MLS: Return to full training a major positive step
This week, MLS teams that have passed the safety regulations can return to training. This is a major positive step in the league’s plans to return to action.
Major League Soccer’s plans to resume the season will be made official soon. Despite the lack of an announcement, many of the details are already known. Teams will play in an isolated tournament in Orlando while living at hotels in the Disney World Resort. All matches will be played behind-closed-doors at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. They will be televised and structured in a World Cup-style manner, with a group-stage round before several knockout rounds.
While we wait for official confirmation, and for the finer details of the tournament to be smoothed out, teams have returned to full-contact training, should they pass the safety protocols needed to prove that they can run the sessions safely. This is a major step in the right direction as several New England Revolution figures discussed with mlssoccer.com this week.
Head coach Bruce Arena revealed how pleased he is to return to training:
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"“The first day of training was good. You can’t expect too much on day one, but we have approximately four weeks to get our team ready for real competition. We’re going to work hard and get there, but I was impressed with the effort today.”"
Four weeks of contact training suggests competitive matches will begin in early-July. The 4th-5th weekend has been muted as a potential starting point. That does not give the players long to work on their fitness and physical readiness for competitive play. By the time matches start it will have been almost four months since their last match. It is difficult to simply turn it back on.
Nevertheless, they are excited to be back training, with this element of normality showing the progress the league is making. Carles Gil said:
"“We’re excited to be together again. The fact that we’re back to full training, it’s a sign that things are getting better and improving. That’s something to be excited about.”"
Defender Alex Buttner echoed those remarks, saying:
"“Finally we can play football with each other again. It was a long time we had to train by ourselves, but finally we are back.”"
This theme of being back is a joyous one for players, coaches, and fans alike. Sports are returning, slowly but surely. The Bundesliga has already been playing for several weeks. The competition level has been high and there have been few hiccups along the way. Similarly, the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A will all begin play in the next few weeks. Global football is on the return, and MLS is not far behind either.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle is now the players, both in regards to convincing them that the plans are safe and ensuring that they are fit and ready to play when the matches do return. Resuming full-contact training speaks to both issues. If the processes are successful, it proves that the league is logistically able to keep the players safe. Similarly, by training fully, the fitness will return.
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MLS, then, is on its way back. And the return to training, as the New England Revolution so joyously espouse, is a huge step in the right direction.