BRADENTON, Fla. – It’s no secret that fitness is a key pillar for head coach Brad Friedel’s New England Revolution squad, and preseason is a crucial part of building that groundwork.
“Everyone’s working really hard,” said Michael Mancienne. “Everyone’s looking really fit, as well, (and) obviously we’re looking to build up into the season now.”
Having spent the first two weeks of preseason in Spain stressing the high level of fitness that Friedel expects, it has created the perfect bridge for the Revs to now focus on sharpening their tactical nuances.
New England did just that on Wednesday, as they spent their first full day at IMG Academy grinding through a pair of training sessions.
“Now, it’s a lot more focusing on tactics and continuing to build on our philosophy,” said Teal Bunbury.
“The start of the season is right around the corner, so now it’s about implementing, getting a more cohesive group in terms of the starting 11, guys competing a little bit more, a few more games under our belts, and just pushing ourselves to be a little bit better.”
With five preseason matches between the Revolution and the season opener, the team knows it’s time to put the lessons that they’ve learned to the test. They have everything to prove to themselves, each other, and the coaching staff as they continue to compete for a spot in the starting XI on March 2 against FC Dallas.
“Now we’re getting into the part of preseason where we’re going to give some guys some more minutes in games, so they’re going to get a little bit more tired, so in that respect we’re really gearing up towards the Dallas match,” said Friedel.
“So the next four or five matches we have, as each one goes by we’ll get closer and closer to what the starting 11 will be for the Dallas game.”
The next chance for the players to get important minutes will be in Thursday’s preseason match against Louisville City FC. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at IMG Academy. There will not be a live stream of the match, but the club will provide updates on Twitter (@NERevolution) and produce a highlight package after the game.
