Preview: 'Caps off to Portland for Simple Invitational

VANCOUVER, BC – Next stop: Portland.

After trips to Tucson and Victoria, Vancouver Whitecaps FC are off to the Rose City on Friday for the final leg of their preseason schedule. The ‘Caps will play three matches over the next week as part of the Simple Invitational, Portland’s annual preseason tournament.

Whitecaps FC will also play a closed-door friendly against Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday, February 21, before officially opening the Simple Invitational against the host Timbers on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT.

"I think even a Portland staff game might have feeling in it," Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson told reporters on Thursday. "It’s a rivalry game. It’s a preseason game, so results don’t really matter, but performances do. My players are fighting to get into the team. I don’t think there’s ever a friendly game against Portland."

The Blue and White will then meet Norwegian side Stabaek, coached by former U.S. men’s national team manager Bob Bradley, on Wednesday before concluding their preseason schedule next Saturday, February 28 against Chicago Fire.

All three tournament matches will be streamed live on whitecapsfc.com. 

* Closed-door friendly – not part of Simple Invitational. No stream will be available, but stay tuned to whitecapsfc.com for post-match coverage. 

The ‘Caps enter the Simple Invitational with a 2W-1L-1D record thus far in their 2015 preseason campaign. Most recently, Whitecaps FC cruised to a 6-0 win over the University of Victoria Vikes in the annual friendly between the two teams on the island.

Seven different players have scored for Whitecaps FC in the preseason, including Young Designated Player Octavio Rivero. The Uruguayan striker, who had a goal and an assist against Victoria, leads the team with three goals in four preseason appearances. 

The upcoming matches will give Robinson an opportunity to get one last look at his squad before First Kick against Toronto FC on March 7 at BC Place.

That goes for the returning players looking to secure their places in the starting lineup as well as some of the newer ones, such as centre backs Pa-Modou Kah and Diego Rodriguez and trialist Robert Earnshaw, who is travelling to Portland. Robinson said he's also bringing a few trialists to Portland with an eye towards Whitecaps FC 2. 

Ideally, Robinson said he'd like to field a lineup composed primarily of starters in the tournament finale against Chicago, but he was also quick to point out that things can change very quickly. 

"I want to keep the competition fair, but I also want to keep the group hungry," he said. "If you’re in the starting team against Chicago, which is one week before the start of the season, you can read into it what you want. But if you train poorly all week and get injured on the last day, then you certainly won’t be starting. They’re jockeying for places."

The upcoming Portland trip will give the 'Caps coaching staff a better idea of where the team stands heading into the start of the season, but Robinson said he believes they're not far off. 

"I’m probably never going to be where I want to be, if I’m honest, in relation to the group and how good we can be," he said. "And I don’t think any manager will ever say that he is unless you win the Champions League. Are we in a much better place this year than we were last year? 100 per cent. Without a doubt. We’re more organized. We’re more planned. Most of the group came back, we added key additions which is important, but we kept the core together. We’re not far away. Will there be any additions? Yes, there certainly will. When, I don’t know. But we’re always a work in progress." 

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