Why Soccer Specific Stadiums Don't Have Tracks!

I never understood the purpose of having teams run around the track. Most training sessions are only an hour and a half long. Why take a portion of that time and use it on running which players can do by themselves? All fitness should be done with a ball. Soccer is not a sport where you can go long periods of time running at one pace. It's constant bursts of speed, constant changes of direction. Track running can be very useful in the offseason to develop power and strength in your legs. But when you have a group of 15-18 players together, you have to make use of the numbers. Do a circuit with the ball, even better, play short sided games where the loser has some sort of punishment. Compare the way you feel after running a 6 minute mile on the track to how you feel after playing 6 straight minutes of intense 5v5 in a moderate space. Not only are you increasing your VO2 max, you're also becoming more comfortable on the ball.