The Galaxy headed over to Sun Devil Stadium for the final training session before tomorrow’s match against the Fire. The field is in great condition, but is cut very short so the ball will be running pretty fast tomorrow. Overall, the players are excited to get on the field in front of a crowd.
Here are a few notes from training:
• The team’s strength and conditioning coach Ben Yauss took the players through an extensive warm-up which last about 10-15 minutes. Following the morning flight he did not want to take any chances getting the guys going.
• With the keepers working at one end on their own, the team went into an 8v8 game with various numbers of touches being allowed and points being tracked for consecutive passes. Despite, the short flight things morning the players looks sharp.
• Freekick – Set pieces are always an important part of preparations before a game so Bruce and Dave took the players through a variety of set plays to make sure everyone was on the same. Look for Landon to be on the ball much of the time for these tomorrow.
• The guys rounded out training with finishing drill while a few others player soccer horseshoe.
Here Jovan talks about the final preparations:
An Arizona native, Alan touches on having an MLS game in his hometown state. He also reveals that he won’t see the field tomorrow:
All in all, it was a good training session that went just over an hour. After the players got back on the bus for a VIP autograph session and a meet and greet with team presenting sponsor Herbalife.
Check back tomorrow for footage from training.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Final Preparations at Sun Devil
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3 comments:
Great pics. Appreciate it. The field is in very good condition. It'll be great for the Phoenix natives and visitors - especially great for the players & coaches. I hope they don't wet down the field too much. Like the blog stated; teh ball is already sliding fast and with it being short it takes longer to slow down. I am glad that the team put in a steady, complete good hour of training and practice in after the plane trip. Now, realize this was a short trip with only an hour difference in time. Wait until MLS season starts and a team has take the cross-country plane trips back & forth. Then, we'll see what happens to players' energy levels & stamina. I hope a lot of people will attend this pre-season exhibition. So, finally - finally, Alan has to work, fight, and prove without a doubt that he deserves to start and play a significant amount of time. Good - because forwards (especially, absolutely need that to be done; it puts things in perspective; it forces them to work harder; it makes them hungrier; and, it teaches them about technique, accuracy, and timing. Good job trainers and coaches - Good job!
Charles, have you evre palyed football, at what level? Just wondered where you get all your "knowledge" from.
Anonymous,
Unfortunately, I've only played minor-league/town club soccer (football). If I had started to play soccer football from when I was very young and I had parents that actually encouraged it and took me seriously - I probably would have made it to some sort of professional level (barring serious injuries). But, my life is filled with many regrets, where not having played this beautiful game from my young days is definitely one of them. So, now, at 37 years old, all I can do is still keep in shape and contribute whatever I can and be involved. I am actually thinking about seriously taking coaching classes. At home, practically 70 - 80% of Cable-TV that I watch is around soccer (football): English (Premier League), Spanish (La Liga), Dutch (Eredivisie), American (MLS), Brazilian (Primero/Paulistao), and Argentinian (Primera/Clausura). I guess when someone is really into something and one becomes engrossed in it and wants to better it and deeply cares about it - it becomes more than just a serious hobby... it becomes a "calling". But, in soccer, one's best years of affect & effect are from 18 - 33. After that, it takes great talent, discipline, sacrifice, and help from others.
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