For Bob Bradley and his LAFC squad, Saturday's training session brought an end to the first week of preseason in 2019. After a day off on Friday, the players finished the week with a light session ahead of Sunday's training match with Toronto FC.
"Over the first four days, we were able to establish some ideas and start to build a foundation," Bradley said. "It will be good on Sunday to get guys 45 minutes and see what that looks like."
To start 2019, LAFC returned 18 players from last season's roster. Of that group, 14 were in camp from the start - Christian Ramirez, Walker Zimmerman, and Tyler Miller were away with the U.S. Men's National Team, although Miller has since returned, while Danilo Silva returned later in the week. That core was bolstered with 11 camp invitees, including LAFC's three draft picks from the 2019 SuperDraft.
With so many new faces in camp, Bradley was asked how the players are taking to his system of play.
"We’ll see on Sunday. I think we’ve thrown a lot at everybody over the first four days," Bradley said. "When you consider the challenge of getting going again, the challenge of some new players and some guys on trial, and still finding a balance between the football part and the physical part at the beginning, I think that has gone well. In the early stages of preseason, training matches are just a way to supplement the training and be able to see how certain things are moving along against outside teams."
All in all, Bradley seemed content with much of the first week with the team, stating the group was "further along than it was at this time a year ago." But he was cautious about saying he was completely satisfied, adding that as thinking on the pitch quickens and touches get sharper, the level of football on the training pitch will rise, which in turn will move the squad closer to the level he expects.
"I still see football things every day that should be better for me," Bradley said.
"But I understand this part of the work early on takes some time."
News & Notes
- Another player joined LAFC preseason a few days after camp started. Mohamed El-Munir, who LAFC traded for in the offseason, arrived on Thursday after sorting out his work visa documents.
- Tyler Miller returned to preseason camp on Wednesday from the USMNT January Camp. The goalkeeper spent the first day with the performance staff and was back to training with the team on Thursday.
- I asked UCLA alum Jordan Harvey on his way out if he missed having preseason at his alma mater, he smiled and said that although he loves UCLA, being at the LAFC Performance Center was "much better" to start the season.
