With the current 2020 MLS season on pause, the New York Red Bulls’ coaches, staff and players have no choice but to train from home. This will be a time for them to try new things, but to also stay active and ready for when everything returns to normalcy.
Winger Daniel Royer shared with us what he has been up to in recent weeks:
How has this experience been for you, training from home?
“Obviously, it’s a new experience for all of us to train from home every day, and it’s not always easy. It’s not always as fun as being out on the field with the boys, kicking around some soccer balls, but we try to make the best out of it. We try to stay in shape. We try to stay fit. I think our fitness coaches are doing a really good job. They’re creating different kinds of schedules, different kinds of training sessions for us to stay in shape. That’s what we’re doing right now, but obviously can’t wait to be back on the field.”
What are the things that you miss most from training on the pitch?
“I miss the competitiveness in training. For example when we had games in training, and everybody wants to win; we always try to get better every single day. Obviously, I miss the soccer ball because right now it’s hard to do anything with it, so I can’t wait to have a soccer ball at my feet again. I just miss having the boys around on the field and off the field. We always have a good atmosphere in the locker room, so those are the things I miss most.”
What are the things you are specifically working on?
“There’s still many things we’re working on. First of all, it’s just regular fitness. I think our fitness coaches created really good training programs for us, sometimes we have an online session. Sometimes it’s running outside - interval runs, longer runs, shorter runs, sprints - and also workouts inside. We also do video sessions, where we just analyze games that we had or games from teams in Europe, or wherever. We’re still trying to keep the focus and work on things physically and mentally.”
Have you watched replays from past games? If so, which ones and why?
“With our coaches, we’ve looked at different footage of our games, of our past games, or for instance, games that have been played in Europe from top teams. We want to see the best players in the world - how they do things or how they act or react in different situations - so it’s always good to get pictures and footage even though you’re not on the field.”
Message to the supporters:
“We’re all in this together, so let’s stick together. Let’s get through this difficult time in the best way possible. We all miss you and can’t wait to be back on the field, fighting for you guys. Stay healthy and stay safe. Hopefully see you soon.”
