Players relieved to resume group training
Orlando City players were relieved to finally take the pitch for small-group training sessions this week.
For the first time in months, they could kick the ball to each other.
In addition to the extensive delays caused by the coroanvirus pandemic, the Lions also had to wait while MLS and the players union wrapped up tense Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.
The players were free to resume group training with limitations Wednesday and they should soon be able to hold full team workouts. MLS announced Thursday teams could start submitting safety plans and hosting full team training once their plans were approved.
Orlando City is currently observing detailed small group workout safety guidelines set out by MLS. No more than six players could train together and each athlete had to stay in a marked off section of the pitch to maintain a distance of at least 10 feet.
Despite the restrictions, players said the excitement was tangible on the pitch. Striker Chris Mueller said his teammates and coaches were quick to smile and laugh throughout sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The most difficult aspect is just, when you get out there, it’s like a puppy who just got to the dog park,” Mueller said. “You want to start running around and whatnot, but we can’t really do all that yet.”
Although the league has allowed players to take part in voluntary individual workouts for several weeks, those sessions restricted players from physically interacting at all. On Wednesday, players had the chance to pass the ball and scrimmage against one another since the league suspended all play on March 13.
These sessions also marked the first time goalkeepers were allowed to field shots from their teammates in almost three full months.
“It’s a huge step from where we were first at when the season was postponed,” goalkeeper Brian Rowe said. “It was difficult staying motivated just to get your own workouts in. You can definitely sense some new energy around the players and the field.”
The small group workouts were delayed as the league and union worked on a new CBA and plans for a restart tournament in Orlando.
As the two parties struggled to come to terms during the weekend, MLS commissioner Don Garber threatened to lock players out, which would include cutting off their salaries and healthcare benefits. Players were upset and the entire Orlando City squad sat out from training on Monday and Tuesday.
Mueller said the players found strength in their unity as a team and a union, but he said players were also relieved to have the negotiating process behind them and lock in a return to play plan.
“The only thing that we had the choice to do was to stick together as a player pool and do what we thought was best for us and for the growth of the league,” Mueller said. “It was definitely a really challenging time for all of us. Now just the relief and the weight off of the shoulders, knowing that we’ll get to play football again, is really the first and foremost thing that’s in front of my mind.”