Storylines to watch in Tucson

As part of the MLS Preseason in Tucson, the ‘Caps are off to Tucson, Arizona on Monday for a 10-day camp that will include friendlies against New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo.

Here are four storylines to watch ahead of Vancouver’s first preseason matches of 2015.

Will any of the centre backs separate themselves from the pack?

A big talking point over the last week was the continuity of the squad heading into the 2015 season. Whitecaps FC returned 22 players to the start of preseason, the most in their MLS history. One area that did get a little bit of a makeover, however, is at centre back.

There are five centre backs on Vancouver’s MLS roster, including newcomers Pa-Modou Kah, Tim Parker, and Diego Rodriguez. The other two, of course, are Christian Dean and Kendall Waston.

Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson told reporters, and the team, this week that the two starting spots are very much up for grabs.

“I don't pick my team on Day 1,” he said. “I pick my team on March 6, and I've said that to them all. It'll be based upon them. They'll say that I have the final decision, I pick the team, and I do, but it'll be based on how well they do in preseason.”

Which youngsters will step up?

The ‘Caps have a whopping 11 players under the age of 23 years old on their MLS roster, not to mention unsigned 22-year-old SuperDraft selections Kay Banjo and Spencer Richey and 19-year-old Residency graduates Jackson Farmer and Mitch Piraux, who are also at camp.

Next week will be their first real opportunity to make an impression on the coaching staff. Who will step up? The likes of Sam Adekugbe, Marco Bustos, Kianz Froese showed glimpses in limited action last season and it will be interesting to see if they can take the next step after a busy offseason of training stints abroad and international duty.

Recently-signed Homegrown midfielder Ben McKendry is another player to watch. Unlike the aforementioned trio, the Vancouver native spent two years playing collegiately in the National Collegiate Athletic Association before turning pro. How will his game translate to the next level?

Sticking with the theme of Residency graduates, this is going to be a very important preseason for Homegrown striker Caleb Clarke. The Richmond native, who recently re-signed with Whitecaps FC after spending a season on loan in Germany, will be given every opportunity to solidify his roster spot – especially considering Robinson has said that he wants 25 more goals from the squad this season.

How will the new faces fit in?

At this point in time, Whitecaps FC’s MLS roster features five new players. Four of them (Kah, McKendry, Parker, and Rodriguez) have already been discussed. The other is striker Octavio Rivero.

Rivero, who is classified as a Young Designated Player, remains a relatively unknown commodity at this point. We know Robinson speaks highly of him and that he scored 10 goals in 16 games last season with O’Higgins FC in the Chilean Primera Division, making him the best striker as voted by his peers. Beyond that, there’s still a lot to learn about the 23-year-old Uruguayan.

Surely, it will take Rivero some time to adjust to the North American game, as this will be his first experience playing outside South America. That’s why this preseason is equally important for him as it his for some of the younger players discussed above. 

What formation(s) will Robinson use?

Robinson used a few different formations in 2014, but his preferred choice was the 4-2-3-1. That said, the ‘Caps manager spoke to whitecapsfc.com at the end of last season about the importance of having a few different looks.

“I like to be flexible with my systems,” Robinson said at the time. “I said I’d never play a 4-4-2 and then the second game of the season I did away at Chivas. I like to have different options, depending on the personnel. I have certain players that fit certain systems a little bit better than other systems. So the 4-2-3-1, the 4-4-2 diamond, or even the 4-1-4-1 are systems that I’ll probably explore [this] year.”

It’s still early days so we may not see all three of these formations in Tucson, but it’s certainly something to watch. Particularly, it will be interesting to see who pairs up with Rivero if Robinson opts for a two-striker formation. There are several different options, including Clarke, Erik Hurtado, Darren Mattocks and Kekuta Manneh, who turned heads with his fitness level in the first week of camp.  

If you wish to visit MLS Preseason in Tuscon, contact Uniglobe One Travel -  Neal Chark at nealc@uniglobeone.com or call 604 677 1495 at any time for immediate, professional and expedited service. 
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