A DAY IN THE LIFE Robbie Findley, the Galaxy rookie
Andrea Canales, LASoccerNews.com Associate Editor
Robbie Findley has become a regular starter for the Galaxy , scored a goal and is an early favorite in the MLS Rookie of the Year race. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
THE ROOK
Robbie Findley is living the dream as a rookie player in Major League Soccer. In only three games, the young striker with dual U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago citizenship has played in every match for his club, earned his way into the starting lineup and scored a goal.
Findley can outrun most opponents on the field. Yet his athleticism may be his most potent weapon, as his goal against F.C. Dallas was scored on a header. Putting him in as a starter versus Chivas USA was a calculated move by Galaxy coach Frank Yallop.
“Speed kills,” Landon Donovan assessed bluntly. “Having Robbie in there helped a lot. We felt our speed was an advantage, especially against their backline – outside of Jonny Bornstein. I think that’s why Frank wanted to give Robbie a run. He’s played well. He gave them fits and put them under a lot of pressure.”
Busy with his first pro year of soccer, Findley keeps the pressure off in his life away from the field, generally sticking to a mellow schedule.
DETAILS: Robbie Findley, Los Angeles Galaxy forward
FAMILY: Athletic heritage in Findley’s family crosses to different sports, as NBA Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby is his cousin and NFL wide receiver Shaun McDonald of the Detroit Lions is another cousin.
8:45, 8:50, 9:00 – HOME
I usually wake up around then (snooze button).
9:15 – CAR (Silver Lexus)
I leave my place at around then and get here to the stadium and just relax a little bit.
Tunes in the car? Depends – usually something soft, like R&B, maybe sometimes, depending on how I’m feeling, or some rap. I don’t really need any of that stuff to get me going for practice. It’s all mental for me.
10:30 to 12:30 HOME DEPOT CENTER TRAINING FIELDS
Galaxy Practice
12:35 LOCKERS/TRAINING ROOM
After practice, I usually go and get a cold plunge if I need it.
1:30 CAR/HOME
I go grab some lunch or make some food at home, then relax the rest of the day.
How do you relax? I lay down and watch TV or hang out with my brother. My brother is living here for a little bit. I try to get down time as much as I can and rest up.
Favorite shows? I watch Run’s House. There’s a few that I watch, but I don’t have a favorite, really.
8:00 HOME
I’ll eat dinner around then. If there’s no groceries, I’ll go out. But I try and eat healthy. I’ll go out and get some groceries, cook some rice and salmon with vegetables.
Can you cook any island dishes? Not me. My family does. I haven’t learned how to do that stuff yet.
11:30, Midnight HOME
If it’s after a game, I’ll go to bed pretty early. I’ll just grab something to eat and then pass out. But if not, just on a regular night, I’ll go to sleep probably at 11:30 or twelve or so.
GAME DAY VARIATIONS
Usually the day before game day I’ll try to start focusing and start figuring out what I need to do to perform well in the game and truly stay focused in the game. When the day comes, I like to get to the locker room pretty early and sit down and think about what I have to do. I get treatment if I need it, all that stuff. I just mentally prepare for the game.
FAMOUS ATHLETES IN FAMILY AT GALAXY GAMES?
No. Mike, he just got done with his season and he’s got three kids. They’re still in school and all that stuff, so he has to take care of that. Shaun, I think he already had to report to Detroit to do whatever training they do right now. They haven’t really got the time to come over here.
Mike was here when they played Clippers and I got tickets and went to see him play and talked to him a little bit.
They haven’t seen my games right here, but on T.V., they’ve seen it. After my goal, Mike played the Clippers a couple of days afterwards and he talked to me about it. He said he saw it on ESPN.
