Alen Marcina’s first day of training camp as coach of San Antonio FC wasn’t about the usual aspects of soccer.

Marcina wasn’t overly concerned about stringing together passes or working on corner kicks. His focus Monday was on the intangibles that would aid in executing those things.

“The intention for day one was to get their bodies moving,” said Marcina, who in December was promoted from assistant to take over for former coach Darren Powell, who agreed with the franchise to part ways after four seasons.

“Initially, it was about building relationships. We’ve stressed and preached that we’re a family here, and if we’re able to build those relationships and high trust, it’ll show in our performance.”

The attention to fostering a harmonist environment comes on the heels of a season in which SAFC finished 12-13-9, including squandering a 2-0 lead in the second half of its regular-season finale against last-place Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and settling for a 2-2 draw. The tie cost the team a United Soccer League Championship postseason berth by a point.

“There’s really no way to get around it,” SAFC defender Joshua Yaro said. “At the end of the day, you can point fingers and say whose fault it was, whose fault it wasn’t. We let ourselves down, because everything was set up perfectly for us. We just had to win.

“We’re doing everything we can to correct some of the mistakes from last year, to learn from it, pick up the good stuff, and keep improving.”

Players and coaches feel a big step in doing so is through a strong camaraderie. Thus far, the team has turned to bonding drills, such as attending a recent Spurs game together.

“There’s a lot of different guys in the locker room who have a lot of different personalities, different cultures,” said defender Connor Maloney, who came to SAFC after previously playing with Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. “I think it’s going to be important to take everyone in. If they speak a different language, it doesn’t matter. You try to include them in everything that you do. I think it makes them feel comfortable.”

Young midfielder

not feeling pressure

Cristian Parano made a splash in 2019. He tallied seven goals and six assists, twice was named USL player of the week and concluded his first season as USL young player of the year.

The success hasn’t affected the midfielder.

“I don’t feel pressure,” Parano said through a translator. “I do feel like an important person in this roster, but I think that everybody’s going to play an important role. The biggest thing for us is to continue improving collectively.”

Defender glad to be

in warmer climate

When Maloney arrived in the Alamo City from Ohio nearly a month ago, he did so with multilayered anticipation.

Perhaps the most exciting part was the weather. When he left Columbus, Ohio, there was nearly four inches of snow on the ground. Monday’s opening training session featured sunny and mild temperatures.

“This weather is beautiful,” Mahoney said. “I know what the summers get like here, and I’m kind of excited for it. I’d rather have the heat than the cold.”

tthomas@express-news.net

Twitter: @en_terrence