OL Reign Adjusting to New Normal as Preseason Begins in Montana

OL Reign began preseason preparations for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup on Monday. Having temporarily relocated to Missoula, Montana to accommodate full-team training sessions, the club is rapidly adapting to the different circumstances that have affected the season. 

“It’s different,” centerback and captain Lauren Barnes said. “Everything is going to look different this year. In the tournament, the workload is going to be different, but we’ve got a great strength and conditioning program. I think the first day, regardless of anything, is excitement and fun. It’s so good to be back in a group. I’ve been working for two months by myself in California. It’s so nice to have someone to pass the ball with. It’s the little things like that that you miss. I think the intensity was great. Everyone is so happy to be here and be together.” 

The first training session of the year reflected the intensity that will be necessary for the one-month, seven-match path that OL Reign faces to win the tournament. The club’s first match of the preliminary round against Sky Blue FC, to be played on June 30, is less than a month away. 

Head coach Farid Benstiti, who was appointed in January, knows he has a short window to get his players together as a team.  

“I told the players, the objective is of course the competition, but that can’t be the only thing we focus on,” Benstiti said. “We want to enjoy playing together. Not only to enjoy playing together, but living together and trying to change our mindset in a very complicated time for everybody. That is our job. We can be efficient and still take pleasure in our job and get results. That’s what’s most important. It affects us coaches, too. Normally it is easier to make training sessions and think about the games, but what is harder is to put out good attitude and positive attitude for everyone. Don’t just think about winning or losing the tournament, but focus on our lives together to come together in solidarity. I think that’s more important.” 

One of those adjustments is getting the players familiar with one another. Another is getting the players familiar with Benstiti’s tactics and methods. 

“I think he’s so football oriented, which is great,” Barnes said. “As a club, we’ve always wanted to be a team that played good football and played out of the back. I think this training session that we did was in smaller spaces focusing on keeping the ball. It’s fun when Farid gets involved in drills. You can tell he’s an ex-player and that he has some tricks up his sleeve. It was fun watching him. You’ve just got to try to get to know everyone as quickly as you can; their tendencies, their personalities, all of that. These sessions help with all of that.” 

With strict health protocols affecting every aspect of the team’s daily life—from single-serving meals to balls and team equipment being sterilized after each training session—this preseason is anything but normal. 

Still, Barnes and her teammates are glad to have a goal to be working toward once again. 

“This has been a waiting game for a long time now, Barnes said. “I think it’s just nice to know. There are no more unknowns, really. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves because it’s such a condensed schedule. Regardless of who we’re going to play, it’s going to come down to what we do out here. Farid has been adamant that if the group is solid, then we’ll do well and I truly believe in that. As much as we can buy into Farid and the new staff members and get all of the new players integrated with the returners, then we’ll do just fine.”