BRADENTON, Fla. — With just more than a month until the kickoff of the 2016 USL regular season, Louisville City FC departed a snowy and 19-degree Kentucky for the sun of Florida’s IMG Academy. The 14-day preseason camp will give coach James O’Connor and his team a soccer-specific and secluded setting to prepare for Year 2.
“Obviously with the snow and weather we’ve had, warm weather to work in is important,” O’Connor said. “We have to integrate all our new guys into the group with returning guys. This will be some time for all the boys to get focused and in the mindset needed to go after the goals that we have.”
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O’Connor will see LouCity through a series of two-a-days with focus on ball control, conditioning, cohesion and tactics. Gym sessions in IMG Academy’s state-of-the-art facilities will be interspersed throughout the on-field sessions.
With 20 men on the roster — including 13 returners from 2015’s Eastern Conference finalist LouCity team — and six trialists invited, the February camp will be the first full activity with the complete roster.
“The processes we will go through will cover all sides of the game,” O’Connor said. “This facility is known around the world and has trained the best. We’re grateful for the opportunity and plan to take advantage of what it offers us. There’s not a better way to prepare for the season.”
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IMG Academy offers innovative, comprehensive and customized training programs for athletes on its 500-acre campus with unparalleled facilities. The players are given a detailed schedule for meals, mobility, skills and strength training, and simulated matches on IMG’s 16-professional quality Bermuda-grass fields.
Louisville City FC will have access to IMG’s elite team of specialists in training, rehabilitation, vision training, weight training, and mental conditioning. The club will also have the opportunity to compete with other professional teams/players in the form of coordinated friendlies.
Entering the 2016 preseason this month, Louisville City FC has returned 13 players from the 2015 roster while adding new additions like MLS Cup-winning forward Chandler Hoffman, University of Louisville alumnus Paolo DelPiccolo and University of Kentucky alumnus George Davis IV.
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O’Connor and his team will begin training with a two-week camp at the state-of-the-art IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., before returning to Louisville for a four-game preseason schedule.
Louisville City FC will begin regular season play on March 26 at Charlotte Independence. LouCity then returns to Louisville Slugger Field on April 2 to host New York Red Bulls II in the home opener, with a special 3 p.m. kickoff.
Fans can stay up to date with all of Louisville City’s breaking news, roster updates and ticketing information by following the Club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Season tickets are available for Louisville City’s historic second season via the Club’s official website.