When members of the ’94 Wilmington NC Cape Fear Beakers Boys Soccer Club set off for Perugia, Italy, they didn’t know what to expect. However, they knew that they would be training and participating in an international tournament that included players from several European countries, as well as the United States and Canada. Their coach, Antonio Saviano, tried to make them understand that many of their opponents would be bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled than the players they were used to facing. There would also be the question of playing on a larger field with eleven players per side, instead of the usual eight against eight. eight they were used to.

When they arrived in Italy, their week was planned out for them. There would be two training sessions, morning and afternoon, for Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday would be a day of sightseeing and an opportunity to rest. Thursday to Saturday they would compete in a tournament of eleven teams with at least two games a day. The championship final would take place on Saturday afternoon.

At 9:30am on Monday they all boarded the bus humming with excitement as they headed for their first session. Although they were jet lagged from having arrived the day before, their enthusiasm outweighed their lack of sleep. The parents spent the morning relaxing in the city, sightseeing, shopping and drinking cappuccinos. However, when the team bus returned for lunch, the lack of sleep and the demanding training session had obviously taken their toll. The children were exhausted and were told to eat lunch and go to their rooms to rest and recover before the afternoon session. Eleven-year-old Jack Sordellini was one of the few players to ask “what did I get myself into?” However, he recovered for the next session, as well as for the two on Tuesday, but he was always happy to return to the hotel to eat, swim with his buddies in the pool and just relax. Wednesday was a welcome day off, and many members of the team toured Rome and other parts of this beautiful country.

The games finally started on Thursday. Jack couldn’t wait and it didn’t take long for him to get what he had come for. Playing on the right wing, it seemed that all the balls in the first 10 minutes of the game were played on his part of the field and he was forced to make several long runs. The size and speed of his opponents were as advertised and the larger field along with the pace of the game tested his stamina. Once again he wondered if he was in over his head. The game eventually slowed down, and the Wilmington boys realized they could compete with their strongest opponents. This first game ended goalless in regulation, and Wilmington won on penalties. They played out the rest of the schedule in a similar fashion, and while they didn’t reach the tournament final, they clearly earned respect. His confidence grew with each match, both on and off the pitch.

Alex Gianoplus, 12, heard people in the crowd chanting his name, but who were they and how did they know his name? Were they rooting for him or against? Invited to be a guest goalkeeper for an Italian team, he didn’t understand the words his teammates were saying to him, but he got the general idea: keep the ball out of the net.

Even though the weather was hot, well over 90 degrees, Alex was outfitted in a long-sleeved T-shirt and his socks were pulled up above his knees. The artificial turf, which was more than 10 degrees above air temperature, had given her knees and elbows a nice layer of raw skin. That was the price he paid, as he had spent the week during practice and games throwing his body in all directions making acrobatic saves.

But now he was playing in the semifinals as Italy’s guest goalkeeper and he could hear his name from the stands. As the opposition deftly advanced the ball towards him on attack, he was amazed at the accuracy of his passing. Following the play on the left, he sensed that the ball would be crossed to the other side. In a split second the ball was deflected to his right and out of nowhere one of the attackers rushed in at the perfect moment to head it into the net. Alex instinctively lunged to the right of him and held out both arms. The ball appeared to be already in the net when Alex’s outstretched arms knocked it into the corner of the field, where one of his defenders cleared it downfield. As he landed on his tender elbows, he heard the rhythmic chant of the crowd: ALEX! XANDER! XANDER! Hmm. I guess they’re supporting me, he thought.

When the game was over, Alex went up to the stands to watch the next game. He found out that his new fan club was a group of players who had a vested interest in Alex’s team’s victory. Alex sat among his new friends to meet, joke around, watch the game, and trade sweaty t-shirts as souvenirs. Although there was a language barrier, they clearly knew that they had a common bond.

Later, after the top two teams played for the championship, all the teams and their parents came down to the field for an awards ceremony. The host of the tournament stood before a table of magnificent trophies for the winning teams. He thanked all the participants and then handed out the prizes. The first, he announced, was for the ‘giocatore piu giovane’. Jack Sordellini didn’t know what they were saying, but he caught his name and went up to collect the trophy from him for being the “youngest player” in the tournament.

The tournament director continued and then held up the next large cup that had the inscription “miglior portiere” on it. Alex Gianoplus heard his name and found out that he was named the “best goalkeeper” of the tournament.

The next day, Jack and Alex waited patiently at the airport to go home. All their luggage had been checked in except for a small carry-on and, of course, two huge trophies. While waiting for their flight, they sat down and talked about their week that seemed to have started so long ago.

Somehow, her memory of the week changed a bit. The practice sessions on Monday and Tuesday didn’t seem all that grueling in hindsight. In his mind, the opponents weren’t as big as they seemed. The field shrank a bit and the cramps from running in the blazing sun couldn’t even be remembered. Grass-burned knees and elbows were little more than a fading memory…