… and we’re back!
77 days after we last took to the field, NYCFC commenced preparations for the 2017 season in Jacksonville on Monday.
The squad will be stationed here in Florida for the next two weeks in a return to the facility which hosted our very first preseason two years ago.
We’ll be with the team every step of the way on NYCFC.com and across our social media channels, to take you behind-the-scenes here in Jacksonville and onto Ecuador and Tucson.
5am Alarms All Around
It was an early start for the playing squad (and your NYCFC media team sob) as we left NYC at 8am for the 2hr 40-minute flight down here.
Following a quick turnaround for the players after checking into the hotel, we headed to the training pitches for the very first session of the year.
Our “Sunshine State” sadly wasn’t quite living up to that billing on day one as we were greeted with grey skies and blustery winds but the conditions did nothing to take away from an entertaining limb-loosening first session.
History Maker
The release of our travelling roster earlier today revealed a number of intriguing subplots to follow over the next two weeks and perhaps none more so than that of young James Sands who is making his own piece of history with his presence here.
A 16-year old U.S youth international defender, Sands becomes the first NYCFC Academy prospect to train with the first-team today and he certainly showed no evidence of “first day at school nerves” as he took to the field with Messrs Pirlo and Villa et al for the first time.
Jonathan Lewis was another taking his first steps in the professional game and he too seemed to settle straight into life at the club, joking with a pair of MLS SuperDraft acquisitions of yore in the shape of Khiry Shelton and Jack Harrison.
Another story to follow will be that of Connor Brandt… the defender’s contract expired at the end of the year following a frustrating, injury-hit 2016 but the fit-again American has been given another opportunity to show what he can do.
Brandt, Lewis and Sands were just three of a number of new faces to welcome into the fold after the long soccer-less winter, including a number of unsigned draft picks and trialists who will be eager to impress Patrick and the rest of the coaching staff.
New faces. New gear. Same #NYCFCpic.twitter.com/huBTuUqx98
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) January 23, 2017
MLS Pedigree
Among them are a clutch of players with league experience, including Michael Farfan who has some pedigree after spells with MLS Cup champions Seattle and Philadelphia, as well as Ben Sweat who has spent time at Columbus Crew and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Box-to-box midfielder John Stertzer actually scored his first-ever MLS goal against NYCFC in 2015 but we decided to let him off the hook for that and gave him a warm welcome as he began his trial with the team today.
Rounding up our trialists, Roberto Louima was named Best Player in the U20 Carribean Cup for Haiti who won the competition, scoring against Antigua and Barbuda.
Back in the Groove
Following Vieira’s address to the 28-strong travelling party, the players underwent some stretches and rondos to help train the eyes back on the ball after the closeseason break.
It was a brief hour-long first session which appeared to have been designed just to resharpen touch and weight of pass but the boys will be back at it again on Tuesday with a double session as the intensity ratchets up a notch.
Look out for a whole host of photos, text and video from us here in Florida over the next hours, days and weeks…
