National Team Takeover: Nic Jaimes

Nic Jaimes

Hello! My name is Nic Jaimes and I am 17 years old from Overland Park, Kansas. Like my teammate John Leisman, I also play for the Sporting Kansas City Academy, but as a forward or defender. In futsal, my position is ala.

This past weekend the team took a bus ride from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata. The bus ride was about six hours long but felt shorter than usual due to everyone playing cards, chatting, and blasting music. The hotel we stayed at in Mar del Plata was on the beach giving the team an amazing view and something to do with our time off. The days started with a team breakfast at around 9 am. After that we had a few hours of time off until lunch at 1 pm, so most of the team decided to take a walk on the boardwalk. After lunch we would go over game film for an hour, rest for an hour or so, then take off for our match.

We had two matches against Argentina while in Mar del Plata. We lost both but played our hearts out and improved greatly since our first game with the use of game film and team training sessions. Also, hanging out with the team on our time off has made our team chemistry skyrocket.

Being invited to Argentina to play has been a great honor and a huge improvement to my game. These games have taught me to make quick one- or two-touch passes, turn and face up with the ball as fast as possible, and take people on when the chance presents itself. We, as a team, are up against some of the best futsal players in the world and being able to contend with them and give them a strong battle in every match is something to be proud of. Tomorrow is our last game and I am hoping we can come out with a win!


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Nic Jaimes is on his first trip with the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team.

National Team Takeover: John Leisman

Hello/¡Hola! from Buenos Aires! My name is John Leisman and this is the first post from the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team camp in Argentina. I am 16 years old and from Kansas City, Missouri.

In soccer I play any forward position -- whether it is central or on the wing -- for Sporting Kansas City Academy in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. In futsal, I play pivo.

John Leisman

This is my first trip with the national team and I am honored to do the first blog post covering our trip!

This morning, the team woke up for 8 o'clock breakfast. The food and services of our hotel have been great and the people are wonderful. After breakfast, guys went back to their respective rooms to catch a few more winks of sleep or get ready for the day before getting treatment (if needed). Around 9:40, the team loaded the bus for the first training session of the camp. 

Getting out on the court with the others was great for a rookie like me. It gave me a chance to get a feel for the style of the play and learn from my more experienced teammates. After training, we returned to the hotel for lunch and then rested for a little bit. After some time to recover, the next session began. The second session was more tactical-based and allowed the coaching staff to implement some ideas for the games ahead. Following the second training, the team returned to the hotel once again and ate dinner. 

Getting to know the guys has been easy. Along with some of the other new players, my singing and acting skills -- or lack thereof -- are being called upon. As the team continues to come together, I am excited to see what we can produce on the court!

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John Leisman was selected for the Men's National Team after participating in the U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. program.