Lampard impressed with U.S. discipline

Midfielder fully respects MLS opponents

By Zain Alvi | 27th July 2012

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has acknowledged his disappointment at losing 3-2 to the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday evening but feels that the result should not be surprising given the organized nature of U.S. soccer.

Although the United States national team and the Major League Soccer are still in their developing stages, the discipline of the nation’s soccer activities has rarely come into question.

The Blues met with resistance against MLS side Seattle Sounders before eventually winning 4-2 in their pre-season opener. Against the All-Stars, though, winning proved to be a lot tougher.

Despite goals from Lamps and skipper John Terry, the European champions saw their determined opponents rally impressively to claim a huge win.

Speaking in the aftermath of the fixture, the 34-year old Lampard was defiant, attributing the defeat to the strong work ethic of the MLS All-Stars and the lack of full fitness for a somewhat rusty Blues squad.

“American teams always have a very good team ethic, they worked very hard and the American national team always does that against England. We weren’t expecting anything less,” Lampard told Chelsea’s official website.

The England international added: “In pre-season, you don’t want to overdo your work in the first couple of weeks because that can lead to injuries and it is a fine balancing act to get people fit at the right time.

“Fernando Torres came back three days ago, others have come back five or six days ago, some have been back a couple of weeks. We are not ready yet but by the time we leave America and have another week’s training we will be ready for the start of the season.

“Personally I had a long break, missing the Euros was disappointing but it gave me the chance to rest and come back with all guns blazing.”

Indeed, some of Chelsea’s missing fitness will be rediscovered again when they face AC Milan in a highly anticipated exhibition match at Miami to wrap up their pre-season tour of the United States.