The 2009 Girls Red team are on embarking on an international trip to Barcelona from April 1-9. The trip, led by Arlington Soccer partner WorldStrides Sports, will give the team a chance to face youth teams while also offering an educational element as the team will tour historic sights of the Spanish city.

The team, coached by Osman Cuadros, will play three friendly matches against local teams. Along with 15 players from 09 Girls Red, a handful of players from 09 ECNL, White and Blue will also make the trip. The group will also take in two professional matches: a Copa del Rey semifinal between Barcelona and Real Madrid and a La Liga professional match between RCD Espanyol and Athletic Club.

In addition, the group will take several tours of famous sights, including the Basilica De La Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and Montjuïc, which hosted several events during the 1992 Summer Olympics.

"This will be a great team-building, cultural experience," Cuadros said. "To have three games under our belt will also help us when we come back for the State Cup, the ECNL Regional League Final Four and for league play. They will get a chance to see what soccer is all about (going to two professional games) and the shock of being in the stadium, with 80,000 people singing at the same time."

Check arlingtonsoccer.com and the club's social media channels for updates and photos from the team's trip. 

Days 1-3 (April 1-3) 

       

The team landed in Barcelona Sunday morning after an overnight flight from Dulles Airport. They spent much of Sunday meeting their tour guides, walking around the city and taking it easy before a busy day on Monday.

From the team: We had some free time this morning. A lot of us took the train from the hotel in Castelldefels into Barcelona today. We walked down Passeig de Gràcia and saw the art nouveau houses by Gaudi. Then we walked down Las Ramblas towards the port. There were tons of people everywhere! We ate all kinds of empanadas and fruit at the Boqueria market for lunch.

We won our first scrimmage against a local girls team at the Women's Soccer School Barcelona! It was interesting to be in their locker room and see how they communicated on the field. We ended the night with paellas and tapas for dinner!

Day 4 (April 4) 

             

The team visited the training field of Primera Division Club RCD Espanyol and where Espanyol coaches ran a clinic for the team. Later 2009 Girls Red played a friendly match against Club Futbol Martorell. 

From the team: We went to the Espanyol training field (Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque) for a coaching clinic with an Espanyol coach today. The drills were fast and intense and fun. I don’t think we knew what to expect. The atmosphere was impressive. 

From there we had a siesta on the bus to Martorell. We won our second scrimmage against another local team.  The field was bigger than yesterday and we felt it. We played surrounded by mountains. After the game, we practiced our Spanish and snapped selfies at sunset with new friends.

Day 5 (April 5) 

               

It was a busy day for the girls as they toured the Olympic stadium (the site of the 1992 Summer Olympics) and museum, which is located atop Montjuïc. The team then toured Basilica de La Sagrada Familia. After dinner, the team ventured to Camp Nou Stadium to watch Barcelona and Real Madrid square off in a Copa del Rey semifinal. 

From the team: It was a very long day. First stop was the Olympic stadium and museum. We saw the torch and learned it was lit by bow and arrow in 1992. We rode the cable car up Montjuic and saw Barcelona from high up. There were cruise ships in the port and Sagrada Familia clearly stood out.  

Our tour director, Sylvia, gave us a little tour of the city and told us about the way Barcelona was built up in the 1930s. Our lunch was a typical three-course Spanish lunch of pasta, a main course and dessert. That’s a lot of food midday without a nap!

We had a private tour of Sagrada Familia and learned how it was being built in stages. There’s meaning in everything! The inside is so different from the outside. The sun was behind it and the light pouring through the windows was amazing.

Then off to Camp Nou for the big game! Fans were already crowded around the stadium 2 hours before it started, setting off fireworks. It was packed and you could feel the energy. Almost 100,000 people were there and they all cared about the game. Even though Barca didn’t win and it was midnight, we couldn’t stop talking about having been there!

Day 6 (April 6) 

        

From the team: After being at Camp Nou for the Copa del Rey semifinal, it was a different experience touring the stadium in the daytime. FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 and the museum was like a church filled with its history. A highlight was getting to walk out the tunnel onto the sideline. We couldn’t walk on the field but we were close.

We played our last scrimmage and won against a team called Seagull in Badalona. Like the other local teams, they played music in their locker room to get ready. Maybe that’s something we start doing at home? We played on a huge field with stadium seating. We were having so much fun hanging out after the game that they had to turn off the lights to get us to leave. Kind of unforgettable!

Day 7 (April 7) 

       

From the team: Our free day in Barcelona started so early. The bus took us to the Gothic Quarter. We saw the oldest parts of Barcelona. We learned that a lot of the buildings have been restored, but the small streets and squares are still the same maze. We loved the gelato shop off Saint James Square and City Hall.

Next stop was Park Güell which was designed by Gaudi. We climbed the terrace walls, saw the columns and salamander. The weather was perfect and we could’ve spent another hour wandering around.

For the rest of the day we did different things in the city after the bus brought us to Barceloneta where you can walk along the beach. Some of us went to the Picasso Museum and saw a flamenco show. All of us walked a lot and we went to bed early.

Days 8-9 (April 8-9)

      

The team's final full day included tours of Tarragona and Sitges, which sit on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The team also attended a LaLiga match between RCD Espanyol and Athletic Club at RCDE Stadium - with Athletic Club picking up a 2-1 victory - to close out the trip.

The next morning the team had breakfast at the hotel before heading to the airport for their return flight. Thanks to World Stride Sports, Coach Osman Cuadros and all of our parent chaperones who made this an amazing and memorable trip!