SANDY — When he brought his squad to the United States as part of his club's preseason training, Everton FC manager David Moyes hoped to be able to get in some good workouts, he hoped to produce a performance in what he considered to be a very prestigious event, the MLS All-Star game, and he wanted his players to be able to bond while they were thousands of miles away from home.
All in all, Moyes believed his side accomplished those objectives. Everton FC wrapped up its preseason tour in America with a 4-3 shootout win over the MLS All-Stars at Rio Tinto Stadium after the match had finished in a 1-1 draw, and afterward, captain Phil Neville echoed Moyes' sentiments about making progress.
"We're in better shape than when we first came," said Neville. "We're better today than we were yesterday because of the quality of the opposition. It was a fantastic workout. It was sharp.
"They treated it probably more as an exhibition game, but they wanted to win as well because they wanted to put in a performance against a Premiership team."
Everton started very brightly against the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday and went ahead in the 12th minute when Louis Saha capitalized on a dreadful defensive error by Houston's Stuart Holden.
As the match wore on, however, Everton FC seemed to wear out in the heat and altitude. And, as Moyes pointed out, jet-lag probably inevitably took its toll on his side.
"We knew that would happen," Moyes said of the heat, altitude and travel. "That was part of the reason why we came. We knew we were going to be tested. ... The American players are all very fit playing in their season. We knew it would be very tough."
Thanks to three saves in the shootout, however, Everton's side walked out of Rio Tinto Stadium with a win.
Following preseason trips to the United States in 2004 and 2007, Everton FC went on to have hugely successful seasons in the ultra-competitive Premier League.
In 2004-05, Everton defied the odds to finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League. In 2007-08, the Blues finished fifth to qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Moyes and Co. will hope that history repeats itself when the 2009-10 season commences in three weeks.
Everton will return to England for three preseason games before opening the season against Arsenal on August 15th.
"It's about putting on the gas now," said Neville. "First, second gear and now we need to get out of third gear. And in two-and-a-half week's time we need to be in top gear. Tonight we've gone up a gear, but we need to improve.
"We need to improve our possession, improve in our passing and that comes in preseason. You've just got to be a little bit patient."
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