On March 12, FC Cincinnati general manager Gerard Nijkamp walked onto the practice field and told the players and coaches that MLS just suspended the regular season. No one knew when it’d return.
Monday marked the first time since that date that FCC were able to have a full-team training session, and it was a welcomed change from three months of quarantining, individual work and small-group training sessions. For Nijkamp himself, it was his first time back at the Mercy Health Training Center after spending the last three months with family in the Netherlands.
“It kind of felt like the first day of school,” Jimmy McLaughlin said. “It’s just great to be back with all the guys and playing in some real drills with everybody involved.”
While Monday was the first full session, it was also the first practice in preparation for the MLS is Back Tournament, which starts July 8 in Orlando. Between now and FCC’s first match, there’s limited time to train together and get prepared for the return of league play.
“I am glad to have the first practice with the team all together,” Allan Cruz said via translation. “I think we all enjoyed it. We were happy to start from the beginning. Now, we are waiting for the tournament to start again.”
The Orange and Blue also await head coach Jaap Stam and assistant Said Bakkati to lead the training sessions. On Monday, the club announced that the two coaches scheduled to make their debuts at Mercy Health Training Center on Tuesday, pending any the lack of any abnormalities in their coronavirus and isolation protocols.
“The whole FCC family is excited about it,” Nijkamp said of Stam’s arrival. “But the most excited person is Jaap Stam himself, and he cannot wait.”
