They're currently isolated in the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, but Anton Tinnerholm says he and his teammates are handling everything as best they can.
The New York City FC fullback touched base with reporters on a conference call on Friday, saying that he's handling the situation much like the rest of his fellow players in MLS, doing what he can to stay in shape while training on his own and keeping in regular contact with his teammates and coaches through WhatsApp.
"I’m not sitting here feeling sorry for myself," Tinnerholm said. "I’m healthy and am in good shape and living in Manhattan. So, it’s not feeling sorry for myself, the way we have to train is not optimal but you have to do what you can in times like this.
"All we can do for the moment is stay in shape as well as we can," he added. "Of course the longer it goes the harder it will get to be back, but at the same time we want to finish the season, so it’s a hard thing. We want to play of course but the most important thing now is to stay safe and help each other in these hard times. The conditioning isn’t a problem, you can work out in your apartment, you can run for yourself, but the thing you’re missing now is the soccer conditioning. It’s different playing a soccer game for 90 minutes compared to running and doing stuff in your apartment. ...We’re just going to take time, it’s going to be a balance there, we want to start as early as possible, but you have to be safe first."
Aside from spending time with his wife and kids in their NYC apartment, Tinnerholm said he's been keeping in close contact with his family back in Sweden, which includes his grandparents.
"I call them as much as possible," Tinnerholm said. "Sweden is a little bit more open than other countries in the world and of course there are restrictions but things aren’t that close so people can walk around and some stores are still open and things like that. They listen to the experts and that’s what the experts tell them in Sweden. To keep contact with my family it’s a lot of calls, especially with my grandparents, I’m a little bit worried for them.
"But they’re healthy and they’re staying inside. They’re bored and a little bit lonely but it’s safety first, so I try to call them and discuss things with them. I called my grandad after every single game and discuss the games, so we can’t discuss that anymore. But we’re talking about everything and my other family is young and healthy. Of course you’re missing them a lot, especially in times like this when you can’t meet with anybody else so you’re feeling bored and lonely. Luckily I have my wife and kids. It’s tough times and we have to get through this together."
