Wanting to be the Morales of old
In 2016, Caps playmaker hopes he can return to his pre-injuries, game-changing form
The Whitecaps opened training camp with testing Saturday, but captain Pedro Morales has already been in town for two weeks — and he didn’t come back early for the weather.
He’s been working out with strength and conditioning coach Jon Poli and head of sports medicine Rick Celebrini.
Morales is desperate to return to his 2014 form when he scored 10 goals, added 12 assists and won MLS newcomer of the year.
The Chilean playmaker was among the league’s most exciting players that season and made the Caps tick. For too much of last year, he was broken, miserable, and missing in action.
Hampered by leg injuries, he started just three regular-season games after June and was a shell of himself in the Caps home playoff loss to Portland.
At Caps media day Friday at UBC, Morales said he was about 50 per cent for that Portland game, but wanted to start.
“My mind sometimes was done,” he admitted of 2015 when he managed six goals and four assists and started just 15 times.
“(It was) very difficult. Tough. For me, for my family. I have pressure to help the team and when you don’t have the chance to play, you feel really, really bad.
“This is the reason I (took) the decision to come (early) to prepare my body for this year and try (to perform) similar or better to my first year here.”
If Morales can pull that off, if he can again be the straw that stirs the Caps drink, then this team can contend for an MLS Cup.
If not? Well, it will be a heck of a lot tougher to come out of the West.
By the stretch run last season, the Morales-less Caps were living off their defending and goalkeeping and praying for a goal.
Filling in for Morales, Mauro Rosales had an excellent month before fading and Nicolas Mezquida made huge strides. But in this top-heavy league, you need your stars. It catches up to you eventually.
“He’s got to keep himself healthy because when he performs, he’s one of the best players in the league,” coach Carl Robinson said.
Robinson, this off-season, has again tried to add more firepower around Morales.
The Caps scored 45 goals in 34 games last year — 11th in the league and fourth in the West. More crucially, when it counted most, they couldn’t score.
Robinson’s signed Japanese striker Masato Kudo — who wants to be called ‘Masato’ — to complement and push Uruguayan forward Octavio Rivero.
And Christian Bolaños, the twotime World Cup winger from Costa Rica, arrives next week and should add goals and guile in midfield.
Kekuta Manneh, who is still recovering from an ankle sprain, and Cristian Techera are both back to torment teams with their pace and trickery out wide.
Robinson also wants his fullbacks bombing forward more often this season.
So Morales, 30, won’t be short on targets, whether he’s playing as a No. 10 like the past two seasons or in a deeper role at times.
Expect Robinson to experiment with a bunch of combinations when pre-season games begin in Tucson, Ariz., in 10 days.
Morales was just getting to know his new teammates this week.
“I looked on the Internet,” Morales said of Masato’s qualities, “but the video is not important. You see how is the level when you play, but Robbo has a very good view to the young players.
“Last year we didn’t score enough goals. (Masato) will have a very good opportunity to demonstrate he’s a good player.”
As for Bolaños, Morales has chatted with Caps’ Costa Rican centre back Kendall Waston about the veteran winger.
“Kendall says he’s a very good player,” Morales said, “and a good guy. He has very good experience.
“He has played in two World Cups and this is very good for our team.”
When it comes to his own performance, Morales might want 2016 to resemble his first year here.
But for the team, it’s about building on a 2015 season in which they finished second in the West, third overall, and host their first-ever playoff game — all with the youngest team in MLS.
Morales had a quick response when asked what the Caps need to improve on.
“Win at home — every single game. This is very important now.”
The Caps were a league-best 7-73 on the road last season, but just 9-6-2 at B.C. Place, plus that painful home playoff loss to Portland.
The Caps had the sixth-worst home record in MLS — too many missed chances and too few ideas when they went behind in games.
They rescued just one point at home from a losing position, against Columbus in April.
“Last year, we’ve done very well at times and we struggled at certain times when teams were able to figure us out,” Robinson said.
The attacking additions should help.
So should getting Morales back to the sensational player fans fell for in 2014.
That will feel like a fresh signing, too.