Our Copa director, Felipe, was invited last month to work with players from the US, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa in Germany and the Netherlands. He spent nine days at various professional training complexes, working with a U12-U13 team made up of players identified at Real Madrid clinics around the world.

Here is what Coach Felipe has to say about his experience.

"I had an amazing experience immersed in soccer for 9 days straight. I learned about the methodologies of various professional clubs and shared my own ideas as well. During this time, we played games against the FC Köln Academy and received training from their coaches. We also visited the training grounds of BVB Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach, both teams in the Bundesliga, where we participated in friendly matches. Additionally, we took a coaching course at the KNV Campus, which is the training ground for the Netherlands national team, and traveled to the PSV Eindhoven training ground for further training and games.

I had the opportunity to meet amazing people and coaches while immersing myself in the German and Dutch soccer culture. In the youth leagues, instead of throw-ins, players simply dribble or pass the ball to restart play, resulting in a quicker pace and keeping players engaged. Substitutions are made on the fly, similar to hockey. Additionally, at the end of every match, regardless of the score, teams finish with penalty kicks, where each member of the team takes one kick—sometimes even the coaches participate. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I am excited to apply everything I've learned with our Colorado United players."