The Cornell men's soccer team is training this week in the Toronto area, spending five days in Canada as part of the program's first foreign tour since the spring of 2006. The Big Red is also playing six matches against top-level Canadian competition, both amateur and professional sides, as the players prepare for the upcoming season. During the trip, selected players will keep fans and supporters informed on their travels through journal updates, posted at CornellBigRed.com.

Canadian Trip Photo Gallery



Day One: Saturday, May 22nd
By Shane Merriman

The team met at Bartels Hall early Saturday for a 5 a.m. departure. Despite the early hour, there was clearly a sense of excitement in the air as we loaded up the bus. After leaving Ithaca, we drove for about three hours until we arrived at Niagara Falls. It was the first time many of us had been to the falls, especially the Canadian side. The power of nature is incredible!

A few memorable photos later, we jumped back on the bus and drove until we got to the Toronto FC stadium, BMO Field. Before even entering the stadium, we were able to notice how the Canadian fan atmosphere differentiated itself from the American environment, for we could hear a cacophony of singing fans, drums, chants, and whistles emanating from the stadium. Once inside, we got to enjoy the thrilling atmosphere as Toronto FC beat New England 1-0 in a very exciting match. After the game, we checked in to our hotel, watched the rest of the Champions League final as a team on TV, then took a walk through the streets of Toronto to dinner.

The city was very clean and beautiful, and our Canadian teammates gave us a mini-tour which featured an impressive robotic Elvis street performer. The walk also exposed us to the diversity of Canada, where we saw an eclectic mix of restaurants, shops, and people of many different cultures. Dinner at the Duke of Richmond pub in Eaton Centre was delicious and hit the spot after a long day of traveling. In fact, the meal was so good and we were so tired that Rick Pflasterer fell asleep at the table after he finished, just like an old man. After dinner, we got a few hours on our own to explore the city and enjoy the nightlife. Most of us, however, decided to rest up for the intense competition ahead.

Day Two: Sunday, May 23rd
By Jimmy Lannon

So today, we started off the day doing some sightseeing. We stopped by the CN Tower, which looks like a modernized version of the Eiffel Tower, as well as the Rogers Center, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. After snapping a few photos and checking out the area, we headed off to the Zahn household for a lovely pre-game meal. To clarify, Will Zahn lives in a “cribs-esque” condo just outside the center of industrial Toronto (apparently near the residences of slope day's Drake and K-Os). After lunch we took a post-food walk up to the “Casa Loma,” a huge castle on the outskirts of the city which was pretty impressive and provided some much needed shade as the temperature gradually heated up as we approached game time.

Around 3:30 we pulled into the stadium for our first match against GS United, a former national champion of the highest amateur men's league in the country, boasting some former pros and college players from around the area. With a lot of travel hours in our legs and the first time playing together in a true game atmosphere in almost a month, the game started off a bit slow, but once we got our legs under us, we started to take control of the game and held strong, effective possession. We were able to make the first breakthrough midway through the first half when Shane Merriman's great pressure all but dispossessed a United defender leaving an easy pick up for me and a fairly simple breakaway gave us a 1-0 lead - a much needed goal made by some great defending from our forwards. As the game carried on, our fitness started to really come through and by the second half we were beginning to dominate the play. The all-important second goal came after a great ball over the top by Riley Taiji put me in behind the defense and after a one-time cross the track star, Chase Aaronson, neatly finished, giving us a two-goal cushion. The defense was stout with Stengel, Riley, Adam, Craig, Dimitar, Walt turning back all the United attacks. Scott Brody made sure to keep the shut out with some solid goalkeeping, controlling the field from his 18. A solid 2-0 win to start the week's games, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

After being hosted by the very generous players and administrators of GS United for a dinner of different international foods representing the diverse nature of the club and its players, we were quickly off to our next set of matches, a tri-scrimmage against both Portugal FC and Brampton Lions. In the first 45 minutes we played the boys from Brampton Lions. Warmed up by the previous game, we were able to get off to a fast start and put pressure on them from the opening whistle.

Three clinical goals followed with Chase Aaronson showing off his speed on a breakaway, Will Zahn finishing low after beating his man one on one, and finally Adam Hardie blasting a driven shot by the keeper to seal the game. The defense along with Rick in goal held down the back, posting another strong shut out and securing a 3-0 win in the first half.

Immediately after the first half, the boys jumped into the last 45 of the day. Testing our fitness, we played hard and smart, absorbing the pressure from a strong Portugal FC team. The defense was stellar yet again, this time with Martin Yu in between the posts. After a great clearance from Craig Dimbleby, we were able to get a fantastic hustle goal from Scott Caldwell after a well-hit cross from Jamil Fatti, who's finally back from injury and making an immediate impact. In a much tougher game, we were able to battle a bit of fatigue and secure the win through some smart and opportunistic play.

So after the final whistle and some post-game singing on the bus, we grabbed a bit of food and headed to bed, finishing the day with 6 goals for and 0 against and a 3-0 record. Not a bad start for the boys in Red.

Day Three: Monday, May 24th
By Jeff Zimering

Happy Victoria Day! Understandably, many of us were unaware as to the significance of today's Canadian national holiday. Looking to our resident Canadians on our team (Riley Taiji and Will Zahn) for some answers and explanations, we were shocked, surprised, and somewhat appalled to find that they were unable to provide a sufficient story behind the celebratory occasion. So, I felt it was necessary to do a little investigative work of my own. Victoria Day is held on the second to last Monday in May each year to celebrate the birthday of Queen Victoria and mark the start of the summer months. Festivities include picnics, barbecues, and dazzling fireworks displays similar to the cultural customs seen on Memorial Day in the United States.

We checked out of our amazing downtown Toronto hotel this morning, leaving behind scenic views of the city's skyline and the rhythmic beats of dance music from the many nightlife spots surrounding us within the Entertainment District. After our delicious breakfast at 9 am, we packed up the bus and headed to Scarborough for our 2nd match in as many days against a very talented GS United squad. They proved to be stiff competition for our team, as we battled back from a goal down to score late in the 2nd half (thanks to a touch from Chase Aaronson) and earned a hard fought 1-1 tie. After the game, both teams escaped the mid-day heat and enjoyed each other's company with sandwiches and cold drinks in a cool spot under a shaded tree.

We boarded the bus again en route to the York region of Ontario for our last game of the day against the York Jets. The 35 minute ride from Scarborough to York was just the right amount of time for us to digest both the last game and our food. Hungry for more, we took to the pitch in search of a positive result. And that's just what we got! With a scoreless draw, we improved our two-day cumulative match record to an unbeaten 3-0-2. Following the conclusion of the game, the York Jets hosted a barbecue for our team at their clubhouse. The amount of food served was unbelievable! Just as we were thinking we had been mistaken for the royalty for which this day honors, our kind hosts ended the evening with a marvelous fireworks show!

We are truly grateful for the hospitality and generosity of both GS United and the York Jets. Through these post-game gatherings, we were able to meet and interact with people of many different interests and backgrounds as well as hear stories about Coach Jaro as a standout player in his youth here in Toronto.

Upon arrival at our new hotel in a suburb called Brampton, we went for a quick swim and soaked our legs in the whirlpool. We were disappointed to find that the monster water slide was closed. Requiring a lifeguard for operation, we quickly volunteered our two experienced lifeguards (Matt Stengel and Corey Marsh) to oversee the slide. However, the management team at the front desk was not to be persuaded. Hopefully, there will be a lifeguard on duty in the coming days to attend to our childish desires and needs.

It's been a long day. The guys are getting ready for bed. With some sleep, we'll be prepared to tackle the exciting challenges that lie ahead tomorrow. Until then, signing off…

Day Four: Tuesday, May 25
By Riley Taiji, Will Zahn, Rick Pflasterer

After a strenuous couple of days of soccer, today came as a nice and mellow change of pace.  We had one game scheduled for 6 o'clock, and were given all hours before to explore the great city of Toronto (or as the natives call it, "Toorono"). A lot of the guys chose to spend this time horizontal and rest up for the game - daytime television and heavy amounts of fluid can do the body a service (Rick Pflasterer even admits to engaging in an undisclosed number of Hannah Montana episodes). But a special select group had the courage and virility to experience the raw energy of Toronto on an early Tuesday afternoon.

With the help of our amazing bus driver/guiding light, Todd, we entered the city of Toronto full of hope and with ample time for adventure. Needless to say, the city was nothing less than spectacular. But between the beautiful sunny weather and the great unique shops like Roots, the city exceeded all expectations, and even managed to silence the New Jersey-ite (is that right?) critics of Canada.
 
The game finally rolled around later that day and we were ready. Due to some complications beyond our control, the game ended up getting pushed back to a 9 PM kickoff. We we had a strong opponent in Portugal FC, a team that plays in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and was a mix of former MLS players and Canadian youth national team players. We played a solid game with all pistons firing and had several scoring attempts, but were unable to finish until sophomore transfer Jamil Fatti tied the game in the waning seconds to secure the tie. A draw was probably a fair representation of the even-sided match.

After the game, the boys headed either to Applebees or Casey's for a late-night, post-game meal, and even former Cornell captain and fellow Canadian, Aaron Vieira, dropped by to say hello to the team and share a meal.

Overall, it was a nice little Tuesday.

Day 5: Wednesday, May 26
The end of the tour
By Jimmy Lannon

The final day of the tour gave the team some great experiences we won't soon forget. An early wake-up call saw us off and on the bus around 9:30 en route to the training facility of Toronto FC, where we were able to observe the team's training session, a day before they were to take off for a game in San Jose. The speed of play and intensity was both exciting and eye opening for the members of the team hoping to one day live the dream of a professional soccer player. We had a great time watching the things they did similar to us in their sessions, and even got to meet a living American soccer legend, Toronto coach Preki. He gave us a short speech and was grateful for our support. Personally, like some of the other boys, I was somewhat in awe of this guy - I could remember watching him play in the earliest days of my soccer life.

After he spoke to us, we were able to meet some of the other members of the coaching staff (assistant coaches Mike Toshack and Nick Dasovic) as well as some of the players who were down to earth and genuinely nice guys. It was cool for me to finally meet Nick LaBrocca, a Toronto FC player who went to the same high school as me several years before I got there. It was interesting to talk about some of our extremely similar experiences and what it takes to make it to the next level. Overall, the chance to watch true professionals in their element, and even see that their situation is not so different from our own, was both educational and a great way to start our last day in Toronto.

Our Toronto FC experience didn't end at the training session though. After practice, we took our bus about a half hour away back to BMO Field, Toronto's home stadium, for a thorough tour of the facilities and the inner-workings of a professional soccer organization. The stadium was amazing and the extent to which the players were taken care of was even more impressive. We were able to check out their indoor training facilities, their weightlifting centers, and even the incredibly professional set-up for their youth teams' locker room. As we checked out the away team's locker rooms, we even got the chance to chat with a couple of the players, most notably Chad Barrett, who scored the match-winner from the game we attended Saturday vs. the Revolution. It was pretty cool to talk with him about his time in college and also to see that he wasn't much different from ourselves, cracking jokes and complaining about the practice fields.

After checking out the locker rooms , we poked our heads into the player's lounge and, after Brody and Craig awkwardly ran into Toronto FC legend Danny Dichio, we were off to the top of the stadium where we got the full effect of the team's place in the culture of Toronto. From the press box, we were able to look out on the vast expanse of the Toronto skyline. All the places we visited, as well as those we weren't able to get to on our trip, were in full view; a great background to the final team snapshots of the trip.

After the tour, with a long layover ahead of us before the seventh and final game of the trip, many of the boys looked to soak in their last true Canadian experience with our final trip to Tim Horton's. After the trip to Timmy Ho's (Zim's name, not mine) most of us headed to the movies where the group was split — those trying to prove their manliness went to Robin Hood, while those of us comfortable with ourselves hit Shrek: Forever After. I was obviously at Shrek and couldn't be happier with my choice. Shane Merriman was outright giddy with the movie absolutely singing its praises (sort of).

But as always, after the fun came the game. In the defining game of the trip, we would take on Oakville Soccer Club, widely considered the best college-aged club soccer team in the entire country. Despite the heavy workload put in by all the players, it was clear that we were out to make a statement in this last game, determined to end the trip right. From the start we looked as fresh as ever, the countless number of spring beep tests clearly paying off. We were energized and dangerous, creating multiple scoring opportunities and really dominating the play. After some unlucky bounces and great saves by the opposing keeper, it looked like we weren't going to catch a break until Chase Aaronson broke through and blasted a shot from a difficult angle past the keeper. Personally, I think the track star got fed up with the whole passing issue and decided to let fly, a great decision as far as I'm concerned. From that point on the game was ours, playing physically and passionately. The game was eventually sealed in the second half when Adam Hardie put away his second goal of the trip after a long ball into the box and a brilliant pass off the goal keeper by Chase - it was truly incredible the way he angled the pass off the goalie's knees directly to Adam.

When the final whistle blew, I know for certain it was met with a very hefty sigh of relief. It was finally the end of one of the most demanding weeks of soccer we've all ever had to endure. Finally, we'd be able to take a deep breath and look at nothing but summer in front of us. But in that relief, I know that there was a real sense of disappointment. Not in the results - you couldn't ask for anything more than an undefeated seven games in four days. Nor in the lack of touring, because we did and saw about as much of Toronto as you can in that period of time. But disappointment in the fact that it was over. I may catch some heat for this last part, but I know as demanding as the schedule was, I enjoyed every minute of it. Being around the team with nothing but soccer to worry about was as relaxing as it gets and the experiences we shared are stories we'll carry with us for a long time.

So while our bumps, bruises, blisters, and ankles heal (Riley and Shane), I know that we can all look back at this trip as a defining moment for this team moving forward. The Canadian Tour was not only the final memory of the 2009-2010 season, but was also the first step to a successful 2010-2011 campaign. It was a step we took with both intensity and enthusiasm, something we can be proud of. But even more important, this team's desire for the game and commitment to each other bodes very well for the future. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Big Red this fall.