foreign tours University of Connecticut 14 BIG EAST Players of the Year
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44 All-American Selections
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87 All-BIG EAST Selections
2000: GREECE AND ITALY In 2000, Coach Tsantiris decided that it was time to take the team to his homeland. He is originally from a small island in Greece, but the team did not visit his island. They spent time in Athens, Leptokaria Pieria and Thessaloniki. During a two week tour of Greece and Italy, the Huskies played eight games, winning all eight and were crowned champions of the 3rd AEGEAN Olympus Cup. Coach Tsantiris valued the opportunity to go overseas and reflected on the importance of the trip shortly before leaving, “We are going to Greece and Italy to play games. We will play four in each country in order to gain competitive game experience that you can’t get from practicing. It will be very valuable. This experience will help us next year and the year after and will benefit all of our classes.” Sightseeing on this trip included Mt. Olympus, the ancient site of Dion, the ancient castle of Platamon, the Acropolis, and the Parthenon. After 7 days in Greece, the team traveled to Italy and spent time in Udine, Venice and Rome. With excellent food and amazing sites, the trip proved to be an invaluable experience for the team as they developed a more possession style of play and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinal, losing to the eventual National Champions. As coach Tsantiris foresaw, three years later the team played in the national championship game.
2004: BRAZIL The men’s Brazilian national team has seen dominance with the likes of Pele, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, and the women’s national team has emerged over the past seven years as a World Cup and Olympic contender. On the field, the Brazilians display technical superiority, creativity and a confidence in their abilities to which most players aspire. Believing that his players would learn from and pick up some of Brazil’s savvy play, Coach Tsantiris decided that a trip to South America would be a new and exciting opportunity for the program. A 12-day tour of Rio de Janeiro, Buzios and Teresopolis proved to be an amazing experience for the group. “Everyday we were doing something. A lot of good things came out of it and it was a very educational experience for everyone. The kids were able to experience a different culture and create camaraderie with one another. And at the same time, we were in the richest soccer country in the world. It gave us an opportunity to play against a totally different level of competition” said Tsantiris. The highlights of the trip included attendance at two professional games at Maracana Stadium, including a game in which former World Cup Champion Romario played. The team visited the Brazilian Soccer Hall of Fame within the Maracana, played beach soccer games against local players, visited the Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer tourist spots and practiced and played at the Brazilian National Training Center in Teresopolis.
2013 UConn women’s soccer media guide
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