Camp Gullit has begun, and it’s considerably different to what the L.A. Galaxy players were used to under Frank Yallop, says Yahoo Sports’ Martin Rogers. Dutch coach Ruud Gullit has implemented strict guidelines on the players’ eating habits in addition to a new twice-a-day training regimen. David Beckham, for one, approves of the new measures, which he believes could help the Galaxy develop a level of fitness that will help them challenge for the 2008 MLS title.
“He is working us hard, but we need that and it is a good thing, I enjoy working hard,” the 32-year-old Beckham said. “We are training morning and afternoon which a lot of the players have not done before. We eat breakfast when we arrive and have a light lunch of salad and pasta after the morning session. No more pancakes.” He added: “It has to be a strict regime in soccer these days because the game has changed so much in the last 15 years. It is all about eating right and drinking right and looking after yourself and if you don’t, you can’t perform at a high level.”
Rogers says that Gullit’s coaching style borrows heavily from the preseason preparations he experienced in his six years at AC Milan, where he won the Italian Serie A three times, and the UEFA Champions League twice. “It is hard work for them and we are pushing them hard, but I am pleased with them,” Gullit said of his players. “The season over here can take its toll on players. There are not so many games, but there is a lot of traveling and you have to be in good condition.” L.A. travels to Hawaii on Monday for the Pan Pacific Championship, and then onto Asia for a three-game tour.