As I predicted before the soccer tournament started, my team was either going to do very well or very poorly. Unfortunately, the latter option seems to be the case. We played two more matches today, losing the first 0-1 and the second 1-2. The only positive outcome was the fact that we scored our first goal! In the words of our acting team manager, “The Italians are all tall, thin, fast, ex-pros.” Once again, I did little to distinguish myself on the pitch. In the photo, taken by one of my injured teammates, I managed to steal the ball and drive it to the end line only to mishandle it out of bounds. We have two more matches tomorrow and lost another player to injury today. Suffice it to say, we aren’t optimistic about our chances.

After returning to the team hotel, I went for 4-mile walk in the Spiaggia Riserva Naturale Sentina (nature reserve along the beach), where I encountered many interesting scenes.