Over the Winter Break, Farragut soccer coach Cesar Robalino took six students to Munich, Germany for an eight-day trip to participate in the GFL Soccer Enterprises team camp. The players who went included Joey Ambrefe ‘18, Josh Biggins ‘17, Alex Fiorillo ‘19, Kaan Gezen ‘17, Dylan Miksch ‘19, Alex Oi Moreno ‘19, and Ivan Volkov ‘17.
“It was a way for some of the members of our team to gain invaluable experience playing alongside and against incredible players in Germany,” said Robalino, who also teaches Upper School Spanish.
GFL Soccer Enterprises is directed by Eddie Loewen, a former professional soccer player who grew up in Germany before moving to the United States to attain his BA in Health & Physical Education from Berry College in Georgia. The organization typically has teams in high school compete in Munich in preparation for their upcoming seasons.
Our students were part of a group of 50 kids from the United States. They were divided into different age and skill levels and competed against each other and against local teams in Munich.
During one of the games, it began to snow, which was a new experience for many of the kids who had never seen flurries before.
“It was amazing,” said Alex Fiorillo, a day student who grew up in St. Petersburg. “At first, it was kind of weird playing in it because you were stunned about it all, plus it became hard to see the ball. But then we got used to it. It was a lot of fun.”
The cadets also were able to attend professional matches featuring Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
“Those teams have some of the best players in the world so it was a great experience for our kids,” said Robalino.
