How MLS players keep busy in offseason

On a cold January evening in the California's Central Valley, Troy Dayak bucks 75 bales of hay.
That's life on the 40-acre ranch where the 34-year-old defender lives with his wife and two children, five horses, two ponies, four billy goats, 25 chickens, 10 rabbits and about 25 peacocks.
Dairy farmers in the area talk about the great alfalfa at the soccer player's ranch.
''When I took my agriculture license test,'' Dayak says, ''I went after practice. I sat there with sweats next to guys wearing cowboy hats and overalls.''
Besides catching up on ranch chores this offseason, Dayak took the USSF ''A'' license coaching course, put in extra hours at his soccer shop, Dayak's Den, and gave speeches at local schools as part of his ''Soccer's a Kick, Drugs are a Drag'' program.
''I'm busier in the offseason than during the season,'' he says. ''I'd rather be busy than bored.''

Francisco Gomez (Chivas USA)
Playing with heroes

After his previous four MLS seasons, Francisco Gomez had a couple of months to relax. But within two weeks of going to MLS Cup 2004 with Kansas City, he was training in Guadalajara with Chivas USA, which had nabbed him and fellow Wizard Matt Taylor (right) in the expansion draft.
Gomez didn't mind one bit.
''It was awesome,'' says Gomez, who was born and raised in California. His parents had emigrated from the state of Jalisco, whose capital is Guadalajara, and raised Francisco a Chivas fan.
On one of his family vacations, in 1997, he watched Chivas claim their 10th Mexican league finals with a 6-1 win. On the field were current Chivas USA players Martin Zuniga and Ramon Ramirez.
''I'm living a dream playing with these guys who were my heroes,'' says Gomez.
But Gomez hasn't told them yet how much he revered them:
''Nah . maybe later when we become friends.''

Danny Califf (Los Angeles)
Flirting with Oslo

Danny Califf, 24, loves L.A. He's a Southern Californian, born and raised, who married his high school sweetheart and has spent his entire pro career with the Galaxy.
But his MLS contract expires after the 2005 season, so in January he spent nine days in Norway, and trained with last season's runner-up, Valerenga, to test the waters.
Temperatures hovered between 28 and 34 degrees – a mild winter, said the locals – the herring for breakfast tasted good, everyone spoke English, and Oslo was ''beautiful, very clean, the people were nice.''
''Some players move to a team because it sounds good without getting to know the environment,'' he says.
Central defenders who can rule the penalty area are coveted in Norway, and Califf trained well with Valerenga. But for now, he looks forward to another season in the Home Depot Center and vying for a second MLS Cup in his sixth season.

Chris Henderson (Colorado)
A memorable day in the park

Twelve years ago, Chris Henderson was practicing on his own in a Southern California park when a hairless 7-year-old boy approached. They started kicking around.
The boy, Kyle Rowe, a leukemia victim, was undergoing chemotherapy. They became friends, and Henderson witnessed Rowe win his battle with cancer.
''I saw what families go through in a situation like that,'' says Henderson, who has since volunteered for charities such as Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Make A Wish and Special Olympics.
He started donating Rapids' season tickets to leukemia patients when he joined the team and a year ago, aided by a grant from Philip Anschutz, launched the Chris Henderson Foundation, which raises funds for underprivileged children.
This January, Henderson was a key organizer of ''Kicks Casino Night,'' a major fund-raiser for his foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Rapids Community Care Foundation. He plans on making it an annual event.

Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United)
Hitting the books

For Alecko Eskandarian, the MLS Cup 2004 MVP, the offseason provides extra to time read up on the study of humankind from biological, cultural and social viewpoints.
That's because he's an anthropology major at the University of Virginia, where he spent four semesters before going pro under Project-40, which provides a tuition stipend he figured he should take advantage of. He also promised his mother he'd get his degree.
''My dad was just happy I graduated from high school, because he thinks I'm an idiot,'' jokes Eskandarian.
During his rookie year, he took a break from studies while acclimating to the pro game. In his second year, during which he became a key United attacker, Eskandarian made the 200-mile roundtrip commute to Charlottesville for two classes a semester.
The 22-year-old Eskandarian, who also serves as a Teacher's Assistant of a freshman personal development class, plans on graduating in 2007.

Kelly Gray (Chicago)
A taste of soccer mania

Kelly Gray, 23, trained 10 days with Fulham's reserve team and found that the English Premier League club's players were at least as interested in MLS as he was in British ball.
''They asked tons of questions,'' says Gray, who stayed with former Fire defender Carlos Bocanegra.
Veterans and the reserve players alike were pondering the prospects of playing in the United States.
''They were real curious about the level of play,'' Gray says, ''and real interested in American women, whom they say are the most gorgeous in the world.''
Gray, who used the trip to get in shape for Chicago's preseason camp, came away pleased that he could hold his own against Fulham's up-and-coming players. And he got a taste of pro life in a soccer-mad nation.
''Every play a player makes is scrutinized,'' he says. ''The biggest news in the whole country seems to be last night's game.''