The first class of students at the American University Soccer Universities, which for 10 weeks was based in Blagoevgrad successfully completed its training course.
During this period, students from the United States and other parts of the world combined football training with online lectures and exercises in their university major.. The project is implemented thanks to the partnership between FC Pirin, Soccer Universities and Blagoevgrad Municipality. A new group of students is expected soon, who will begin their football and university training course in the city.
Su's chief football officer Matt Driver shared his views on the first group of students' stay with www.fcpirin.com.
"It simply came to our notice then, our stay in Bulgaria exceeded expectations. Everyone at FC Pirin was incredibly responsive and supported us thanks to their professional skills. Here we found an excellent environment for the development of our project. We enjoyed the calm and green Blagoevgrad. The terrains, attitude, nature, everything was wonderful. The people in Blagoevgrad are hospitable and we are happy, that the boys discovered a new cultural horizon. It was very important, that thanks to the organization by FC Pirin we managed to play many controls. We met teams from the 1st to the 4th level of football in Bulgaria. We did better than expected. The results are not important to us, although we have achieved such, the most important thing is to help these young players find their way forward in professional football. In Blagoevgrad I was impressed by the friendliness and openness of the Bulgarians, they were incredibly kind and punctual to us. Even more, after they were convinced, that these boys can play football well, I think, that then the respect was well deserved. The young people made friends, the local youth practiced their English, on the other hand, our boys, learned words in Bulgarian and also got acquainted with Bulgarian dances, music, food, which is priceless. Have we completed the tasks, which we had set for ourselves yet to be seen. But our players are interested in several professional clubs in Bulgaria, as well as from several other countries in Europe. So from that point of view, I think, that we have good results ", shared Driver.
One of the head coaches - Henry Moyo also shared his impressions of the group's stay in Blagoevgrad.
"The service and conditions in our base in Bachinovo were at a very high level. This helped the boys feel at home. Everything was professionally prepared and tailored to the needs of these young players.
Thanks to FC Pirin and the Municipality of Blagoevgrad we used the pitches, which were excellently prepared, the training conditions were excellent. The people from the coaching staff and the administration of the club were very kind. We can proudly call FC Pirin our partner. We are very pleased to be working with manager Warren Feeney, who invited us to train several times with the representative team.
We played controls with different opponents, which gave us the opportunity to try different options. Our boys did not go unnoticed and this led to the invitation of several of our players to rehearsals in CSKA-Sofia.
It was a wonderful experience, and Blagoevgrad is beautiful. The people were kind and helped us, even the taxi drivers showed a friendly attitude towards the boys and made them feel calm and safe. Everything went very well and now we are looking forward to the next course, which will be held here in the city again, "said Moyo.
Some of the young talents of Soccer Universities also shared their opinion about the stay in Blagoevgrad.
Here is what Josh Mustachio said: "In the beginning, I wasn't very sure what to expect, since I had not been to Europe. This is my first exit from the United States. Bulgaria is a great country, very beautiful. The attitude of everyone in FC Pirin was very professional. We tried the culture of the country, we met new things. We watched matches from the First League live. That was amazing too. We played against teams from the First and Second Leagues, which was a great experience for us, and we did not do badly in the interest of the truth. We also met teams from the Third and Fourth Leagues, which was also interesting for us, to "set the clocks". In general, the level in Europe is different from that in the United States and this will help us grow as footballers. Thanks to FC Pirin for everything, what they did for us and for our coaches ".
Desmond Williams shared: "I did not know what to expect, but I trusted our coaches, who obviously chose a great place for training and education like Blagoevgrad. The experience was great. We met professional teams, we competed with them, which is well above the level of rivals in Florida, but it helped us believe in our abilities and I think, that we performed very well. This is exactly what I liked the most. I have a feeling, that my stay in football Europe is just beginning. And all this thanks to the people from FC Pirin, who were very good hosts ".
