Off-Season Training Notes

From the U.S. camp in Carson:

*And then there were 29. Uncapped New England Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz lasted all of two days before calling it quits Thursday; he had been rehabbing a right knee injury anyway. No replacement will be named.

*Charlie Davies made a surprise visit to the team hotel Thursday afternoon in the South Bay to say hi; he’s “walking on his own,” U.S. Soccer officials said, and returning to Delaware to continue rehabbing.

*Interesting to hear how good friends Robbie Rogers and Sacha Kljestan (who both knew each other growing up in Huntington Beach) kept fit before the U.S. camp started. They used the Home Depot Center for pick-up games with an all-star cast of other players including Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez.

*Chivas USA forward Justin Braun sounds like he’s making the most of his national team experience when he tweeted late Wednesday:

“National camp has been awesome so far! Just trying to go in every day and prove myself..next 3 weeks is going to be sick!!”

From Chivas USA:

*Defender Mariano Trujillo worked out today with his former team, Atlante, who are in Carson for InterLiga.

*Jorge Flores and Jesus Padilla (the latter on loan from CD Guadalajara) have been training in Mexico this week with the mothership; teammate Csar Zamora has joined them today, too.

*One player no longer training with CD Guadalajara though is long-time midfielder Ramon Morales, who has been with the team since 1999 and now appears surplus to requirements. He reportedly left the training ground in tears today and will sit for at least six months (which is what he has left on his contract) before deciding on his next move.

He won’t be coming to Chivas USA though. The club tweeted (in Spanish) that quoted him as saying something along the lines of (very roughly translated)

“Chivas USA is a club that deserves all respect … but I chose not to take the proposal to Chivas USA.”

From the Galaxy

*Edson Buddle doesn’t look like he’s killing himself to stay fit in the off-season. He made a five minute video of his workout and the first two were of him um, walking. Pretty slowly. While a loooong musical intro played.

*Finally, Lawndale’s Kei Kamara kicked back in an unusually foggy South Bay Thursday night and tweeted around 11 p.m.:

“Yo its so Foggy out not safe for driving happy I made it home safe…I passed out at the movies lol super tired.”

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About Nick Green

South Bay-based Los Angeles News Group soccer columnist and blogger Nick Green writes at the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer and craft beer at the Beer Goggles blog at www.insidesocal.com/beer. Cheers!