VANCOUVER, BC – Spirits were high on Monday morning as Vancouver Whitecaps FC returned to training after a weekend win over Real Salt Lake.
Here are some news and notes from the day.
<strong><b>TRAINING<br>
INTERVIEWS:</b></strong> |
<a href="//www.whitecapsfc.com/video/2015/04/20/carl-robinson-apr-20" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/interview_robinson_w.png" style="width: 140px; height: 60px; "></a><a href="//www.whitecapsfc.com/video/2015/04/20/russell-teibert-apr-20" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/2015_interview_teibert_w.png" style="width: 140px; height: 60px; "></a><a href="//www.whitecapsfc.com/video/2015/04/20/darren-mattocks-apr-20" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/mp6/interview_mattocks_w.png" style="width: 140px; height: 60px;"></a> |
TECHERA’S FIRST SESSION
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sqykstN_zvY?rel=0"></a> |
<b>WATCH: Techera's first goal at training</b> |
After joining the team in Salt Lake, new Whitecaps FC winger Cristian Techera took part in his first training session with the group on Monday. The 5-foot-2 Uruguayan (yes, 5-foot-2) showed what he’s about with a couple well-taken goals and held his own from a physical standpoint as well.
“If you play in the Uruguayan league, it doesn’t matter how big you are,” Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson told reporters. “It’s a very physical, strong league. The quality he’s got I think is there for everyone to see … when I bring players into this group, I want to bring in players that are going to affect the team. I think we can do that with Techera, but he’s got to fight for his place.”
Techera, or “The Bug” as they call him, is expected to be available for selection on Saturday when Whitecaps FC host D.C. United at BC Place (7:30 p.m. PT kickoff – tickets still available). In fact, Robinson said he wanted to play this past weekend.
“I said no,” Robinson told reporters.
Can’t blame him.
Techera travelled over 9,250 kilometers for a total of over 14 hours in the air (Montevideo to Buenos Aires to Dallas to Salt Lake) before finally joining the team on Saturday morning in Salt Lake.
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’
With the arrival of Techera, Robinson was asked on Monday if all the competition for places in the team gives him a "headache."
Here’s what the boss had to say.
“No it doesn’t. If I’ve got 25 or 30 places, I’m going to have 25 or 30 good players in the locker room. It’s my job to manage them. If I manage them correctly, I’ll get the best out of them. I want them to push each other because there’s something special building here. We’ve got off to a decent start. We’ve got a couple of difficult games coming up – a difficult game against D.C. United on Saturday but one we’ll be prepared for.”
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Centre back Pa-Modou Kah was named to the MLS Team of the Week earlier today for his role in Vancouver’s shutout victory at Real Salt Lake. “Passed cleanly, made a number of important defensive plays and committed not a single foul,” MLSsoccer.com wrote.
Canadian midfielder Russell Teibert also made the bench after setting up Darren Mattocks’ winning goal. More on Teibert’s performance here.
WFC2 HOME OPENER
A number of first-team players and staff attended the WFC2 home opener on Sunday afternoon at UBC Thunderbird Stadium. Many of them, including Teibert, went straight to the match from the airport after the team flew in from Salt Lake. And they liked what they saw – not only on the pitch but in the stands as well.
“It was really enjoyable,” Teibert told reporters. “I was really proud to see all the Whitecaps fans out there. A lot of the guys from the team went out to support and it was a good match.”
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
After appearing for WFC2 on Sunday, centre back Christian Dean has left to join the United States U-23 national team ahead of Wednesday’s friendly against Mexico’s U-23 side. Dean and the U.S. U-23s continue to gear towards qualification for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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