Returning to play as early as Saturday, model pro example to follow
By Marc Weber
As players collapsed on the Simon Fraser University turf Tuesday, tanks empty after a taxing sprint session to finish practice, Takashi Hirano, 36 in two months, circled the field, jogging out the lactic acid.
For once, the Japanese defender wasn't the last Whitecap to shut it down; Luca Bellisomo took the honours, but he was following Hirano's lead.
"It's great feeding off his energy and his attitude," said Bellisomo, who, at 23 is one of the younger Whitecaps.
"He's a great example of how a professional soccer player should behave, how a quality person should behave. He does everything in his power to put himself in a position to help the team and he rubs off on players."
Hirano has yet to play this season. He's been out since mid-March with a medial collateral ligament strain in his left knee. He sustained the injury on a tackle in training.
He hopes to return for Saturday's league home game against the Montreal Impact. A massive Canadian championship clash with Toronto FC looms and some warm-up would be helpful.
Zurab Tsiskaridze has been strong defensively and filled in well at left back, but the Whitecaps have missed Hirano's possession and passing skills, his overlapping runs and crosses. Vancouver (2-1-2) has just four league goals and one from the run of play.
Head coach Teitur Thordarson is thrilled to have such a decision to make, and to have some left-footed depth to challenge Ansu Toure for time on left wing.
"Taka keeps himself in such good shape, so hopefully he'll be able to get back into things quickly," said Thordarson.
Over the last two months, Hirano has been tireless, almost robotic, in rehabilitating his knee and maintaining his fitness.
Until late last week, he was still relegated to the sideline at practice. He'd run himself ragged, then push through a series of core exercises -- crunches, planks, extensions -- taking strict orders from the timer on his wristwatch.
He'd probably do more on his own time if he didn't have a young family to care for and English lessons to wrap his head around.
"I don't have to tell him anything," said the club's physiotherapist, Graeme Poole. "He does the extra little things a lot of guys don't do. He really looks after himself."
Which is why, no doubt, that two months from his 36th birthday, Hirano can't simply be dismissed from any conversation about who's in the mix for Major League Soccer in 2011.
This injury aside, he's been a model of durability. Last season, Hirano played more minutes than any Whitecap aside from goalkeeper Jay Nolly: 3,248 across all competitions.
He was named the team's defender of the year in 2009, following up on his 2008 league all-star nod.
Working his tail off is the only way he's ever known.
To Bellisomo's considerable amusement Tuesday, Hirano recounted his time as a youth player in Japan.
"One year," Hirano said, "365 days, I played 364. Just one day off.
"Finish school, start practice at 3:30 until 8, then individual practice, one hour. Come home, 9:30-10 o'clock, eat, sleep; next day, morning practice, 6:30.
"Sometimes coach hit me: 'Thank you, coach,'" Hirano laughed.
Then Bellisomo shared his training schedule as a teenager.
"Wow! Hirano replied. "Like a vacation!"
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