Soccer for the Casual Sports Fan: Getting into Shape

With the start of the inaugural El Paso Locomotive FC three days away, I have decided to share a series of thoughts that apply specifically to the game soccer keeping specifically in mind the casual El Paso sports fan that will be attending future Locomotive soccer matches.

On Saturday the El Paso Locomotive FC will play their inaugural match versus the OKC Energy at Southwest University Park. It will be a night full of highly anticipated expectations for all of the soccer fans that will be in attendance on this historic night, a night that Mountain Star Sport Group will make sure it is a night to remember just like they did with the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Another thing that those in attendance on Saturday can expect to see is two soccer teams that will no be in soccer shape to start the season. No, I do not mean that they will not be ready to play and face each other. Physically speaking they will be ready to go. However in soccer, teams need extra time once the season has started to get into full form or soccer shape to face the season that lays ahead of them.

Usually during the first 2 or 3 matches at the start of a season teams are still feeling the physical effects or residue of their preseason physical training. That kind of physical training or preparation is significantly different from day to day training or preparation that teams do in the heart of a soccer season. It is common to see teams not be as fluid on the pitch to start the season, looking stiff or heavy and the reason for this is that the players bodies are still feeling the effects of the different training they were exposed to in the preseason (which usually includes a weight lifting program which is something that soccer players do very little of in season).

Yes while the Locomotive did have 8 preseason matches to prepare for their inaugural season and one would think that would be enough to get the club into season shape, it will still take a couple to a few weeks of the team executing their weekly routine in preparation towards a weekly regular season match to obtain the conditioning, form or shape to face the 7-month long USL regular season.