The Marin FC’s Gothia Cup journey began with 15 different rides.
The 14-15-year-old American team received a special boost before the football tournament in Gothenburg.
It was very difficult, but it was a good week, says Swedish coach Matthias Kudzumann.
For the Gothia Cup, the air strike was not particularly timely. Many teams had to change their travel plans and for Marin FC from California The Gothia Cup dream looked like it was shattered for the third year in a row.
Matthias Kudzumann – who has arranged trips to the tournament for 18 years – is the coach and manager of Marin FC. He’s faced with a seemingly miraculous mission when their trip to the three club’s three girls and three boys teams is cancelled.
– We tried to come up with a way to get over a hundred people and it ended up with a hell of a lot of bookings, says Matthias Kudzumann.
“Incredibly difficult”
He previously told the GP that the Marin FC team was split into 15 different rides and together they had stops in “every major city in Europe”.
– Instead of having a huge group booking and a few single bookings, we had to rebook all 100 of our seats and had to collect all the players with an adult. After an incredible number of restless hours and two days, we were able to put together a great puzzle, says Kudzuman.
– It was very difficult, but it was a good week.
Once Marin FC players are able to live out the dream of playing in the biggest youth tournament in the world.
– Some did not want to attend when everything was uncertain and the flight also became more expensive. We played with 12-13 players on our teams and that had an effect. All the boys and girls have done well and are incredibly tired, says Matthias Kudzumann.
Success for F14
Three of the six teams made it to Qualifier A and one of the F14 teams went to the Round of 16 Qualifiers. There, Icelandic Stejaran was a very strong contender and FC Marin fell 3-0.
– It’s a good group that plays at a high level at home in our Northern California region as well. So of course we had expectations from the girls. They were very good, persistent, and worked to avoid injuries. It’s a lot of fun, says Matthias Kudzumann.
