Boys U12 DA Visits AS Roma
It’s been a busy month for Crossfire’s jet-setting DA teams, with three teams having competed in top-level European tournaments during March. And now the U-12 DA boys are getting into the travel act, as they arrived in Rome on Easter Sunday, set for a solid week of training, sightseeing and competitive matches.
The boys began their week with a Monday morning training session with AS Roma staff coaches at their Trigoria training base in beautiful Rome, before heading out for a day of exploration in the city center. They even bumped into the AS Roma first team while at Trigoria, though security was tight ahead of the club’s big UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal vs. FC Barcelona later this week.
On the second day, the boys’ are slated for a tour of AS Roma’s home stadium and all of the training facilities, before visiting the Colosseum to learn about one of the most famous symbols of Ancient Rome. That evening the boys face local competition from the AS Roma scuola calcio in a pair of friendly games. As the Crossfire BU-12 DA is comprised of a mix of players born in 2006 and 2007, there will be two matches each night in Italy, with each age group playing against a team of players with the same birth year.
On Wednesday, the Crossfire boys will take on their counterparts with friendlies vs. AS Roma 2006 and AS Roma 2007, after a day spent touring the Vatican, the Spanish Steps and other local sights. It’s a packed itinerary for the group, who are hoping to soak up as much soccer as possible while visiting our partners in the Italian capital, while also reserving plenty of time to learn as much about Rome as possible. On Thursday, after another training session with AS Roma, the team will depart for Florence, where they’ll stay for two days. This side-trip includes another set of touring sights to see, as well as training with Italy National Federation staff at Coverciano, home to the Italian National Teams. The team plays another pair of friendly matches in Florence, before heading back to Rome—with a quick stop in Assisi for lunch and sightseeing in the medieval city center. Then it’s AS Roma vs. Fiorentina at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, before a final day of training and taking in some of the Roma youth team’s official league games at Trigoria.
All in all, it promises to be a fun and exciting week for the young Crossfire DA players, who are excited for a trip as rich in history and culture as it is in soccer development.
