Bernier and Friend

[The pigfarmer]

All the players in Moss FK have got their holiday now. People say that they will start organized practice as a team again in January. However, Bernier and Friend is said not to join the team until sometime in the end of February, due to obligations with the Canadian national team. Can anyone here at the forum tell me how things work when they are canadian nationals. My concern is that they will come back unfit after almost 4 months with more "light" training with the national team. In Europe it is normal that players on the national team have focus on tactical practice when they are gathered as a national team. Traditionally the winter break is used to build up their physical strength and endurance capasity.

I bit confusing question perhaps, but can anyone clear up things for me?

[Bxl Boy]

Hmmmm...
Difficult problem
I think people in Europe weren't tell the new Concacaf qualifying system for the German World Cup
A few weeks ago, Canada had to begin it in january (4 matches im january and february)
But Concacaf had changes its plans and now the "bigger" countries will begin in June...
So, I don't know if the national team issue will stay...

About the problem the players are more fat than fit :
Here, players have most of the time a one season contract
Not one year, but it ends at the last game of the year
Then, the player is free
And signs his new contract in the beginning of the next year
In the meantime, he does what he wants...
In Europe, that's not the case
The staff of the team give the players a program to follow in the "holidays" in order to stay fit
Of course, it's never sure if the player will follow it, but at least he knows what to do

[Y]

If there is no such program here, then we need help...

Many players play indoor soccer - so they are fit come the outdoor season.

[Bxl Boy]

I'm not so sure the indoor season helps to be fit
It's more a question of individual discipline
But I agree if you play indoor, it's more easy to appy that discipline...

[Y]

I meant fit for the (outdoor) pre-season training camp, not the season itself.

[The pigfarmer]

Thanks for the replies to my question! I understand that we have two different cultures regarding players, holiday, contracts and responsibility. From what I can figure, North-American players will keep fit between two season because they have a product to sell, themselves, and if the goods aren't top of the line, the clubs aren't buying. Am I right? However the problem appears when players have to stay game-fit and "in tune" during their club's off-season holiday, instead of slowly "restarting" the machinery from scratch. Visualised as a graphic curve with peaks during the season and downs off season, compared to a more flat line all year through.