Young Serbian footballers met up with their counterparts from the U.S. in London on Wednesday ahead of a control match they are scheduled to play together as the official U17 team of the Saša Ćurčić Academy.
The players from Minnesota’s Eden Prairie Soccer Club, along with their coaches Dušan Jakica and Mark Hernandez, landed at London’s Heathrow Airport on Wednesday afternoon, where they were greeted by the Academy’s organizers and transferred to their hotel.
Welcome speeches were given to the players and coaches upon arrival to the hotel by several Academy officials, including Saša Ćurčić.
Players were then taken for physicals, where an emphasis was placed on spinal health and posture. Their feet were also given a full medical analysis using state-of-the-art software – secured for the Academy by Srđan Grujičić of the Ekovel Center – which analyzes the distribution of pressure on standing surfaces and the shifting point of each player’s center of gravity while at rest and in motion.
A joint dinner for the entire team was organized in the evening, after which Academy participants returned to their hotel to get some much-needed rest ahead of Thursday night’s match.
A recovery training session and team introductions are planned for Thursday morning, while the Academy team is set to face the Chelsea U17 team in a control match on Thursday night.
The match will be broadcast by the Sportifico team live on its Facebook page.