March 31, 2011 MLS--Practice Report: March 31 (from cdchivasusa.com)

Practice Report: March 31
Chivas USA trained on a chilly, foggy afternoon in Toronto
David Lindholm
cdchivasusa.com
March 31, 2011
(David Lindholm / Chivas USA Communications)

TORONTO, Ont. (Thursday, March 31, 2011) - Chivas USA trained on a chilly, foggy afternoon in Toronto, getting a feel for the local weather ahead of Saturday’s game. The Red-and-White hit the training field at 1:00 p.m. ET, the same time as Saturday’s match, and went through a 90-minute session at the Cherry Beach soccer fields.

After a brief jogging warm-up, the team did about 30 minutes of passing drills in the team’s first on-field session since Tuesday night’s match in Portland. The passing drills were done at a high pace, but the practice was relatively light as the players continue to recover from the game and travel of the last few days. Players were bundled up in the freezing weather with the majority wearing full pants, jackets, and team hats.

Alejandro Moreno was back with the team after returning from international duty with Venezuela. He played in matches against Jamaica and Mexico while with his national team, and even scored a goal against Jamaica.

The Red-and-White then split into teams of two for a soccer tennis tournament, with Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim Liston making the teams and setting up the bracket. Believing that teams with a goalkeeper were at a disadvantage, Liston gave Ante Jazic and Dan Kennedy an “easy” first couple matchups, but the team exceeded expectations and ended up in the championship match against Marcos Mondaini and Mariano Trujillo. A 4-3 win in the final game gave the tournament to Kennedy and Jazic.

Chivas USA will train again on Friday at 1:00 p.m. before playing an early match on Saturday against Toronto FC. The match will be live on Prime Ticket and W Radio 690 AM, with updates on cdchivasusa.com and twitter.com/cdchivasusa.

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