TUKWILA, Wash. - It’s the end of the training session and the young prospects of Seattle Sounders FC 2 gather around head coach Ezra Hendrickson to have a seat on the grass.
Hendrickson grips his clipboard and goes down his list of names. “O’Ojong…seven points, plus zero.” Jeers are tossed at midfielder Mark O’Ojong from his teammates. Forward Darwin Jones rolls on the grass in laughter.
“Mansaray…34 points, plus zero,” continues Hendrickson. Forward Victor Mansaray nods his head as he juggles a ball at the perimeter of the circle.
S2 find themselves at the bottom of the USL Western Conference now nine matches into the season. The coaching staff has emphasized from day one that their attention will be on development over winning. However, as the rocky beginning to S2’s season continues, Hendrickson is ramping up the competition in daily training sessions.
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“Part of their development is putting them in situations where something is on the line,” Hendrickson explains. “The game is on the line; can they do what it takes to win the game.”
One way they’re achieving this is by pitting the guys against each other in a tournament-style exercise. The game works like this: Teams of five are chosen randomly regardless of position, “You can have five forwards on a team or five defenders," explains Hendrickson. "If you have five forwards, you’ve got to figure out who’s going to defend.”
The teams then play a series of six minute, rapid fire five-versus-five games. The victors are awarded 15 points, draws are worth seven and individual players are awarded an extra point for every goal they score.
“It’s a way for us coaches to see who’s willing to do what it takes to win a given game,” said Hendrickson. “It’s very competitive, and we try to make every session here as competitive as possible because at the next level, you’re always competing.”
Hendrickson believes that exercises like this will help to instill a winning edge in his team. As the guys head into the locker room, they take jabs at each other and compare their point totals, indicating perhaps, that that competition is building.
