BRADENTON, Fla. — Head Coach Alan Koch oversaw FC Cincinnati’s first two-a-day Monday when the team practiced on the field during morning and afternoon sessions.
Here’s a recap of today’s activities:
Morning session
The team utilized two fields and separated into different groups to work on passing, positioning and different phases of the game. With strong winds, the players kept the ball on the ground throughout the session.
“We got a lot of work done, which was nice,” Koch said. “We broke up into different groups and pushed the guys and we were really, really happy with their responses.
“We put a lot of players in set positions and different units, too.”
Afternoon session
For the first time this preseason, FCC returned to the practice field for a second on-field session in the afternoon.
Initially, players went into different groups of eight and made rondos for quick passing. Then, they worked on defense shape, splitting lines and finishing.
Throughout the 50-minute session, the atmosphere was upbeat and jovial, with players and coaches laughing and smiling during play.
“It’s obviously a second session so there’s no way we can go as long as we did in the morning session,” Koch said. “We made sure it was very, very short, but sharp too.”
Rock, paper, scissors
The highlight of the second session was its finale: a team-wide game of rock, paper, scissors. The squad split into two and went down the line until it finished with Roland Lamah vs. Hassan Ndam. Lamah won and his side celebrated with a dog pile.
“In all seriousness, rock, paper scissors, games like that, are a huge part of preseason,” he said. “It’s got nothing to do with tactics and how we’re going to play, but it has to do with just having some fun. …You could see the guys were enjoying it.”
