The team bus left RFK Friday afternoon in a race with Winter Storm Jonas as he barreled his way into the region. As snow continued to fall, D.C. United were on one of the last, if not the last, flights out of Reagan Airport, just minutes before they shut it down as the storm worsened.
And while our fans, friends and families are under several feet of snow, the team is in sunny Florida also braving unseasonably cold temperatures and gusting winds (I know we’re really tugging on your heartstrings in this 50 degree weather with winds gusting up to 50 mph).
Day 1 kicked off Saturday morning, a bit of a bonus day since this was originally going to be a travel day. The team arrived at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, around 10:45 for the first training session of the year. It was a light session, which began with a fitness test - a six minute run for distance.
The rest of the session was fairly brief, just a few possession-driven small sided games. The team had the rest of the afternoon off.
As expected, there’s a healthy mix of veteran players and young talent. The young players, many of them fighting for a spot, brought a lot of energy to the possession drills, while the veterans brought a calming composure. The chemistry between the players seems to be building quickly, even after just a few hours together.
Off the training field, there is an incredible amount of work and coordination that goes into holding preseason camp in another city. No, that doesn't just mean that extra soccer balls are flown down to Florida. We’re talking pallets full of Advocare products, training equipment, and medical equipment. Makeshift training rooms and equipment rooms were set up in the hotel complete with “ice tubs” made out of massive Rubbermade bins. Everything is coordinated perfectly and the team staff works tirelessly to make sure gear is washed, treatments are done, and meals are ready for players after the strenuous training regiment in preparation for the fast-approaching season.
And speaking of fast-approaching, the team fits in as many training sessions as possible before their exhibition games, so Sunday doesn't mean a break. The Black-and-Red are back out in the unusually-not-so-blistering-hot Florida sun tomorrow morning, as the new guys look to impress Ben, Dave and the others, while the veterans try to attain midseason form as fast as possible. It's not all lying on the beach for United; there's lots of work to be done.
