Hokie ClubThe following is Kyle Renfro's take on his first two days of the 2014 MLS Combine.
Jan. 9, 2014
Upon waking up I thought to myself, today begins the journey that could potentially change my life forever. I arrived in Fort Lauderdale and made my way to the Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel. I checked into my room and met my roommate, Robbie. After making acquaintances, I made my way to player registration where I checked into the combine and received my official MLS player combine training gear and game uniform. A few hours later at 5:45 p.m., player dinner was held in the Sheraton Point Room. There I met representatives from the combine responsible for setting up the event and the coaches of my team during the next few days. Directly after dinner, I made my way downstairs to the medical staff and completed my player physical. This was a long and thorough process consisting of multiple examinations by medical professionals. After finishing the physical, I retired to my room for a good night’s rest to prepare my body for the events of tomorrow.
Jan. 10, 2014
Today, I woke up at 7:45 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. breakfast in the Point Room. Around 9:15 a.m., I met the coaches and the rest of the players on my team, Predator. We introduced ourselves and became familiar with names and faces. We went over the formation we would be playing, the starting lineup, and the expectations for the upcoming game. At 11:45 a.m. the bus departed from the hotel and drove the players to the training facilities. Around 12:15 p.m. the strength and conditioning coach from Sporting KC led us through a dynamic warm-up. This helped us get loose for a series of performance tests (30 yard dash, shuttle run, and vertical jump). Once the testing was completed, we went straight into warm-ups preparing for the game verse Nitro Charge. I went through the normal routine that I’ve always done for the past couple years at Virginia Tech. Being the sole keeper on team Predator, I’m fortunate to start and play all three games at the MLS Combine. The beginning of the game started at a rapid pace, but as the half went on both sides suffered some fatigue due to the humid weather. During the first half, I came out for a one-on-one and stayed big and the shot hit my chest and the ball was cleared out of danger by my defender. Later in the half, I was quick off my line and took a ball off of the attacker’s foot. Going into half time we were winning 1-0. The second half started like the first, at a fast back and forth pace. During the half, the other team was able to equalize after about 15 minutes. Over the course of the half, I was able to come out and win balls off the attack’s feet and force a good amount of shots wide. The last 15 minutes we were able to tuck away three more goals and put the game away. Overall, we came together as a team and put together a solid performance. After the game, we made our way back to the hotel to shower up and get ready for dinner. After dinner, I went to the room and stretched out trying to take care of my body for the days to come. Reflecting on the events of today, I’m pleased about how everything went and I’m looking forward to the rest of the combine.