May 24, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – New York City FC News Release
In Orangeburg, New York, A little under 23 miles north of central Manhattan, a soccer ball zips across a manicured field.
You’d be forgiven for thinking the ball is on a string as it pinballs from player to player; the sound of leather hitting leather as encouragement echoes around them from the coaching staff. The intensity radiates outward to those spectating – regardless of whether it’s the athletic drills or technical work with the ball.
“The training culture has improved massively since Ronny arrived”,” Assistant Coach Mehdi Ballouchy said Monday. “You can show up to any one of the sessions, and everything is super competitive. Players who may not start have the level to start, this makes for really good sessions, this prepares them best when their name is called”
“It almost makes the games easier – the tempo is high all week so come game days it almost feels like just another day. You can only do that when you have this many players who are close to the level of the game. Our squad is not 13/14 players and then a drop I think anyone can jump in and easily do a job.”
Breeding a culture like that takes time. One of the central tenants in that development has been an equal voice. There is no installed hierarchy in this squad, whether among players or coaches, but rather a cumulative effort to reach the eventual decision.
“Whether its scouting or training sessions or game plans, it is all talked through amongst the coaching staff. Of course Ronny sits with the ultimate decisions but there is a platform for everyone to be heard and share their opinion.”
One of the more challenging aspects for a coach can be keeping those outside of the starting XI engaged. Soccer players want to play. The emergence of MLS Next Pro and specifically NYCFC II has helped manage that situation alongside clear communication to individuals.
“There’s a lot of communication between the first and the second team,” he…
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