This update is coming a bit later than I expected, but at least you'll have something waiting for you Wednesday morning. The team's first practice in Bradenton this evening saw 27 players take part in training. The session included a long warm-up followed by two simultaneous possession games before 7-v-7 games to goals.
A couple of new players joined the team today on trial:
- Evan Bush is a 6-foot, 2-inch goalkeeper from the University of Akron. With Zach Wells on leave from the team and Louis Crayton back in Liberia with his family, the team needed some depth in goal.
- Bob De Jong is a 17-year old midfielder who most recently was a part of Ado Den Haag in the Dutch Eredivisie. He is a native of Leidereorp, Holland.
Tomorrow, the team will begin the two-a-day cycle with a morning and afternoon session. The team's first scrimmage of 2009 has also been finalized. On Thursday, the guys will face Vejle Boldklub of the Danish Superliga at 2 p.m. on the IMG Academy fields.
For your perusal, here is United's current list of players in camp...
Goalkeepers (3): Evan Bush, Milos Kocic, James Thorpe
Defenders (9): Marc Burch, Greg Janicki, Devon McTavish, Ryan Miller, Bryan Namoff, Roger, Kyle Veris, Rodney Wallace, Mike Zaher.
Midfielders (8): Bob De Jong, Fred, Andrew Jacobson, Domenic Mediate, Ben Olsen, Santino Quaranta, Clyde Simms, Joe Vide.
Forwards (7): Taiwo Leo Atieno, Brandon Barklage, Francis Doe, Luciano Emilio, Boyzzz Khumalo, Jaime Moreno, Chris Pontius.
