The Muhlenberg men's soccer team prepared for the 2025 campaign by taking a preseason tour of Portugal.
Following is a report on the second half of the trip.
Day 4
We boarded the bus early for our trip up to Porto. On the way we stopped for a guided tour of the University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in the world, founded in 1290. There are many Harry Potter inspirations around the University, one being the capes the students must wear within the University gates.
After the tour and some time to explore and grab lunch we boarded the bus and made our way to our hotel. After checking into rooms and well-needed showers, we organized a team dinner to experience the local food dish, francesinha - three different meats with bread in a bean sauce where you throw some fries in the sauce.
Coach Madeira used his Portuguese to help order the meals! After this meal we all needed a walk! Some headed down to the river to check out the sights.
Day 5
We ate breakfast at our hotel before departing for our morning training session at Clube Desportivo do Candal. After training we headed to a local winery, Quinta da Aveleda, for a picnic and guided tour of the vineyards and cellars. We ended the day with a dinner at the hotel.
Day 6
We started today with breakfast at the hotel before departing for a guided tour of Estadio Do Dragao and museum, home stadium of F.C. Porto. We then headed to Porto's city center for a walking tour with some free time to eat lunch and explore. Porto is famous for its port wine, and the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996!
We played our second and final game of the trip against Clube Desportivo Sobrado, picking up a 3-0 win with a brace from
Sim Dorsey and
Owen Zoeller getting on the scoresheet with our third goal. After the game we stopped at a local restaurant for a postgame meal and celebration.
Day 7
On our final full day in Portugal, we packed up our bags and traveled back south to the beach town of Nazare, which is world renowned for its gigantic waves during the winter months. Some waves have been measured as high as 100 feet. Surfers from all over the world descend on Nazare to ride these beasts! The team enjoyed some time in the warm Atlantic Ocean, wandering the beachfront stores and playing/watching sand soccer!
We departed Nazare and headed for our hotel back in Lisbon, and after a quick shower headed downtown for our trip celebration dinner. The dinner consisted of some delicious steaks and was a great dinner to end a fantastic night and trip!
Day 8
Today we woke up, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel and walked to the nearby Oceanário de Lisboa, which is one of the largest aquariums in Europe. After a few hours in the aquarium we headed to the Sporting Clube de Portugal stadium store for the team to buy a few more items before heading to the airport for our flight home!
Thank you to Marco (tour manager) and Sergio (bus driver) and all of Portugal! You were great to us. Time to head back to Muhlenberg for preseason training!
