The Los Angeles Galaxy opened preseason training on Monday and the general theme that will dominate the training ground at The Home Depot Center can be summed up in one word: fitness.
The Galaxy spent the better part of training in their running shoes, and only broke from the monotony of jogging at the tail end of the session to play short-sided scrimmages.
It's not just morning sessions either. Like several clubs around MLS, the Galaxy is partaking in two-a-days in the early weeks of February. Unlike several other MLS clubs however, they will be put to the test at the end of the month when they participate in the Pan-Pacific Championship in Hawaii.
"It's going to be tough. Double days and a lot of running and things like that," said goalkeeper Steve Cronin. "It's all relative though. There's an understanding that's it's not punishment. It's meant to make us better and get us ready for the season. Guys need to come out with the right attitude and know what it's for. In the end, we're going to be happy we did it."
In addition to the Pan-Pacific tournament, the Galaxy have an Asian tour planned as well that will keep them away from home for the better part of three weeks. That time on the road won't provide a great deal of opportunity to focus on fitness. That's why the Galaxy are getting as much of that work out of the way early. It's a strategy that the club is hoping will pay dividends once the season starts.
"Fitness is a very important part of success in MLS, given that the teams are so competitive," said Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas. "Sometimes what separates them is very small and that can be fitness. If you do the calculations, it's probably good for six or nine points. Six or nine points would have gotten us into the playoffs the last couple of years."
One player who came into camp already fit is David Beckham. The Englishman spent the last month training with Arsenal in hopes of being named to Fabio Capello's first squad as England's manager. While that hope wasn't realized, the work he put in has certainly paid dividends.
"It was good to train with (Arsenal) for a month and get a certain amount of fitness before I came back here," said Beckham. "I am grateful to Arsene Wenger and the rest of the players."
Beckham is hoping that the work he put in this winter will carry over into the regular season as well.
"Hopefully I can stay a lot more fit than I was last year," said Beckham. "It's a new season, new start, a new manager. It's exciting. ... If I get an injury, it has nothing to do with the way I've been preparing for games or getting myself ready."
The entire Galaxy team will be spending the next couple of weeks training hard in order to try and prevent any lengthy injury layoffs this season. Fatigue oftentimes leads to injury, and that is something that the entire organization will be trying to nip in the bud in February so come July, the pieces will still all be in place to make a midseason surge rather than a summer slump.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
