The MetroStars have welcomed several international trialists to their preseason camp in Bradenton, led by Canadian international Adrian Serioux.
Confident on the ball and quick to shut down the attacks of the opponents, the central midfielder was among head coach Mo Johnston's starting 11 in Wednesday's scrimmage loss to Real Salt Lake.
Serioux has earned eight caps for the Maple Leafs, while also picking up experience during a two-year stint at Millwall in England's second tier.
"Adrian Serioux has done well," Johnston said after his team's 2-1 loss at the IMG Academies. "That was his first real practice with us. For 45 minutes he handled the ball well."
The news wasn't as good for the other newcomers, which included Portuguese midfielder Carlos Fangueiro, Polish international Piotr Swierczewksi and Iceland's Bjarni Gudjohnsen. Each saw 45 minutes of action, but failed to really impress the boss.
"I didn't think he'd done well," Johnston said of Fangueiro's performance. "He got a couple of crosses, but I didn't think he defended well. We're looking at him closely. So far he showed up well, but in the 45 minutes there [against RSL] -- no."
On Swierczewksi, Johnston had this to say: "He gets stuck in. He'll move around the field and has a willingness to get inside the box. I need to see more. Is it there? Probably not, but I'm not judging on just 45 minutes."
UNITED ARRIVE: A blustery wind that drove the temperatures into the low 50s didn't seem to bother D.C. United, as they held their first training session at IMG Academies on Wednesday evening. The team departed Washington with temperatures well below freezing, so the unusually chilly conditions further south still didn't seem that bad to the Black-and-Red.
Head coach Peter Nowak put his side through some basic possession drills and a short inter-squad scrimmage before calling it a day. The club currently has all roster players in camp for the moment, with the exception of those still with the U.S. national team. A few trialists have been invited to Florida and will join the team in the coming days.
GARLICK ABSENT: New Real Salt Lake signing Scott Garlick is not with the team in Florida, as he has been excused from training to attend to a personal matter. There has been no official word on when he will rejoin the squad.
The veteran goalkeeper was acquired in the offseason from FC Dallas, along with defender Carey Talley, in exchange for a portion of an allocation.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
