The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
The boys earn some beach time
Crested Butte Titans high school soccer coaches Than Acuff and Mike Martin took 13 Crested Butte Titans soccer players south for a taste of the real game of soccer, or jugo de futbol, in El Salvador. They jumped on a plane bound for San Salvador, El Salvador on Monday, June 20.
Upon landing in the capital city, they were immediately whisked away by two vans to a secret training facility in Nueva Concepcion, a town two hours northwest of San Salvador.
The team was quickly immersed in the local culture, moving in with the Franco family to be fed fresh-made pupusas, sweet breads and fresh eggs from the chickens with whom they lived.
The team managed one evening workout in a field secured by chain link fencing with some of the local talent to prepare for their first match against Aldeita on Wednesday, June 22.
Word spread fast through the small village of the gringo contingents arrival and by kick off at 1 p.m., the sidelines were filled with the local townspeople.
The Titans were strong through the first 15 minutes, with the defensive work of Nolan Blunck, Liam Mortell, Jesse Reeves and Kaleb Schultz holding off the Aldeita attack but as time wore on, the oppressive jungle heat wore down the Titans.
Aldeita struck first 24 minutes into the first half but the Titans managed to tie it up as coach Mike was called into action and took a pass from Ben Reaman to score.
The Titans then fell apart in the second half as players dropped like flies in the heat. Aldeita scored four more times before Isaac Chicharito Evans managed to break free to net one last Titan goal as Crested Butte fell 5-2.
“It was hard to get used to the unbearable heat and the quick play of the El Salvadorian culture,” said captain Luis Aguirre.
It got a lot worse over the next 24 hours as the Titans lost four players to the local diverse microbiological community.
With their next match just 48 hours away, team physicians Marleny and Silvia Franco were called into action using a mix of local cures and modern pharmaceuticals to bring the beleaguered players back to life.
The team was back to full strength just in time for their next match on Saturday, June 26 against a club team out of Nueva Concepcion.
This time local organizers did the Titans a favor, scheduling the game for 9 a.m. before the heat of the day could take siege.
Despite the favorable start time, the Titans came out slow falling behind 1-0 before a player pulled from the chainlink ranks, Miguel Carabantes, joined the Titans and scored off his very first touch to notch the game 1-1 at the half.
Stern words from coach Martin during halftime pulled the Titans out of their early morning funk and the team took control of the second half. The Titans won 50-50 balls and pushed the pace to fire off numerous shots on the Nueva Concepcion net.
Unfortunately, the efforts of the Titans backfired, as hustle on defense resulted in an own goal but Crested Butte was determined to notch their first international win.
Twenty-five minutes into the second half the Titans tied the game 2-2 when Prawit Durgan drove a set shot low and hard into the six-yard box and Sam Reaman stepped in front of a defender to tip the ball past the Nueva keeper.
With eight minutes left in regulation, Ben Reaman lined up for another direct kick 20 yards out and drove it past the Nueva goalie to put the Titans up 3-2.
The defense held tight through the final stretch of time and the Titans sealed their first international win in their history.
The win earned the Titans a three-day vacation to the beaches of Salinitas, where they are currently recovering before returning to the pitch for their final game of the trip on Wednesday, June 29.
