Diary: An American 'keeper in Argentina
Now I've got a camera and a blog so that I can prove to everyone down the road that I've actually done some of the stuff I say I do. Most of the rest is a big fish story, but this actually happened ...
March 7, 2007
It's always interesting when you get the opportunity to travel to cool places. Players are taken out of their comfort zones and you can see how they react. This is of vital importance to soccer players.
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AMERICAN 'KEEPER IN ARGENTINA
• March 21: Redemption Song • March 19: Fun in the sun • March 13: It's game time • March 12: Some clarifications • March 10: A little bit crazy • March 7: Stamp my passport |
I tend to get pretty amped for these trips because I get a new stamp on my passport and loads of stories for my friends and family. I had to renew my passport before this trip, which means that I've got 10 years' worth of trips on my original passport. As I looked through my original passport, I reminisced on how lucky I am to have been able to travel to so many great places.
Therefore, to say that I was excited about the Wizards' trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, would be a massive understatement. In Los Angeles, I had some great trips abroad in the seasons before The Home Depot Center was built and our preseason usually kept us in Carson.
We traveled to Europe, Asia, Central America, South America, and perhaps the best preseason of all, was in Hawaii. One of our trips took us to Cordoba, Argentina, and I was blown away. Argentina is a country that is certainly in love with its soccer, but it is also a country with a great passion for life in general. The food is wonderful, there is a great history and the weather is beautiful.
When we arrived in Argentina after a long flight, everyone eagerly anticipated what the next two or three weeks had in store for us. Preseason thus far has been phenomenal. The Kansas City Wizards have great talent and a wonderful cast of characters to hang out with (although until Sasha Victorine arrives, I've got my own room!).
As we play preparation matches, there are times when I'm amazed at how short of a time that we've been together, because the quality seems too good too be true. We have very high expectations for ourselves and really look forward to continuing our growth as a group here in Argentina. The quality of the games that we'll get here in Argentina will really go a long way for us as we develop our identity for what always proves to be a long MLS season.
With most of our guys healthy, we can concentrate on things like team fitness, and that will be pivotal as we start the season. Many times, coaches aren't able to effectively use preseason for these types of things because so many people are out of practice with injuries or fatigue, which is also sometimes a huge part of preseason.
(Head coach) Curt (Onalfo) and the rest of the staff have done a great job of keeping guys free of injury (knock on wood!) and rested so that we can spend time learning each others' tendencies and trying to grow as a group. That said, our fitness is always improving and with gym workouts, our strength is also better.
As I recover from a bruised elbow, I've been concentrating on general fitness and recuperation. However, prior to the injury, my goals were to become technically sharp, to get really comfortable with my new team and to help organize the defense as best as possible. Hopefully, those are the things that I will be working on again soon as this weekend nears. I've really enjoyed the new players and am looking forward to spending a lot of time with them on this trip.
All the best,
Kevin Hartman
