Foreign exchange, soccer style

<p>Beset by lack of sleep and a rash of injuries, the Petaluma United under-19 boys soccer team returned last week from a nine-day tour of England.</p><p>The players didn't win any of their four friendly matches in Great Britain, but they improved foreign relations. They gave their opponents gifts, a good game and a good time with their spirit, sense of humor and ever-evolving cast of characters.</p><p>After touring London and witnessing the traditional Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, Petaluma United played its first friendly match in the Unired Kingdom at the University of Hertfordshire Sports Village against Stevenage Protech Academy, a group of 16-year-olds attending a soccer school. On an artificial turf that resembled old Luchessi Park, Petaluma played three 30-minute periods, and eventually lost 2-1.</p><p> Drake Albee scored United's first international goal, unassisted on an intercept, followed by a dribble right to left and a left-footed strike from 16 yards out. Albee nearly scored a go-ahead goal in the third period, when the Stevenage goalkeeper was drawn 25 yards out of the goal. Albee arched a shot at the empty net from 40 yards away, but a Stevenage defender recovered, retreated and managed to leap and head the ball destined for the goal over the cross bar for the play of the game.</p><p>After visiting the Tower of London and riding the London Eye, the Petalumans played their second friendly against a much older team that featured two 35-year-old players and a 29-year-old. United played a men's league one team, Stanmore Manor, on a beautiful new artificial pitch at the London Maccabi Vale Cricket Club in Middlesex. </p><p>Albee scored United's first goal with an assist from Tommy Murphy, and teammate John Greene netted the goal of the game, a laser-like strike from 35 yards past a 6-3, 260-pound, 35-year-old keeper that landed upper V, far post. That inspired United to launch a frantic attack to tie the contest in the final seven minutes of the 45-minute second half. Stanmore, however, scored in the final seconds to cap a 4-2 victory.</p><p>Austin Halstenson, Austin Wilson and Sami Kassis played well in the defeat, Petaluma's best effort during its stay in England.</p><p>Petaluma ran into a hungry team in its third friendly match in Tottenham against a predominantly African-American developmental team of 17- and 18-year-olds, who are on two-year scholarships, and trained to be, and aspire to be, professionals.</p><p> Led by goalkeeper Adam Thomason and defender Tyler Scanlan, Petaluma played to a 0-0 draw in the first of three 30-minute sessions. But, trailing only 2-0 in the second 30 minutes, United lost Greene and Michael Broughton to injuries, and Tottenham wore the Petalumans down, scoring four goals in an eight-minute span in the final 30-minute period en route to an 8-0 win.</p><p>After that game, Petaluma United, which had the opportunity to tour Warwick and Windsor castles, drove to another hotel in Newbury, hometown of their coach, Phil Broughton.</p><p>The injury bug bit United in its final friendly match on Sunday, a 4-0 loss to Thatcham Town Football Club, a bunch of 17-year-olds anxious for a crack at some red-eyed Americans. So depleted was Petaluma that Sean Kimball, recovering from mononucleosis, started for United, which trailed only 1-0 after the first 45-minute half.</p><p>Greene (quad muscle) wasn't able to play and Broughton, with a painful right shin, played primarily using his left leg to kick. Albee (strained right hamstring) and Tim Curran (bruised right knee) limped off the field in the second half, then back on minutes later as coach Broughton scrambled to give weary and sore players on the field a rest. Par Purewal, Benjamin Tarango, Scanlan and Thomason gamely played the entire game. Thomason had another solid game in goal, keeping the contest from turning from respectable into embarrassing.</p>