Generation adidas reflects on South Africa trip
Sojourn in African nation provides young stars fresh perspective
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From playing soccer on the fields in Johannesburg and Cape Town to watching the World Cup draw with the citizens of the host city.
From seeing Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto to his prison cell on Robben Island.
And being in awe of wild animals on a safari to being awed by children during some soccer clinics.
"It's a once in a lifetime experience," Nyarko said.
"The whole trip was just incredible," defender Tony Beltran said.
The team capped off its three-game tour with a 2-0 victory against the Ajax Cape Town reserve side Sunday as Nyarko scored one goal and helped set up another.
The MLS team finished with a 2-1 record, starting with a 2-0 win over the Orlando Pirates reserve team and before dropping a 2-1 decision to Santos.
"These teams are good," Red Bulls defender Jeremy Hall said. "They're very technical. Just getting those games and playing in this altitude helps our fitness level. It was perfect soccer [weather], nice and hot."
While the players said they enjoyed just about every part of the trip, their most memorable moment involved the soccer clinics they gave and the joy they brought to the children giving out soccer balls and T-shirts.
"I'm just blessed to be in the situation and to be able to to help those kids, enjoying the faces of the kids," Nyarko said. "It's just gratifying."
Toronto FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei agreed. "It was great to see how little they have, but they still enjoy soccer," he said. "In soccer you need only a ball and that's it. It was cool to interact with them, smile and have a good time."
Beltran, who plays for MLS champion Real Salt Lake, said he would remember just about everything on the trip, from Mandela's house to the poverty in some places to the draw.
"There's some stuff I've seen here that I've never seen before and I'll never see again in my life," he said. "Some of that is tough to swallow. You take what you can from the experience. Obviously the conditions in some parts of the country aren't that great, so we try to give back a little bit. It's nice doing that, but it's never enough. It's tough."
On Friday night, the players got an opportunity to watch the draw with the locals close to the Cape Town International Convention Center. They could not but help notice that the city has caught World Cup fever.
"It was beautiful," Hall said. "Me and some of the guys went and got some food. They had it on the big projection screen. Just the whole thing, when Mandela spoke, when they're announcing everything -- just the pride people have for their country is just beautiful. All colors white, black, mixed -- it's just beautiful. They are all sitting together. So I think the World Cup next summer is going to be awesome here."
As a native of Ghana, Nyarko understood how proud and excited Africans are of hosting the World Cup.
"It's unbelievable, man," said. "I know Africa has been waiting for this for a long, long time. Some people believed that it may never come to Africa. Luckily we got it and I think South Africa is the best nation at moment to host it. You can see all of the passion through towns, the backing and getting the place ready for the World Cup. I think it's going to be out of this world."
Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached at SoccerWriter516@aol.com. Views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
