Similar to other long trips the team has done for preseason, we'll be updating a daily journal to let you know what’s going down in Portugal & Spain. Thanks for tagging along!
Thursday, February 6
It's our final day of camp, and we've got two friendlies on the docket! The day started a little earlier than usual due to the early start time of match one. Pretty quickly after breakfast, the group that played Hammarby was out of the hotel and on their way to the field. This match ended in a 3-1 win featuring a De Ro brace and a goal from Jesús. Outside of the goal scorers, Nouhou had an amazing game on both ends of the pitch. Very little was able to come down the left side, and his vision in the attack provided one of the most beautiful assists I've seen in a long time! He played this stunning line-breaking ball through the Hammarby midfield to find his 9 in stride. It's moments like that where you can't help but get excited for the regular season.
While the second match of the day didn't go our way in terms of the scoreline, it provided an opportunity for another group of 13 or 14 players to get meaningful minutes under their belts. There were glimpses of quality throughout the entire match, and I felt that the scoreline didn't fully tell the story of that match, but the guys were able to hold their heads high after a successful camp, regardless of that result.
The highlight of the day, undoubtedly, was Paul Arriola returning to play for the first time since his ACL tear last spring (not a bad way for him to spend his birthday!). He got a solid 30-minute shift under his belt as the performance and medical staff have him on a tailor-made return to play schedule. After talking with him after the match, it was evident how much it meant to him to get back out there and play the sport he loves again. Here's to hoping he can hit the ground running this season. After the matches ended, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and a quiet night here at the hotel. We head out at 4 a.m. tomorrow ahead of a nearly 20-hour travel day. Thanks to everyone who followed along throughout this camp! We hope to see y'all on 2/22 at Lumen!
With that, I bid you all adieu.
Wednesday, February 4
It's our penultimate day here in Spain, and the day did not go quite as planned. The weather here today took a turn for the worse with heavy rains and wind gusts up to 45 mph consistently throughout the day. We received word from the Marbella Football Center at breakfast that the training fields were unusable due to the conditions, so training was scrapped today. Instead, the squad split into two groups and did small group fitness classes here at the gym. Massive props to our support staff and coaching staff for pivoting and getting the players out of their rooms for a bit ahead of tomorrow's matches.
After their impromptu workout classes, we had lunch and spent the rest of our afternoon indoors. Our friends from Sounder at Heart dropped in for some content pieces with the coaching staff and some players, but other than that, the rest of the day was very quiet. In the evening, the team had dinner here at the hotel featuring an impressive spread of traditional Spanish dishes, which was a nice touch of local culture, before we head back home.
Tuesday, February 3
It's Matchday -2 here in Spain, and all eyes are on our two friendlies this Thursday. Today's session focused on 11v11 attacking movements and playing through the pivots in the attack. It's always really fun to watch these sessions, then turn around and see what the guys worked on come to life in the matches. The rest of the day flew by as most of everyone hungout in their rooms or played games in some of the conference rooms at the hotel to pass the time.
Vibes are still high here in Spain as the team is eager to fly back home on a high note after Thursday's matches!
Monday, February 2
The squad is back in training today after Sunday's day off. The day started with a later breakfast to let the guys who wanted to sleep later do that. Most of the group stayed in the hotel throughout the morning, but a handful of guys went out to Old Town Marbella or Ronda for a short day trip. Training started around 3 p.m. local and was a pretty light session focused on getting the guys moving again. The session lasted only about 45 minutes and focused on small-sided possession drills.
After returning to the hotel, the team had a regen session in the outdoor pool and sauna here (the first time this trip we've had weather inviting enough for an outdoor pool day)! The rest of the evening flew by with dinner and then the Obed to Atléti announcement going live late in the evening here. It was really cool to see all the guys thrilled for Obed as they started to hear the news over the last 24-36 hours or so. We're back to training tomorrow for our penultimate session before Thursday's friendlies! (edited)
Sunday, February 1
It's our last week in Spain, and today was an off day for the entire team! Not entirely sure yet what most of the guys got into, but personally, I went to the Pablo Picasso Museum in Málaga and walked the streets of the beautiful city for a few hours before returning to Marbella around dinner time. The rest of the night went by quietly as we all prepped for our final week of training and friendlies here in Spain.
Saturday, January 31
It's Matchday in Marbella! Today the squad took on IF Brommapojkarna in a friendly that consisted of three 45-minute halves with two squads of 11 playing approximately 70-75 minutes each. Our boys came out victorious with a convincing 3-0 win, with goals from Kalani (1) and Jesús (x2), including a delightful half-volley from our no. 9.
After the match, we had a team dinner out in Puerto Banús at El Gaucho De Banús. This was a fun opportunity for staff and players to intermingle and talk about life outside of the club. One of the highlights of the meal was a local magician who came to each table and provided entertainment for the whole group. Once dinner wrapped up, the group went back to the hotel and called it a night after a long day in the sunshine.
Friday, January 30
Happy Friday from Spain! The weather continues to improve as today was our first session fully in the sun since arriving! Given tomorrow's match v. IF Brommapojkarna, the session was lighter to not wear the guys out ahead of matchday. We spent most of the session drilling small-sided action, and Joe Dale and Reed Baker-Whiting really stood out in their groups with some beautiful crosses and finishes. Before wrapping up with some finishing drills for the attacking and wide players, the defenders worked on their long-range passing. During the finishing drills, Paul Rothrock scored an absolutely BEAUTIFUL curling effort to the top corner (to the surprise of no one).
After training, we headed back to the hotel for lunch. It sounds like some of the guys were hanging out playing cards and some of the guys headed into Marbella to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having. The rest of the night passed by as expected with team dinner and then a quiet night for the squad before tomorrow's friendly.
Thursday, January 29
It's Matchday -2 here in Spain and the weather seems to have turned a new leaf for us! Today's session focused on reactive speed and 11v11 drills ahead of our friendly on Saturday. The intensity was high as the squad is eager to take the pitch again for some meaningful competitive minutes. After the session, we returned to the hotel for a relaxed afternoon. The evening was capped off with a game of trivia featuring questions and stories submitted by each player. It's always a trip to see how fired up the guys get even in little games like these.
Wednesday, January 28
Today was our first off day of the trip! No team activities today so the guys were off on their own adventures. Myself and our content team spent the day locally here in Marbella. where we walked around Old Town Marbella's gorgeous streets, where we took in the architecture, grabbed lunch and did some shopping. The weather cleared up for us towards the end of the day, and it looks like we're about to have no rain for a day or so.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow! The team has a few more training sessions ahead of Saturday's friendly v. IF Brommapojkarna.
Tuesday, January 27
It's our first full day in Marbella! The change of scenery was definitely appreciated by the squad. After yesterday's travel day, we got a later start to the day with a yoga class led by Adam Centofanti, our Director of Performance. This provided a chance for the guys to stretch out their legs and get their muscles activated after yesterday's six-hour bus ride. The weather here is still not ideal for being outside, so the guys relaxed in their rooms in the early afternoon before heading to training around 3 p.m. local time. The weather cleared up for us for the first time since arriving to Europe during today's session and we were welcomed back to Marbella Football Center with a rainbow over our training fields!
Today's session was a "high intensity" day, meaning most of the session was spent at game speed. Warmups focused on crisp passing in small groups of 5 before transitioning to a session full of small-sided action. These matches are intense. It's always surprising how into it the guys get; the effort on the field and the energy they bring really does feel exactly like a match. After wrapping up on the field, the guys headed into the gym for a core-focused workout session before heading back to the hotel.
The rest of the night went by quietly with team meal and some mandatory MLS presentations for the squad. We're off tomorrow! We'll be back in action on Thursday.
Monday, January 26
We've reached the halfway point of the trip and today we're making our switch from Portugal to Spain.
The day started with a high intensity training session near Estádio Algarve. The session began with some drills focused primarily on passing through opponent’s defenders before transitioning to some super competitive small-side 6-v-6 action. The weather stuck with the script we've had for the entirety of our trip with heavy rains and high winds, but that didn't stop the guys from leaving it all on the pitch.
After we got back to our hotel, we had lunch and packed up for our 5 hour bus ride from Quinta Do Lago to Marbella. We got in pretty late so a lot of the guys ate dinner quickly and headed straight to bed.
Tomorrow is our first double session day of the trip so the guys definitely need to rest up.
Sunday, January 25
It's our last full day of camp here in Portugal before heading to Marbella! Today was another standard day of training, with the squad focusing on “playing through opponents”. The session was filled with intense drills focused on tight, crisp passing.
The rest of the day flew by as everyone eagerly awaited the Seahawks game in the late evening here (11:30 p.m. kickoff times are no joke). We're back on the training ground tomorrow before a 5 hour bus ride to Marbella where we’ll spend the next 11 days!
Saturday, January 24
Today was a lighter day for the squad after yesterday's friendly, with only a handful of players training while the rest did a recovery session instead. The weather wasn't on our side in the morning again, as it was raining heavily throughout the entire morning. After lunch, the marketing staff visited Faro, the largest city near us. We walked around the gorgeous Old Town and were in awe of the architecture. Once we wrapped up in Faro, we headed back to the hotel. It sounds like a group of some of the squad's golfers finally got a round in today on one of the pristine courses near our hotel. The rest of the day flew by and thankfully, the sun finally came out for longer than one hour!
We're back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow with a training and gym session.
Friday, January 23
Today was our first preseason friendly v. Brøndby IF. While the result didn't go our way, there was a lot to be proud of with the showing from the squad. Several young guys got meaningful minutes and it was the first chance for the new faces to get acclimated with the squad. Facing off with one of Denmark's most prolific clubs was a good start to the preseason slate. After the match, the squad had a mobility session ahead of tomorrow's rehab session to ensure everyone is loose and ready to start their proper recovery process.
After training, the players grilled out near the pool back at our hotel while the staff were on their own for dinner. Some of us on the marketing staff headed into town for the first time since arriving in Portugal, and wow, are we lucky to call this area our temporary home while we're here
Thursday, January 22
It's Matchday -1 here in Portugal, and the squad's focus is on tomorrow's friendly versus Brøndby IF. Today's session was shorter than the last few due to the upcoming match, but the intensity was high from the start. Even in rondo circles and other small training games, you could tell the guys were locked in. The group focused on 7-v-7 drills during the session (which featured some really impressive saves from Max Anchor) before wrapping up with some finishing drills and light gym work. Yu Tsukanome was on fire during finishing today. Everyone here is eager to see him and all the other new guys in action with the squad.
The afternoon passed quickly, with most of us staying in the hotel as some storms rolled into the area. After team meal in the evening, the squad had their first film session ahead of tomorrow's match, and the guys went back to their rooms for a quiet night before the first matchday of 2026.
Wednesday, January 21
Day Two was all about battling the weather, with rain coming down pretty much all day. Training still went on as planned, with a focus on 11-v-11 work outside before the guys headed into the gym to wrap up the session. With the storms sticking around, most of the team took it easy and relaxed in their rooms after training.
After dinner, Sounders Mental Health Advisor Steve Lenhart got everyone together for a very intense game of Pictionary, which led to a lot of laughs and some fierce, but friendly, competition. Once the game wrapped up, most of the guys hung out to watch the Champions League and wind down for the night.
We're back on the training grounds tomorrow ahead of our first friendly on Friday!
Tuesday, January 20
Day One started a bit slower. Most of the traveling group slept in, then relaxed in the afternoon. Some of the support staff took an afternoon stroll down to Praia da Quinta do Lago before lunch.
After lunch, we had our first training session of the camp. This session focused heavily on cardio and getting loose after yesterday's long travel day. Once the field session wrapped, the guys had a gym session before returning to the hotel for dinner. The rest of the evening was quiet; some of the guys hung out and played cards while others unwound in their rooms.
Monday, January 19
We have arrived! After a 20+ hour travel day, we made it to Quinta do Lago. We'll spend the next week here for a fitness camp before our first friendly.
