Daily training report
Austin: Day 4
D.C. United will have the chance to claim preseason hardware for the second straight year thanks to Friday night’s 2-0 win over the Austin Aztex in the ATX Pro Challenge. Last winter the Black-and-Red went undefeated over three games in Charleston to capture the Carolina Challenge Cup, a.k.a. the Coffee Pot Cup, for the fourth time. On Sunday, they’ll face FC Dallas (4:15 p.m. ET, dcunited.com/live) with the tournament’s gunslinger armadillo cowboy trophy on the line. Preseason accolades are nice – the 2014 title in Charleston heralded the team’s success during the regular season - but it isn’t quite as big a priority in players’ minds as it could be. The first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals at Alajuelense is only 11 days away.
On the Field Highlight of the Day:
At the end of Saturday afternoon’s training, as staff members were picking up water bottles, cones and cleaning up the field, there were two soccer balls left, both near Head Coach Ben Olsen. He looked at them, then at trialist goalkeeper Scott Goodwin and asked if he wanted a challenge. Olsen barely waited for an answer, firing a free kick from 20 yards towards Goodwin, only to see it skim slightly high. The head coach’s next shot, however, gave a glimpse of his former playing form, as he curled the ball into the top left corner side netting. There wasn’t a thing Goodwin could do about it.
Off Field Highlight of the Day:
It’s been said more than once during the preseason, but the weather has smiled on D.C. United while the cold has pummeled the East Coast. It was a perfect 78 degrees Saturday, sunny enough that the team had to bring out the sunscreen for training. Perhaps the tradeoff is players and staff being away from their significant others and loved ones on Valentine’s Day, with another two weeks before they return home.
Q&A with Steven Birnbaum:
DCU: First of all, welcome back from U.S. Men’s National Team camp. How does it feel to be with D.C. United again?
SB: It feels great. It’s exciting to get back with the guys. I haven’t seen them in months, and it’s been fun getting back in touch with everyone. Hopefully I can get back on the field soon. [Birnbaum recently suffered a minor knee injury in training with the U.S.]
DCU: How is it coming in a few weeks later than most guys? Is it what you expected?
SB: Yeah, for the most part it’s what I have expected. But it’s also nice to see some new faces. It’s good to meet the new guys, and they have all been welcoming and nice since I am coming in halfway through preseason. It looks like a pretty good group.
DCU: How was your first National Team camp?
SB: It was great. It was so nice to be in L.A., too, especially with my family there. I couldn’t have had a better experience at camp. The guys there were very welcoming as well so all in all it was a great experience that I am super thankful for.
DCU: You had a great rookie campaign, what are some of your team and personal goals coming in to this season?
SB: I think we have higher expectations as a team. Last year we made the playoffs but we didn’t do as well as we wanted to. Obviously the team goal every year should be to win MLS Cup and that’s our goal. For me it’s just to improve as much as I can to help the team win.
DCU: So the big question, how’s that knee feeling?
SB: It’s getting better. I did a lot more stuff today, but I don’t want to rush it back. But every day it’s getting better.
