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MLS preseason: Why do Columbus Crew have two separate legs of training camp?
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- MLS preseason: Why do Columbus Crew have two separate legs of training camp?
The Crew are less than a week away from leaving for Palm Beach, Florida, for the second leg of their training camp.
Every preseason, the Crew travel to warmer locations to prepare for the upcoming season. Holding training camp in states such as Florida during the winter is a common across summer sports, as every MLB team does so as well.
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What's unique for MLS teams is that they split their six weeks of training camp into two legs, and the focus and intensity of each session differs.
"I think everyone's done the offseason work ... but I'm not sure everyone worked with the ball," Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko said. "So, we're kind of starting to remember how to work with the ball, how to get the system, the shape, what we want and just power, so we can produce the power, speed, quickness."
Feb 5, 2024; Columbs, OH, USA; Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy motions to his team during preseason training at the OhioHealth Performance Center.
The Crew spent the first leg of camp this year in Chula Vista, California, from Jan. 15-24. After returning and practicing in Columbus this week, the Crew are on the road for the second leg from Feb. 2-15.
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During the time in California, there was a focus on the basics and conditioning for the Crew, who'd come off a longer offseason compared to 2024.
"They really push us physically in these first two weeks to get our fitness up, because it's tough to play the way we want to play," forward Jacen Russell-Rowe said. "It can be sloppy at times because your legs are always tired, but this is how they want us to feel, and it's just to try and be as sharp as possible."
Feb 5, 2024; Columbs, OH, USA; Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernandez (9) flips a pass backward during preseason training at the OhioHealth Performance Center.
After the Crew won the 2023 MLS Cup title , they had just six weeks to rest before training camp. This year, it was 10 weeks following elimination in the first round of the playoffs against the New York Red Bulls on Nov. 3.
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The second leg of camp will be more focused on strategy, according to coach Wilfried Nancy.
Nancy is entering his third season with the Crew, and this second leg will be different from the previous two because everyone on the roster has played under him. The Crew's one new addition in the offseason, Lassi Lappalainen , played for Nancy for two seasons with CF Montreal .
Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said Columbus "can go into more details regarding what we want to do" during his second preseason at the helm of the team.
The roster's familiarity with his system has allowed Nancy to hone in on more specific topics during the second leg, one being how to keep strategy fresh if the Crew competes in another 50-game season.
"This is more how we're going to have to manage," Nancy said. "To play with the cycle, the micro-cycle, when we have only three days, when do we rest between games. ... what do we do? This is more regarding this type of thought that we're going to adjust, and we learned a lot last year. The team was good physically, this is more about the freshness mentally."
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During the second leg, the Crew are expected to play in scrimmages against other MLS teams, including against Nashville SC on Feb. 8.
The Crew's 2025 season-opener is scheduled for Feb. 22 against the Chicago Fire at Lower.com Field , seven days after finishing the second leg of training camp.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why Columbus Crew, MLS clubs have two legs of training camp
