The FC Dallas players and coaches gathered Thursday at The Colony Five Star for a conditioning and drills workout that is beginning to ease them into shape as the team heads to Florida on Monday. It was a nice day out today with the temperatures in the mid 50s, but still most players wore sweatshirts and pants as they conditioned through running, exercise drills and stretching.
First the team began the morning getting dressed in their training gear at Blue Sky at 10 a.m. CT. The team then packed in approximately seven cars and drove south to The Colony Five Star facility. Arriving at the facility at 10:30 a.m., the team stretched and got ready for the conditioning they were about to endure.
Separating into four groups of seven or eight, the FC Dallas players ran to 10 flags dispersed across two soccer fields in intervals of :14 seconds. After this activity, most players were not breathing hard and were joking around with Josh Watts (Head Athletic Trainer) as he demonstrated the next drills for the team.
Watts set up 13 different stations side-by-side where players would stand on one foot and head the soccer ball, do push ups with dumbbells, Russian twists with medicine balls, and several other exercise and training drills. During these drills players had to choose a teammates to partner up with. A few interesting partners included:
• Clarence Goodson and David Wagenfuhr - Both players have an opportunity to seize this season. Goodson may fill a hole that Cory Gibbs left with his departure in the middle of the defensive unit and Wagenfuhr will be fighting for minutes on the defensive left side. Both players seemed to like each other very much and communicated extremely well as they accomplished each drill to near perfection.
• Carey Talley and Richard Mulrooney - Two of the more vocal gentlemen during today's training session. Both guys are from Memphis, Tennessee, drove together to and from training. Talley was very encouraging to the players running with him in his group. Mulrooney looks like a born leader.
• Oscar Pareja and Arturo Alvarez - The teacher and the student. You could tell Alvarez respected Pareja and took everything he said to heart. Pareja has publicly embraced his supporting role and it was very evident today at training.
After the drills, the team was off running again, circling the 10 flags in intervals of :13 seconds. A few of the players were visibly tired after this run, with some of the players falling off. After this run, some of the players were joking around, while most were trying to catch their breath.
The final group run took the players around the flags in intervals of :12 seconds. With Head Coach Colin Clarke blowing the whistle at each 12 second interval, the players strived ahead and continued their run. Impressively, most of the players made it through all three runs with ease. Specifically, Wagenfuhr and Goodson looked good. Both didn't even seem to be breathing hard at the conclusion of the training.
The only two players that were not present today at training were Eddie Johnson and Cornell Glen. Those two are getting ready for a World Cup qualifier between their two countries on Feb. 9 at Trinidad and Tobago.
The team will be back at it tomorrow and Saturday at Blue Sky before taking Sunday off. FC Dallas will then travel to Florida on Monday for one week. Their scheduled scrimmages in Florida include a match on Feb. 9 vs. the MetroStars and on Feb. 11 vs. the Chicago Fire.
NUMBER CHANGES
There are a few notable number changes and additions to the FC Dallas roster as the team begins training camp in Dallas. Listed below are the 10 number changes or new numbers for FC Dallas that will take effect during the 2005 season.
Arturo Alvarez - Will wear #12
Cornell Glen - Will wear #13
Chris Gomez - Will wear #30
Winston Marshall - Will wear #21
Drew Moor - Will wear #14
Richard Mulrooney - Will wear #18
Julian Nash - Will wear #24
Alex Yi - Will wear #2
Ramon Nunez - Will change from #21 to #11
David Wagenfuhr - Will change from #25 to #16
