Midway through their second U.S. tour in the last two years, Celtic FC is still at a loss for finding a way to win a game on American soil.
"I think the summer's officially over," manager Gordon Strachan said after losing 2-0 to the MLS All-Stars in a friendly Thursday.
The implication was that the loss should serve as a wake-up call, but for those Celtic supporters who have difficulty accepting anything but victory no matter what the calendar reads, Strachan's declaration might come a bit late.
Celtic came to Colorado full of confidence in themselves while still respecting the quality of players they'd be facing in the high-profile MLS matchup.
But after a disruptive 2 1/2 days of training in Colorado, where the Scottish club found the altitude and the heat especially challenging and canceled one of their morning training sessions to escape the upper 90-degree temperatures, Strachan finds himself still searching for the perfect preparation.
"It took us a long time to warm up," Strachan said of his club's subpar play throughout the first half in Thursday's game against the MLS All-Stars. "Preparation, we need to think about. We didn't do anything this morning, so we were a wee bit less sharp. But there you go. You take a choice sometimes with training and say what's best for the players. We weren't ready."
An All-Star "workout": Most of the players found Thursday's challenge a welcome one, forcing them to elevate their game as they head into the final two weeks before opening their season. The chance to meet the best the U.S. top-flight has to offer on their own soil was an opportunity none seemed inclined to pass up.
"It was first class," said veteran defender Steven Pressley, praising the new facility, the conditions, and the overall environment for soccer. "The result wasn't ideal for ourselves. But the most important aspect of a preseason game is to continue to progress as a team in terms of gaining your fitness levels and your sharpness. We're still as a team a wee bit away from our optimal levels, but we're getting there. Today was a great workout. Against a very impressive team."
From the MLS perspective, these All-Star challenges against elite teams from Europe and the Americas - they previously defeated Chivas in 2003, Fulham FC in 2005, and Chelsea FC in 2006 - is often a quest for pride, an effort to show that they can compete, if not dominate, some of the best teams the world has to offer.
"The [All-Star] results previous to this game have emphasized just how good a team they are, and we're aware of that," Pressley said. "It was an excellent game for ourselves. A hard workout against a very good MLS team."
The Celtic club left no room for argument in showering their hosts with praise, offering all the validation they could of the quality of the U.S. game.
"We didn't want to underestimate the league over here," said striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. "They certainly proved themselves tonight, which is great for them. It should be encouraging towards MLS."
The bright side: For a club so accustomed to winning, Thursday's result was a bitter pill to swallow for Celtic FC. Earlier in the week, Strachan had explained that a friendly loss to D.C. United last summer put Celtic in "crisis" mode nearly a month before their season even started.
"We don't like losing," striker Scott McDonald said, who came closest to scoring when he rattled a shot off the post in the first half. "At the end of the day there were no points up for grabs, so I guess we can leave the negatives with the losing."
As for positives, Strachan and his squad took comfort in the team's resilient second half, demonstrating the vital ability to adapt and adjust to their opponent's strength.
"The fact that they could reorganize themselves and take physical and mental blows in the first half and come back and make a game of it [was a good sign]," Strachan said. "I liked the attitude of, 'It's 2-0. I'm not going to accept 2-0.' Some clubs might accept it and just kick the ball and leave it at 2-0, but our team wanted to win the game. We tried to get the goals back. We left ourselves open at times, but that's the way we are."
On deck: Celtic leaves for Chicago on Friday, where they'll have two days to prepare before a Sunday match with the Fire.
Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
