VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC returned to training on Tuesday at UBC after a disheartening weekend loss to Colorado Rapids.
Here are some news and notes from the day.
ON TO THE NEXT ONE
It’s no secret that the ‘Caps weren’t happy with the disallowed Pedro Morales on Saturday, but it was clear on Tuesday that they had turned the page.
“Sometimes you don’t get what you think you deserve and it makes you stronger,” Robinson told reporters. “And I’ve said that to them today. They’ve had a nice day off yesterday. They’ve come back today and training was good, competitive, as we always have it and we’ll be ready for the weekend.”
Speaking of the weekend, Saturday’s match vs. Real Salt Lake will be Vancouver’s last one at BC Place until July 12 (due to scheduling conflicts with the FIFA Women’s World Cup). It will also be the team’s first match with the new BC Place turf.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Robinson said. “Obviously the new turf going in is great and Salt Lake are another team similar to us. They go through ups and downs and they’re in that category like us. I always talk about Seattle and LA and the so-called bigger teams. But we’re in a group of teams in the middle of the pack really that are trying to get out ahead in the early stages of the season, so it’s going to be a very interesting game.”
INJURY UPDATES
Centre back Diego Rodriguez (quad strain) saw his first match action since April 8 on Sunday, playing 64 minutes for WFC2. And Robinson was pleased with what he saw from the Uruguayan.
“He was very confident in himself and fitness wasn’t a problem,” Robinson told reporters. “That’s great news for us because it gives us another option at centre back. We just reduced his training today because he was a little bit ‘leggy.’”
Robinson also said that midfielder Marco Bustos (foot contusion) will be back to full training by the end of the week and he’s hopeful that will also be the case for Russell Teibert (hip).
“I left [Russell] out for precaution on the weekend,” Robinson said. “He didn’t train today because he still had one or two little issues but he should be okay and so should Erik Hurtado (hip). Fingers crossed, we’re getting back to full health.”
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
Vancouver native Ben McKendry was named to the USL Team of the Week today after scoring his first professional goal with WFC2 on the weekend.
And the Homegrown midfielder’s strong play as of late hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“He’s getting better and better each week,” Robinson said. “The last two weeks have been excellent for him. They really have. You see him in training, he’s getting used to playing with our first-team players and looking stronger. With the games coming up, I’m sure he’ll get his minutes and it will be because he deserves them … Benny’s certainly knocking on my door.”
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
With the draw for the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League now less than a week away, Robinson was asked on Tuesday if he’s been keeping an eye on Vancouver’s potential group stage opponents.
“We’ll probably get Seattle down the road so not much traveling,” Robinson joked. “We’re just focusing on Saturday’s game. It’s great for the club and obviously the supporters, but we’ll deal with it when it comes. It’s another thing that’s out of my hands, so we’ll let the draw take care of itself … hopefully correctly.”
BIRTHDAY BOY
It was Pedro Morales’ 30th birthday on Monday, which was a day off for the first team.
You know what that means…
The 'Wet bandits' strike again. Happy birthday El Capitan... #VWFCpic.twitter.com/0TdwA5RDsq
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) May 26, 2015
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.
