After playing to a hard fought 1-1 draw against defending champions Juventus FC on Wednesday, the Toronto FC III coaching staff gave the team Thursday morning off and then in the afternoon, took all 22 players for a light jog around Viareggio. Following the jog, the coaches split the team into two groups and the players that started Wednesday’s match concluded with some stretching exercises. The remaining players that came off the bench in the second half and the unused substitutes were put through some intense conditioning drills to keep them prepared if called upon. The two groups reconvened and concluded with a dunk in the cold Ligurian Sea. ​
On Friday, the Toronto FC III players once again had the morning off before heading to Campo Sportivo Marco Pedonese for an early afternoon training session. Following the warm-ups, the team began drills, tactical and set pieces work in preparation for the final group match against the most successful non-Italian team, FK Dukla Prague, which has won the Viareggio Cup six-times.
Friday evening will conclude with the team celebrating Marko Mandckic 18th birthday. The festivities however will be limited because the players will have an early curfew to be rested for the final group match.
The final group stage match of this prestigious youth tournament will kick off tomorrow (Saturday, March 18) at 3:00 p.m. CET (10:00 a.m. ET).
To stay up-to-date visit http://www.torontofc.ca/academy and by following the club’s twitter @TorontoFCIII and Instagram torontofcacademy accounts
