Claire Hensley – a midfielder on Team Chicago Academy-Cruzeiro – just came back from playing in the world’s biggest youth tournament Dana Cup in Denmark. Here is her account of the trip:

Last week I got back from the trip of a lifetime. I was able to play soccer in the Dana Cup in Denmark with a Hawaiian team that I guest played with on vacation last year.

Our first few days of the trip were spent in Germany, in a rural town about an hour outside of Hamburg, where the team practiced in preparation for the Cup. Exhibition games with German teams were arranged and we were able to get in extra practices. While in Germany I stayed with a German host family along with two of my teammates. Although the only food I had there was bread, butter, and salami, the experience was amazing.

Our last friendly in Germany was against SC Waren ’09 in their stadium, complete with walkouts and national anthems. They even bought a big Hawaiian state flag for our team. Afterward, we all gave them little gifts from Hawaii to show our appreciation. Following the match, our motor coach took us to tour Schwerin Castle, which was beautiful.

After our brief time in Germany, the team and I piled into the bus and headed off to Denmark. Dana Cup is held in a small town in the far Northwestern part of Denmark called Hjorring. It’s right on the North Sea, and a ferry ride away from Norway and Sweden – so we were really far north! We arrived at the school where we were staying and had a mini pizza party to get to know the three Danish guest players who were playing with us for the tournament. Our ‘home’ for the week was a classroom in a school with tables along the walls for our suitcases and 13 mattresses on the floor for the players and our chaperone.

Our second day in Denmark was great. The whole team walked into town where we rode a little train just for us up the cobblestone streets to the Mayor’s office. There, the team and I performed the Hula for him and two other teams who had traveled a great distance for the tournament; a boys team from Honduras and a girls team from Peru. The team from Honduras lit a large torch, kind of like they have at the Olympics, in the middle of the town with the Mayor, which was really cool. Afterward, we split up for lunch and some shopping before meeting back at our dorm for an afternoon practice.

That evening was the opening ceremony. When we arrived there, it was breathtaking to see all the different countries chanting and proudly raising their flags. We walked by country in a parade winding through the streets and then into Hjorring Stadium. There were 950 boys and girls teams in this tournament, so you can imagine the crowd. Walking into the stadium felt so surreal – we kind of felt like little super stars, with everyone taking pictures and waving. After the ceremony the team had a little more free time, and we went around taking pictures with teams from all over the world. We returned to the dorms happy and loud.

When we woke up the next morning we headed straight to breakfast. I was not looking forward to anymore bread and salami – thank goodness for Nutella. Following breakfast, we caught the bus to our first pool game. We played Baerum SK from Norway and won 4-0. We struck in the first minute of the game, and I had an assist. Right after the game, we had a quick snack of fruit and headed to our second match of the day versus Voss FBK. We won that match 5-0, again striking very quickly in the first half. I scored and had an assist in that game.

Following dinner at the dining hall and a good night’s rest we had our third and final pool play match the next day versus Kvinesdal IL, also from Norway. Our team came away with a 4-0 victory, earning us a bye for the first round of knock-out games in the “A” playoff bracket. In the round of 16, we played a very physical team from Hinna FB. We came away with a 2-1 victory, although we lost our center back in the last minutes of the game to a concussion. After the match, we took a picture with our opponent, as we had done after every match, and rode the bus home with a Saudi Arabian team who blasted music throughout the bus. Everyone started singing when “Treasure” by Bruno Mars came on.

Our Quarterfinal match was the next day, and our center back, Bri, was still out with the concussion, so we had no subs. We lost a hard fought game 0-1 on a deflection that caused an own goal. It was a tough loss to take. The team regrouped following the game and had a little free time. For me this meant “Yes! I can finally eat some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!”. We enjoyed hanging out with our new friends back at the dorms, and the fireworks show that night before boarding the bus in the morning for Copenhagen.

After a 5 hour motor coach ride, we arrived in Copenhagen. Our hotel was right on Copenhagen Harbor, and after checking in, we all jumped right in. We had dinner at the mall next door, and a little more swimming before curfew. The next morning we took a canal cruise to take in the sights of Copenhagen. We also saw the changing of the guards at the palace, then off for lunch and more shopping. Our last day we spent hanging out together and more swimming in the harbor. I woke at 3:30AM to say goodbye to my teammates before their VERY long trip home to Honolulu.

My trip and playing opportunity in the Dana Cup was so rewarding. I’m thankful to the Honolulu Bulls for asking me to play, and of course to Phil for letting me go.

Well, today is the day we head back – back to the land of the free, the land of the brave, the land of the greasy food and poor style… Leaving Europe and all of its magnificent beauty behind.

It was a rough morning because we had to be on our bus by 3:30am, our curfew last night was 10pm. But let’s be honest, none of us were in bed until around 1:30, leaving us zombiefied for this rather hectic day of travel.

We arrived at the Copenhagen airport before the sun and had to say our very heartfelt goodbyes to King Philip. Tears were shed; not only because we had to leave the Mark of Den, but because we had to leave the ever-so-happy Phil. We all realized that the next time we would see him would be at the gates of Hell.. Aka, 2 a Days, or, Phil’s paradise. This warm and fuzzy side of Phil we had seen for the past 10 days was something to cherish. We’ll forever remember the happy times we shared, and the next time we want to curse him on the field, we’ll just dig up these memories and try to manage a smile. <3

But on a real note, we learned some very important lessons on the trip. The most important Danish term that Hannah and I (Gabby) learned was “udsalg” that translates to “sale” in English. And you best believe there were some excellent sales in Copenhagen. CHA-CHING (Sorry, Dad). We also learned that you always have to be alert on the streets because they are crawling with men. We’re not talking like “red-zone,” be on the lookout for creepers, we’re saying keep an eye out for the thousands of Calvin Klein model lookalikes. It’s safe to say that finding a boyfriend in the States is highly unlikely after this trip, as our standards have been set rather high (Phil knows).
We also learned not to take ice water, air conditioning, real cereal, and soft toilet paper for granted. (S/O to Momma D for always buying Charmin Ultra).

All in all, the trip was an amazing experience. Who wouldn’t want to spend 10 days in Europe with 15 of their best friends? (It’s getting cheesy now). But really, Santos is the best. We couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to call teammates. From the sightseeing to the shopping, to the soccer and interacting with the Danish girls, there was never a dull moment. The soccer was awesome to watch, and celebrating first place was something none of us will ever forget. Nothing makes a championship game more dramatic than a penalty shootout followed by a celebratory dog pile. We could go on for days, but we’ll save it.

Thank you to all the parents that accompanied us on the trip, even though sometimes we were taking care of you guys… You were super, nonetheless. And, thanks to Phil, Father Goose, for taking us under your Danish wing. We are eternally grateful (read in the Alien voices from Toy Story).

See you all at 2 a Days… Try to remember what we all look like smiling.

Gabby
Madi

It’s only day 8 of the Santos trip in Denmark, but it feels like we have been here a lifetime. As usual, we start our morning at 8:29 am with a nutritious breakfast consisting of unfrosted Frosted Flakes (editor’s note, a.k.a. Corn Flakes ;-) and warm milk. After a delightful meal full of good conversation and awkward eye contact, we met in the lobby at 9:30am. The troop moms (Joe Mazur and Mrs. Marconi) gather most of the team to head for Sweden. We also brought Laura, a member of the Danish U19 National Team, to be our guide. Other girls decided to spend a 3rd day in Copenhagen getting piercings and chasing Phil around.

After riding a train full of sweaty men and crying babies, we finally arrived in Malmo, Sweden. The quaint town had many restaurants, street performers, and of course shopping. We were very sad that Phil could not join us on our trip. Sightseeing just isn’t the same when you aren’t chasing a wild man around the busy streets of a foreign country. Also R.I.P to Phil’s crocs which he finally threw out today. Much like Phil, they too had no sole.

Phil, being the old rascal that he is, also planned for us practice with the Brondby professional women’s team in the afternoon. You would think that after spending the morning scoping out Sweden, we would be tired, but nope! Santos are known for their willful endurance and positive energy. We strutted out to the fields to play a little soccer. The coaches took us through a couple drills of juggling, possession, and small sided games. At this point, Phil must have wandered off because the practice seemed to be missing a certain “constructive criticism”. Not once did I hear the words “Ho Ly crap”. (editor’s note, training with 4 Danish full National Team players, who won the Bronze at the European Championships 9 days ago, and 4 U19 Danish National Team players might have improved the play. Although the highlight of the practice was Hannah Rodgers pulling a move and then nutmegging a U19 National Team player followed by a great amount of laughter and ridicule from her pro teammates ;-)

When the practice ended, we thanked the girls and headed for the club house for our final Danish meal. After Phil rejected our requests for fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, we (he) decided on grilled chicken for dinner. Phil must have forgotten all the fat jokes he made about us earlier because he took us out for ice cream afterwards. What a guy.

This being our last night in Denmark, we all packed our bags and prepared to say goodbye. We are all going to miss Denmark and the the great experiences.. Except maybe the breakfast of unfrosted frosted flakes (a.k.a Corn Flakes).

Abbey
AJ

Tracey, Kristen, and Mary busting rhymes here.

Versace Versace 9 am meet up in the big hotel lobby. On this day’s agenda: Hamlet’s castle and an amusement park. Quite the load. Phil made it a little easier for us to follow (aka try to keep up with his walk, which is the same pace as my sprint) by wearing a bright orange hat. Tak Phil.

To travel to our destination we hopped on our first train at 10:59am.
Then another train.
Then another train.
Then another train.

Finally, we made it to a tourist’s heaven: Hamlet’s castle – Kronborg. After some explaining that Hamlet was not an actual person, but a Shakespearian character based on an actual Danish prince, we were off! The castle we got to explore also offered inspiration for his book. The dungeon was quite an adventure to investigate, it was dark and cold, and if we learned anything from scary movies it’s that place was probably full of ghosts.

Phil said last year Botafogo got to the roof and recited some lines of Hamlet, how beautiful. But since we are nowhere near as classy as them, we were not allowed to go to the roof due to renovation.. Nuts.

After all the exploring we were famished! Only two meals a day was not cutting it for us hungry soccer girls. So Phil spared some mercy and let us eat, we tried some Danish flutes (sandwiches). Thank goodness because while eating we saw some fiionneee Swedish boys. Mmm. The refueling process finished and the swooning subsided, so we went off to catch yet another train.

Well worth the ride because our next stop was where Satan was spawned: Phil’s childhood neighborhood. Wonderful place. We saw his school, old house, and Grandmother’s house, we also got to see a rare site, a rather sensitive and reflective side of Phil. Quite refreshing.

To start heading to our final destination, the amusement park Tivoli, we traveled by bus and train. The group split up, some rode roller-coasters, some enjoyed the food, and the parents kicked back at a restaurant. At 9, half the group headed back and half stayed back to squeeze in some more rides. Those who stayed had quite the adventure getting back without Phil’s superior guidance and got off at the wrong stop but don’t fret, Phil swooped there to pick them up. Such a good guy. And that wrapped up the night.

Sunday was a new day full of promise. We got to do what we wanted to do all trip: shop for hours! Many girls got their ears pierced because why not?! It’s Denmark! Others just hit up some souvenir shops, churches, and some museums including one displaying the crown jewels.

With our legs aching we found our way back to the hotel with more buses and trains and we’re greeted with the news that we’re were getting Pizza for dinner. Best news of the day. These Danish have their pizza game on point.

After that heavenly meal we had to gear up for the profession football game at Brøndby Stadium. Mary and Tracey decided to be raw and paint their face to support the team! They ended up losing but it was definitely an interesting game! After some down time, the sun set and Sunday’s adventures came to an end.

Americans are taking over Denmark!

Sam, Hannah, and Fuster here! We want to tell you a little about the memorable experiences we have had the past two days here in the homeland of the great Phil Nielsen.

We woke up to a beautiful Thursday morning in Denmark, sun shining, and a slight breeze. Grabbing a delicious hotel breakfast and laying low, Team Chicago Academy-Santos prepared for the exciting championship game waiting around the corner.

During warm-ups the clouds broke a little and tried to rain on Santos’ game, but nothing was to stop them from achieving what they traveled 10 hours for. The whistle blew and the championship game started, Team Chicago Academy-Santos vs. Hillerod. With possession back and forth the regulation time ended 1-1 (goal by Sara assisted by Abbey) and led to a penalty kick shoot-out to decide the winner. With hearts beating fast, Sam, Mary, Gianna, Rachael, and Heather were lined up to take their respective shots. However, with a great save by Fuster, and a lucky miss by an opponent, the game ended after only four shots. Screaming in excitement, the whole team ran onto the field for a team dog-pile.

Once our name was called and we lined up for some awesome pictures with the trophy, the whole team broke out in song singing “We Are The Champions”. Each player got their own medal and a small speakers, that actually works very well and have come to good use!

After all the pictures and the celebrating we went back to the dorm rooms to get ready to go out to dinner. We walked through the town to the pizza place which seemed like forever because we were all tired from the games. After eating dinner we went to the mall, which happens to be very different from our malls. There was a grocery store, weird sizing, and to our surprise everything was in English! Phil waited patiently as we looked about, and on our way home out of no where Judy came off a bus passing by (we were all surprised she didn’t get lost). Once back at the hotel we all laid low and just laughed and talked with one another in our rooms and at the clubhouse (a little restaurant on the hotel property).

Next day we woke up bright and early to get to our favorite meal, breakfast at the hotel!! We walked down, all on time this morning, to find ourselves competing for the delectable food with a team from South Africa. Once out of the crazy battle for food, we all rushed to our rooms to get ready for the day’s adventures.

Meeting back downstairs in the lobby Santos was off and began its big trek into the city of Copenhagen. With a walk to the bus, a bus to the train, and a train to the canal, we began our wonderful tour of Denmark! We ran into a few minor problems, including: many close calls almost losing Phil (Olympic speed walker), Hannah and Gabby almost getting run over by the stampede of walkers, and many Santos left behind. We soon realized that we weren’t in Kansas anymore. With all the hustle and bustle of the journey into town, we finally took a break and soaked in the beautiful European architecture on a canal tour of Copenhagen. It was really cool to see the mix of the old buildings full of charm and the new buildings full of glamor come together to make such a remarkable city of Denmark.

After getting off of the canal tour, Phil cut us lose and we set off like wild animals (in groups of four or more), some looking for souvenirs, some for clothing, and most for FOOD! Gabby and Hannah shopped till they dropped! Fuster and AJ got juice at a unique place called Joe and The Juice. While others experienced the rich culture in and out of shops and trying the unique cuisine of the country.

We left the city mid afternoon on a quest to see the U19 national team game, Denmark vs Canada. It took a train and a bus to get there but once there Santos quickly realized they were a few chaperones short. Mrs. Marconi and Mrs. Rounce had failed to see everyone get off at our stop and continued to ride the bus after we had gone. Meanwhile the game was an exciting scoreless match even into the second half where it ended regulation time tied 1-1 to be settled by a penalty kick shoot out. The Danish were a force to reckoned with finishing all there penalty kicks and their goalkeeper, like a fierce animal, stopping most of the shots Canada had to offer.

Quickly after the game Santos chased behind the fast and furious Phil to get back to the hotel in time for dinner at the clubhouse. We then went to our rooms and had a dance party using the speakers we got from the championship win. With a lovely dance performed by Mary, Heather, Kristen and Katie directed by Tracy and choreographed by Abbey.

Shortly afterwards we got exciting news of an Olympic sized scavenger hunt/game extravaganza hosted by the amazing chaperones. We started off by deciding teams from all around the world, including: Nigeria, Egypt, ’Merica, and JaBOOTY! We then continued with a game of photo scavenger hunt, dizzy soccer, charades, and pictionary. The funniest game and team favorite of the night was probably dizzy soccer, which included us spinning in a circle around the soccer ball five times, dribbling the ball in between parents and then having to try and make it in the goal past Phil, only to throw it back to your team waiting patiently to get ’er done. It was funny to see our teammates struggle to dribble in a straight line, even funnier was probably Abbey wiping out, but especially Madi missing the goal about seven times!

After the games the chaperones treated all the participants in the Olympic Games to a nice cold dessert in the clubhouse. The team exhausted from the days events returned to their rooms to get a good nights rest for the activities that were planned for the next day.

Overall as you can see, we are having a pretty fantastic time in Denmark. And though the tournament may be over, the Santos crew is always finding new ways to have fun and most frequently have Phil yell at us ;) we love it here and are glad to share some of our experiences with you!

Love from Denmark!
Sam
Hannah
Fuster