Training Camp

This is what I read in the last paragraph in the link that says "dynamo take four in supplmental draft":

 

So we know that the team will be doing some practicing and playing in San Antonio and California, and they travel to Hawaii and Guatemala for tournament play. In the past few years, they have trained in Florida and Los Angeles, I suspect they may throw in a trip to one of those places as well.

So far, here's what we know:

Training starts this Friday in Houston (Feb 1)
Holden, Ianni join training after U23 camp (Feb 3)
Davis, Clark, Robinson join training after USMNT match vs Mexico (Feb 7)
Travel to California (Feb 11/12?)
Matches against San Jose (Feb 13, 16)
Travel to Hawaii (Feb 18/19?)
Pan Pacific Matches (Feb 20, 23)
Travel to Houston (Feb 24?)
Training in Houston, or maybe LA/Florida (Feb 25-Mar 3)
Travel to San Antonio (Mar 3/4?)
Exhibition matches in San Antonio (Mar 5, 7, 9)
Travel to Guatemala (Mar 10?)
CCC Match in Guatemala (Mar 12)
Travel to Houston (Mar 13?)
Training in Houston (Mar 14-19)
CCC Match in Houston (Mar 20)
Training in Houston/LA/Florida/?? (Mar 21 - Mar 27)
Travel to New England to open MLS season (Mar 27?)
MLS Season Starts (Mar 29)


With the travel to Hawaii and Guatemala, and the training in San Antonio and California, it's possible that the rest of the preseason will be in Houston. It just comes down to whether Dom wants to get more matches against other MLS teams and needs to travel to do so.

 

Are these training camps and practices open to the public? I've got some days off at the end of the week and if its allowed I'd like to check that out.

 

They have been in the past. The only team that I've heard that has had closed training sessions was LA last year after they picked up Beckham.

 

There was one before we played Colorado in the playoffs where the fans were asked to leave, but that was just because it was the day before a playoff game. I would guess these will be open to the public.

 

just a piece of advice. Dom does not like any coaching coming from the stands. do so at your own risk or get the 'evil eye'.

 

Spencer doesn't like it either.

 

of course going incognito works well too-having Mabeuf hang a Brian Ching Flag on the fence around Carl Lewis while they were working on trick plays definitely doesn't help.

One time a staff member asked me if I was a journalist or worked for another team-I said no, but pointed to my kid (who was 8 months old at the time) and said that he was DC scout. I don't think he thought it was too funny.

 

Dom will give the guys who are on National Team duty a break when their respective camps are over. Particularly Holden and Ianni, these two have had hardly any time off and will need a short break to regenerate before they rejoin their Dynamo team mates. Dom is smart about making sure he doesn't wear out his key players when there is such a demanding season ahead again.

 

Holden and Ianni are both 22. They are at the very peak of their physical prowess dude. They are the very last on the list of pro soccer men that will be given time off in Spring Training for regeneration. Waibel, Onstad and Ching perhaps, but not anyone still with clean joints and hammys made of rubber.

The life of a pro footballer is train, train, travel, match then repeat. Starts at 15 and if you are good enough it doesn't stops till you retire or fall apart. Ask Brian McBride.

Pat Ianni on some time off while others continue to prepare: "I don't need no stinkin' time off!" http://www.darryl.com/badges/mov.php?mov=bosom.mov
I trust there are those that recall this show from back in the day.

 

That was my thought as well, particularly given the CCC matches coming up, and the fact that Ianni and Holden are likely to be gone again soon. I would expect them to both jump right in - Ianni is fighting for a starting spot, and Holden may be fighting for one as well if Dom plans to move DeRo or Mullan to forward.

 

Wow, was I surprised, waking up at 5am and watching my favorite source for Dynamo info, abc13, and one of their big stories was the opening of Dynamo training camp. They had footage, they mentioned the back to back championships, and they talked about how they "currently" play at Robertson, but are negotiating for their own stadium near downtown.

I'm expecting to see live reports from camp on the afternoon news. And, no I'm not putting a face there, because I really am.

(And, by the way, I always switch over and watch the news from WB11 in New York, don't know why exactly, but their sports was sort of super bowl heavy D) and they didn't mention the NYRB's training camp. )

 

Per the Front Page Sports Chron story.

 

Bernardo has an update from today.

http://blogs.chron.com/soccer/archives/2008/02/dynamo_training.html

 

A little scary that Waibel is already hurt and the season hasn't even started! And hopefully the knee surgery than Mullan had was very minor....

 

I'm no longer covering the team, see this post for details -

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13786281&postcount=58

But I was at the practice Fri. morning, ran into MannieG on the way over to Carl Lewis, now I know who that is. A couple of other EB guys showed up later.

Just amazing how many guys WEREN'T there, the seven away on NT duty and Waibel and Mullan not participating. Waibel was tight-lipped about what his injury was, not surprised it was a hamstring, that's what he was mainly stretching on the side with the new trainer Theron Enns. Waibel said it was really as much healing from last season.

Mullan, OTOH, spoke quite freely about his surgery, told me that it was microfracture surgery, they took out some cartilage and drilled holes in his femur. Dom was saying they expected him back at practice in a couple of wks, but I associate microfracture surgery with the kind of stuff that Amare Stoudamire and Greg Oden went through, where guys are out for a year. I didn't ask when that surgery was.

New practice jerseys, more orange on the shoulders, numbers on right shoulder instead of on back...

No Tony Caig, work visa hasn't cleared, I guess. Mike Toshack was working with a couple of young guys who they apparently are looking at as third keeper, did not get their names.

The Spanish TV guys were delighted to find out one of the rookies (Johnny Alcaraz, I believe) speaks Spanish, since Moreno was traded they've had no one on the team who speaks fluently (Dom doesn't count) to use for quotes.

 

To go along with Wiable n Mullan, Brad Davis now has tweaked his grion muscle and will likely be scratched for tomorrow......

 

Holden and Ianni WERE given this week off, but obviously, Holden got called up to the full national team. I understand your various comments, but these guys need some time off leading up to a VERY busy season ahead, so Dom agreed!

 

Arrgghhh....our very deep midfield is starting to look not so deep with these injuries. And Davis being hurt is the scariest one, given his history of groin injuries.

 

Posted this in the other thread, but there seems to be good news about Davis. From the Dynamo website, posted about today's training:

Also, they have two new keepers in camp, both would seem to be vying for a developmental spot as the third keeper:

Looking these guys up, here's what I found:

Brian Pope is from Central Florida, the same school that Georgeff is from (Georgeff is one of the draft picks from the supplemental draft this year). Pope was a senior this year, but was hurt all year and didn't play. Here is his bio from the college website. He played only one game in 2007 due to injury, and only 6 in 2006 due to injury. Prior to that he attended East Carolina for two years, and was the starter both year. Can't find his age, but he should be 22 or 23, as he was a senior this past year at UCF (a fifth year senior, as he sat out one year after he transferred).

Corbin Waller is from the College of Charleston, Here is his bio. He also was in college 5 years, so he should be 22 or 23 now. He started in his junior and senior years.

 

I don't like the sound of this - that microfracture surgery only seems to be used as a sort of last resort and if I recall correctly, not everyone fully recovers from it in a reasonable time.

 

Yeah, I just did some searching on the web and in one article, this surgery is called "the most serious kind of knee surgery". I can't find any references to soccer players having the surgery, but Darius Miles from the NBA had it and he has been out more than a year. An article about him says that the "normal recovery time is 6-12 months". I also found some NFL players who had the surgery, and it has been a mixed bag. An excerpt from one article:

And from another article:

Not sure when Mullan had the surgery, but let's assume it was right after MLS Cup in early December. That would put the 4 month mark at early April, and 6 months would be up in early June...not in a couple of weeks.

 

OK, did some more searching, and found out that the knee surgery that Bobby Convey had last February was microfracture surgery. He was out at least 6-7 months, maybe longer.

I can't find ANY references to anyone recovering in a couple of months from this....I wonder what Mullan/Dom are smoking, or if perhaps it wasn't really microfracture surgery.