After an offseason of roster upheaval, Ray Gaddis wasn't sure exactly what to expect when he arrived for the start of the Union's preseason camp earlier this week.
But it didn't take long for him to notice one thing amidst all the fresh faces: more intensity.
"The atmosphere, it's great," Gaddis said from the Penn Park bubble, where the Union are mostly training this week before flying south to Florida. "It's only been two days but the level has been very, very high. And as a player, you always want to test yourselves. Any time the competition is high, that's a good thing for you because you're getting better and the whole collective team's getting better."
Interestingly enough, the 26-year-old Gaddis, who's entering his fifth season in Philly, is now one of the team's longest-tenured players. And he'll be counted on to take on more of a leadership role and counsel some of the team's new defenders, including first-round draft picks Joshua Yaro and Keegan Rosenberry as well as Brazilian import Anderson Conceicao.
Conceicao missed the Union's first training Monday while flying in from Brazil but took his physical and got thrown into Tuesday's session, impressing head coach Jim Curtin right away.
"You can tell he's a guy who's good with the ball on his feet and he's not afraid to go in on a tackle," Curtin said. "Even on the turf, he left his feet quite a few times and made some good plays. ... There will be a growing process but he's a guy we have high hopes for this season."
Conceicao, who was acquired two weeks ago by first-year technical director Earnie Stewart, fits the mold of what the Union are trying to build on their backline with fast players who are comfortable on the ball and can start counter-attacks with crisp passes out of the back.
And with captain Maurice Edu expected to return to the midfield, either Conceicao or Yaro could be in line to start the season at center back, alongside returning starters Richie Marquez (center back), Gaddis (right back) and Fabinho (left back).
The undersized Yaro, the second overall draft pick, is "as fast as anyone on the field," Curtin said, and is a good player to build the backline around because speed is more imperative in today's MLS.
"To have one guy that's a little quicker who's slight and good with his feet is a little bit of a trend in where the game's going," Curtin said. "I think gone are the days of the two 6-foot-5 meatheads who are just battering things with their head. You need to have one that can take the physical pounding and maybe one that's a little more fast and good with the ball."
The speed is essential because Curtin said that he's asking the outside backs to push up higher on offense this season, which in turn will leave the center backs more isolated and needing to win one-on-one battles vs. some of the league's top strikers.
Gaddis, for one, thinks that new style will suit this crop of defenders well.
"I definitely think we have players capable of doing it," the right back said. "The draft picks that have come in, they're very good - they were drafted high for a reason. With our defense, we have a long way to go but I think the ceiling's gonna be high for us."
Gaddis also said he's ready to embrace more of a leadership role for the team as a whole but quickly pointed out Philly still has plenty of veterans in Edu, Brian Carroll, Sebastien Le Toux, Vincent Nogueira and Tranquillo Barnetta.
Of all of the seasoned players in camp, though, Curtin said the "sharpest" through the first couple of days was Leo Fernandes, who spent last year on loan with the New York Cosmos, where he won an NASL title and was named the league's Young Player of the Year.
Fernandes said he learned a lot during his year away - particularly from Spanish star Raul - but is glad to be back in MLS with the team that drafted him in 2013.
"It feels great," Fernandes said. "I missed my teammates, I missed the coaches. ... I'm happy to be back and for this year to start."
He might not want to get too anxious. Before the regular season begins with a road game vs. FC Dallas on March 6, the Union will spend most of February in Florida, first going to Jacksonville on Tuesday before spending the remainder of camp in Clearwater from Feb. 7 to Feb. 28 (with a brief trip home to Philly from Feb. 12 to 16). While there, the Union will participate in the Tampa Bay Rowdies Suncoast Invitational from Feb. 17 to 27, a preseason exhibition series that will also feature the host Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL and MLS rivals New York City FC, D.C. United, the Montreal Impact, the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC.
Based on what he saw the first couple of days of training, Fernandes seemed confident the team will be ready for that tournament. Like Gaddis, he noticed a lot more intensity than in years past.
"I definitely see a change," said Fernandes, who made 10 starts with the Union during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. "I would say it's a more serious group because we have a goal, and that goal is to make the playoffs. You don't see a lot of people joking around. It's a serious group this year and I'm excited."
