For Daniel Royer and Felipe, these early days of preseason are all about getting everyone on the same page.
"I think it is important for us to get together, to get to know the new guys and back to business," Felipe said. "That is what we’ve been waiting for, back to business."
The midfielders both said that they're itching to get back onto the pitch -- especially against players that aren't their teammates as they take on the University of South Florida on Saturday morning.
"It’s good to be back after the long off-season," Royer said. "We can't wait to be back into the field again."
Royer said the players use early games to continue to get sharper on the pitch, as they've worked during the offseason to keep in shape and keep their fitness up.
"We need to get sharp, but it’s definitely good to have these games," Royer said. "I think there are a lot of things to work on. We have a lot of new players who came in and I think they also need to understand our style of play.
"Nothing changes with our philosophy. We always want to go for it in the whole 90 minutes," Royer said. "There are always details that you can improve, and a lot of things we can work on -- especially getting everyone in the same page."
Felipe said the games help fuel competition -- both against their teammates and the other team.
"When you do this job you look for competition and that’s what it is about - competition," Felipe said. "It's a big chance for us to get to know the new guys and it’s very interesting because we have a lot of good young players and I look forward to playing with them and to get to know them better and to give a little bit of my experience to them."
As for how he'll help newer faces and additions acclimate to the club, Felipe said it's all about communication, because if one player fails to do their job, their system falls apart.
"For me it is just getting back to the tactics, getting sharper," Felipe said. "More than anything, it's to help the new guys fit in tactically and understand the way we play. It’s getting the guys on the same page, and get to move and play the way we want to play. If one guy is not in the place that we want him to be in, the speed we need him to be, that can delay the way we play. I think it’s about getting everyone in the same page."
