The Colorado Rapids have been training for the past week in sunny Southern California and, according to Head Coach Robin Fraser, things are going well.

“I’m really excited. The staff is really excited. The weather’s great... it’s a really good feeling going into this preseason, especially returning as many players as we did last year, and we felt like we ended the season, the year, on a high and we just want to continue from there,” Fraser said in a clip published on ColoradoRapids.com.

John Babiak spoke with Chad Kolarcik, Head of Rapids of Sports Science & Performance, before the team left for preseason and Kolarcik explained that the goal is for the players to be their “absolute strongest and most powerful the day they arrive for their preseason medical exams and initial testing.” The offseason is important for developing strength and power that is later maintained during the season and Kolarcik tracked player workouts and progress via an app and regular contact, which has paid off so far.

Fraser said it was clear that the players worked hard in the offseason, which allowed them to work on things in this first week that might’ve taken time to build up to if not.

The draft picks and trialists are also doing well and picking things up quickly. Fraser called Jeremy Kelly and Robin Afamefuna “astute learners of the game” and thinks that overall, the team is “shaping up quite well.”

The Rapids have their first preseason scrimmage on Saturday (2/1) against Orange County SC and then a 120-minute closed scrimmage the following Saturday (2/8) against Toronto FC.

Watch the entire interview with Fraser here.