RENEWED ENERGY
The Energy FC returned to practice for the first time since the season was stopped March 12 because of the pandemic
Being from New York, Energy FC midfielder Arun Basuljevic knows people back home who have contracted COVID-19.
“Thank God, everybody is doing well,” he said.
Basuljevic's parents live in New York and he stays in daily contact with them to check on their well-being.
“My father went back to work the other day on a construction site in Manhattan, which is the epicenter of all this (COVID-19),” Basuljevic said.
Basuljevic, who said his dad wanted to return to work, also wasn't reluctant to get back to his job. Energy FC returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since the USL Championship suspended the season on March 12 because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Anything feels better than doing nothing,” Basuljevic said.
The league hasn' t said when, or if, the season will
resume, but on Monday it allowed clubs to return to practice in groups no bigger than four individuals. EnergyFC took two days to prepare before actually practicing, making sure it had enough Lysol wipes and hand sanitizers on hand and to go through protocols with the team.
The Oklahoma City franchise has established measures for its players during practice that are more stringent than the league required.
“Our No. 1 priority is making them feel comfortable and safe,” said Energy FC general manager Jason Hawkins.
All players on Wednesday could only enter the practice facility one at time. They each have to wash their hands before taking and leaving the field and must wear a facemask to and from their practice stations. They have to wear the facemask while practicing, Hawkins said.
Players are only going through individual drills. Energy F Cd iv id edits two practice fields in half with a 30-foot buffer in between. No equipment is being shared.
“Right now, we don't even have them sharing a soccer ball,” Hawkins said.
Goalkeeper C.J. Cochran appreciates t he added safety precautions. His wife, Alana, gave birth on May 5 to their first child, a baby girl they named Charlotte. Cochran admits he was a bit reluctant about returning to practice with a newborn coming home and the threat of COVID19 in the air.
“There was a little bit of hesitation, but once I saw the procedures put forward by the Energy, which are exactly the same procedures we go through when we go to the hospital, I felt a little bit more comfortable,” he said. “Once the team showed me the procedures, that kind of eased my mind.”
Charlotte developed breathing problems when she was born, unrelated to COVID-19, and has been in the neonatal intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City since birth, Cochran said. But she is doing well and they expect to bring her home on Saturday, he said.
Since the shutdown, EnergyFC coach John Pas car ella has met at least twice a week with his team on Zoom. He has been itching to get back on the field since the club's season opener on March 7, a 2-1 loss to Colorado Springs.
“O-1 for quite a long time now ,” Pas car ella said. “The last two months have not been easy for this group. They are chomping at the bit. You could see it today. They were raring to go from the beginning.”
Pascarella said the clubs in the USL need at least three weeks of training as a team before the season starts, which he expects is still more than a month away. He is optimistic there will be a season, but not optimistic that fans will be allowed to attend games.
“I don't think people are comfortable enough to gather in massive groups yet,” he said. “I think there will be empty stadiums for awhile.”
But everyone on Wednesday seemed happy to at least be back on a soccer field and practicing for the first time in two months.
“It felt really good to be here,” Basuljevic said. “It feels like we are getting back to a little sense of normalcy.”