VANCOUVER – After four days of preseason training, the Vancouver Whitecaps are feeling good about the team that will debut in 2011.
“We’ve had a very positive start,” assistant coach Colin Miller said. “We’ve continued on from the good work that went on in California, and a few players have come in and settled in very well. It’s now about trying to find a balance of where we need to progress and getting the new guys up to speed with what’s required.”
With those new players arriving and the final roster starting to take shape, Miller feels they’ve put an exceptional group of characters together.
“One of the senior guys that we’ve brought in commented on the type of players that we have here,” mentioned Miller. “We don’t have any troublemakers in the group or guys with different agendas, and that’s very important.”
The team will now head to Casa Grande, Ariz., for an 11-day training camp that will see them play matches against Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew.
“It’ll be interesting to see how this group fares against MLS opposition,” Miller said. “Every other club will be in the same boat as we are, so we want to see if we can compete.”
Playing two of the top teams in the league over the past several years will also provide a learning opportunity for the Whitecaps, though head coach Teitur Thordarson says that it will not affect the team’s plan for success.
“You can always learn something from them, there’s no doubt about that, but we have a clear idea of how we want to do it and we will basically do it the way we have planned,” emphasized Thordarson. “The main thing is to go down there and play them.”
[inlinenode:324964]Gage-ing his soccer literacy
A familiar face was spotted watching Vancouver Whitecaps FC training on Wednesday, as Ethan Gage returned from a trial with English club Reading FC.
The 19-year-old’s agent has close ties with the club and arranged for him to fly over for a two-week audition. He said that things are still up in the air, but he felt he performed well during the training stint.
“I did really well, actually,” Gage said of his time in England. “I was very prepared and I gave it my all every day. They told me I did a good job and they liked me.”
Gage, a product of the Whitecaps FC residency program, has shown great versatility during his time in Vancouver, but Reading had a clear role for him in mind.
“I went there telling them I can play center back, left back, right back and center mid,” said Gage. “But they saw me as a center mid, so I was training there.”
If things don’t end up working out abroad, Gage says that he would be more than happy to come back and play for Whitecaps FC.
“I’ve always been a fan of the Whitecaps, they’ve been really good to me and I’d love to be able to come back if things don’t work out at Reading, and if they allow me back,” Gage said.
[inlinenode:323151]Chiumiento still unsigned
An underwhelming performance with the D-2 ‘Caps has possibly knotted up contract negotiations between Vancouver and Davide Chiumiento, and some are skeptical that he can translate his talent to a physical league like MLS.
At least one MLS veteran – Atiba Harris – is confident that Chiumiento can make a very substantial impact. In fact, Harris says Chiumiento's play is reminiscent of one of his former teammates.
“He reminds me of David Ferreira,” said Harris, a teammate of last season’s MVP at FC Dallas. “With his touch, you can tell that he’s played in Europe. I think he can do a lot for this squad.”
Injuries & Absences
Jay DeMerit and John Thorrington, two players expected to take on leadership roles with the team this season, stayed on the sidelines for the first week of training as they recover from minor injuries. Both are expected to retake the field in Arizona.
“With John and Jay, it’s been more precautionary this week, just trying to get them over the little niggling injuries that they’ve had,” Miller said.
Goalkeeper Joe Cannon, meanwhile, continues to recover from a broken ankle that sidelined him for much of the 2010 season.
“With Joe, it’ll probably be the second camp before we see him playing,” Miller said.
Alexandre Morfaw and rookie Michael Nanchoff will not be joining the team in Arizona. They’ll stay behind to rehab through injuries. French center back Mouloud Akloul is also expected to arrive in Vancouver over the coming days as he continues to recover from ankle surgery.
