A: My dog gets me up every day between 6:15 and 6:30 a.m., so first thing we do is go on a morning walk for about 15-20 minutes. I have a bowl of cereal every morning, usually Honey Nut Cheerios. I typically head to the stadium around 8:10 a.m. and arrive around 8:30 a.m. Depending on if I am still hungry, I’ll grab some fruit then will get some treatment, changed, and hang out with the guys for a while. Right before training I’ll head into the gym to bike, foam roll or do anything my body needs to get loosened up.  

Q: How do you approach each training session? Does it depend on the day of week or is there some similarity to each session?

A: Each session has a different plan depending on who we’re playing. The first few days are usually a bit more intense because they are so far out from the next game. As we get further in the week, we start focusing more on the opponent executing some 11v11 drills, and get lighter towards the end of the week. There are similarities to what we do at every session, but I wouldn’t say the mindset is that much different. It’s much more intense and competitive at the start of the week, but as we get closer the technical staff does a good job at easing us back to make sure we’re fresh for the game. 

A: Earlier in the week I lift weights, but after a typical post-training session I like to jog outside or bike. I get a massage or take an ice bath at least once a week if I’m playing in a game. I also use recovery boots daily; a lot of guys do. The long season is a grind on your body so it’s nice to have recovery options.  

Q: And food is obviously a big part of any athlete’s diet - what eating habits do you stick to?

A: It’s nice that the Rapids provide breakfast and lunch for us every day. The only meal we really have to worry about is dinner. It’s great for me because my wife likes to cook. She’s always concerned about having a green on the plate. Getting enough carbs has been important to us, especially the way we want to play, so she makes a lot of pasta and bread. She always includes some sort of protein – chicken or steak. There’s this really good quinoa salad she likes to make which lasts a couple of days, so we eat on that as well.

A: Traveling makes it a little more difficult to stay on track because we get away from our routine meals at home. However, we have a lot of healthy meals at the hotel with the team. Our guys are pretty self aware and conscious of what they eat. We’re fueling our bodies so what we put into our body is important. 

Q: How about after a match? Any routines? Are you already thinking about the next match or training as soon as you finish?

A: I like to enjoy it and check out for a bit. The amount of emotion and physicality that we exert during a match is a lot, so it’s nice to take a step back after each match. I like to chill and will treat myself to whatever I want to eat that night, but the next day I get right back on track.

A: The off-season is tricky because we have that period where we just let our bodies recover. It feels weird because we’re not really doing anything. It’s hard because I like to go home to North Carolina and enjoy home cooked meals – biscuits and gravy is my go to. I treat myself for two-weeks or so, and then slowly start getting back into it. I always want to go into preseason feeling good and ready to start another season, so I start running and jogging a couple of times a week. Usually about five weeks out, I really start ramping it back up. Preseason is long, but at the same time I want to go into it feeling fit. I know I’ll get fitter, but I never want to start preseason behind the ball.

Q: What advice would you offer to someone trying to live a healthy lifestyle?

A: To live a healthy lifestyle it is important to find someone that will hold you accountable, for me it’s my wife. She’s healthy, so it’s an incentive for me to be healthy as well. I know what is expected of me. For example, I shouldn’t come home from the grocery store with a box of Oreos. Having someone hold me accountable encourages me to make small healthy decisions at a time, not trying to conquer too much, but to get into a routine and stay in it. It’s not easy, but if you’ve got someone there to help you out, it’s a lot better. 

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