A soccer team’s physical training is a critical component when preparing for a long, 10-month season. Even more so for the Impact, an expansion side in Major League Soccer, where the players come in from all different locations with all different levels of conditioning.
Therefore, the Impact’s physical conditioning coach, Adam Rotchstein, must ensure that the players all end up on the same page physically.
To get there, the Impact began an eight-week training camp back on January 16, which will three preseason tours outside of Canada, starting with last week’s camp in Mexico.
“We’ve played some 30 and 40-minute periods in Mexico,” said the former Chivas physical preparation coach. “Going into Los Angeles, players will play 45 to 60 minutes, and eventually a full 90-minute game.”
While he is slowly preparing the team physically, Rotchstein is also aware that his players must be fit to perform an entire season.
“It’s more of a 25k run rather than a sprint,” he explained, referring to the upcoming season metaphorically. “We have to be smart in terms of how we prepare ourselves.”
