TEMPE, Ariz. – The Galaxy’s preseason trip to Arizona hit its first speed bump on Saturday when heavy rains hit the region, forcing the club to adjust their schedule on the fly to try and get their work in.
After practicing on the soccer field at Arizona State all week long, the Galaxy were moved to the Sun Devils’ track stadium on Saturday afternoon so as to not overly damage the playing surface. However, with the rains at their heaviest when the club was supposed to take the field, the coaching and training staffs agreed that it would be best to keep the players off the field to avoid any potential injuries. As a result, Strength and Conditioning Coach Ben Yauss put the guys through a 45 minute movement and core workout under the bleachers, one of the only dry spots available.
The players paired up to do a series of quick movement and core conditioning drills, focusing on fine tuning much of the fitness and conditioning work that the team has done over the first month of preseason. All of the drills featured short, quick motions with the players having to stabilize themselves after each, so as to properly utilize their core.
The rains continued on Sunday morning, causing the day’s game against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, which was originally scheduled for 10 a.m. PT to be pushed back until 1 p.m. PT. However, while the rains subsided around noon, the field at Arizona State remained unplayable, forcing the game to be cancelled.
With the late change of plans, the team staff had to quickly modify their schedule and find an alternative location to workout in. With the club’s usual options unavailable, plans were made to bring the players, in two groups of 13, to a local LA Fitness facility for another gym workout.
The Galaxy and Whitecaps will now meet on Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. PT and then again in their regularly scheduled game on Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT before returning to Southern California on Wednesday.
More Updates from Arizona:
Day 5 Training Update
Day 4 Training Update
Galaxy fall to Rapids, 4-2
Day 2 Training Update
Day 1 Training Update
Video: On the Road - Arizona
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