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By Kim J. Harmon

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By Kim J. Harmon

MANCHESTER, England – A calm sea of green, a perfectly manicured soccer field … is there a better place in the world to be?

Not to Adam Margulies, 13, of Newtown. Earlier this month, Margulies traveled with the YPT (Youth Professional Training) U13/14 team on its European tour of London, England.

And it was a successful tour, at that.

YPT – based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – played four games against youth teams sponsored by premier, first- and second-division professional clubs in and around Manchester. And with two wins and two draws, YPT returned home having achieved everything it hoped to … and more.

“Coach admitted he didn’t expect us to do as well as we did,” said Adam.

The 16-member team was selected after a series of rigorous tryouts that lasted throughout the spring and featured players from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia. The squad was coached by John Fisher, 36, who has – in the past – taken American youth squads to the Netherlands and other European locales.

To earn a spot on the team, all Adam had to do was drive (with his mom or dad at the wheel) once or twice a week to the Downingtown practice fields in Pennsylvania to train and later make a 265-mile trip to participate in a camp at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.

The effort paid off.

YPT landed at London Gatwick airport on Wednesday, August 6, and only a few hours later participated in a light training session before watching a pre-season match between Bolton (with Nigerian star Jay Jay Ococha) and Majorca of Spain.

The following afternoon, YPT headed to the Carrington Training Center operated by Manchester United. Perhaps the finest soccer facility in the entire world, Carrington boasts 18 – yes, 18 – perfectly manicured fields.

A calm sea of green.

“It was a dream place,” said Adam. “One of the best things I have ever seen.”

There, YPT watched the United States U17 national team play the Manchester United U17 club in a prelude to the U17 World Cup (which began in Finland the following week). The game offered the YPT players a chance to see international phenom Freddy Adu score a goal and assist on another before being injured.

Following the match, the YPT players rubbed elbows – and had pictures taken – with American star Tim Howard, the Man U goaltender.

YPT had a chance to watch another friendly match – a BIG match between Manchester United and Arsenal. The game – in an 80,000-seat retractable-roof stadium – was between the winner of the league (Man U) and the winner of the cup (Arsenal) from the previous year and it ended with Man U winning in penalty kicks.

On Thursday, August 6, YPT departed for its first match against Preston North End of the English first division. The YPTers scored within the first two minutes of the game on an own goal (scored off a deflection from a shot by Taylor Heisel). YPT would go up 3-1 before Preston rallied for two goals and the 3-3 draw.

Right away, YPT got a taste for English soccer.

“They are very aggressive and tackle a lot harder,” said Adam, who saw teammate Sean Smith break his arm after getting tackled from behind. “They also had a great passing game. We definitely learned a lot from them.”

But the English learned a little bit from the Americans, too.

On Saturday, August 9, a day after visiting the “Theater of Dreams” in Old Trafford and the Manchester United Museum (not to mention the Manchester United Megastore), YPT put a stamp on its European tour with an amazing 3-3 draw against the Man U academy team.

“It was a great result,” said Adam, “and (Man U) was pretty upset about it.”

Within the first minute of the game, YPT shocked Man U with a quick goal on a shot by Taylor Heisel that led to a referee’s assistant remarking, “Well, that wasn’t in the script, was it?” About five minutes later, Man U tied the scored, but YPT went back up, 2-1, with a goal in the opening minute of the second period (academy teams play three periods instead of two halves). Man U soon knotted the score at 2-2, setting the stage for some real dramatics.

Heading into the final period, Man U picked up its intensity and tried to lay some extra pressure on the YPT backfield in an attempt to force a turnover. Man U did force a turnover, but Adam made his best save of the tour to keep things even.

With five minutes left to play, YPT took the lead on a goal by Chris Harmon (off a terrific cross from Connor Gorman). Man U avoided the shocking upset, though, when it scored off a free kick inside the final minute of play.

After that amazing draw, YPT took on Wrexham of North Wales, a second division club, and came away with a convincing 5-3 win. “It wasn’t second-division standard,” said Adam, “but they were very good. They could have played with Man U.”

The last game of the European tour was against Canary Wharf, a rag tag group of kids in mismatched uniforms playing on a field managed by the first-division Milwall club. “It was probably the worst field we played on,” said Adam. “There were cones for touch lines and an 18-yard box that was really hard to find.”

YPT defeated Canary Wharf, 2-1, finishing off a 2-2-0 trip (English soccer lists draws before losses because draws earn a point in the standings). The YPTers never trailed and, thus, outscored their opponents 13-10.

“We didn’t know how we’d do,” said Adam. “We weren’t going over there with any set goals, but just to do the best we could.”

Which was all Coach Fisher could have asked for.

Adam has been playing soccer since the age of six and after spending three years in goal for Brookfield’s premier and travel teams, he will now play goal for Oakwood, a premier team based in Glastonbury. He also is a goalkeeper in the Connecticut ODP, which selected and trains young players who show exceptional promise.

Adam is an eighth grader at Newtown Middle School this fall.

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