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| Photo by Mike Kiel, LJR Sports Photographed Copyright 2020 All Rights Reserved |
HOUSTON, TEXAS (June 27, 2020)
Houston Dynamo coach Tab Ramos addressed the media following the announcement by MLS Soccer Commissioner Don Garber’s of the leagues return to live action. The announcement came on Wednesday morning one day ahead of the team’s full competition training session on June 11, 2020. The winner gets a 2021 Champions League automatic berth.
The Houston Dynamo and Ramos feel as if they have an advantage considering Ramos’ work with the national team over the previous eight years. As a coach for the national team, a lot of preparation was done prior to the players arriving at a camp. They were a;ways hungry for competition. He expects his players to be as well.
“First, I think it is very exciting for the players. I really can’t wait to see them tomorrow, because as they come in to training it is the first day where they can actually have contact tomorrow. I think it will be exciting for them, obviously these type of athletes at this level they are incredibly competitive and not having had the opportunity to compete day-in and day-out, I’m sure that is something they miss a lot. That is the first part of it, and then obviously seeing the tournament - you know the way it is going to fall, our first game could be anytime between the (eighth) of July and the 11th of July. As you likely know, the schedule and the draw comes out tomorrow so once we know that we will know the exact date and we will start working towards that.”
The tournament is set along the World Cup format including a $1.1 million dollar payout. It begins on July 8th. The draw for the 54 game tournament will be held on June 11, 2020 at which time the Houston side will know how much time they have to prepare fore the tournament.
“I feel good about it. I was afraid we were going to get less time to prepare. I think a month is actually a good time to be well prepared to play our first game. Obviously, we have been together now for about three weeks, but the players have not been able to compete. Physically we are starting to get them to a good level, but now the playing part is the most difficult. I feel good about it. I think there is plenty of time to be well prepared for the first game.”
For all the negatives of COVID-19, there was one big positive for the Houston Dynamo and every other team for that matter. The Dynamo will almost be back to full strength by the time the tournament.
“It looks like at this point that Kiki (Struna), as we start tomorrow, he will be doing some of the exercises with us already. So, he is very close to being 100 percent with us. Jose (Bizama) is likely maybe one or two weeks away. But it is likely that we go into the season - obviously we don’t know what will happen in the next four weeks - but hopefully we will go into the season with a healthy Jose Bizama, a healthy Darwin Quintero and a healthy Alberth Elis. That is something we didn’t have when the season started, and also Victor Cabrera. So that will be four guys that we could potentially start the new season that we didn’t have at the beginning.”
One of the challenges facing Ramos and the Dynamo is the evaluation process of the players for fitness, and skill and who fits where and how.
“The truth is that it is very difficult. What we are evaluating is the physical work. In other words, the players work with GPS, we know the meters they cover every day, we know the capacity they are giving us, we know the percentage of the speed that they run every day taking as much as each one has. In general, the only evaluation that can be done so far is the physical evaluation because the players have not been able to compete. Then they are seen coming to training, that physically they are gradually improving. If they have touched the ball, if they have done exercises which can improve their technique, but in terms of being able to evaluate them without the players being competing if it is very difficult."
Following the tournament which includes wins and losses during group play as part of the regular season, the league will return to an abbreviated season. Garber was unable to elaborate on the specifics yet bit was enthused that following the tournament in Orlando, Florida, the league could get back to a semblance of normalcy.
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