Every day, Michael Preston, who is responsible for Team USA media relations, will post a blog here on GlobalFootball.com…
Next time a member of Team USA asks for a ride somewhere or grabs the keys to his car, just offer one word as an alternative: walk.
Walking to and from practice for the day’s activities and back again to the stadium has become commonplace for the 40-player roster who are discovering that there is a healthy and efficient means to travel other than sitting behind the wheel.
Dropped by their host families at Kawasaki Station, many players take a 15-minute walk to the stadium and team practice site, then make the same journey back again in the late afternoon. On Thursday, in blustery and rain-swept conditions, the sidewalk was a familiar path as Team USA paced their way to and back from a shopping mall and giant electronics store in addition to their standard walk to and from practice.
The logic is simple. Kawasaki’s grid-locked traffic can be overtaken by walkers mingling with the city’s large number of bicyclists and going by foot is usually quicker and more effective than going by car. But Thursday threw up a few challenges, not least the problem of preventing the umbrellas that are either given out free of charge by a hotel front desk or purchased for a few dollars from turning inside out or blowing away in the gale-force winds. The wind toppled over the majority of bikes that are usually parked immaculately side by side throughout the city and generally cooled the morning temperature. Bikes, by the way, are rarely locked and never stolen it seems. Umbrellas are also left outside shops in special stands and, again, are only ever retrieved by their owner.
As a result of the weather, Team USA (especially the Arizona contingent) were relieved to vacate the cold practice field they shared with a group of cheerleaders who themselves perfected their routines while loud dance music blared over the stadium speakers as Team USA attempted to practice. Coach John Storey from Villa Angela St Josephs in Cleveland was seen but sadly not photographed dancing to the universally popular song YMCA.
The steady rain forced coach Scurran’s coaching clinic to be held inside as a healthy number of local Japanese coaches attended, their minds set on improving basic football fundamentals in the Japanese game.
For the players, the washed out afternoon provided an opportunity to visit a giant electronics goods stall and a shopping mall before taking a bus to the Toshiba factory tour.
Thursday night will be their last one with the host families before the team relocates to the coaches’ Sunroute Hotel in Kawasaki in preparation for game day. The players will be back in their new homes for two nights afterwards.
The evening gave Team USA organizer and Team Manager Patrick Steenberge an opportunity to catch up with some of his old Notre Dame friends who are either living in Japan these days or visiting for the Boston Red Sox preseason and regular season games. Patrick played quarterback for the Irish in the early 70s (take a look at the video on this page http://www.globalfootball.com/about.html) and took the Team USA coaches and staff to meet his friends.
The journey to and from the bar in Tokyo included navigating the subway and it’s never-ending boards of jumbled signs and ticket machines, changing trains and walking (naturally) and on the return journey we managed to retrace our steps, avoiding the alternative of a $200 taxi ride!
Patrick, it should be mentioned, has put his arm to good use on this trip, acting as quarterback whenever Daniel Nicholas is resting his arm. During Thursday’s practice he threaded a perfect long pass to the outside shoulder of a receiver who was in tight coverage. He still has it!
Still to come on Friday… the culinary likes and dislikes of Team USA, the Asakusa tour, preparing for kickoff…
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