Touchdown in Tucson...
After just a few short days back in Colorado, the players hopped a quick flight back to Arizona for their second preseason camp of 2018 - this time based out of Tucson, Arizona.
Head coach Anthony Hudson wasted no time getting the players back on the pitch as they headed for Kino Sports Complex for their first training session shortly after the flight landed. The motive for such a quick turnaround? A preseason friendly against Sporting AZ just a few days away.
That session combined with a double session Thursday had the team prepped for their Friday match which saw the Rapids easily top the UPSL side.
New faces in all of the right places...
Offseason signings Jack Price and Tommy Smith have arrived and connected with their teammates in Arizona.
Price landed in Denver late last week and trained for the first time Wednesday in Commerce City. The Englishman featured in the starting eleven for coach Hudson in the Sporting AZ scrimmage and made in an immediate impact with a an assist to Jack McBean for the Rapids second tally against Sporting AZ.
"I've been itching to get here," Price said. "I've met all of the lads and the staff and they've been great. I'm looking forward to getting going now."
Take a look at the midfielder's first training session with the club.
But wait... there's more...
Another new face was spotted at DSGP and in Tucson as Tommy Smith arrived in camp on February 8 after a long day of travel from England. No stranger to high expectations and pressure-packed football, the defender was eager to get back on the pitch after a three-week hiatus.
"The goal at the start of every season is to make playoffs," Smith said. "The ambitionPádraig [Smith]and the gaffer have shown me in what they want to achieve was a big reason in me wanting to come here."
Smith also featured in coach Hudson's starting lineup against Sporting AZ, playing alongside Kortne Ford for a 60-minute shift.
Looking ahead...
Next up for the Rapids is a scrimmage against Phoenix Rising FC at the Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex in Scottsdale, Arizona.
