BRADENTON, Fla. — With three days of high-intensity two-a-day training sessions under their belts at IMG Academy, Louisville City FC is still raising the level of play. Wednesday saw coach James O’Connor’s team participate in a 8 a.m. ball-control outdoor practice before completing a 4 p.m. gym circuit.
“Today was a great show of the intensity by all the boys,” O’Connor said. “I know they’re tired and sore and that the workload has been heavy. But they’ve handled it and worked through it, and that’s what it takes. We’re going to keep pushing them and we’ll come out of the preseason where we need to be as a team.”
Control is Key
Under a heavy morning fog, LouCity kicked off a two-hour session pinpointed on conditioning, ball possession and mental pressure.
Playing in just a quarter of the pitch, short-sided teams pushed through timed sessions that counted successful passes. The side with the most interceptions or turnovers won, forcing the losing side to run sprints.
“It’s been the most intense trainings of my life,” Jonghyun Son, the team’s only rookie, said. “But that is good for me. I’m a player that likes to move with intensity and at a high level. The coaches are keeping everything intense, but controlled, and I am enjoying the process.”
Do You Even Lift?
The afternoon session found Louisville City in the gym for the second time in three days. The three-circuit training included kettle bell swings, raised-leg bench press, lunges, half-kneeling presses and super-band sprints.
An extensive cool down also put the 20-man roster and six trialists through a series of stretches and rollers to reduce cramping, strains and knots.
Looking Ahead
Entering the 2016 preseason this month, Louisville City FC has returned 13 players from the 2015 roster while adding players like MLS Cup-winning forward Chandler Hoffman, University of Louisville alumnus Paolo DelPiccolo and University of Kentucky alumnus George Davis IV.
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.
