Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Teitur Thordarson has announced that midfielder Martin Nash will take over as the 19th men's team captain since the club's first season in 1974.
“Martin was a natural selection,” said Thordarson. “Last year, he took over the captaincy for a handful of games and it appeared to affect his play in a very positive way. He is well respected for his qualities on and off the field, and in particular, he is very good at sharing his knowledge with younger players. Plus, he is a genuine, nice guy and I am happy to have him as our captain.”
Nash, 33-years-old, is entering his ninth season with Vancouver, and 15th as a professional soccer player. Last season, Nash started all 30 matches in the regular season for 2,626 minutes of action. That total saw him finish fourth among the minute leaders in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1). The midfield general also registered one goal and three assists for five points. For his efforts, he was named to the USL-1 All-League Team for the fourth time in his career.
“It is an honour to be selected as team captain,” said Nash. “I have shared the leadership responsibilities the last couple of years, and I am excited to be taking on an even bigger role. We are a younger side this year, but very talented. I am looking forward to the challenge of a new season and defending our title.”
The midfielder has been a constant for the Whitecaps since returning to the club in 2004 – his previous stints include 1995, 1996 and 1999. Over the last five seasons, the native of Victoria, BC, has only missed six of 164 matches for the ‘Caps, and three of those were due to Canadian national team commitments. In fact, in 2007, Nash set a new ironman record of 77 consecutive games played for the club before being called up to the national team. He has not missed a game since his return.
Nash’s name is found throughout the modern-day Whitecaps record book. He is ranked 10th all-time in games played with 216, sixth in minutes with 17,144, tied for 16th in goals with 21, third in assists with 37, and 12th in points with 79. In addition to his contributions in last year’s USL-1 championship, Nash played a significant role in the Whitecaps 2006 championship team, as well as in consecutive league titles with Rochester in 2000 and 2001.
Whitecaps 2009 season tickets are now on sale. Season tickets include all men’s and women's team regular season and playoff home matches at Swangard Stadium, Nutrilite Canadian Championship home matches against Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, as well as priority listing for BC Place and the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium. For more information on the 2009 season ticket packages, call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or CLICK HERE.
