It’s spring break. Some Northwestern athletes, in the midst of their season, are stuck in the thirty-something-degree weather of Evanston. The lucky ones are playing in places like Florida or Texas.
And then there are the men’s soccer players, who are in Spain sitting on their hotel balconies overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
The team trained for its spring season in Marbella, Spain, a town on the country’s southern tip and home of a training facility that is arguably the best in Europe. Teams from across the continent travel to the Marbella Training Camp for its perfect weather and beautiful views.
Coach Tim Lenahan took his team to Marbella as a reward for turning the program from the 0-17 club in place when he arrived in 2001 into last season’s NCAA tournament-appearing team.
“It was a reward for the seniors-to-be who committed to come build this team,” Lenahan said. “I always had a vision of the guys traveling there.”
The Wildcats finished with a 3-2-1 record in Spain while playing against three club teams and three professional teams. The training facility arranged the matches.
The Wildcats, who went 15-6-2 last fall, had little trouble going 3-0 against the “very bad” club teams, Lenahan said.
But the professional teams were “very good,” Lenahan said. NU held its own in the first halves of the games, ending one first half ahead and another tied. But the Cats’ professional opponents won two of three, with another ending in a tie.
“The pro teams were quicker, smarter and in better shape,” said junior Brad North, a forward who scored five goals on the trip. “These guys definitely didn’t want to get beat by a bunch of Americans, especially college kids. But it was a great experience for us, playing pro teams. It was a whole different level.”
Other than playing professional teams, the highlight of the trip was catching a game played by Real Madrid, a member of Spain’s premier league. There the Cats got a taste of Bernabeu Stadium and its 80,000-person capacity.
“I enjoyed seeing that many people come out for a soccer game,” said freshman Matt Witt, who scored five goals on the trip. “The stadium was filled. Pretty much like the whole city of Madrid, right? They all came out just to support their city. It was awesome.”
After the game, the Cats had a team dinner where they met Real Madrid star Santiago Solari, whom Lenahan coached for a year at Richard Stockton college before Solari went on to play in Europe.
Restaurant staff had to close window blinds to keep fans out as Solari signed autographs and took pictures with the NU team, North said.
“It’d be like meeting Sammy Sosa over there,” North said. “It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”
The Cats did take some time off from soccer to enjoy their oceanfront resort, spending time on the beach and in the pool.
Some ventured into town and tried to use some Spanish but ended up “using a lot of pointing and hand gestures,” North said.
The team raised money through alumni and parents, and proceeds from its spring fundraisers will also go toward the trip.
According to NCAA rules, a team can travel outside the country to train only once every four years.
“It was just the whole experience,” North said, “Spanish soccer, professional sports and just hanging out with each other. It was a lot of fun.”
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