Individual Attention
After a water break and a long talk by Rogers, the players downsize their work to 1-v-1 showdowns. Two cones are placed in the middle of the goalkeeper's box, and players are restricted from venturing outside of them. This narrows the area the players can work with, and makes the forwards go right at defenders and use foot skills to beat them. Without the cones--which allow for a playing zone smaller than the width of the goal--forwards would be tempted to drift away from the defenders toward the corners rather than attack.
A goalkeeper is protecting the net, and an offensive player starts about 25 yards out, dribbles toward the lone defender, and tries to juke her to get a good shot on goal.
Players wait in line
for 1-v-1 drills.
The defender's job, simply, is to disrupt the forward's ability to get a clean shot off.
Like a one-on-one basketball game, this drill turns competitive. The forwards are bringing out their whole arsenal of tricks to try and stump their defensive teammate, while the defenders are taking pride in not falling for any deception.
Marta, as she has done several times in games, uses multiple rapid-fire scissor moves before breaking one direction when the defender is least expecting it. It's a perfect way to use her rare combination of quickness and technical skills. Other players, like Aya Miyama, have similar advanced skills to use on the defense.
The 1-v-1 work wraps up quickly, and the players grab a drink and get ready for conditioning.
Conditioning
Here, the goalkeepers split away from the position players again. Since goalkeepers rarely have to run more than a few yards at a time, conditioning is defined differently for them in practice. On this day, the goalkeepers do a variety of core exercises and pushups to increase their strength.
The rest of the team, meanwhile, runs 10 sprints at various distances. They start at about 20 yards, jog back, go 40 yards, jog back, then to midfield. Eventually, they're sprinting the entire length of the field before working their way back down to 20 yards.
All of the players push through it. Marta, as fast as she is, wins every sprint--often by a large margin. Once the sprints are done, the players cool down and do some post-practice work on their own. This is where the fun starts creeping back into the practice.
Cool Down
Several of the forwards and the goalkeepers get together to work on penalty kicks, which is beneficial yet light-hearted. A couple of defenders work on one-touches off to the side. Several more players get together and do planks in a circle, singing Mariah Carey songs in unison while they grind through it.
LeBlanc (left) keeps things loose
by singing to Stephanie Cox.
In a short time, the Los Angeles Sol went from a focused, intense collection of world-class soccer players to a bunch of young women goofing around and fine-tuning their vocal chords.
"It's a tough balance," said Cox, who also plays on the U.S. national team. "You can't be too loose. You've got to make sure you get the business done... But I think that lightness, that humor makes us want to come out here every day."
Added LeBlanc: "A lot of our building is done not necessarily on the field but off the field. So you know when you get on the field, you're giving it 100 percent because you know the person next to you is."
The players pack up their stuff and make the short walk toward the locker room at Home Depot Center. The championship game will be here in the Los Angeles area, a home game for a team that went 7-1-2 at home this season.
And now, two more hours of work are out of the way. The Los Angeles Sol are one step closer to completing their preparation for a championship game they've worked all season for.
UPDATE: The extra preparation time wasn't enough. In a stunner, Sky Blue FC out of New Jersey defeated the Los Angeles Sol, 1-0, to win the WPS championship.