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: Mark Litton

Mark Litton

My name is Mark Litton and I am the goalkeeper coach for the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team. I have the honor and priviledge of working with two of the best futsal goalkeepers our program has ever produced -- Danny Waltman and Jeff Richey.

After a quiet day off yesterday, today was a very long day as we traveled this morning from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata to play Argentina for our 3rd and 4th games.  The 6-hour bus ride was a wonderful bonding experience for the players and staff as they played cards, sang songs, and just enjoyed each others' company.

This is my first trip to Argentina, so it was nice to experience the landscape and sites along the way.  I am from Wisconsin, and the landscape is very similar, including the miles and miles of cows everywhere!  We arrived in Mar del Plata around 5pm local time, which gave us enough time to check into our hotel rooms, grab a quick pre-game meal, and then load up the bus to head to the arena 20 minutes away.  The arena in Mar del Plata is very nice.  Much larger than the Villa La Nata Sporting Club arena in Buenos Aires that we played our first two games in.

We came out with the same fire and intensity to start the game that we have become known for.   Each of our games against Argentina has given us the opportunity to learn more about our opponents, and learn more about ourselves, and the areas that we need to continue improving.

Today's game saw several areas of improvement over the last two games, but we are still falling short against one of the best teams in the world.  Tonight's contest ended with a 5-1 loss to Argentina.  They are so organized and experienced, and every player executes.  Even though we have lost our first three games, this has been invaluable experience for our futsal program and players, as we are preparing for the 2016 CONCACAF qualifying tournament and hopefully -- if we qualify -- the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup that will be held in Bogata, Columbia.

Tomorrow we play Argentina in our fourth and final game.  In preparation, we will have a light morning training session with the team, then the coaching staff will watch game film tomorrow afternoon.  But for now, our long day is finally winding down.  The players are off to bed, and the coaching staff is soon to follow.  Thank you to everyone following this blog and supporting our U.S. National Futsal Team!  Go USA!

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Mark Litton is the goalkeeper coach of the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team.

National Team Takeover: Pat Healey

It was team bonding day.

Healey is third row right,
shown here on the team bus.

We original had plans to do some sightseeing in Buenos Aires today, but some things are out of our control, and we had to stay in the hotel all day. For most teams, this might be a little upsetting.  Players would just sit in their rooms all day and sleep the day away, but this team has what all teams look for: CHEMISTRY.

The team started out with an early breakfast to get the right nutrition in our body to prepare for the hard four games in five days.  After breakfast, guys either got treatment with the excellent medical staff or got an hour more of sleep. After an afternoon of lunch and a gym session on your own to get the lactic acid out, the team bonding continued.  Guys hung out and played FIFA, listened to music, or played a card game called 22.

The night ended with a great dinner and a film session of yesterday's game.  The 2-0 defeat showed improvement, but we want more out of the trip.  We want to get a win.  The film showed places where we can improve and learn ... and that is what this trip is about.  

I can't wait for tomorrow. It is another day to get better as an individual, as a group, and present our country.

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Pat Healey is the captain of the U.S. Men's National Futsal Team. He is a fixo from Bel Air, Maryland.

National Team Takeover: Philip Suprise

Today, we started the day off with a great training session. During this session we worked diligently on building from the back as a team. 

After our session, our whole team felt much more comfortable on the ball and maintaining possession in our own half. We had a great lunch and an extensive rest period where we were able to kick back, relax, and focus on the upcoming match.

 

Philip Suprise

We arrived at the match a little later than expected due to the extensive traffic in Buenos Aires. However, this didn’t take us out of our element because we played significantly better. Even though we lost 2-0, we were still able to maintain ball possession and get some great looks on goal. The Argentine goalkeeper came up pretty big on a couple of shots I had, along with plenty of other chances my teammates had!

This was a great improvement compared to our game on Tuesday [which we lost by a wider margin]. Tomorrow we are strictly confined to our hotel due to the strikes and protests going on in the city. But we will be ready to get back to work on Friday!

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Philip Suprise is a 23-year-old ala from Milwaukee.

National Team Takeover: Nelson Santana

Hello! My name is Nelson Santana and I'm a fixo for the U.S. Men's National Futsal team. I play for the Syracuse Silver Knights in the MASL (Major Arena Soccer League) and I'm a defender.

Nelson Santana

Here in Argentina, we just finished training at the AFA (Asociación del Futbol Argentino) camp grounds. We are preparing to face the Argentina Men's National Futsal team. I'm really excited -- as are my teammates -- to be playing against the 5th ranked futsal team in the world (as determined by FIFA).

Our team has been working hard to get to the next level of futsal and playing against Argentina will let us know where we are. I can't wait to face them! So far Argentina has been a great host; very friendly people and eager to talk to us ... knowing some of our players don't speak the language of Spanish.

I hope this trip will make our U.S Men's National Futsal team better and sharper. Thank you for your support. Go USA!!!!!!!

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Nelson Santana is from Santa Clara, Calif. and is posing above with staff members at the Holiday Inn Ezieza in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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. 

Men's National Team Takes Over Blog

The U.S. Men's National Futsal Team left for Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday, where it will train and play friendlies against the hosts country.

While taking over the futsal courts of Argentina, they will also be taking over this blog! Head Coach Keith Tozer and members of the team will be sharing their experiences with you in this very space!

As our first blogger will illustrate, participants in the U.S. Youth Futsal I.D. program might start out in a local gym ... and a few months later be playing against one of the top senior national teams in the world!

We encourage you to follow @USYouthFutsal on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and to check this space regularly.