Tuesday marked the beginning of the end.
Then, players reported to the Mercy Health Training Center to begin their final week of preparation ahead of the season finale on Sunday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
With playoff hopes shattered for weeks and roster decisions up in the air, per General Manager Gerard Nijkamp, it’d be easy to say the Orange and Blue are sitting in limbo.
So, how do the players and coaches keep spirits high and motivation constant?
“We have to continue being professional because we have a job to do and we love doing this,” said captain and center back Kendall Waston. “I can speak for myself in saying it’s hard and disappointing that you’re going to play a game knowing it’s not important, but there is an aspect that there is an image of the club and the fans. They’re still supporting us, so we have to do the right things and try to win the game.”
Of course, that’s easier said than done.
Waston is the club captain, and is therefore the team leader and the person to lead the squad into the match and into the future. Circumstances are different from others, however.
For some players, they’ve either already played their last match for the team, or could in the season finale. Head Coach Ron Jans said that reality “will be an influence for some players."
“You talk about it with the players, but it’s up to them,” Jans said about motivation. “We are professional and you have to go on. Some have good news, so maybe they have a good feeling. And some they have to deal with maybe a different feeling.”
Regardless of mood and emotion, Sunday ends the season that started March 2, and no matter what, will be a goodbye – either for individuals or the club until preseason kicks off in 2020.
How players handle that reality depends on each individual’s decisions, said center back Nick Hagglund.
“All you can do is control what you can control,” Hagglund said. “There’s other guys that may choose not to train or not train hard, but just focus on the guys that are going to be playing and that are going to be part of (the future) and try to move forward like that.”
