RHIAN SOCCER JOURNALS           

BACK TO BUSINESS AS SQUAD ASSEMBLES    13th September 2011

Today was a quiet day with everyone arriving and settling into camp. I have to admit that I have been looking forward to reassembling. I want to get back to training with the team.

There is definitely some sadness. We missed seeing Carolina and Betty, Max, Mario, and Andrea. But I was excited to meet our new coach. It seems strange to be in camp without them. However, I am a professional and I am looking forward to returning to work. The next step for me and the program is the matches against the USA , then the PanAms and then the Olympic qualifiers. 

Meeting our new coach, Mr. John Herdman, was really interesting. He seems like a great guy and spoke really well about where he felt this program should be, and how he plans on getting us there. It must have been a tough situation for him, walking into such a close knit team, and after a disappointing FIFA World Cup and change of coaching staff, but he managed to deal with everything with grace and class. I think he will bring plenty of excitement and new ideas to the program. 

The first training session today was mainly about moving our legs again, especially as only about half the squad has arrived. The session was held at Park University, and they were fantastic hosts. The Canada players worked hard and it did not take long to be back in the swing of things. 

There are many new young players here, and they all worked hard and showed well. This is a very good thing as we have some big games coming up.