FC Tucson News Release -- www.fctucson.com
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
TUCSON, Ariz. — FC Tucson will make its first extended road trip of the season this week when it travels to Utah. The team plays the BYU Cougars on Tuesday night and the Ogden Outlaws on Thursday. 
But for FC Tucson head coach Rick Schantz, this isn’t just about the team’s first long road trip.
“We’re really excited because [the coaches] get to have the guys 24/7 for four days,” Schantz said. “There are guys who are usually working during the day or have to come down to the training facility for just a few hours. And the coaches are also working. But now we get to see them for a long time.”
Schantz said the extra time together will allow the coaches to have meetings and individual conferences with the players, something both the players and coaches rarely have time for during a normal week. Schantz also said the experience will be like a preseason mini-camp, even though they’re in the regular season.
FC Tucson’s opponents come into the week with mostly positive results. The BYU Cougars and Ogden Outlaws played the SoCal Seahorses and Pali Blues over the weekend. BYU went 1-1-0 while the Outlaws went 1-0-1.
According to FC Tucson captain Conor Spence, the key to success during the road trip is to just “continue doing what we’re doing.” What FC Tucson has done is shut out opponents for 366 minutes. That streak has included four consecutive shutouts.
“Defending starts from the forward all the way back and all of our guys are really buying in to it,” Spence said. “Every time [the opponent] gets the ball we’re trying to pressure them. … If we don’t give up any goals, we’re guaranteed a point and that’s the way we kind of look at it. [It’s about] being physical — we’re big boys — and not letting anyone get around you.”