FEATURED PLAYER: JOSH HANSEN

August 7, 2007 - New Vancouver Whitecaps signing Josh Hansen admits he can see some irony in his recent move from California Victory.

It was in California’s inaugural game as a USL-1 club that Hansen scored one of the San Francisco-based club’s first two goals in a 2-2 draw with the Whitecaps at Swangard Stadium on April 28.

About three months on, and with the Whitecaps looking to boost their attack, Hansen opted to leave a club struggling at the wrong end of the standings in California for a team looking to repeat as USL-1 champions before the July 30 transfer deadline. “It’s very ironic, actually,” Hansen told whitecapsfc.com of his recent move. “I never imagined it until it actually happened that I was going to be leaving California in the middle of the season for Vancouver, so it was quite a surprise. It has been quite a transition trying to adjust to the guys on the team and the organization, but so far, everything has been great.”

The Phoenix, Arizona, native has been impressed by his new club and the way things are run within Bob Lilley’s squad. “I think the main difference here to my experience at California is just the organization of the club itself, and also the play on the field,” Hansen said. “There’s a much more professional environment here with the way the players are treated, with the way the players approach not just the games, but the training sessions and the way they take care of themselves.”

Hansen’s initial move to the Victory came after a productive spell with the Los Angeles Galaxy’s reserve team. “I was with them for three months in the latter half of the 2006 season,” he said. “It was a great experience to play under head coach Frank Yallop and to get to play with some of those players like Landon Donovan. I enjoyed it, as the environment was similar to here in Vancouver, with regards to the professionalism within the club.”

The move north will also give the University of San Francisco graduate a chance to face the Galaxy and their latest signing, David Beckham, at BC Place on October 3. “I found out when I signed that they would be coming,” he said. “I played the Galaxy with California in pre-season, so I’m looking forward to having another chance of facing them in October.”

The Pacific Northwest is a region that is familiar to Hansen after he was a member of USL-1 champion Seattle Sounders in 2005. The 25-year-old revealed how his departure from the Washington State club before the start of last season altered both his career and his life. “I came back to Seattle in 2006 for pre-season, and then I found out that I wasn’t going to be making the team about a week before the season started,” he said. “I was in a situation where I had not too many places to go. It was also at that time that I accepted Christianity as my faith. I then found out that the Southern California Seahorses (USL Premier Development League) were a Christian team, so I felt that God had opened the door for me to go down there. Even though it was a lower level, it was much more important to be in that environment than any other. I think it helped me and my approach to soccer, but also with my life as well.”

With the current USL-1 season edging nearer towards the final hurdles, Hansen feels upbeat that results will start to turn in the Whitecaps favour. “I wouldn’t say the results have been disappointing, maybe only disappointing in that we didn’t get victories,” he said. “I think things are heading in the right direction, we just haven’t had the lucky bounces. I think in the next few games, we will get those bounces, and then we’ll get the three points from the games ahead.”

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