Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Pierre is tough sub

The Galaxy's fitness coach Chris Neville has moved on to other ventures and the team has yet to fill his position. In the meantime, Pierre Barrieu, long-time U.S. national team fitness guru, has stepped in to help.



Or hurt, rather, if the tough drill the Galaxy ran to finish training was any indication.

With a series of poles stuck in a star shape, the running exercise went on and on. Back and forth the players went, racing in short groups out to the pole, coming back in and then doing it again with a ball at their feet. Since there were multiple groups and poles, the whole squad was moving nearly non-stop. The strain showed on their faces. I was sticking to my little patch of shade on the sidelines, drinking ice water and watching their hard work.

"I didn't like that one," Mike Randolph said after the drill finally ended.

Mike is probably hoping someone besides Pierre gets the job soon.

Anyway, can anyone name all the players pictured?
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7 comments:

  1. The HammerJuly 16, 2008 at 3:30 PM

    Any word on why Neville moved on, Andrea?

    I'm (Monday Quarterback Extraordinaire) tempted to think that perhaps he was asked to move on as fitness wasn't exactly what Ruud wanted it to be. Every game where Galaxy's fitness has been tested either because of heat or altitude, the team has struggled, n'est c'est pas?

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  2. starinyourfireJuly 16, 2008 at 3:31 PM

    david beckham, greg vanney, gordon, troy roberts, joey franchino, mike randolph, landon donovan, josh tudela, pete vagenas

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  3. A.C.July 16, 2008 at 3:37 PM

    Star is right on all counts! Well done.

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  4. AnonymousJuly 16, 2008 at 4:37 PM

    I thought Randolph had a bad knee. What's up with that? Will Nowak select him or not? What's the latest?

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  5. Joseph D'HippolitoJuly 16, 2008 at 4:54 PM

    Could it be that the Galaxy actually made a sound, intelligent decision regarding its squad?!?!? In the times I've covered U.S. training, I've been very impressed with Barthieu. He might be what the Galaxy needs, instead of Ruud's excuses about altitude, heat, humidity, the tooth fairy, whatever...

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  6. A.C.July 16, 2008 at 6:30 PM

    I don't know why Neville left. Hammer's guess could be right, but the Galaxy's official stance was that it was Neville's decision to go back to England.

    Pierre isn't leaving the national team, however. His stint with the Galaxy is a temporary one.

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  7. A.C.July 17, 2008 at 8:48 AM

    Randolph isn't optimistic about getting picked.
    "There's always a chance," he told me. "But I'm not worrying about it."

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