From cooking to classes to music to honey-do lists, Atlanta United’s players are finding new ways to fill the time void left by the COVID-19 pandemic that has suspended MLS and most everything else around most of the world.
Such is life with no soccer.
Mo Adams, who left Syracuse after his sophomore year, is spending time working on earning his bachelor’s degree in sports management. He said he spends two hours a day on his online classes. That’s a bit more than what he does during a season. He hopes to finish his classes in 18 months.
“Putting more effort into my assignments,” he said. “Make sure I go over them more than I would have with a tight schedule.”
Adams said hopes to go either into sports management or broadcasting when his playing career is over. When he’s not studying, Adams said he is learning to cook for himself. Salmon has become a specialty.
Of course, Netflix also is taking a beating. Adams said he recently finished “All-American.”
Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz is using the internet to slowly learn how to play the guitar. He said he and his 5-year-old son are taking advantage of an offer of three months of free lessons from Fender.
“We took the blues track, and we are taking it … at his pace,” Larentowicz said.
Goalkeeper Alec Kann said he is doing more yoga than he typically does during the season. He also is working to improve his Spanish with courses from Duolingo.
“Trying to make myself as fluent as I can be in Spanish,” he said. “Not just to communicate with teammates, but to prepare myself for the future. I think it’s a really marketable skill in the American economy.”
Switching to outdoor activities, Academy Director Tony Annan is doing a lot of work in his backyard. He is putting in a walkway of paving stones and a fire pit and is mulching the playground area.
“My back is killing me,” he said. “I said to my wife, ‘I don’t work this hard when I’m at work.’”
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan is finishing various house projects while trying to keep the house as sanitary as it can be.
“Biggest concern is the kids and making sure that we are doing everything in our power to make sure they are in a safe environment,” he said.
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