Under new coach, Vancouver Whitecaps prepare for winding MLS season
Whitecaps kick off the MLS regular season Sunday when they visit the Portland Timbers
The last two months have been a whirlwind of airports and soccer pitches for Jesper Sorensen.
Hired as the new head coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps in mid-January, he's spent the last five-and-a-half weeks preparing his team for the Major League Soccer season while simultaneously crisscrossing the globe for training camps in Vancouver and Spain and a CONCACAF Champions Cup game in Costa Rica.
Now, the MLS campaign is set to begin Sunday when the 'Caps visit their regional rivals, the Portland Timbers.
The ample travel has given the team lots of time together, during which Sorensen has witnessed a cohesive group with "extremely good spirit."
"In sports, you will always meet adversity and the bad times," said the Danish bench boss. "And that's when you really have to be well connected and trust each other. That's what we always want to do, building belief and trust in between each other. Because we know it's not just a straight road to the stars, it's always winding. And we have to be prepared for that."
The Whitecaps' off-season brought several unexpected bumps.
The club fired head coach Vanni Sartini in mid-November after Vancouver finished the MLS season with a 13-13-8 record and was ousted from the playoffs by Los Angeles FC in a three-game first-round series.
Then, in December, Vancouver's ownership group announced the club was up for sale. A new owner has yet to be announced.
Captain Ryan Gauld said in January that the pending business isn't a distraction for the players.
"Obviously, that's a big thing going on at the club, but it doesn't really affect us in our day-to-day," said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
"We've still got a big season ahead of us, and, speaking to all the guys good to see them all back the last couple of days, it's not really come up in conversation between any of us. We're all here just to be focused on the football and make sure that we do our job."
There have been changes on the field, too.
The 'Caps have parted ways with forward Fafa Picault, who was third on the team in goals last season but did not see his option picked up. The 33-year-old Haitian international will play for Inter Miami this year.
Forward Deiber Caicedo, midfielders Ryan Raposo and Alessandro Schopf, and goalkeeper Joe Bendik didn't return to Vancouver either.
But the core of the team remains intact, Gauld said.
"Nobody wants too much chop and change on a team," he said. "I've been on teams before where it's like 20 new guys and it takes a long time to get up and running. So the fact that the majority of us are all familiar with each other, we've got that strong spine of the team. It's good to have that. And then we've got a couple of additions that will hopefully give us something different."
The additions include Mexican striker Daniel Rios, who contributed seven goals and four assists for Atlanta United last season, and American forward Emmanuel Sabbi, who the 'Caps acquired from French club Le Havre.
Both the new players and returning veterans will be adjusting to Sorensen's attack-minded system.
Striker Brian White, who led the Whitecaps in goals with 15 last season, likes the change in play.
"We want to get forward. We want to play as a team. We want to get crosses in the box when we get numbers high, and it's a very attacking-minded style of play," he said. "So as a forward, obviously, that's what you want to hear. So I think it's going to be an exciting season."
Defender Ranko Veselinovic is adjusting to a new role that requires a bit more patience with the ball.
"We don't need to rush. But also, we're going to take a little bit more risk in the back line," he said. "So we need to be ready for that, not allow opponents to get their momentum if they win a few balls there. But that's it. We need to find that balance between reckless game and smart game."
With four pre-season games against international competition in the books, and a tough last-minute 2-1 loss to Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa in CONCACAF Champions League play on Thursday, Sorensen sees that his players are trying hard to adapt to the new system.
"I always tell them that we will not be perfect. We'll never be, but we have to have the ambition to try and be," the coach said. "And we are not there yet, but I see small steps taken almost every day, and that's the important part."
After facing the Timbers on Sunday, the Whitecaps will return to Vancouver, where they'll face Saprissa in the second half of their two-legged aggregate series on Thursday. The 'Caps will then host the L.A. Galaxy in their MLS home opener on March 2.