WASHINGTON — It has been more than two weeks since Los Angeles Football Club tied Philadelphia in an exciting 3-3 draw that turned out to be the last Major League Soccer game for the foreseeable future. Even though MLS commissioner Don Garber announced the earliest games could return is May 10, D.C. United players are constantly training to maintain fitness for when the league restarts.
In accordance with league restrictions, players are not allowed to participate in group training or enter team facilities — other than specific physical therapy needs — through Friday, April 3.
So, how does a professional athlete work from home?
“It’s obviously pretty difficult training on your own and trying to be able to hold that fitness level while not being with the team,” United defender Russell Canouse said. “I’m taking the same mindset I do when I’m building up for the season in terms of fitness level, trying to do things that are pretty high-level and getting it to a level where I can come into preseason without any issues.”
For United, the answer stems from a multidisciplinary approach that includes team medical and performance staff. Instead of gathering at Audi Field for a typical training last week, players drove up one-by-one to receive a care package of equipment that would help them train individually for however long necessary.
United physical therapist Gabriel Manoel and the club’s medical team worked swiftly to collaborate on a training plan that will keep players’ fitness at peak performance.
“They’ve gone through a long process of building this up through the offseason, preseason and then our first few weeks,” Manoel said. “The last thing we want is a sharp decline in the physical fitness components that we were able to attain up until now.”
With only two games played in the 2020 regular season, United was heading on the road with an uplifting win against Inter Miami CF before the league implemented the training moratorium.
“You finally start to get to a point where you’re feeling good, and then this happens,” Canouse said. “It’s difficult to accept, but at the same time, it’s all about protecting our country with this disease going around, so I understand that piece.”
United’s medical staff — similar to all teams in the league — had to devise a plan that would keep players fit without the advantage of active soccer games. To do this, players will undergo a pattern of high- and low-intensity workouts, all while keeping in constant communication with the medical staff.
“What we don’t want, and the biggest problem you typically have that will tend to lead to injuries, is any spikes in training loads,” Manoel said. “We’re doing these four week blocks of incrementally increasing volume and intensity around this known value that these players are used to.”
One of the advantages of this four week cycle is the ability for the team’s staff to adjust to each player’s needs, as well as outside factors. If the intensity of government restrictions limits players’ time outside, Manoel can schedule that week as a deload and work around the obstacle.
“Nobody really knows when we can get back to team training, so it probably makes their job really hard to tell us what to do as well,” midfielder Julian Gressel said. “We got a plan for this week to go on runs outside, to find a soccer field, do soccer-specific runs because you don’t want to lose that fitness level that you build up over the preseason and the first few games.”
While the training plans include general running, strength training and ball work, each player has aspects specifically tailored to them. Forward Ola Kamara and defender Joseph Mora were coming back from soft tissue injuries when the pause in play happened. Defender Oniel Fisher underwent serious knee surgery in 2018 and only returned to regular season minutes March 7 against Miami.
“We are constantly communicating with every single guy and seeing how the session went, and any abnormal responses,” Manoel said. “Was it enough? Was it too much? We can easily modify programs especially individually if certain guys need more than others and go from there.”
United is in the process of developing a responsive program, similar to Google Sheets, in which players input their training numbers immediately after training and add comments about ability to complete the workout. Manoel and a team of United’s medical staff break the team into groups to communicate with directly and then report back.
The check-ins also involve asking about any possible symptoms of illness, including those of COVID-19.
“We have to know if they’re having any symptoms at all, especially relating to the coronavirus itself. Our whole medical staff is really on top of it,” Manoel said. “Any report of symptoms would go directly through our chief medical officer and then we would take the approaches needed.”
The team has not identified any cases of COVID-19 within the club.
United’s current preparations will best keep players game ready, Manoel says, but there is also a need for a preseason period with games prior to the restart of the season. There is only so much that training simulates. Some reaction and movement only happens during games.
“It’s going to be crucial,” Manoel said. “I’m assuming they’re going to build that in for us. I haven’t heard that yet, but if not, we’ll be semi-prepared for whatever comes in. We’ll have to tweak those last few weeks as needed.”