I made a loon migration joke last time, so I’ll try something else out today. Your Loons escaped the cold by heading to… oh, dang it. I used the cold bit in Center Circle. Well, I’m just about out of puns, so you’ll have to deal with the cold, hard facts without my typical comedic charm. I know you come to these preseason reports for your semi-regular dose of soccer humor, but you’ll have to make it to the next one for new material. Now, back to soccer.
The American Riviera
Your Loons have been in The American Riviera (what a nickname) for just over a week now, and they’ve taken valuable steps in their quest to return to match fitness before the season opener on February 22. Between intrasquad scrimmages and regularly scheduled fitness training, the Black and Blue have picked up right where they left off in 2024, and Head Coach Eric Ramsay seems pleased with the state of his squad.
“In terms of how the group applies itself, how they train, the level of application, willingness, and the sort of maturity of the group, it makes them a joy to work with,” Ramsay said. “We looked back on the intrasquad game that we played a couple of days ago, which we felt—for a game this early, spread across about 30 players—was played to a really good level. It was a low-scoring game, whereas often those first games are very chaotic and super high-scoring. We played three 20-minute periods, chopping and changing the players, and felt like we had a good outcome at the end of each of those periods. So yeah, we've certainly taken some good steps forward.”
Through short games such as these, players are able to ease their way back into the intensity of gameplay. Training is one thing, but the demands of an entire match bring another level to the exertion required of the athletes. Additionally, frequent changes in lineup allow the coaching staff to see which players play best together, ensure plenty of rest to avoid injuries, and present an opportunity for fringe players to make a case for their inclusion in the starting lineup. Wins all around for coaches, players, and the fans that root them on.
While there isn’t much more to report on from the training pitch itself, there has been movement off the pitch that deserves highlighting. Just this week, the club announced the departure of striker Teemu Pukki, who will rejoin HJK Helsinki in his native Finland. The Finnish legend wrapped up his short stint with the Loons after giving fans several memories to cherish, including that incredible four-goal performance against the LA Galaxy in 2022. He leaves with the respect of his teammates and coaches, who wish him nothing but the best moving forward.
“I really valued my time with Teemu,” Ramsay said. “I find him to be a really good guy. I can see why he's had such a good career. I can see in him, probably that five- or six-year-old that just loves scoring goals and is desperate to play football and be in front of the goal. I think everyone involved was regretful that we perhaps didn't get him in the positions that he really wanted to be in. But ultimately, I think we became a team that was very reliant on—at its best—pace, athleticism, and real running power, and that didn't quite tally with what Teemu’s strengths are at this stage in his career. He left after having trained a week or so with us. There was certainly no hard feeling. It was really nice to see him back. All credit to him in the sense of when he turned up for that first week's worth of training, he really pushed himself, and he was a real pleasure to have as part of the group. He left on really good terms, and everyone will be watching this next step of his with real interest and really willing him to finish his career off well in Finland and hopefully go on to get the records with the national team that he wants to.”
With Pukki’s contract off the books, the Loons now have an available DP slot. There’s still plenty of time before the transfer window shuts to get players in, so stay tuned for further player movement in the coming weeks; you never know who may join the club next.
The club has identified several positions of need, and while the strategy isn’t to just sign players quickly to bring in warm bodies, there is a sense of urgency in how the roster is taking shape ahead of what the club certainly thinks will be a year to build on past success.
“We're obviously not going to sign five, six, or seven players, but fingers crossed, we end up with a couple of guys that are going to come in and really push the guys that we have already,” Coach Ramsay said. “I think we've got a good base. But of course, we need more depth, and we need players that are going to threaten to challenge what was the starting set of players last year. So fingers crossed, in the coming days and weeks, we see a bit of movement, and I think then we'd be happy with how the group works.”
With a week left in Santa Barbara, the Loons will spend their remaining time in the sun preparing for the Coachella Valley Invitational. A scrimmage against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday afternoon will offer the first chance to test their mettle against another team, right before their slate of three full 90-minute matches in the desert. It won’t be long before the season is underway, making these next few weeks absolutely crucial.
