B04 return from Spain after participating in the Iber Cup
As the LFC Boys 2004 team trip to Barcelona, Spain has come to an end, team manager Christina Ortiz leaves us with this touching parting message about the overall experience in the Iber Cup.
“First I wanted to address the AM Sports Tours and our hosts Marc, David and Callum. From the beginning the AM Sports team was very hands on and I felt like they covered every detail. I am a hard person to impress when it comes to our club and the expectations I put on others to make sure our club and boys are always represented well and with our motto One Club, One Family, One Mission. I feel like the AM Sports Tours team went well above the call of duty to not only provide our group with a trip of a lifetime but to make sure we were well prepared and ready to compete at the highest level at the Iber Cup. Every detail from the transportation, Hotels, Lunch and Dinner locations, local points of interest, scrimmages and training facilities were well above and beyond our expectations. I appreciated the way our hosts (AM Sports Tours) handled the group through the city and the processes they had in place to make sure our boys safety was their main priority. I love that the hosts kept soccer as the main focus but encouraged the group to enjoy all of Barcelona. AM Sport Tours also documented our group and their success on their social media platforms which expanded our clubs footprint and 04 team reach further out to new areas. Which is always a good thing.
Second the Iber Cup tournament was a great showcase to have the club/team participate in. Each game was very competitive and the international aspect was highlighted in every game. Even though the boys were there representing USA, they were also representing Legends FC. And by the end of the final everyone knew who they were and what club they represented. And the boys took pride in that.
The boys started the competition as one team fighting for each win. As the week went on the boys connection grew stronger and by the final game they were not only one team but one family competing side by side at a very high level. To see the development in each of the boys throughout the competition was amazing. All of the parents were impressed to see the boys grow mentally and physically as the competition went on. The team played 9 games in 7 days and made it all the way to the finals in their age group. Unfortunately we lost in PKs in the final but the boys left the field with their heads held high.
We were lucky to have two Spanish guest players with us for the whole week and by the end of the tournament both of them had taken on our motto: One Club, One Family, One mission. And not because we spoke of it but because the boys lived it in everything they did.
Our guest players even addressed it in the letter they wrote the boys at the end of the trip.
This is in translation from their letter, it was written in Castilian (Spanish).
One Club- You made us feel a part of you competing side by side reaching the final. We feel like champions
One Family- We have felt like family in all those moments shared outside of the field.
One Mission- As a mission we understand to fulfill the objective to grow and enjoy sportingly and personally with you and we are fulfilled.
At the end of it all it was a wonderful time of great soccer and friendships that will last a lifetime.
I hope we can do it again before these boys age out to college. Not only for the memories but to continue developing these boys into the players they can be.
And Finally I am thankful to the team with AM sports tours. I don’t think this week would have gone as smoothly as it did without them. They truly made a difference and I hope to see them again.”
