Continuing our series on the support staff that makes Sounders FC tick behind the scenes, this week SoundersFC.com checks in with the team's medical staff. March is National Athletic Trainers Month, so as we bring the month to a close, we take a look at the personnel that keep the club's players healthy and ready to play.
Week to week, Sounders FC competes at the highest level on the pitch. With the excitement of matchday, it’s easy to forget the amount of work that goes into preparing for the weekly challenge of a 90-minute match, and the communication that’s essential to making sure everything goes off as planned.
No one knows this better than Director of Sports Medicine Randy Noteboom.
“We’re in a unique position as trainers because we get to know the players on a more personal level than the coaches do or the team administrators do,” says Noteboom. “We’re a major conduit between players and coaches.”
Noteboom joined the Sounders almost 10 years ago, before the team joined MLS.
“I’m one of those stories about being in the right place at the right time,” he jokes.
After earning his degree in kinesiology from the University of Washington, he went on to become a physical therapist, an occupation he enjoyed for more than 20 years.
“I wasn’t searching for the job, but at the time I was the only certified physical trainer when the Sounders approached my organization,” Noteboom says. “I think my background as a PT has really helped me out as a trainer.”
Noteboom has moved on from the being the team’s Head Athletic Trainer, as Chris Cornish now fills that role for the club after previously working as an Assistant. Cornish has a history with other clubs in the U.S. – including this weekend’s opponent, FC Dallas – but his career started in England, where he worked with Watford’s Academy, Kingstonian FC and Fulham just before Clint Dempsey joined the squad.
In his seventh year with the Sounders, Cornish has finely-tuned the process for his athletes as they progress through a long MLS regular season.
“Now that we’re into the season, after a game we’re working on recovery and building the team back up and getting them ready to play. As we get new injuries, we’re working with that.”
The addition of S2 has presented more opportunities for players to see minutes on the pitch, but with that comes the need to keep the conversation between all staff members going week to week.
Cornish echoes Noteboom, agreeing that “communication between both teams needs to be good. Having two teams has increased our communication on both sides so coaches know who is available and who can play.”
With Cornish taking on the Head Athletic Trainer role, Noteboom moved to Director of Sports Medicine, establishing a chain of command between all members of the staff. Assistant Athletic Trainers Aung Aye and Paul Lombardo agree that the shift in structure has been nothing but beneficial.
“Reporting accurate and concise information can affect both teams,” explains Lombardo. “Randy’s move has allowed the communication between the groups to continue effortlessly.”
Aye finds himself having conversations with players that not only help him do his job better, but also help the team function more smoothly.
“The way that I differ from other people on my staff is that I’m more hands-on and that makes my relationship with the guys different. They tell me things earlier so we can correct them before they become a problem on the pitch,” notes Aye.
As the season progresses, the Athletic Training Staff keeps in sync with the progression of players as they gain playing time with both the First Team and S2, working to keep communication moving between the players and coaches.
“Players trust us because we work with them every day on a personal level and they feel comfortable voicing their concerns with us,” says Noteboom. “We see the extra work behind the scenes that players are putting in to get themselves ready.”
