Occurring only once every four years, the FIFA World Cup is a sporting event unlike any other. While most people were glued to their TV sets during June and July for the 2014 edition of soccer's biggest stage, the Blue Devils were right in the middle of the action in Brazil.
A massive undertaking like a team trip to the World Cup doesn't happen overnight, and it took a full-fledged effort from everyone involved to raise the necessary funds and plan out the duration of their stay.
“It was a four-year process,” head coach John Kerr said. “We planned to go to Brazil when we saw that they were being awarded the World Cup. We took a trip four years before that to Barcelona. [I] said, 'Okay, the next trip, boys, is going to be to Brazil for the World Cup.' Their eyes lit up and I could tell that they wanted to go. Four years of fundraising... with great support from the alumni in particular, parents, we were able to make it happen.”
Duke touched down in Rio June 15—just three days after the tournament began—and set off on a busy schedule that would take them through their eight-day stay in Brazil. The team itinerary incorporated a mix of soccer and sightseeing activities, highlighted by the chance to watch three matches live from the stands.
Luckily for the Blue Devils, two of the matches they saw were jam-packed with classic World Cup excitement. The team was able to watch Belgium squeak by Russia 1-0 thanks to a header Divock Origi in the 88th minute, and also took in witness Chile’s impressive 2-0 upset against a favored Spanish squad.
“The games were probably my favorite part,” senior captain Sean Davis said. “We did a lot of sightseeing, but for me, my favorite part of the trip was seeing Spain and Chile play. That game was just unbelievable—with the fans and a former World Cup champion, that was unbelievable; we loved that part.”
The Blue Devils did much more than just watch soccer, as they took to the field themselves for practices and matches against third division professional club São Cristóvão F.R.—the first club soccer legend Ronaldo played for as a youth—and local club Arraial de Cabo de Rio de Janeiro. Duke was shut out by São Cristóvão 4-0 before clawing its way to a 2-2 draw against Arraial de Cabo.
No longer playing within the familiar confines of Koskinen Stadium, the Blue Devils faced their fair share of obstacles as they competed on foreign turf. From spotty field conditions—some of which Davis described as “as bad as I’d ever played on”—to a possession-oriented and technique-heavy approach to the Brazilian game that bears little resemblance to the physical nature of ACC play, Duke encountered numerous unfamiliar aspects of a game they are quite familiar with.
“They play a lot more possession-style game,” junior midfielder Zach Mathers said. “It’s a lot different than here where in the ACC it may not be all possession, it’s more of a hard kind of game. They keep the ball more and play better soccer, I’d say, than here [in the U.S.]. It was a nice change—we learned a lot from going down there and we learned this season to play a little like that.”
If the preseason is any indication, the Blue Devils have certainly transferred those lessons from the fields in Brazil back to campus, where they have won each of their three exhibition contests and outscored their opponents 12-3. Duke’s strong team chemistry fostered in Brazil has enabled it to move forward from last season’s inconsistent results while also having to transition with a large incoming class of 13 freshmen.
In order to seamlessly integrate a talented freshman class—the newcomers accounted for four goals in the three preseason games—and strengthen team camaraderie, the Blue Devils arrived on campus a full week before they started training. The extra time put in together during the offseason—both on and off the field—has allowed Duke to avoid some of the rust typically associated with starting a new season, and given the players an opportunity to hit the ground running when the real games begin.
“For this summer, being with the guys again and getting some games in, that definitely helps,” Davis said. “Then on top of that, we have a really committed and dedicated [freshman] group this year. We were able to come back and spend time together, and so I think that’s helped and you can see that through the preseason results.”
Preseason success is no sure indicator of regular season victories, but the Blue Devils are excited and optimistic as they approach their regular-season opener Friday against Loyola Marymount. And even if the season doesn’t quite live up to expectations, their trip to the World Cup will stay with them for years to come.
“The whole trip was the trip of a lifetime for these guys, and me as a coach,” Kerr said. “I couldn't have enjoyed it anymore.”
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