TRAVEL ITINERARY:
The team arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport at approximately noon CT Saturday and were checked in for a 1:36 p.m. flight to Miami. FC Dallas Team Administrator Bobby Hammond did a great job of ensuring that all players, coaches and staff made the flight.
The team arrived in Miami at 5:30 p.m. and then hurried its way from the "B" terminal at the Miami International Airport to the "E" terminal to make a 6 p.m. flight to Madrid, Spain. Good friends Simo Valakari and Oscar Pareja arranged a few seating assignments to ensure that they would be sitting next to each other and the plane took off on time for an eight-hour overseas flight.
The team arrived in Madrid at 8:30 a.m., packed their team bus and headed out for a five-hour bus ride to La Manga. After unpacking and relaxing in their rooms for a few hours, Head Coach Colin Clarke took them over for a training session in preparation for their scrimmage with Molde of the Norwegian League.
TRAINING REPORT:
The team headed over at 4:30 p.m. (Spain time) to train for approximately an hour. It was raining and very chilly, but because the team has a scrimmage Monday, they had to get a short practice in. The squad began the cold afternoon session with stretching and a light warm-up jog. Following that, they had a one-touch drill where they would touch the ball with their left foot and pass with their right foot and then vice versa. Between passes the players would spring to the end of the next line or run backwards to mix in a little fitness to their workout. The final half-hour of practice saw the team split up into two groups. In the two groups, there were seven players who attempted to complete 10 straight touches without interruption, while the three players in the middle did their best to disrupt their passing sequence.
COACH COLIN CLARKE'S QUICK HIT:
• Clarke on what he wanted from his players today in training after traveling for 24 straight hours: "It was just important to get them out on the field and moving around a little. It's been a long, tough journey, but it was good to get their legs going and get ready for our scrimmage tomorrow."
• Clarke on what he expects from his team tomorrow compared to what he saw at SMU last Thursday: "The competition we will be facing will be a lot better. This match comes a little earlier then we would have liked after our journey so we might try and get everybody 45 minutes to make sure the travel is out of our system."
PLAYER NEWS:
Cornell Glen has joined the team after meeting his FC Dallas teammates in Miami. Sunday was his first training session with his new team and he said, despite the weary legs, he was glad to see his new teammates: "Today went even better then I expected. All of the guys were very kind to me and welcomed me to FC Dallas. I feel a little weary from the flight, but ready to play tomorrow in our scrimmage."
INJURY REPORT:
Eric Quill (Calf Strain) - Day-to-Day (is with team in Spain, but did not participate in training drills today)
Steve Jolley (Arthroscopic Knee Surgery) - Out 2-3 Weeks (is not with team in Spain)
Abe Thompson (Fractured Cheek Bone) - Out 4-6 Weeks (is not with team in Spain)
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Today was a long, tiresome journey across the world, but all of us are very glad to be here and are looking forward to having a great experience." - FC Dallas forward Bobby Rhine
MONDAY:
10:30 a.m. practice and 6:30 p.m. Exhibition vs. Molde
