A lot of Rave Green fans have expressed concern about the Seattle Sounders this season in terms of cohesion. The team is brimming with new players, some of whom are complete rookies, and there seem to be more unfamiliar faces than familiar ones. It is a legitimate concern with the amount of fresh blood on the team. The Sounders, however, are well into season training and Seattle Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid says that the team is already buff and ready to play, and that they are already playing as a unit rather well.

In fact, Schmid says that he is impressed with the rate of cooperation and teamwork he has seen on the team so far. There are 40 players at training camp in Arizona right now and Schmidt says they are all doing a remarkable job of working together and really evolving the team to its new incarnation without prodding or conflict. “From the understanding of the new guys learning from each other, I think that’s been very good and the cohesion is good as well,” he said. He also pointed out that when you are alone in the desert with your teammates for ten days, you are bound to bond and learn how to get along. When you think of spring training, you usually picture the physical aspect of the actual sport, but his point is also a good one: a huge part of training, particularly when you are incorporating so many new faces, is simply getting to know one another and forming that trust, that relationship, that will allow you to really perform on the field together.

Although the Sounders are training for roughly two fewer weeks than the previous season, Schmid does not seem worried. Indeed, he actually said that the team is days ahead of schedule, largely due to the men’s ability to stay fit during the off-season and take their health seriously. He says that the team is at a good fitness level and ready to get started, which is good, because it gives them all more time to work on actual tactical and functional training without having to spend extra time whipping the players back into shape before they can begin again.

With the exception of two injured players, including Damion Lowe and Ashani Fairclough, it looks as though the Sounders are already off to a great start for the year. Fans will get to see what the new team looks like very soon.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia