The European Soccer Experience

„Dutchcan soccer, the European soccer experience” the phrase essentially speaks for itself. Living in Canada, I've always dreamt about experiencing what European soccer was all about - Not only to get a better glimpse at the pro life, but to challenge myself against a different variety of players. That small dream of mine soon came to fruition when I met Theo. At first I thought of him as just another coach who just came for the hell of it, but after a few sessions it was clear to me that Theo truly wanted to bring the best out of all of us players, not only as footballers, but as people. He put us through rigorous, intense training to show us, and give us a taste of how football would be in Holland. And frankly, it was tough. He always expected us to play at a fast pace, and deliver quality touches, which really challenged us players to impress. A couple of months later, and I found myself on a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam. Theo gave me the opportunity to experience “Dutch” football firsthand, and I couldn’t have been any more excited about it. Although it was kind of nerve racking thinking about it, I couldn’t wait to get on the pitch, and getting off the plane really gave me the feeling that I was indeed, living the life of a professional. Not so long after, it was time for my first training session. We had the honour of training inside the stadium, which really overjoyed me, since in Canada, not many clubs could train in their stadium, let alone even say they have one to begin with. As I entered the changeroom with the rest of the boys, I was surprised to see how welcoming and excited they were to have some Canadians train with them. It was truly a great feeling. Not too long after it was time for training and as we left to emerge onto the field, I felt a sort of thrill. Even though I was looking around the stadium to a bunch of empty stands, I still could feel the atmosphere as if they were completely filled with supporters. Now that we were actually training, the feeling was inexplicable, and the feeling of playing with players that could potentially be professionals in the next couple of years or so was absolutely amazing, especially considering the fact that there wasn’t much of a considerable difference between them and me. But truly speaking, the one thing that surprised me the most, was simply the fact that there were showers in the changerooms for us players to use after a rigorous workout, something that I’ve never really experienced before. After training was finished and we headed home, to eat, sleep and get ready to do everything over once again. To me, this is what European football is all about; putting in hard work everyday to better yourself, and I felt that I experienced it here through all the help of Theo, Paul, and Dutchcan. As I stated before, Dutchcan speaks for itself. It’s a European experience worth experiencing, and if I could, I’d do it all over again.

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by Andrei Zaporojan

Încă un sărut Stradivarius

O altă minune, pe aceleași cărări nobile, rare, o altă aventură galantă, în veci de veci, în inimi, iar suflet ales, un vis rătăcind, cu-arcuşu-n mâini, înfiorări de veşnicii, să ne mulțumească spiritual clipa unică, într-o râvnă rescrisă în Țara lui Brâncuși (Eli Gîlcescu)