NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco began the first of four days training with Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday as a guest trialist with the club. Ochocinco, a six-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, and Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes both addressed the large media contingent following the session. Read below to see some of their comments and click here to see photos from Ochocinco's time thus far in KC.
Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes
On his philosophy for the first day of the tryout….
I talked with Chad prior to practice today, and my discussion with him was pretty simple. We're going to get him acclimated today, because the speed of MLS and professional soccer is very fast, especially MLS, compared to other leagues around the world.
The key was to get him acclimated. We brought him through the warm-up and a little bit of the passing excercise that we do. From there, he went to work with one of our assistant coaches (Zoran Savic) for a little while, then we brought him into the game at the end. I think that was the best thing we could do for him.
On his outlook after day one…
He was a little bit hesitant early on, a little bit tentative, and I think now he has a good feel for what a normal training goes for us. Tomorrow, he'll basically be almost in full training with us. It should be much easier for him, since he'll know what to expect.
He's very coachable, and learns very quickly and tries to correct whatever he's doing wrong. At the same time, he's very ambitious to be very successful. We'll see as the next couple days go.
On having a high-profile trialist in training…
Normally, we bring guys in for a week’s training. If we like what we see, we'll continue to keep him around and then the idea would be to sign him to a contract. That's the ultimate goal, but at the end of the day, he has to perform.
I always considered this from the beginning that it's a longshot. We get trialists all the time, but they are always longshots. That's why they're trialists. If they were good enough, we'd sign them to a contract then. There have been guys to come in with lesser physical tools than he has.
Sporting Kansas City guest trialist Chad Ochocinco
On his first day of training…
I'm trying to get my touch back. The only thing I'm really good at is being fast as hell, that's about it right now. When you play this game, you need skill and that skill takes a long time to perfect.
I'm not taking anybody's job here, it's not about that. I'm just trying to make the transition from football to futbol. This is something I've always wanted to do...it has always been my number one sport.
On the possibility of securing a contract…
I’d play for free. I have enough money. I should be okay for a while.
On his friends in the sport…
One thing about this is, if I do make it, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka will be down here for a match when they have time, which gives me a little bit more motivation.
On his favorite soccer player…
My favorite soccer player is probably Ronaldinho or Cristiano Ronaldo because they're flashy, and that's sort of my style.
On his plans for a goal celebration…
I don't think I'll be in position to score a goal, but if it gets to that point, I'd imitate Will Ferrell from Talladega Nights when he was on fire. I'd be running around with nothing on except my undies and cleats.
