Coach has high hopes for potential striker
Rennie well aware of Barbara after coaching him in Carolina, where international forward established himself as legitimate scoring threat
Technically, striker Etienne Barbara is a trialist with the Vancouver Whitecaps — looking to impress coaches in training and earn a Major League Soccer contract.
But Caps new head coach Martin Rennie already knows what the 29- year- old Maltese international can do after coaching him in Carolina the past two seasons.
Barbara became a hot property last year after scoring 20 goals for the Railhawks and capturing the North American Soccer League MVP award.
The Montreal Impact grabbed his MLS rights but couldn’t work out a contract so the Caps acquired his rights last week by sending supplemental draft pick Gienir Garcia to Montreal.
“I’m here to discuss the contract and train with the team for now,” Barbara said after the Whitecaps’ first day of preseason training in Burnaby. “We’re finalizing the last little bit so we can just put the contract on paper.”
Rennie hopes a contract can be worked out soon because he’s confident Barbara can make the transition from Tier- 2 North American soccer to MLS. He has coached other players who have successfully made that jump — including Chicago Fire midfielder Daniel Paladini, Houston Dynamo midfielder Adam Moffat and Montreal Impact winger Josh Gardner.
“Comparing Etienne to them, I think he can do it just like they have — maybe even slightly more because he’s a goal scorer,” Rennie said.
He scouted Barbara two years ago and flew to Malta to watch him play in person.
Barbara picked him up at the airport before his club side Hibernians played against Qormi, a team that featured Whitecaps forward Camilo.
Rennie remembers Barbara’s performance that night well.
“He got the ball around the halfway line and I said to myself: ‘ If he scores from here, I’ll sign him,’” he said. “Believe it or not, he scored from there. He ran all the way, beat two or three guys and scored a fantastic goal so I stayed true to my word.”
Rennie offered Barbara a contract the next day and he was soon lighting it up in Carolina.
Barbara had options to play for clubs in Europe this year but wanted to stay in North America because he got married this month and his new wife works in Nevada.
“Going to Europe would have created hassles for us,” he said. “So I wanted to find a good contract in MLS.”
The 6- 1, 190- pound Barbara feels he will succeed in MLS by keeping himself in top physical condition.
“I’m powerful but I have to be prepared physically so that power turns into agility as well,” he said.
“If I’m not well prepared, I feel heavy and it gets me tired.”
Barbara hasn’t played since October and acknowledges he’s not in the best shape of his life.
“I’m a bit behind now but the season doesn’t start until March and I’ll be flying by then I hope,” he said.
“… With a good pre- season, it will be enough.”
Rennie said when at his best, Barbara is a competitive, aggressive player with great power and speed.
“You can see the size and strength of him and he has an eye for the goal,” he said. “He’s always looking to be dangerous.”