Steve Nicol ended Wednesday's rain-soaked training session by telling his squad to "get a stretch, get home, sit and do nothing." The New England Revolution players had just completed their penultimate practice prior to their departure for Texas on Thursday and their coach was keen for his men to take things easy after a strenuous workout.
"We need to look after ourselves," said Nicol. "We need to train the way we have always trained but we need to make sure we are resting up and looking after our legs. It's easy to get carried away with doing this and that but, just get yourself home and sit on your backside."
Wednesday was the first time the Revolution had trained since they clinched a spot in MLS Cup 2006 last Sunday with a 1-0 win against D.C. United and only Daniel Hernandez (groin) was absent. Steve Ralston, who missed that game due to a calf contusion, was back in training, as was Clint Dempsey, who took a full part in practice for the first time since he sprained his right ankle in Chicago against the Fire on Oct. 22.
The Texan looked to be moving freely, though he was understandably a little restricted in what he could do following his layoff. Nicol was pleased to see Dempsey back, but the Revolution boss was not getting carried away with one day of training. Nor was he forthcoming on what role he thought Dempsey could have on Sunday.
"The first day back is always the easiest with the adrenaline going," Nicol said. "It will be tomorrow and how he wakes up and comes in and sees how he feels after doing a full day's training. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
"If he is fit enough to play then that is a decision we have to make. We are not trying to over think things and try and second guess. We will deal with things as they turn out, starting tomorrow morning."
Dempsey, meanwhile, was cautiously optimistic about his chances of being able to contribute.
"I'm still a little bit rusty and still a little bit to work on but, at the pace I am going, it looks like there is a possibility I can play," he said. "I'll just try to ice it as much as I can, strengthen as much as I can and see what happens."
By his own admission, Nicol believed that one of the main reasons for his side falling at the final hurdle in 2005 was due to fatigue. On Wednesday, there was no sign of any weariness from the Revs squad during a lively training session.
"We felt that things were pretty sharp last year but certainly today, the first day back, everybody was raring to go and there was a good spirit about the place," said Nicol.
Though he does not think his side will prepare any differently for this year's final, Nicol is conscious of what his players are doing when they are not on the training field, and at this stage of the season, places almost as much emphasis on rest as on anything else.
"That feeds into what we were saying at the end about going home and sitting on your backside and just resting up," he said. "We did enough, got our work in and now we'll get ourselves home."
With Dempsey and Ralston getting closer to full fitness, the Revolution coach is set to be in an almost unenviable position in selecting his midfield. By contrast, in Houston, Dominic Kinnear is preparing for the game without one of his key central midfielders. The loss of the suspended Ricardo Clark is a blow to Dynamo, though Nicol believes that Houston have the personnel to be able to absorb Clark's absence.
"They are a solid team and are all about 11 players. They are not a team that is built around one player or two players," Nicol said. "They are a team that has covered for each other all year, and whoever comes in and plays for them, you know he has been there before and you are going to get a good performance out of him. I am sure Dominic would prefer Clark to be playing but I'm sure the change won't affect them too much."
Interest in the Revolution is growing and a bigger media presence than normal greeted the players as they left the field on Wednesday. Nicol is aware of the added demands the week of a final can place on players and is keen for them to keep things simple and treat the final as they would any other match.
"You don't want to get carried away with all the interviews and the other stuff. Every game is about preparation, and if we prepare properly for it, then we expect to go out and play," he said. "That's exactly how we are approaching this game."
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
