VANCOUVER, BC – Onto the next one.
After suffering their first loss in over a month, Vancouver Whitecaps FC returned to training on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s visit to Real Salt Lake (6:30 p.m. PT kickoff – TSN1/3 and TSN 1410).
Here are some news and notes from the day.
FULL TRAINING
After missing five straight matches with an ankle sprain, Mauro Rosales returned to full training on Tuesday – as did Gershon Koffie, who has missed three straight matches with an MCL sprain, and Robert Earnshaw, who was left out of the 18 on Saturday with a sore knee. Meanwhile, Diego Rodriguez continues to rehab his quad and did not train on Tuesday.
Here’s what Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson had to say about Rosales:
“Mauro is an experienced player. He’ll be honest and open with me. If Mauro is fit and ready, Mauro will be involved. He’s that important to us and brings a different level of quality to the table. If he’s ready, whether it’s off the bench or from the start, he’ll certainly be involved.”
And on Koffie and Rodríguez:
“[His fitness] is getting better,” Robinson said. “Delighted to have him and Mauro back in. Obviously, this week is a big difference. And Diego is not too bad either so hopefully he’ll be pushing soon.”
COMING SOON
Robinson said he’s hopeful that Cristian Techera, the club’s recent signing, would get his paperwork sorted and join the team later this week.
If that does happen, Robinson said they’ll “try to get him involved” on Saturday against Real Salt Lake. If not, then the 5-foot-2 Uruguayan will likely join the group early next week in advance of Whitecaps FC’s home match vs. D.C. United.
Although Techera hasn’t met his new teammates just yet, a few of them are already familiar with him. Nicolas Mezquida, for example, played with Techera back in Uruguay when they were young kids.
“He’s a good player,” Mezquida said. “He’s small, but he’s so fast. His quality is very good. I think he’ll be able to help the team.”
GOOD MEMORIES
Speaking of Mezquida, he said on Tuesday that playing against Real Salt Lake is always “special” because he scored his first MLS goal against them last year at Rio Tinto Stadium. In fact, Mezquida appeared in all three matches against RSL last year. The ‘Caps won the season series with a 1W-0L-2D record.
“Salt Lake is always a tough team,” Mezquida said. “It’s very difficult. I remember last year Robbo asked me to mark Beckerman. All the time, tackle. Hard game.”
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are now on sale. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
