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Columbus Crew SC

Clark, Parkhurst Looking Forward to Offseasons in America

November 19, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release


As the offseason gets underway for Columbus Crew SC players, two of the team's most important new pieces will be looking at very different winter breaks than they've experienced in the past.

Goalkeeper Steve Clark and defender Michael Parkhurst were both enticed back to the States by Crew boss Gregg Berhalter this season. And both will see fewer planes and sleep on fewer hotel beds than they've grown accustomed to.

"No more eight-hour flights to come back and see family and (I have) a place to call home," Parkhurst said. "Every other offseason we're in hotels or sleeping with my family or my wife's family. So now we've got a place of our own and I have a place to train with the team so I don't have to go on a treadmill every day. So that's nice; you can stay in a routine. As players, we all thrive on routine."

And after a grueling MLS season, Clark - a Michigan native - said being closer to home has him feeling stronger at the end than he has before.

"When I played abroad, you just can't wait to get home," he said. "You're just throttled from the year and you can't even think about soccer. Now it's kind of a good thing, because I'm not ready to hang up the boots yet. I will, because I need to rest, but I'm very mentally fresh and I feel physically good.

"So that's exciting for next year, for my preparations, and it doesn't feel like the season takes it out of you like it used to."

And while Clark said he'll spend some of the offseason in Columbus, he'll continue working with his own "team" in Michigan - a routine he's followed through his whole career - to keep continuity.

"I don't want to change too much of what I've done because I've been very successful," he said. "But I also want to be here with the team as well. So I'm going to mix up probably December here and then January at home with my own personal team that I work with.

"I like to have a great preparation, because that's going to [set] the framework for my season. I always do that, and that's an exciting thing. I really love that time."

And for Parkhurst, being close to training facilities and his teammates means that he can stay fit and not lose anything in the offseason.

"It puts you in a good spot," he said. "As I'm getting older, you can't stay away from the game too long. You don't want your body to get used to sitting on a couch.

"I have to stay active, and of course take some rest, but there are definitely things to work on in the offseason and it's definitely nice to be local to take care of those things."

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