Portland Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse has always known the basics around the kitchen. And now that the suspended MLS season has given him some spare time, he's trying to grow from a proficient chef to a more advanced one.
With the Coronavirus Pandemic resulting of the suspension of the MLS season until at least May 10, Ebobisse is going beyond his comfort zone at the oven and taking a chance cooking meals he's always wanted to make. There's been a pasta bolognese dish that satisfied his stomach but tried his patience. There was a quiche that didnāt quite go to plan. And there was even a chocolate lava cake that was delicious, but unfortunately not ideal for staying in shape for professional soccer.
Still, the new hobby has been a welcome place to channel energy.
āI really do nothing all day, so I have time to really dive into recipes and try and really put some care into what Iām preparing,ā Ebobisse says. āSo far itās been net positive and hopefully it starts habits that I can carry into once the season gets rolling again.ā
With nearly two months until the season resumes, at earliest, Ebobisse will have plenty of time to master his quiche-making.
He might not want to get too good at it, however, while he also balances culinary pursuits with the need to maintain fitness during an unexpected pause. So dar, the most difficult thing for to manage has been losing the rhythm, both with the Timbers and the US national team. Ebobisse had just been named a part of the Americans' Concacaf Olympic Qualifying tournament squad before that late March event was also postponed.
āJust at the time when weāre starting to build rhythm in our first MLS game after a long and challenging preseason for everyone, and for me as an individual ... starting to build into that qualifier and hopefully an Olympics in the summer, to have that momentum halted, thatās tough,ā Ebobisse said.
While they canāt train together, the Timbersā strength and conditioning staff continues to keep players updated on what they can do individually for workouts. For Ebobisse, that includes running every day and trying to push his own limits during workouts, rather than rely on the natural competition of team practices.
āIāve been and our fitness staff have been really proactive about it,ā Ebobisse said. āItās not perfect. We donāt have weights. But given the position that weāre in, itās the best thing we can get.ā
Ebobisse isnāt worried personally about his fitness level. He believes heās proactive enough in his individual training that he can stay fit and be ready when the suspension ends. The bigger concern is his technical skills.
āThereās only so much you can do with the ball and the wall,ā Ebobisse said. āAnd then just like match fitness and match fluidity. But I think those are different things that weāll pick up quickly.ā
Throughout this unusual interlude, Ebobisse believes itās important to keep things in perspective.
āWeāre in a relatively good position where weāre not being massively laid off like a lot of these other industries in the country that are being hit hard,ā Ebobisse said.