#ForzaBlu: Wolverines in Italy
Men's Soccer Travel Blog
The University of Michigan men's soccer program has a unique opportunity to travel abroad and embark on a 10-day trip across three stops in Italy. The team will first stop in Milan and will take in various sites around the city before playing its first match of the trip. U-M will then travel south, stopping in Tuscany and Pisa, before making its second stop in Florence. In Florence, Michigan will tour the city and compete in its second game of the tour. The Wolverines will wrap up the trip in Rome with another match and more sightseeing prior to heading back to Ann Arbor. A different member of the team will give an update on the trip.
DAYS 9-10: Wow! What a trip this has been. The last few days have been slightly more relaxed, but Saturday started with our final match of the trip against College Life Italia, and I was given the opportunity to start in goal. After going into the half tied at one, the boys rallied for two in the second half to close out the three-game foreign tour on a high note with a 3-1 win. After the game, we had the afternoon to explore Rome for ourselves before we had our final family dinner of the trip at Santo Trastavere.
Sunday was a free day for the group, and we took even more time to see the beautiful and historic city that is Rome, Italy. We reconvened at 6 p.m. to head to the Stadio Olimpico for our second professional soccer game of the trip. We saw Lazio take on Sassuolo in another raucous atmosphere. Tomorrow, we travel home after 10-plus days together as a team. This trip has definitely brought us closer and given us memories that we will never forget. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be on this team and a part of this trip. Thank you to everyone who followed along. Forza Blu!
Hayden Evans
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DAYS 7-8: Ciao! It’s been a full past two days here in Italy! After a wonderful few days in Florence, we loaded up our luggage to make the trip south to the capital city of Rome. After a quick stop for lunch, we arrived in Rome, quickly dropped our bags at the hotel and ventured into the city to visit the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. Both the Vatican museum and the chapel were breathtaking with its wide array of sculptures, tapestries, mosaics and, of course, the iconic ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. We then went from the Sistine Chapel to visit Saint Peters Square in the city center and snapped some pictures. We ended our first evening in Rome with a delicious dinner and then headed to bed with another full day ahead.
The second was chock full of fun adventures -- starting in the morning with Roman gladiator training, including some one-on-one sparring sessions, where I got to face off against my dad. After gladiator training, we checked out the iconic Colosseum and grabbed a bite to eat for lunch. After lunch, we walked through Rome and checked out some more amazing sights like the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We then wrapped up the day by making our own pizza for dinner before heading back to the hotel to turn in for the night. We’re looking to the last few days of the trip, starting tomorrow with a match against College Life Italia. Forza Blu!
Charlie Lawrence
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DAYS 6-7: On Tuesday, we woke up at 8am at Covericano and had breakfast. After our meal, we got ready for training and practiced on training pitch #1. Following training, we freshened up and headed to the city center in Florence. First, we had an amazing guided tour where we learned about the history of Florence and also got to see different statues/sculptures such as the Statue of David. Next, we had about four hours of free time where we explored the city, shopped, and got dinner. Lastly, we got gelato as a team and headed back to Coverciano. It was a great day of learning the history of Florence and exploring everything the city has to offer.
On Wednesday, we woke up again and started with breakfast. After eating, our team went on a tour of the Italian National Team’s museum. Here we saw all the history of the Italian national team, such as famous trophies, jerseys, and much more. After the museum, we prepared for our second game in Italy. We played Pontedera Academy and played an amazing game in which we won 4-0. After our game, we freshened up and headed back to the city center in Florence for dinner. We ate at Finisterrae, where we had many courses that serviced for a great meal. Following dinner, we got gelato as a team and boarded the bus to head back to Coverciano. We will head to Rome tomorrow, our final stop on the tour. We are looking forward to more sightseeing and training! Go Blue!
Nicholas Cassiday
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DAYS 4-5: Our Sunday kicked off with a hearty breakfast at the hotel, fueling us for the day ahead. We boarded the bus and headed to Como for a friendly match against the local team. Despite playing our hearts out, we couldn't clinch a win, but the experience was invaluable. Swapping jerseys with our opponents at the end of the game was a touching moment of sportsmanship and camaraderie. After the match, we journeyed to the iconic San Siro stadium, where the atmosphere was electric. Watching Inter Milan and Lazio battle it out to a 1-1 draw was thrilling, but the highlight was witnessing Inter lift the Scudetto. The sheer passion and celebration were incredibly inspiring for us as athletes. Back in Milan, we had the evening to explore and find dinner on our own. I opted for a delicious deep-dish pizza, a perfect way to wrap up an eventful day.
Monday was a travel day, and we set off early for Tuscany, arriving by midday at Fattoria Il Poggio, an authentic farmhouse-style restaurant. The meal was an unforgettable feast, featuring a spread of antipasto, pasta, sausages, cheese, and an abundance of bread – easily the best meal I've ever had. Satisfied and content, we continued to Pisa, where we couldn't resist taking some funny pictures and indulging in gelato, despite the rain. Our journey then took us to Florence, offering us breathtaking scenery along the way. We arrived at Coverciano, the Italian National Team's Technical Centre, which will be our home for the next few days. After a team dinner, we turned in early, ready to rest and recharge for the days ahead.
Dubem Obilo
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DAYS 1-3: Ciao! It has been an amazing start to our team’s tour in Italy. We arrived in Milan on Friday afternoon and had a great team dinner at our hotel that included lots of laughs, pasta, and cheesecake. After the long travel and great food, we went to bed early and excited for our first full day in Milan.
Our second day in Milan started off strong with a great early morning training session. The team was engaged and excited as we trained at a sports club in Milan in preparation for our first game. After training we had a quick bite to eat and then got ready to head out for a busy day of site seeing.
First we visited the San Siro Stadium, which is the home stadium for the two biggest soccer teams in Milan: AC Milan and Inter Milan. We went through the stadium museum, locker rooms, walked next to the field, and got some great team photos in the stands. The team was happy to walk through such a historic soccer stadium, but even more excited to be back there tomorrow for a match when the stands are full of more than 75,000 people.
After the stadium tour, we took a trip to a downtown area in Milan where we walked around a bustling city center full of restaurants, shops, and street musicians. Some of the highlights were walking through the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele shopping center and seeing the Duomo di Milano cathedral. We had some free time to explore the area and pop into some shops. I will definitely be coming back to Ann Arbor with some new fits! We had an amazing dinner at a rooftop restaurant where I ate my first pizza of the trip. It was delicious and definitely won’t be my last. After a full day, the team went to bed early in preparation for big day tomorrow.
Uriel Zeitz
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