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Hey everyone! Just checking in from not-so-sunny California. Unfortunately we have experienced quite a bit of cloud cover since first arriving to National Team Residency last Sunday. In fact, today was the first legitimate day of sunshine since we have been here. From what I hear though, we are quite lucky, compared to the rest of the country at the moment. But on to more exciting things, Residency 2007 has officially begun!!! For my first few blogs, I am going to fill you in on a few days at a time and will catch everyone up to date very soon. Our first practice was last Monday, however all of the players flew in based on their preference and their schedule. I decided to fly in the day before in order to get my legs under me and relax a bit before starting the strenuous 5 week schedule and the first two blocks of our residency. Not only did this prove to be a good decision for those reasons just stated, but it also allowed me to experience a celebrity sighting. Right place, right time, type of thing. As I exited my gate upon arrival to LAX and headed toward the baggage claim with my carry-on bags in tow, I noticed a small crowd gathering to my left. Not expecting anything exciting, I glanced over and saw none other than IceCube. For those of you not aware of IceCube, he is a rapper/ actor and has a movie coming out very soon entitled "Are we Done Yet?", the sequel to his premier movie "Are we there yet?". People that know me well know that I have quite a love for music and a fondness for certain r&b music as well. Like any normal American music lover, I grabbed my camera quickly and played it real cool (or what I thought was cool) and asked for a picture. Luckily he was nice enough to give me one and then I went on my way. (thanks IceCube, if you are a soccer fan and happen to be reading this)
I was picked up by one of our massage therapists, Scott Street, curbside at LAX and we headed to what would be our home for the next 5 weeks: The Residence Inn. I was a bit skeptical about staying in a hotel room with a roommate for so long, but when we arrived, we noticed we each had our own bedroom and bathroom, plus a living area and full kitchen. Quite cozy accommodations actually! My roommate, Keeley Dowling, arrived the next day in time for us to be on our way to our kick off practice. Keeley, a former standout defender from the University of Tennessee, and I have known each other since our days on the U-19 national team, as well as having played together with the U-21 National Team as well. It has proven to be a good roommate match up so far. Keeley has more of the laid back personality of the two of us, so we seem to balance each other out quite well. Day 1: April 2, 2007 Warm greetings filled the locker room as we arrived for our first practice at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Everyone is always pumped to see one another, whether it be a two week break or a two month one. We each settled into our lockers and prepared for our first practice. Personally, I was extremely excited to get underway. This is my first involvement with a Residency program in preparation for a world event. Back in October, I earned my first caps for the National Team and there is no greater privilege than putting on the United States jersey and walking out to your national anthem. With this great enthusiasm we started our first practice. The first practice was fairly normal for our first day back in camp. We started with a quick warm-up with the entire team and then split into groups to play 5v2. This happens to be my personal favorite when it comes to drills. After getting through this warm-up game, we played a few small sided games and then we were done. The purpose of the first practice is just to get our legs ready to go for the following day and to feel good about our touch on the ball. The thing we weren¡¦t feeling so good about was what we were about to encounter the next day, The BEEP test.
Day 2: April 3, 2007 Today was our first day of two-a-days. Today we began on the field turf in our order to run our fitness. For those not familiar with the beep test, here is how it is setup. There are two cones 23 yards apart and each player must run back and forth to a series of beeps resonating from the tape player positioned behind us on the bench. At each level, the speed increases and so must your running speed. The first time you miss, you are out. We have a standard on the National Team stating that you must make it to level 14.1 so it puts quite the pressure on everyone to really push through and achieve that. As we arrived to the field, we split into two groups and began our warm-up. The majority of the team likes to get started as quickly as possible to eliminate the amount of time you have to ponder the upcoming test of fitness, strength, and heart. The last quality in here is not to be underestimated. It is as much a gut check and mental test, as it is a physical one. I am happy to say I passed the standard that was set and was extremely excited about it. Being extremely fit is a very important part of performance. It is one less thing to worry about and it allows you to perform better in many aspects of the game, both technically and tactically, especially in the waning moments of competition. Fitness has definitely been a focus of mine, as well as refining certain aspects of my game, while I have been training at Tech since the last time I was in. Greg Ryan, the National Team Coach, was very happy with us as he reported that over 2/3 of the players had improved upon their last scores. We went directly from here into our fitness games. We were split up into teams of 3v3 and 4v4, with neutral players on each field and we competed within our teams for 3 games. Three games might not sound like many, but it is set up as a transition game. In order for your goal to count, your whole team must be across the halfway line. Defensively, if your team concedes a goal and your whole team is not all back on the defensive half, the goal counts double. This ensures that as players, we will not be standing and watching. We must maintain an active involvement in the play and push ourselves as much as possible to play on both sides of the ball. Following this first practice, we went into the Home Depot Center for some regeneration work with Athletes Performance, in order to make sure we are taking care of our bodies. This is extremely important as we prepare for the World Cup. Although this is my first time being involved in Residency, I have been told how important it is to realize we are in a marathon and we must peak at the right times and make sure we are healthy come World Cup Time. As we headed to lunch at the Stadium Club in the Home Depot Center, Kristen Luckenbill began to joke with me that we actually were going to know what it was like to work a 9-5 job today. We realize how blessed we are to play at such a high level, but the fact is we are not used to working a full day. We sat down for our meal and enjoyed watching the Champions League match between Liverpool and PSV. I am a huge fan of the English Premier league and am quite a Liverpool fan, but it definitely doesn't compare to that of Neil McGuire. I was pulling for them, but when I realized they were going to win, I had to text Neil and tell him congratulations. After filling our stomachs with some tasty food and hanging out for a bit, we then headed out for our second and final practice of the day. Quite often in Full National Team Camps we split into functional training groups: Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders, and Forwards. We are an extremely lucky group to have such a talented staff and we were blessed in 2007 to be able to add Billy McNichol to the staff. He works strictly with the forwards on these days and is able to share with us his expertise. As a forward, you succeed or fail based on your production. Can you put the ball in the back of the net? Do you create chances that result in goals? Due to this nature and demand of our position, we obviously work on finishing a majority of the time. Today we worked on bent balls to the far post, as well as shooting from the top of the 18. It was a short practice, but a much needed one as well. I guess you could say Keeley and I are officially moved in as we made a grocery run to Albertsons that night. Although my cooking skills are a bit sub par, I am hoping to learn a bit from Keeley, the master chef, while I am here. I could definitely use a bit of help. Phew! This blog's length definitely reflects the type of day we had on day 2. I will be posting more often now and hopefully the two-a-days will be few and far between, therefore keeping my blogs nice and short. Check back soon! Day 3: April 4, 2007 Hey everyone! Although each practice here is extremely competitive, today traditionally brings that level to new heights. Our first inter-squad scrimmage proved to be no different than those in the past. We were split up in a starter versus reserve fashion and were sent to warm-up with our perspective teams. As the opening whistle blew any onlooker could see the competitive fire that each player had within them. This presents an exciting opportunity for those that are new to camp or are not quite within the realms of the starting unit. It gives that player the opportunity to perform against the top 11 players in the nation and to earn a spot. Due to the sense of urgency that is created when playing in such an environment and the additional fact that our legs were pretty exhausted from the past two days, the game lacked the rhythm both the coaches and players would've like to have seen and experienced. However, this was the first time the entire residency group had come together to play for the year. Ultimately, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. As mentioned in the last blog, we are fortunate enough to work with a group called Athletes Performance in the weight room. Seeing that we had a complete day off the following day, we ended our day with a workout in the weight room. Not only is there an emphasis to take care of our bodies in such an intense training environment, but gaining muscular strength for injury prevention is a priority as well. Here we split into four groups and went through a circuit of core work, medicine ball throws, as well as upper and lower body lifts. Thank goodness we had the next day off! Day 5: April 6, 2007 After a much needed day off we headed back to the Home Depot Center for another set of two-a-days. In preparation for our first domestic match of the year versus Mexico, today was dedicated to refining our technique in each of our positions as well as tactical preparation. Today, in our forward group, we added another element to our finishing. While finishing is extremely important to the forward position, distribution is a quality that we must develop as well. Billy had our group work on texturing final balls into the box for the others in the group to finish. This allowed each one of us to work on both the placement and pace of our passes, as well as composure in the box for finishing. Our second practice of the day was dedicated completely to set plays. We were divided into our two groups of starters versus reserves and were given 30 minutes to work on both offensive and defensive set pieces. This is a critical element to any game but especially to those played at the highest level. One defensive mistake or one offensive moment of brilliance could be the margin of victory. Aly, Angela, and I worked on most of the offensive set pieces around the box while the rest of the girls worked on figuring out our marks. We then reconvened for a set play game. We alternated offense and defense with the other group. If a second chance is earned, the team then earns a point. It was a tight match and we ended in a tie. In order to determine the winner, Greg had us go straight to penalty kicks. Although we held in there for 8 rounds, my group ended up losing the penalty kick shootout in sudden death. Oh well...better luck next time. To end the evening, Keeley cooked an amazing meal of ribs for Rachel Buehler, Kristen Luckenbill and myself. Our oven is a bit possessed so she was a bit uneasy about how they would turn out, but if the speed at which we ate was any indication, it was a job well done. We then proceeded to watch the movie, Babel, which Keeley had rented for the week. Even after an hour of being completely bored, I maintained my optimism about the movie taking a turn for the better. This may be due to the fact that I happen to have a soft spot for Brad Pitt but that is beside the point. I continuously tried convincing my teammates to finish the movie out; however after two and a half hours of misery, I realized it never would get better. Pretty unfortunate way to end the night if you ask me. Now it's off to bed. Big game against the boys tomorrow!
April 7th The boys games on Saturday were a great success. Our game ended up 9-1. We were able to control much of the game and were extremely sharp on our final passes and finishing in the box. Our second group of girls also won their game 4-1, so overall I would say it was quite a successful day. To top it off, I was able to attend the Chivas USA home opener that night against Toronto FC. I absolutely love watching soccer and am quite a fan of the MLS. What was even better was that one of my good friends, Alecko Eskandarian was recently traded to Toronto FC, the newest team in Major League Soccer, so I was able to see him play. The final score ended up being 2-0 in favor of Chivas USA. One quality that I have always liked about certain professional athletes is their ability to connect with the fans and this is a trait that Alecko possesses and I'm sure most would agree. Even after a tough loss, he came to the stands and talked to those who wanted to talk to him. This shows a lot of character and is a quality that I respect about him and that many could take from watching him. April 9th Monday was a big day...it was the day that we were to find out who made the 18 man roster for the Boston trip to play against the Mexican National Team. Prior to the announcement of the 18, we had an extremely intense fitness practice. Last week, like I have already mentioned we played 6 fitness games which is one pretty tough practice. But this time it was bumped up to 8. After this intense practice, we had a team weight lifting session and then a meeting with Greg Ryan, our head coach. At this point he announced the roster and unfortunately I was left off of it. Disappointment is a natural feeling to have when something of this nature occurs, but it can also serve as the best motivation for the future. We often have individual meetings at different points in our camp and this time was no different. After I had my meeting with my positional coach, Billy McNichol, I was ready to get back into the swing of things the next day. April 10th - April 13th The remainder of the week had a definite rhythm and purpose to its training. The twelve that did not travel with the team to the game were set to practice once a day until Friday with Billy McNichol running the sessions. Each session we had a technical portion to start off the practice, followed by tactical pattern play, and ending with some type of playing. Staying sharp technically is extremely important at this level because of the speed of play and the athleticism of the players. To work on this aspect, we did many passing drills, as well as some fun juggling drills. Wednesday we split into groups of three, each consisting of one defender, one midfielder and one forward. My group, Keeley Dowling, Angela Hucles and myself affectionately called ourselves the "Terrific Three" and won every juggling and shooting drill that we played. The other girls didn't warm to the idea of this name quite as much. Bitter much? The last day of the week, we even played a little soccer tennis. It is always nice to mix in a little bit of fun, but still keep up the intensity and the focus. The tactical portion of the sessions was quite intense. Our coach made sure of this by making sure that we understood where we messed up if we happened to miss-hit a ball, have a bad touch/shot, or mentally check out. These types of drills can only be beneficial if they are kept at a game pace. If not, a completely unrealistic view of the game is reinforced and will not be helpful in real match play. Lastly, we played different types of 4v4 games in tight spaces. Purposely, there was less coaching involved due to the fact that players often learn the most by just playing the game of soccer. As a player, one is forced to figure out situations that the game presents to them on their own.
April 12th Galaxy Game with a little Sushi on the side! Thursday evening we were able to gather some tickets so that we could get out and see the LA Galaxy Opening Game at the Home Depot Center. However, we didn't want to show up to the stadium with empty stomachs. A favorite spot for most of the girls on the team is a place named Fusion Sushi located in Hermosa Beach; however I must admit that I am not a fan of sushi. Known to most everyone, I am quite a picky eater but I decided to go along for the camaraderie and figured I could find something edible to order considering I do like Asian food. After enjoying, a HUGE plate of chicken teriyaki, I decided to act as chauffeur and head to the Home Depot Center. A crowd of 23,596 gathered, so you can imagine the pressure of finding parking and avoiding crazy drivers. We did arrive safely and were able to enjoy the game from the stadium club area. It was an incredibly awesome view where you could see all the action. I was particularly excited for the game because a former friend of mine from the University of North Carolina was getting his first start in the MLS. Dax McCarty was a few years younger than I was in college, but had a great college career and was drafted after his sophomore year in college to FC Dallas! I was a Dallas fan completely surrounded by a stadium of LA Galaxy fans. IT felt quite lonely until the the 35th minute when FC Dallas striker, Carlos Ruiz, buried a penalty kick to put FC Dallas up 1-0. It felt even better when we took a 2 goal lead right before the half. They managed to cut the lead to 2-1, but we held on for the victory. 23,595 fans left unfulfilled, but one left quite happy. That's it for this week, more to come soon! April 14th:
After a tough week of training we were given the entire weekend off. Lucks and I decided we should head to the beach for a bit and then take a drive out to Beverly Hills and the Hollywood area instead of just sitting around. As many times as I have been to California, one would think that I had been able to tour this area, but that is not the case. So needless to say, I was pretty excited about heading over there.
Beverly Hills was extremely nice....duh! We did pretty much what I figured we would do. We strolled through the area, tried to act like we belonged, yet never set foot inside all the designer stores. Then we decided to grab some Starbucks coffee. Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to have any celebrity sightings, but I figure one is more than enough for this stint in LA. Next, we decided to go for a scenic drive on Sunset Blvd and through old Hollywood. I became extremely excited when I saw the Hollywood sign in the Hills.
Lucks wouldn't stop laughing at me...it was as if I was a kid in a candy shop! After figuring out a way for her to take a picture while I was driving, we drove through Bel-Air and then back to the Residence Inn. Regretfully, I didn't see the Fresh Prince! April 16th: As most already know, we won our game against Mexico this past weekend 5-0! All of our players contributed in great ways to provide the separation needed to win this contest. Head coach, Greg Ryan, returned this week to California and ran our training sessions until he would depart for China for the World Cup draw! Our week started off extremely fast on Monday, as we had one of the hardest practices we had endured since coming into Residency. We played a continuous 1v1 game, eventually built into 2v2s and then finally capped it off with a transition 4v4 game. The low amount of numbers really allows for a great training session. There is no where to hide in such a training session as you are put up against a great player in whatever type of battle it may be. Greg even jumped in to train with us in the final game, which always adds a fun element to the session. April 17th: Tuesday's session mostly concentrated on crossing and finishing. Although it was less fitness based, we made sure to keep the focus necessary to provide an atmosphere needed to improve in the areas we were working on for the day. We then incorporated the crossing and finishing into a combative 3v3 game with goalkeepers. The ball must first go out to an outside player for a cross and then the offense must look to score, while the defense looks to clear. The game in the box is often chaotic, yet you must know exactly what you are trying to accomplish in this particular chaos. A drill such as this provides the players an arena where we can learn how to keep our concentration while battling in such a physical environment. April 18th: Wednesday was such a great practice, although at the end I think it would be safe to say each and everyone of us were ready for a break! We played about 6-8 intervals of 2 minutes each of continuous 2v2s to normal size goals. This may not seem like much, but the constant movement and transition makes for quite a hard game. Most of the games we do such as these, those that are newer to camp are put against the more veteran players and starters. Although this provides a challenge because these players have been playing together longer, it allows the newer players the opportunity to be compared directly to those already there. This challenge is extremely motivating in these types of practices and you can see the fight in everyone on the field. After this, we went straight into a continuous 5v5 transition game. The coaches make sure there are plenty of balls around the field and in the goal, so the game does not stop. We played for what seemed like an eternity, but I believe it was about 5-6 intervals of this type of game, with a bit of rest in between. After this, I couldn't wait to get back and just relax and see who was going to get kicked off American Idol tonight...oh the important things in life! April 19th: Sanjaya got kicked off! I mean I've always liked the guy and he has a pretty voice, but it was about time! Let's be honest...anyway, back to soccer! Thursday was the day that both Greg Ryan and our captain, Kristine Lilly left for China. The World Cup Draw for the brackets were to be announced and Lil was chosen to play in the World Cup All Star Game. We were extremely excited for her and of course are all anxious to see who we will be playing come September. Today, Billy McNichol was back to run our last session before the entire squad would be back together. We warmed up with passing technical work and then went straight into our patterns, like we worked on the week before. This week worked more on long balls out of the back to the wingers and crosses into the box. After finishing, we concluded the session with a 20 minute game and I might add that my team won this game. Then, it was back to the Residence Inn to enjoy the rest of my night and my day off the following day before starting our second block of 2007 Residency! Also, thanks to everyone that has written in. I appreciate all the encouragement and I am glad you guys are enjoying the blog! Keep those comments and questions coming! |
