More of a general/personal question but do you feel the club is taking sufficient precautions with having youth matches? I know the recent virus flare up around Karvina definitely impacted local clubs at all levels in Silesia, granted that is very far from Prague... (and part of me suspects Opava was doing everything short of having "Coronavirus Parties" to avoid relegation through playoff cancellation).
Hard to say, but I hope so. It seems the teams will travel in and quickly out for games, not using lockers and such of other teams. As you know, lots of B-team players at Bohemka, Sparta, and Dukla got the virus at a Prague disco, putting us all on edge here as infection rates rise. Hoping all the players come back from Nymburk healthy.
A two-game mini tourney in Hradec Kralove on August 1. Got the bus at six in the morning for the 70-mile ride east. First game against Hradec, good side with decent academy ended 4-0 for Slavia. Alex played first half as a middie. The next game was the real test: Banik Ostrava. Team is from the mining, industrial northeast, not far from the Polish border. This is where Milan Baros and other famous Czech footballers got their start. They romp teams out east, the way Slavia and Sparta do in the west. Slavia got a convincing 4-1 result. Alex assisted on two goals. While he did not score, he was only player outside of goalie and three defenders to play entire match. Coach praised his quick long transition balls out to the wingers. Alex is being called on to distribute more, and seems to be improving on tracking back on defense; a deficiency in his game...
A few photos from this weekend's big tournament at Slavia where the top teams across the country battled it out over two days. Slavia won the tourney, beating Sparta in the final. Alex had a mixed bag. Started poorly on Saturday morning, and that kinda got him in the doghouse. Had two goals and an assist. Showed well in bits, but struggled with the heat, and coming back on defense...
All I can think of is like Titos Partizans when I see that uniform. Hard to make a more communist jersey if you tried.
Slavia was actually not well like by Communist regime at all since it was perceived as the club of the urban intellectuals and bourgeois. Their uniform long predates any Communist influence in the country.
Yeah, club was formed in the late 1800s, and was at first a biking club. Remember one guy from former Yugoslavia though who had a kid on the team for a while who was drawn to the club because of the star, like Red Star Belgrade...
That'd be nice. I think a change of scenery at some point will be in the cards, but right now, at 14, he needs to be at home. The team here is getting stronger, and the coach is very good. He's happy at Slavia.
August 15, a Saturday, but we're up at the crack of dawn to get Alex to Slavia by six fifty to get the bus to go to Hlinsko a small town on the border with Moravia some 100 miles or so southeast of Prague. It was a 'friendly' against FK Pardubice, and the last before the season opens next weekend in Liberec. Pardubice were promoted and will play in the top flight next season, so it's a team on the up. The U15s have won all their preseason games, and looked to continue that against Slavia. Told Alex he needed to make a statement with the game. He's played well in spots, but not great. He sat out the first half and Pardubice took it to us, taking a 1-0 lead. Alex was subbed in for the second half and played with intensity, scoring two goals and assisting on another into an open net as Slavia turned it around to win 4-1. The timing could be better. Alex was one of six Slavia players picked to play for the Prague U15 Regional Team at a four-day tournament. According to the information we've received, the tourney with all the regions of the country represented will serve as a showcase to start picking the U15 Czech National Team....
@Thundering165 Here's what I can tell you. I've sent video. They say they have him on file with a bio and a copy of his US passport. After a certain article appeared, I was contacted by someone here who said he was in touch with people at the federation who wanted to learn more about him. That's about it. I've had contact with a few 'talent' people, but nothing concrete. They said maybe, possibly, some foreign-based players could be called into a camp this fall. But the coronavirus pandemic has scrapped those plans as far as I know. The Czechs, however, are moving forward with camps in October...
Does the US even have a U-15 team going right now? I thought I remembered reading somewhere that they were basically suspending the operation of the "off-year" (U-15, U-16, U-18, etc.) teams due to the virus and money issues.
Yeah, your right. These younger age groups have for all intents and purposes been scrapped for now. It's a shame. Not saying he would have been called into a camp, but maybe there was a chance...Maybe in the future.
An interesting and - for me - very helpful thread. It is possible that our son will have a chance/opportunity to be tested for Slavia's U16 team...