With Saturday night’s match against the Carolina RailHawks on the horizon - representing the Revolution’s final exhibition game before the season opener against the San Jose Earthquakes on March 21 - the coaching staff moved a bit further away from drills and more towards game situations in training today.

The weather couldn’t have been better, with temperatures in the mid-60s and an overcast sky and cool breeze creating ideal training conditions. With cooler temperatures and the possibility of rain arriving during the next few days, the boys made the most of today’s workout.

After the prerequisite jogging/stretching and passing drills, the players went straight into an 8 vs. 8 possession-style game in an area slightly smaller than half the field, with the “Red and Dread” combination of Jeff Larentowicz and Shalrie Joseph serving as the neutral players in the middle. Just 10 days ahead of the season opener, the passing looked crisp and it’s clear to see that the team is becoming more cohesive and more sharp each and every day.

While the possession game was happening at one end of the field, the goalkeepers continued to work separately with Gwynne Williams at the other.

Next, the entire group joined together for a 9 vs. 9 game on a field approximately 80 yards long and 40 yards wide. The game lasted 25 minutes and was - as usual - highly competitive, as there is not a single player on this team who accepts losing, even in small-sided training games. There were two penalties called (finished by Mauricio Castro and Kenny Mansally) and a few other quality finishes and great saves - some of which can be seen in training footage which you’ll find later right here on the blog.

Crossing and finishing closed out the day, as it often does, and there were some great crosses whipped in from both the left and right sides. Chris Tierney joined Mansally and Castro on the left, while Sainey Nyassi, Ryan Maxwell and Wells Thompson set up on the right.

After training, we were able to catch up with 2009 SuperDraft selection Darrius Barnes, who has shown well during his time in camp with the Revolution. Be sure to check back later for that interview, as well as video footage and photos from today’s session.

As a final note, rumors have been swirling all week about a foot race featuring all of the traveling members of the team staff, including coaches. After much discussion, the race has been set for Friday, March 13 … as far as this staff member knows, the date is merely coincidental and hopefully doesn’t bring any bad omens for those who haven’t sprinted in a long, long time. That will be an event you surely won’t want to miss, and we’ll make sure to provide video footage for your viewing pleasure.