So about the 2015 MLS season being 10 days away…the 2015 MLS season is 10 days away! Sounders FC had its second to last training session in Tucson on a lovely sunny Thursday and there was plenty to report on from Kino Sports Complex.
Let’s recall all the action in the latest edition of your favorite easily-digestible piece on SoundersFC.com, Tidbits From Training.
The Sun Returned
Tuesday’s training session, which didn’t have a Tidbits From Training following it, to put it simply, was a miserable one. It was freezing cold. It was raining. It was super windy. No one was happy really. Wednesday night’s game was also super chilly. Thursday however couldn’t have given the club better conditions. Just wonderful. Sunny, no clouds. Perfect.
Ozzie Update - Part 1
There are three Ozzie updates from this TFT. The first involves his fitness and injury recovery. Possibly the most important update, sure, but by no means the coolest. Regardless, Alonso spent a good portion of the morning running with the training staff to continue his push for full fitness after his groin injury. His timetable for return for the home opener against the Revs is unclear, but the signs so far have been promising.
Coaches Gonna Coach
For a large part of the session, Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid took the lead during a full-field drill and coached his players on exactly how he wants them to move and operate going forward. He often does this throughout the year to give a real hands on interpretation of what he’s looking for from his team. Great for onlookers as well as you certainly pick up a lot about the intricacies of this game that we love.
Ozzie Update - Part II
HE IS STILL GROWING HIS HAIR! For the first time in the known history of the man himself, Alonso is rocking the longer hair look. It’s fabulous. He looks just incredible. Also, just good to have him in Tucson with the team, doing the bonding thing. Very important piece of his recovery.
How Good Is Your Aim?
Towards the end of training, the group decided it’d be a good idea to work on their target practice a bit more, this time aiming for a trash can that was on the side of the training pitch. At first it was just Chad Barrett and Kevin Parsemain. Then a few more players joined. Then it was basically the whole team lofting chipped balls at the small circular opening. All the while, our very own Video Producer Bryan Babcock was trying to film AND shag the balls back to the players. In the end, Barrett was the only player able to hit it straight into the can, albeit after about 30 attempts. His celebration was a good one as seen below.
Doing That Re-Gen Thing
A big portion of the squad spent the training session doing a little of that re-gen stuff after last night’s match with the New England Revolution. Spending it stretching and jogging around the pitch, a group of the players thought it would be funny to use the seated digital staff as target practice during their downtime. Not cool, guys.
Cool Guy Shades
During the little ‘aim for the trash can’ fun…Marco Pappa decided to don a pair of shades owned by assistant coach Ante Razov. He thought they’d make the difference in making the shot. They didn’t.
Ozzie Update - Part III
This guy can do everything.
