Leaving your country to live for away from home for the first time already sounds daunting enough, now imagine all of a sudden having to hunker down for the foreseeable future, worlds apart from your family and everything you previously knew.
Thankfully for Ranko Veselinović, his new club made it a point to celebrate his birthday as a group, albeit virtually, and to get him a little taste of home last Tuesday.
The Serbian youth international arrived in Vancouver in March, and had played his entire career with his hometown club FK Vojvodina, making this a first for him living in another country other than his native land.
But the 'Caps team spirit made sure that physical distancing was not a spoiler for the now 21-year old.
Over 40 players and staff got on a video conference together to sing him a happy birthday, and the club got him some Serbian food to make him feel a little bit like home during these uncertain times.
It was all love even on the team's WhatsApp chat group, showing how much the unit has grown close together in a short amount of time.
Whitecaps FC Soccer Operations Coordinator and the players' always reliable go-to-guy Connor Vande Weghe, who helped Veselinović find a home in Vancouver upon his arrival, picked up food from Tenen, an Eastern European restaurant located in Burnaby.
Fittingly, the restaurant proudly hangs a FK Vojvodina banner, Veselinović's parent club in the Serbian SuperLiga.
Fans are encouraged to help support the local business by picking up food to go at their restaurant at 7569 Royal Oak Avenue Burnaby, BC or ordering for delivery.
