The Los Angeles Galaxy's Chris Birchall returned home to England during the offseason, and it didn't take long for him to miss southern California. Birchall was in Stoke-on-Trent with his family when the temperature one morning read a frigid minus-15 degrees.
England was going through one of its coldest spells on record at the time, and Birchall soon had enough.
"After about five or six weeks I was ready to get on a flight and get out of there," he said with a grin.
The 25-year-old midfielder indeed is back in sunny Los Angeles ready to begin his second season with the MLS club. Birchall, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago national team, had spent his entire club career in England and Scotland before joining Los Angeles last July. His made his Galaxy debut as a second-half substitute in a 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls on July 16, but it was four games later, during a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire, that Birchall realized something was wrong.
To be more specific, he wasn't fit. Head coach Bruce Arena noticed it, too. Birchall saw little, if any, playing time over the next three games but did start the last five games of the regular season and two of four postseason games, including the MLS Cup Final.
"It was tough," the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder said when he first joined the team. "Last season, it was kind of come in, you're throw in the deep end and trying to get fit as we went along."
Birchall discovered something else about MLS: it was a much tougher league than he realized.
"What makes it especially hard is the traveling and getting used to the away trips," he said. "In England, you never get on a plane for any of the trips. Where I was based" -- Birchall had been with Brighton & Hove Albion prior to joining Los Angeles -- "it was a 2-hour coach journey and then you're there. But over here, one week we flew three or four flights for two away games.
"It really was hard to adjust to."
Birchall, who finished last year with six starts in nine appearances and one assist -- on David Beckham's game-winning goal against Toronto on Sept. 19 -- said having one season under his belt will work wonders in his preparation for the upcoming season. He doesn't have to worry about his fitness now; he arrived in training camp, which officially began earlier this week, in top condition.
"I'm the kind of guy that if I don't do my work I feel guilty," he said. "I would do two or three days of long runs, then short runs and then take a day off. I did that for seven weeks, trying to be as fit as I can.
"I feel great now."
Birchall had a word of advice for any of his overseas colleagues who might be considering a move to MLS, especially those who are in the twilight of their careers: looks can be deceiving.
"It's a lot tougher," Birchall said. "The travel is the main thing. The reputation of MLS in England is some people come in when they're reaching their 30s and they probably think they can end their career here. But coming here could be the opposite, really.
"You've got to be really fit here to get into these teams and play in the league. Some games are a medium tempo, but others are really fast. We played San Jose here toward the end of the season, and it was one of the fastest games I've ever played in.
"I definitely was surprised at the level of play. Foreign players probably think it's a lot easier, but I can only go on my personal experience. It was a life-changing move for me ... you better be really fit."