There has been a noticeable omission from Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s first few days of preseason. Actually, there have been a few.
Newcomer Christian Bolaños has yet to arrive – he will join the team in Tucson. Canadian youngsters Sam Adekugbe, Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese were there for Media Day and medicals, before joining up with the Canadian senior men’s national team.
Then, there’s Tim Parker.
After a standout rookie campaign, the 22-year-old centre back is in the midst of his first camp with the U.S. senior men’s national team. And he’s hoping to leave a lasting impression.
“Whether that impression is, this guy should be with our U-23s or this guy has the potential to be with the full team … my goal is to just leave the best impression I can, play to my levels, and hopefully continue to raise my levels throughout this year in Vancouver,” Parker told US Soccer.
Parker said the biggest adjustment so far at camp has been the speed of play.
“Everything gets faster and everything is sharper,” he said. “I think sometimes it takes a couple days to figure out … but it’s going pretty well.”
Parker will be with the U.S. until February 6 – they face Ireland on January 31 and Canada on February 5 – before joining the ‘Caps for the end of their Tucson camp.
Watch the video above for more comments from Parker and Lee Nguyen and Gyasi Zardes.
Click here to find out how you can cheer on the ‘Caps, in person, at the 2016 Major League Soccer Preseason in Tucson.
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