By Farhan Devji/whitecapsfc.com
With new faces coming in and out of training almost on a daily basis, things have not been easy for Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain
Martin Nash
and company over the past month.
Although the midfielder admits that everyone on the team is playing for a job, as the 'Caps prepare for their inaugural season in Major League Soccer (MLS) next year, he has another goal in mind. "It’s still our goal to win a championship with this team," Nash told whitecapsfc.com. "If one person's not playing for the team, it hurts everyone. We’ve all got to go in the same direction."
With the latest international transfer window having closed last week, Nash says it is now time for the team to come together as a cohesive unit, because the alternative is not in anyone's best interest. "We have to welcome all the new guys into the team because if we don’t, things won’t go the right way for the rest of the season," said Nash. "We’ve got to get them in, gel as a team, and get everyone pulling in the same direction."
By all accounts, they are doing just that. Having defeated NSC Minnesota Stars on Saturday, the Whitecaps are undefeated in five matches, despite the team's revolving-door roster. Whitecaps head coach
Teitur Thordarson
attributes the team's recent success to how they have handled the situation. "It’s a difficult time for everyone," said Thordarson. "Everybody’s fighting to be with the team in MLS. It’s not easy for them to see new faces in training every day. But they have been very professional about it and I'm very thankful for that, otherwise we wouldn't have been performing as well as we've been doing."
Thordarson says the additions of strikers
Jonathan McDonald
and
Ridge Mobulu
, who can also play on the left flank, may force the team to make some line-up adjustments moving forward.
Case in point, it may not be long before strikers
Nizar Khalfan
and
Cornelius Stewart
move back to midfield, to accommodate some of the new players. But despite the line-up adjustments, do not expect the team to change their general approach, with only seven matches remaining in the regular season. "We want to be attacking minded and that’s what we’ve been trying to do all the time," said Thordarson. "I think with the players we're bringing in now, we can hopefully be even better with that. We've had a lot of ties in games that we should have won, so hopefully that can make the difference."
Similarly, Nash says the Whitecaps have been playing an up-tempo, offensive brand of soccer since the start of the season and he expects that to continue. "We’ve created a ton of chances this year, but haven’t put away as many as we should have," he said. "I don’t think there are many, or any teams that we haven’t outplayed this year. We've just got to keep going, keep working hard, and we should be fine."
And Nash's sentiments are music to the ears of Whitecaps supporters, who are surely crossing their fingers that the team’s final season at Swangard is one to remember.
