A quick stop to meet the Sporting Director for the club and get groceries before finally arriving at the team apartments. It had been one hell of a journey, with maybe a total of 3hrs of sleep in the tank, but we made it, and it sure did feel like home. The forest covered hills, the river rolling alongside the towns, and just the sheer greenness of everything, it is very similar to various parts on New Zealand. Although we are somewhat in the middle of nowhere in Sweden, I am very pleased to be in a place with this much nature. After we settled into the apartment, we went out for a nice jog and stretch along the river, and I was very satisfied with life. I thought to myself, ‘if this is what everything over the last few months has built up to, I am happy with it.’ Playing football in a beautiful part of the world, can’t complain. The work begins tomorrow when we have our first training/trial session. We shall see, by the end of next week things could once again, be very different, as you have seen from last week to this week.

July 3rd – 9th: Køge, SønderjyskE, & Helsingør

Published on July 9, 2017 by erikcpanzer

We have well and truly arrived and settled into life here in Denmark. Although sleeping can still be a challenge, for the most part we are all rested and acclimatized. The weather has been pretty good so far. No humidity or extreme temperatures, but when the sun is out, it is absolutely lovely. We didn’t have long to prepare for our first game, with Monday being our only full day of training and preparation. Our session on Monday was good as we worked on our system again for both sets of 11. For most of the trip, the team is split into two 11’s that each play a half, so it is important that both groups understand the system and how we will play.

Tuesday was Game Day #1 which was exciting as we would finally be getting to put all that we have practiced and worked on into a game against the competition we have been preparing for. As Bridges is a religious organization, we shared some morning prayers after breakfast before we packed up and got on the road for SønderjyskE. It wasn’t too bad of a drive, about 3hrs through the beautiful Danish countryside. Not too many hills but lots of green paddocks and nice old brick houses. We crossed a couple bridges (ironic huh), that were pretty incredible. Storebæltsforbindelsen was the the most impressive one spanning 6.7km, with great views out across the Great Belt Straight. After arriving at the wrong facility, we eventually found the Football arena and stadium. The facilities were top notch and so was the surface. We played on a practice field in front of a fairly intrigued crowd of approximately 300. As their season is only 2 weeks away, fans were getting a good look at their new team as well as some new signings. It was an exciting opportunity, especially as SønderjyskE had reached the third stage of Europa League Qualifying last season. We were ready and came out in our high press which rattled them and didn’t make them feel too comfortable, and it paid off. We scored within the first 10min of the game and we were all quite surprised too be honest. They never fully took control of the game, although they had the better of the possession, it didn’t have too much purpose or direction. Later in the first half they equalized. The second half was my opportunity to show my ability and get into the game. After the first couple minutes of nerves and a few misconnected long balls, I settled in well and felt pretty comfortable, although the challenge was always there. We continued to compete well and took the lead again early in the second half off a corner. However, in the last 10 the lads began to fatigue a little and concentration on our system lacked a little and we conceded late in the game. 2-2 was a fair result for our first game that we expected to be a complete rout. A great start to give us credibility for the trip. We shared a great meal with their team after the game before we got back on the road and headed for home.

Wednesday was game day #2. I was up early to go for a walk and stretch to just loosen up after the game and travel from the day before. After breakfast we did something similar with the team with a bit of jogging and things. A big lunch before all we had to do was walk across from the gymnasium/hall we are staying in to the stadium, all 200m away. hbk_logo After the result of our first game, obviously the word had gotten out to not take us lightly and HB Køge was well prepared for us. Although they are a division down from our first opponents, SønderjyskE, they were certainly out to compete and challenge us, which they did. The field was a little bigger than our first game, so our high press game was more difficult to implement. However, defensively we stayed compact and didn’t allow too many clear cut chances, unfortunately conceding two penalties to lose 2-0. We had a couple chances, but the score was a fair reflection of the game. Similar to the first game, I played the second half. I was fairly pleased with my performance overall, but as the competitor I am, I have high standards for myself and there are always pieces of my performance I wasn’t happy with. Just gives me things to work on, and that is what this experience is about, to improve me as a player as well as hopefully gaining an opportunity to trial or sign with a team. It was wonderful that we had no travel to do after the game so it allowed us to just relax and recover for the rest of the day.

Thursday and Friday were both training days to prepare for our next match. The facility here is incredible, with numerous training fields, a turf field, and small sided turf fields enclosed with walls so the opportunities are endless to get some work in. These days were also a good chance to catch up on a little rest, get the laundry done and all those things.

Saturday rolled around for Game day #3. Today we were playing FC Helsingør. They were promoted from the Danish First Division to the Danish Superliga at the end of last season, and so our game was one of their last pre-season games before they begin playing in the Superliga for the first time. They were the most disciplined team we have played so far. They were very tidy and moved the ball well and we struggled with their movement and ball speed in the first half being down 2-0. The second half was a lot more solid defensively and organized after clearer instruction was given on individual responsibilities. I had the opportunity to showcase my ability in the second half and I was very pleased with my play. I felt I was able to read the game pretty well and cut out a lot of their opportunities coming forward. Unfortunately we conceded on the last kick of the game so the final score was 3-0. I have been happy that I am improving each game and keeping consistency in my play, which is crucial in my position. Only a short 60min drive home before we had a relaxing evening.

Sunday we were back on the training pitch, recovery from the game the day before, but also beginning to prepare for our game this coming Tuesday against what will be the toughest team we play, FC Nordsjælland. It was the nicest day weather wise we have had since we have been here, with lots of sun and blue sky and warm temperatures. And we got to enjoy the sun as we watched our hosts, FC Køge play a friendly against Superliga team, Odense (OB). It was nice to sit back and watch some high level football, and after competing against teams at that level, it was great to view it from a different perspective. The rest of Sunday was relaxing as we prepared for another big week of the tour!