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"Pressure on the ball. That's too easy. I want you up his rear [approximately]."

That was Toronto FC coach John Carver barking during Wednesday afternoon's workout on Field 4 at IMG Academies. The players were engaged in a short-field, rapid-fire match that included manager Mo Johnston who was a little short on fitness.

They played eight minutes and took a two-minute rest period and went back at it again.

Pressure on the ball. That was the theme of the afternoon, the second of two training sessions of about 90 minutes each.

The pressing style of football is something Carver will consider using during the regular Major League Soccer season and certainly it was used to advantage in creating chances against D.C. United in Tuesday's 1-1 draw over on Field 1 at IMG.

Right now it has a more practical purpose. Playing this style at this stage of the year helps fitness. Over on the adjacent field the Chicago Fire players were doing a lot of running around the field to obtain their fitness.

But Carver and strength and conditioning coach Paul Winsper feel it is better to create the fitness with the ball and the pressing game is the way to do it. And at this stage of the season it is all about fitness. The coaching and the tactics come later.

Not that Carver wasn't offering encouragement and critiques during Wednesday's workouts. There was plenty of that. He was doing it constantly.

"There's a game going on," he might shout if one player's interest seems to sway.

"Hey, there's a game on."

"Don't turn your back on the play. Stay switched on."

A lot of football players don't particularly like getting fit by just running. Put the football in there and create a competitive atmosphere and they'll readily put the work in.

Carver was asked if putting pressure on the ball might be a tactic he uses during the season.

"It is something that I'll think about depending on who we're playing," he said. "What I've said to Jeff [Cunningham] and Danny [Dichio] if we can press the ball higher up the field then you have less distance to travel to put the ball in the back of the net. If we keep dropping off when we lose possession you've got further to go."

So he's putting the idea out there that if the time's right to press high up the field where winning the ball can create more chances.

"I think we showed in the game [Tuesday] where there were times when we were allowed to press high up the field and we created more chances than D.C. did," Carver said.

TFC Notes: Johnston said that forward Collin Samuel has lost 12 pounds…..Midfielder Maurice Edu who has been training with the U.S. senior team as well as with the Olympic team has just recently overcome a bout with the flu….Defender Marvell Wynne who also has been with the U.S. senior team and the Olympic team said he has had only about three weeks off in the past three months and that time off came in dribs and drabs of perhaps three or four days. As a result, on Wednesday he was in uniform but watched from the sidelines…First-round draft pick Julius James was impressive in Wednesday's scrimmages….It's early but Jeff Cunningham looks like he might be ready for a big season. He sure was buzzing around the pitch on Wednesday…New Zealander Jarrod Smith who was taken in the 2007 supplemental draft and has been playing with Hawke's Bay United in New Zealand, also has made an early impression. In Wednesday's workout, he just failed to get his head to a nice pass to the front of the goal by Johnston….Wake Forest goalkeeper Brian Edwards, a second-round pick in January, looks to be a good pick ….Things will pick up once players away on international duty return.

The training camp roster so far:

1. Greg Sutton.

2. Andrew Boyens.

3. Xavier Balc.

4. Julius James.

5. Mike Zaher.

6. Maurice Edu.

7. Ronnie O'Brien.

8. Patrick Phelan.

9. Danny Dichio.

11. Jim Brennan.

12. Todd Dunivant.

14. Tyrone Marshall.

15. Tyler Rosenlund

16. Marvell Wynne.

17. Joey Melo.

18. Brian Edwards.

20 Andrea Lombardo

21. Collin Samuel.

23. Jarrod Smith.

24. Tyler Hemming.

27. Gabe Gala.

28. Stefan Honore.

33. Carl Robinson.

96. Jeff Cunningham