TUCSON, ARIZONA – Vancouver Whitecaps FC erased a first-half deficit to earn a 1-1 draw with San Jose Earthquakes Saturday in preseason action. Here are three things that stood out to me.
SHOW ME THE MANNEH
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<b>Watch Manneh's goal in slow motion</b> |
Hard work pays off.
Cliché? Sure. But it’s true. Just ask Kekuta Manneh.
The 20-year-old forward was one of the best players on the park on Saturday. He scored Vancouver’s only goal (and made it look easy) and almost capped off a blazing run through midfield, in which he beat four San Jose players, with a wonder goal just a few minutes prior.
The effort Manneh put in this offseason is clearly starting to pay off. But he’s not getting complacent. Earlier this week, I saw him putting in extra work after a grueling training session that ended with the team running lines. And that was right after he agreed to let us a film a little video segment with him.
When asked what he’s seen from Manneh this week, here’s what Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson had to say:
“A fitter boy. That’s the reality of it. The game becomes easier when you get fitter. You’re not tired, you’re not making wrong decisions because your lungs aren’t with you. His legs feel good, he feels good, he looks fit, and when the game’s open there’s arguably not a better player in the league.”
TRUE DEFENDER
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<b>Highlights: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes</b> |
When the ‘Caps landed centre back Diego Rodriguez last month, Robinson described him as a defender who loves to defend. And we got a glimpse of that on Saturday.
The Uruguayan had an “excellent” 45 minutes, according to Robinson.
He had two perfectly timed slide tackles, one that he had to travel quite a ways to execute, as well as an overhead clearance. Robinson also praised his footwork.
“There’s a lot of work to do with Diego because he needs to get fitter,” Robinson said, “but there’s a lot of positive stuff as well.”
On a more personal level, I had a good chat with Diego on Friday. You won’t meet a more gracious individual. He’s happy to be here. He wants to do well. And his English isn’t too shabby!
SUPER MAURO
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<b>Robinson talks Rosales and more</b> |
Clearly, Mauro Rosales hasn’t lost a step.
He was all over the pitch on Saturday – whether it was making things happen in the final third or tracking back defensively.
The 33-year-old midfielder nearly set up two goals – one short pass to Nicolas Mezquida in the box after spinning around a defender and one cross to Octavio Rivero at the back post.
“He’s come back in very shape," Robinson said. "He’d old, he might tell you differently that he feels great, but he looks great as well. He’s a perfect example of a professional. With he and Kah, I’ve got two fantastic senior professionals in there who are leaders on the field as well off the field.”
