Training Ground Tidbits

The first two training sessions of the Ruud Gullit era with the Galaxy are in the books, with all 19 players in attendance doing everything they can to impress the new gaffer.

Mike Caso (heel), Alan Gordon (foot), Quavas Kirk (foot) and Josh Tudela (strep throat) all missed the first day of practice. Tudela joined in on Monday and will be ready to go tomorrow night. However, Troy Roberts sat out on Monday because of a muscle strain in the hope that he'll be ready to go Tuesday.

The sessions have focused primarily on keeping possession, with players often limited to two or three touches in each drill.

Another thing that was instantly evident in the sessions was the length of each drill was longer than most of the squad is typically accustomed to, leaving a number of very tired players leaving Telstra Stadium on the team bus.

Tuesday's session was very similar with all the players getting stuck in and trying to impress the new man in charge.

No player was trying harder to impress than Joe Cannon. After training, 11 players lined up about 20 yards from goal and tried to strike a dead ball past the Galaxy goalkeepers. Lance Friesz was the first keeper in between the posts and Ruud asked him one simple question... how many shots can you stop? Friesz said that he would allow no more than four goals, only to see five of the 11 shots get past him meaning that he had to do 40 pushups.

Steve Cronin was up next and he said that he would stop six, a feat that he was successful in, making a string of saves and letting just three goals in, forcing the 11 shooters to do the pushups and setting the stage for Cannon.

Joe said that he would stop all 11 and Ruud asked him if he was serious, which he absolutely was. Eleven shots later, Cannon was doing the pushups, but only because Chris Klein placed a pinpoint shot just inside Cannon's lefthand post. That was the only goal that Cannon allowed, but it was just one of the goal he set, and therefore he had to pay the price.