On a beautiful morning in Las Vegas, the Colorado Rapids had a short practice session as a final tune-up for Friday's scrimmage against UNLV. They Rapids began with a warm-up, followed by the players breaking into small groups working on passing and receiving. The team finally split into two groups for a short 11v11 match, with Pablo Mastroeni focusing on the team's ball-winning and counterattacking.
Practice ended with an optional finishing drill which had most of the team's forwards and about 15 players overall participating. All players closed with a 20 minute jog, using heart rate monitors and the assistance of the athletic trainers to make sure they stayed in an endurance, aerobic zone while they cooled down.
ALL TOGETHER NOW
Last night, Vicente Sánchez and José Mari arrived in Las Vegas to round out the roster that will be participating in the Las Vegas ProSoccer Challenge. Both arrived without problems and joined in the group training and activities today.
ON THE SIDELINES
Rapids players Edson Buddle, Brenton Griffiths, José Mari, Shane O’Neill and Dillon Powers did not train fully in the 11v11 scrimmage. Buddle sat out as a precaution due to some knee soreness from a knock he took previously, while Mari continues to ease into the training sessions having just arrived in the States.
SCRIMMAGE STRATEGY
In Friday’s scrimmage against UNLV (2pm PT), the Rapids technical staff will select mixed groups of veterans, young players, and trialists for the lineups. Many players are expected to see playing time, and most will play around 45 minutes, with bulk substitutions at halftime.
