Since Vancouver Whitecaps FC concluded their time at the second division level in North America, head coach
Teitur Thordarson
has been actively preparing for a six-week offseason training camp, which kicks off today at the Whitecaps FC Training Centre on the campus of Simon Fraser University (SFU).
Thordarson will use this camp to continue to evaluate remaining players –
CLICK HERE
for current roster - from last season's squad, as well as welcome in a handful of trialists and players that will be selected in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Expansion Draft on Wednesday, November 24
Whitecaps FC fans will be pleased to know that midfielder
Nizar Khalfan
is back from international duty with Tanzania, however, the ’Caps will be without right fullback
Wes Knight
, winger
Russell Teibert
, and striker
Cody Arnoux
due to injury.
Knight recently received arthroscopic bankart repair to his right shoulder after originally suffering a dislocation of the arm joint should during the first leg of the first-round playoff series versus Portland Timbers. The native of Easley, South Carolina, is currently enjoying some home cooking, but will be back training come the New Year. Teibert is rehabilitating a quadriceps muscle strain and Arnoux is currently recovering from a hip flexor injury suffered during the semifinal series versus Puerto Rico Islanders.
Meanwhile, midfielder/striker
Cornelius Stewart
is still away on international duty with his native St. Vincent & the Grenadines, as they continue their campaign in the 2010 Caribbean Cup, while fellow striker
Randy Edwini-Bonsu
has resumed training with the Whitecaps FC Residency team.
The six-week camp will include morning on-field training sessions at the Whitecaps Training Centre at SFU from Monday to Friday, as well as strength and conditioning sessions at Burnaby 8-Rinks for the first four weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The final two weeks will see players and staff travel south to California for the remainder of the camp. Additional details about the camp in California and trialists will be available shortly.
