The Wizards departed cold Kansas City and headed south to the Florida sunshine on Sunday for an 18-day preseason trip. After an easy 2.5 hour flight to Tampa Bay, the team loaded up the bus for a one hour jaunt to the IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Spirits were high and the only thing that could bring the squad down was the Celine Dion CD the bus driver played, but not even that worked. The team arrived at their apartments, where three players each stay in mini-condos equipped with two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and two bathrooms. After treatment and settling in, the Wizards hopped in four vans and headed to their first training session four miles away.
Practice started with a quick on-their-own segment, but after a brief meeting, goalkeeper and fitness coach David Tenney broke the team into four groups for a serious warm-up session. It was time to shake the rust off from a cold winter and the flight. The drills included stretching, jogging, short sprint bursts, one- and two-touch ball work and agility drills.
The team then divided into two separate groups to play small-sided possession games. This was to not only play and think quickly, but to also get used to the ball on grass after a week of training on the Arrowhead indoor turf. The field players worked and competed hard as the goalkeepers broke off on their own for drills.
The day ended with two 11-v-11 12-minute games. The pace was fast and the play was organized. This was an exercise to prepare for the scrimmage vs. Red Bull New York on Tuesday (10 a.m. ET), as the orange team and white team tied 1-1.
Edson Elcock, the club's third-round SuperDraft pick, received a cross from the left flank, settled it and drilled home a shot from seven yards out. In the second stanza, after a clearance, midfielder Jack Jewsbury rifled a 35-yard bomb inside the left post.
QUOTES:
"We are excited to be down here as a team and now is the time we start becoming one. The players all have the right mindset and now it is time to show it on the field."
- Head coach Curt Onalfo
"It was good to get the legs stretched out and get the competitive juices flowing. The players are focused, which is a great thing, but that doesn't mean we will stop working hard. The attitude is great and the excitement level is high, but now it is time to show the fruits of our labor."
- Defender Nick Garcia
"(Sunday's) practice was a good start. We have bonded well as a group both on and off the field. Now is the time to take it up a notch."
- Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman
