Defender Jonny Raj is spending his summer playing in Chicago with the Fire U-23 team. He will give us insight to his experience with a blog. Please check back for updates throughout the summer. For complete team coverage, please visit the Fire Premier web site.
May 10, 2011:
Touchdown in Midway airport, Chicago, IL. What a relief, especially after missing my flight at JFK airport earlier today! Picked up by Harrison Petts, our Chicago Fire U23 team captain and taken to the Extended Stay America hotel that I'll be living in for the next 3 months. Upon arrival I am grappled by my New Zealand U20 teammate from Central Florida, Nik Robson. A nice surprise and he'll definitely make things easier for me settling in here at the Fire!
May 11, 2011:
7am alarm!! A half an hour ride to Toyota Park and first day at training with the Fire U23's. We have players from lots of NCAA schools with Michigan State, Indiana, Louisville, Akron, Notre Dame and others as well as many other ex-professional and professional youth team players. I put on my boots weary of the level of ability of the players around me. I am asked what school I am from and though some players aren't familiar with Fairfield, they welcome me and introduce themselves. Time to go to work, and as I get into it slowly, I am called into the playing squad lineup to run through game patterns as I have arrived only three days before our first conference game!!! So glad I missed all those running/fitness drills!! By the end of training I am absolutely dead. It's not that I am unfit but because it is ridiculously humid and about 90 degrees, with another 10-15 more as we are practicing on turf!!!
Back at hotel at its 12pm and I'm starving, and the lads mention that there's a Chipotle's and Hooters opposite our Hotel… amazing!!!! As it gets to the late afternoon, I track across the street and sign up for the gym that's open 24 hours, with everything I need!!! Spa, Sauna, Yoga classes, Spin Classes, resistance pool and tanning (not that I need it). Get a lift in and hop into the Spa (Jacuzzi) to relax/recover.
I get loud banging at the door at 2am in the morning! I open it to meet my new roommate who flew in from Miami who happens to be Brazilian, BONUS! Can help me with my Portuguese class I'm going to take in the Fall?
May 13, 2011:
Friday morning and we run through our set pieces for about an hour then hop on the bus for a six hour journey to Ohio to play our first opponents Akron Summit! We finally get there and check into our hotel and off for a nice long sleep.
May 14, 2011: Day of our first game
Off to Olive Garden for our pre-match meal (gotta love their breadsticks by the way!!) As we arrive at the game, a thunderstorm arrives with us. As I get ready for the warm up, thunder booms outside, and nervousness kicks into me. I throw on some “Wiz Khalifa” to calm me down and get in the mood! Mark Spooner, our coach, reads out the starting lineup and I am announced as the starting center back! I'm stoked but scared as well. The crowd builds and builds with supporters in number to watch their Akron team take the field for the first ever time as a U23 PDL team!
Whistle blows and we strike ten minutes into the game with an amazing goal through great build up play by our winger from Indiana, Chris Estridge! Halftime comes at a decent time with us in control of the game. Second half begins and we strike again with another lovely finish from our other winger Josie Portillo from Miami. Shortly afterwards the referee blows the whistle for us to go back into the locker rooms because of dangerous lightning strikes in the background! We go in and wait nervously as we are edging to get back out there as we only need the clock to strike 60 minutes for the game to be official or else we'll have to start all over again tomorrow night!
An hour later we get back on the pitch, finally! But it all turns worse as we are on the back foot as Akron is pressing everyone forward. We are resolute in defense and hold them off till the final whistle for a two-nil victory! Clean sheet, always my goal and achieved successfully on the day! 11:30 pm and now the worst part, the six hour drive back home, throw in the movie Hangover and the whole bus falls asleep. Finally land back at our Hotel at 5:30 am in the morning.
May 21, 2011:
Day of our second conference game at home against Cincinnati King who beat us and drew with us last year. It was a 45 minute drive to our home ground so I don't think you can call it a home game. We arrive at Evanston High School with Chicago Fire banners all over the ground, and a tail gate in the car park. We are greeted by our mascot, someone dressed in the Chicago Fire strip in a Cat/Bear or something suit, I don't even know. The crowd builds and once again I am named in the starting lineup.
Whistle blows and Estridge strikes again only four minutes in. This kid is on Fire, we are on Fire! We are in control of the game again. They are a huge looking team but are very average on the ball. With 2 minutes left in the first half, our winger from Notre Dame, Ship strikes and puts us two nothing up. All is well as we head to the dressing room. However despite the score Coach Spooner comes storming in screaming, demanding we improve. I actually thought we were decent out there, but perhaps not from a spectators' point of view.
We get back out there for the 2nd half and are put to the test again with the Kings throwing four players up front and putting us under immense pressure. My hip pain starts to kick in, and my center back partner isn't much better with his ankle swollen big time. Despite our knocks, we battle through it. The humidity and coach screaming at us doesn't help either. They have a few chances but fail to put them away. The final whistle comes as a huge relief to the back four, and I am absolutely shattered! Another clean sheet though, and our defensive record is looking solid. Get back to the hotel at 10:30 pm and I head straight to the hot tub for a bit then straight to sleep!
May 24, 2011:
Back at training. As we warm up, Coach calls five of us aside including and asks us if we are all fit. We reply with a non-confident “uhh yeahh” thinking he's going to run us into the ground today, but instead he sends us to train with the Chicago Fire MLS team for today's session. I'm relieved that we aren't running, but am nervous at the idea of training with the first team.
As we start with a warm up I am surrounded by a few stars that are basically getting paid to do what they love! This is what I aspire to be… this is what I aspire to do every day: train and play and get paid for it. The other players come up to all of us individually and introduce themselves. They hear my accent straight away and ask me where I am from, and I say proudly, “New Zealand.”
The standard of play is very good, but I keep my pace and do well for most part. I make a few mistakes but the older pros help me out a lot. So much for them being cocky and arrogant huh, these guys are actually nice and humbling. As we play, the tackles are flying and the talking is constant everywhere on the field! Their center back gives me a few tips here and there and straight away I see the difference in my game as I apply what he said to my game. This is where I need to be, and I make the most of the training. I want to shine and stamp my authority so these guys remember me and the coach sees my talent (hopefully).
As we come to an end. I am drenched in sweat and they thank us for joining them! I think to myself, 'keep working hard and eventually these are the kinds rewards that are out there for you Jonny.'
