An all-star the past two seasons, he's struggled to find a place with Caps
By Marc Weber
The pre-season talk was of how Teitur Thordarson would manage his crowded house in central midfield -- a trio of repeat all-stars in Martin Nash, Jonny Steele and Ricardo Sanchez.
Now the question is: How could he manage without all three of them?
On the heels of Nash tweaking his back while lifting a box at home Saturday, Steele has returned to his home in Philadelphia to deal with a personal issue.
Neither will be in the lineup Saturday when the Whitecaps (2-1-2) host Montreal (2-1-1) at Swangard Stadium in a USSF D-2 game.
A crucial Nutrilite Canadian Championship clash against Toronto FC follows on Wednesday. Nash expects to return for that, but Steele's timeline is unclear.
"You see the problems we have, so we will have to see how we get the team together," said Thordarson, who is also without forward Marlon James due to a hamstring injury.
"But I'm fully confident, even if we're missing some bodies, that we have a good team to put out."
Easing the coach's worries is Sanchez, an all-star the last two seasons with Minnesota who has struggled to crack the Whitecaps' lineup this season.
Sanchez didn't even make the trip to Portland on April 29, and he couldn't get off the bench in the Whitecaps' Canadian championship opener against Montreal on May 5 -- a 1-1 tie at Swangard.
But, coming on as a 59th-minute substitute, he was one of the few bright spots in last Saturday's monotonous 0-0 tie against expansion Crystal Palace Baltimore.
Sanchez, 27, is not blessed with speed, but his possession game is strong and he has a terrific left foot that's lethal on set pieces.
The former Mexican youth player racked up 17 goals and 12 assists in 55 league games with Minnesota.
He'll likely take every corner and free kick against the Impact.
"I was extremely happy with him last week," said Thordarson. "I hope he can show us now that he should be in there all the time.
"He had a period when things weren't going well for him and his attitude wasn't the best, but everything has changed.
"He's very positive, he's working hard, and he's been doing that for three or four weeks now."
Sanchez will partner Luca Bellisomo in central midfield, and with Ethan Gage getting called into Canada's under-20 camp in the Netherlands, 20-year-old Philippe Davies is likely to provide the depth.
Sanchez said he hopes to bring more possession to the Whitecaps' game.
Defending hasn't been an issue for this group -- just two goals conceded in five league games -- but four goals scored is not nearly enough, and chances have been at a premium.
"If we keep the ball we can dictate how the game is going to be -- we're going to create more," Sanchez said. "I'm always excited to play against Montreal, I always had good games against them with Minnesota."
And there's nothing Sanchez would love more than to get another crack at the free kick he squandered against Baltimore, 22 yards out, in a tied game.
Since childhood, he's stayed on the field after every training session to practice his free kicks.
"I didn't hit it well," he said of the Baltimore attempt.
"But hopefully I'll have more of those chances. Anywhere between the 18 and 30 yards. I don't have a special spot. Just outside the box, I don't care where."
mweber@theprovince.com © Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
