After a restful evening, the Kansas City Wizards were ready for their morning training session Monday. The temperature was in the mid-60's, but a drizzle fell throughout, making the field slippery.
The squad started with a cone drill warm-up, featuring side-to-side movement and jumping exercises. The goal is to work up to a 90+ minute fitness level while remaining sharp both mentally and tactically.
The field players broke into two 10-v-10 groups to play a six-goal game on a 70-yard long field. The three goals (10 feet wide with no 'keepers) on each side were spaced 25-yards apart to encourage quick passes, change of field and movement toward the ball. The players competed hard and looked good as coach Curt Onalfo surveyed the field, both instructing the players and evaluating.
The squad then divided into full teams to play an 11-v-11 full-field scrimmage. They played the two 12-minute halves to a 0-0 draw, but the intensity was raised from just a day ago. Each side created scoring opportunities, but the four 'keepers in camp did a good job of maintaining clean sheets.
To end the second day of on-field work, half of the players went to one side for set piece work with assistant coach Kris Kelderman while the other did a shooting drill with assistant coach Chris Henderson. The shooters had to be careful as behind the goal and a 20-foot tall net was a pond with alligators lurking.
The session ended with Onalfo addressing the team. His style is to treat everyone as professionals and trust they are acting accordingly. He also relies on veteran leadership, a role which the older players are embracing.
The Wizards went to a team lunch at the IMG Academy before heading to the apartments to shower. In the afternoon the players will have weight training at the local gym.
On Tuesday, the Wizards will take on the New York Red Bulls in a scrimmage at 10 a.m. ET at IMG.
QUOTES:
"Preseason is lengthy, but there is a lot to get done. We came in reasonably fit, but we are still pacing ourselves as the ultimate goal is to get to maximum strength for the regular season. We were a little better (Monday) than (Sunday) so we will continue to build upon that."
- Head coach Curt Onalfo
"We are excited for the scrimmage (Tuesday) and to take it up a notch on the field. Even though it is early, tomorrow will be a good barometer for where we stand and what we need to work on. We are primarily concerned with how we play as a unit tomorrow rather than the score, but we are all still big competitors and we will compete hard tomorrow."
- Midfielder Sasha Victorine
