Forward Steven Lenhart and the Columbus Crew began
preseason training on Tuesday morning for the 2010
MLS season (photo by Matt Bernhardt)
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The Columbus Crew began training for the 2010 season this morning, convening at an indoor practice facility north of Columbus. 23 players attended the session, including two triallists and four of the team's five draft picks. Half a dozen returning players missed the opening session, including Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
The session began with a group conversation between players and coaches before everyone separated for a few minutes of individual ball work. After slowly dribbling around the half size field, players began a 15-minute period of stretches and limbering exercises.
The first drill saw the players divided into two groups, with each group alternating passing and running along a figure eight pattern. There were three iterations, ending with the players being asked to execute one-touch passing and alternating runs over distances of 10-15 yards. The final iteration was described by the coach in charge as "probably the hardest thing you'll be asked to do today".
Following this exercise, the goalkeepers separated from the group for position practice while Danny O'Rourke and Kevin Burns began individual work. The rest of the players, along with assistant coaches Mike Lapper and Ricardo Iribarren, split up into three groups of six to play a game of 4-on-2 keepaway.
The three groups were:
| Yellow |
Orange | Blue |
| Hugo Acosta * Ricardo Iribarren # Gino Padula Othaniel Yanez ^ Brodun Yevgen * Jed Zayner |
Dilly Duke ^ Shaun Francis ^ Jason Garey Mike Lapper # Steven Lenhart Duncan Oughton |
Eric Brunner Bright Dike ^ Cory Elenio Alex Grendi Andy Iro Adam Moffat |
# Assistant coach
^ Draft pick
* Invited player
The session concluded with a series of short-sided scrimmages, with the three squads taking turns facing off for a few minutes at a time. Goalkeepers Kenny Schoeni and William Hesmer stepped into the nets for these games. Jason Garey scored the first goal, slipping a hard shot under Schoeni, while Cory Elenio tapped home a loose ball at Hesmer's back post. Bright Dike also raised some eyebrows with a powerful long range shot that barely missed.
The practice wound down with a series of cooldown exercises. Coach Robert Warzycha gathered the team's four draft picks for a conversation at midfield as the rest of the players slowly dispersed.
Player Notes
Several returning players missed today's practice session, while guest players took part:
Emelio Renteria is with the Venezuelan National Team as they prepare for a February 2nd friendly against Japan in Oita. He will join the team in Florida.
Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Eddie Gaven were expected to arrive in Columbus today.
Emmanuel Ekpo was at the facility but was going through his physical examination, which the rest of the players did yesterday.
Chad Marshall and Robbie Rogers were given permission to remain in California for an extra day, and are expected in practice later this week. Both players took part in last weekend's US National Team exhibition against Honduras.
The team's fifth draft pick, Harvard defender Kwaku Nyamekye, has been reported to be on trial at Glasgow Rangers.
Today's guest players were Brodun Yevgen, a midfielder/forward from the Ukraine who has spent most of the last several years on loan from Shakhtar Donetsk. and Hugo Acosta, a Venezuelan midfielder.
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