FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Ryan Guy has finally returned from his epic journey.
Guy spent the better part of the past month away from home after traveling directly from the Revolution’s preseason camp in Tucson, Ariz., to Myanmar for a trio of AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers with Guam. The Revs departed for Tucson on Feb. 11 and Guy didn’t return home to New England until this past Friday, March 8.
“I’ve been gone for a long time, man,” Guy said after Wednesday morning’s training session at Gillette Stadium. “A month is a long time to be away.”
While the trip to Myanmar ruled him out for the Revolution’s season opener against the Chicago Fire, it was a beneficial excursion for Guy. Not only did he gain more international experience as a key player with Guam, but he also realized just how highly he values the daily interaction with his Revolution teammates.
“It was good for a lot of reasons,” Guy said. “I think every time I leave the Revs and I’m not in the everyday grind, I gain perspective. Especially coming back and being able to watch the team on TV, realizing how much I appreciate being part of this team and seeing how much potential we have this season.”
That potential was on full display at Toyota Park as the Revs claimed a season-opening victory over the Fire, which Guy watched on TV as his body recovered from a grueling stretch of games with Guam. In a span of five days (March 2-6) Guy played the full 90 minutes in all three of Guam’s qualifiers, which included a 5-0 loss to Myanmar, a 4-0 loss to India and a 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei.
Playing 270 minutes in five days was a massive test for Guy, who saw just 53 minutes of action in preseason as he dealt with a lingering calf injury. But having come through the trial relatively unscathed, Guy believes the punishing schedule did wonders for his match fitness.
“Three 90s in five days, it ends up being a little bit of a battle between getting fit and staying healthy; there’s a fine line between the two,” said Guy. “But I stayed relatively healthy through the three (games) and now I feel like my game fitness is just about there.”
Guy admitted he needs a bit of time to readjust to the MLS speed of play, but he’s itching to put the Revolution jersey back on and be a part of what the club is building moving forward.
“I can’t wait,” Guy said about making his eventual 2013 debut. “That’s what it’s all about is playing league games and playing against great competition. I think with the squad we have this year it’s just that much more exciting, because we’re going into every game expecting to win rather than hoping to win.”
