VANCOUVER, B.C. – Kekuta Manneh’s omission from Vancouver Whitecaps’ gameday squad in LA 563805126" tabindex="0">on Monday evening certainly set the tongues wagging and stoked the rumor mill in MLS circles.
Part of that was fueled by the fact that Manneh’s absence coincided with the opening of the MLS summer transfer window, but that was all it was – a coincidence. The official line is that it was the “coach’s decision”, but it was a brave one from Carl Robinson to leave an in-form player, who has four goals and one assist in his last five MLS starts, out of your team.
The Whitecaps have continued to keep tight-lipped as to all the reasons behind the decision, but it clearly goes beyond the stats. Manneh may be producing the headline numbers, but there have been concerns around his overall contributions during matches, outside of the flashes of brilliance.
As disappointed as he was to be left out of the match that ended 2-0 in favor of the Galaxy, with his family there in attendance, Manneh was accepting of how things played out.
"It happens, it's part of the game," Manneh told reporters at Whitecaps' training 563805127" tabindex="0">on Thursday. "Coach decided to rest me. I understand we have a bunch of games coming up next week or so. I'm really excited to hopefully get back on the team this weekend, whether it be as a starter or from the bench. I came to practice today, worked hard, gave everything I had and I hope that's enough for this weekend."
Manneh admitted that was "a bit" surprised to find he had been left out, but was taking a philosophical view of the situation.
"We have a bunch of games coming up, so it's good for me as an individual in the long run," Manneh added. "It's about getting ready for the next game coming up and we put it behind us."
That next game is at home to an impressive and defensively-stingy Colorado Rapids side on Saturday evening (10 pm ET; TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US). Manneh is expected to return to the fray, although not necessarily as a starter, and how the youngster responds to this setback is now what everyone is waiting to see.
Whitecaps assistant coach Gordon Forrest played down whether the management team were sending Manneh and the rest of the players a strong message, preferring to talk up the importance of Manneh to Vancouver's squad.
"He worked his socks off in training today," Forrest noted. "He’s a very important player for us. He’s a very important part of the roster. At times players will play and other times they’ll be left out for various reasons. He’s back in the mix for this weekend and he was excellent in training today.”
