D.C. United returned to training Tuesday, going through a rigorous circuit-training course set up on the RFK training fields. Players sweated through five stations, working on strength, quickness, agility, endurance and ball control. Joining the team was a new trialist from Sierra Leone, 20-year-old Yusef Sindel. While Sindel has no further sessions with the Black-and-Red scheduled, Nana Kuffour continues to train each day with the club.
Absent from Tuesday's session were Josh Gros and Bobby Convey. Gros spent the day at Rutgers University, wrapping up final requirements for his degree. Convey was on the training table, as he recovers from a left hamstring strain suffered last Saturday against Columbus. Convey is currently listed as questionable for the Black-and-Red's match against the Kansas City Wizards this weekend.
There is a new fashion trend in the United locker room to match the new look on field. Several United players are currently sporting short-shorn locks. Ben Olsen was a recent convert to the new style, sacrificing his curly brown mane for the streamlined look. The trend has spawned a new moonlighting gig for Josh Gros: fashion critic.
Gros can often be seen around the locker room offering his professional opinion on the execution of his teammates' new hairdos, tending towards the "shameful." He is not without experience, however, as he is quite familiar with the minimalist hairstyle from his tenure last summer in Marine OCS.
One notable holdout to the new stylings of the Black-and-Red is Kevin Ara. The rookie midfielder currently has the longest hair on the team, just edging Convey and Brian Carroll. The peer pressure to cut his hair is intense, but Ara plans to keep his current 'do.
When asked about the peer pressure, Ara remarked, "Let me graduate first, and then maybe I'll cut it."
