TUCSON, ARIZONA – There are two things you will always get with the current edition of Vancouver Whitecaps FC: laughter and competitiveness.
That was certainly the case on Friday, when the ‘Caps trained in Tucson ahead of Saturday’s preseason match with San Jose Earthquakes (UPDATE: The match will be streamed live on whitecapsfc.com at 4 p.m. PT).
With Friday being the team’s fifth day in Tucson, and with another match upcoming, the coaching staff decided to switch things up.
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<b>Assistant coach Martyn Pert speaks to whitecapsfc.com </b> |
“We thought that the players might just be a little tired of the surroundings, the heat, and the fact that we’ve been training for four days on the trot plus the game,” assistant coach Martyn Pert told whitecapsfc.com. “And that was what we saw in the morning [at breakfast]. Heads down. Not sad, but just fatigued. So we thought, let’s change it. Let’s do something fun and energizing.”
So they started off with a game of keep-away, “which got everybody going,” according to Whitecaps FC defender Jordan Harvey.
Then they moved into a relay.
And finally, they played a modified version of keep-away with a defending team lined up in the middle and two other teams on either side of it (as seen in the video at the top of this page).
“Every game that we play, whether it’s something fun like trying to bounce a ball in the bins or playing keep-away I think everyone has a good time on this team, but it remains competitive,” Harvey said. “Everybody wants to win. There were quite a few arguments over balls being played out, how many touches somebody took and that kind of stuff so overall the competitiveness of this team is really high, which is a good thing. It pushes everybody even in simple, fun games like we played today.”
“They’re professional sportsmen,” added Pert. “If you play a game of chess, or whatever game you want to do, you get competitiveness. They want to win anything they do.”
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The team was split into three groups for Friday’s light-hearted games: the Americans/Green Card holders, the Proud Canadians, and the Latin Americans/everyone else.
“Overall, I think the Americans pulled through,” Harvey said. “I’m not sure there were more than three Americans on the team, which is kind of strange, but we were called the Americans.”
Friday wasn’t all fun and games, however.
The ‘Caps also worked on some crossing and finishing at the end of the session, as they continue to focus on “in-possession” tactics this week in Tucson.
There were some encouraging signs in Vancouver’s first preseason match earlier the week and they’re hoping to build on that Saturday against San Jose.
As for what kind of lineup to expect on Saturday, Pert said: “We’ve got assess where we’re at with the players who have little niggles and things like that. Some players we’ve penciled in to get 60 minutes, but we’ll see where we’re at and make a decision tonight.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s match is set for 4 p.m. PT at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona. The match will be streamed live on whitecapsfc.com.
If you wish to visit MLS Preseason in Tuscon, contact Uniglobe One Travel - Neal Chark at nealc@uniglobeone.com or call 604 677 1495 at any time for immediate, professional and expedited service.
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