VANCOUVER, B.C. – It was a stellar first season in Major League Soccer for Vancouver Whitecaps captain Pedro Morales, who was named MLS Newcomer of the Year on Wednesday.
The Chilean playmaker's club-leading 10 goals and 12 assists were vital to Vancouver clinching a playoff spot in 2014. For Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson, the impact the midfielder had in the league was exactly what he was looking for when he signed him from Spanish side Malaga in March.
"I hoped, as all managers do, that they bring their Designated Players in and they're successful," Robinson told MLSsoccer.com. "He hasn't surprised me but he's been pleasing how well he's adapted to the league, and I think he's adapted to the responsibility as well.
"I think he's meant everything [to this team]. When I took this job in January, I wanted to try and bring in a true No. 10. I've been in this league a number of years and the players that make a difference are attacking players, obviously goalscorers and also creative players – special players, and I wanted to bring a special player in. Pedro was the guy that I wanted."
Morales became the fourth consecutive South American player to win the Newcomer of the Year award, and the first Whitecap to win an individual end-of-the-year award.
There is little argument about the offensive impact Morales had in Vancouver, but Robinson is quick to point out that the Whitecaps' successes came about as a squad effort.
"There's no one player in my team, it's a team," Robinson added. "Pedro wins the award, which is fantastic for him, but without the rest of the 20-odd players, Pedro doesn't win that award and I said that to him. It's important that he remembers that. He'll reach out to his teammates and say 'Thank you very much,' because without them he wouldn't have won that award."
As strong a season as it was for Morales, 16 straight months of football started to take its toll on the exhausted Chilean towards the end of the year and his performances perhaps suffered as a result.
"He was absolutely shattered at the end of the season," Robinson explained. "He was dead on his feet and I think you saw that in the last game against Dallas. He was trying to give his all and he was getting a little bit frustrated because he had nothing left in the tank."
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When Vancouver's season came to an end with a playoff loss in Dallas, Robinson's message to his captain was clear -- go back to Chile and rest up, because Robinson wants to see an even more dangerous Morales back next season.
"I expect more from him next year," Robinson said. "He didn't score one free kick last year, which disappointed me. He didn't score enough goals from open play, which disappointed me. He's still got a lot more to give.
"He'll be a big player for us next year and he'll be the captain of the football club as well, which is a big responsibility for him. The captain is the leader of the team but also a mark of what the manager is about, and he fits that perfectly for me."
