Whitecaps
With a newly diagnosed neurological issue under control, talented midfielder says he’s keen to repay the faith the Caps showed in him
A healthy John Thorrington has some unfinished business with the Vancouver Whitecaps this season.
John Thorrington has unfinished business in Vancouver.
The 32- year- old Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder was plucked from the Chicago Fire roster in the Major League Soccer expansion draft 15 months ago to help lead a fledgling side through the rigours of its first MLS season.
But he spent more time recovering from injuries than playing, appearing in just 11 of the Caps’ 34 MLS games last year.
“I came to Vancouver with a lot of excitement and optimism to help build something new and injuries took that away from me,” Thorrington said in an interview. “I want to give the team more than I did last year … The organization has certainly showed faith in me and I want to repay that faith.”
Vancouver rolled the dice in drafting the talented but injuryprone former U. S. international whose history of physical ailments has limited him to just 70 MLS appearances in seven seasons.
But Thorrington feels he turned a corner last year after noted Whitecaps physiotherapist Rick Celebrini discovered a neurological issue in his back that had never been diagnosed before.
“[ In the past], I would get these muscle strains in my leg and we would treat the symptom without finding the cause,” he said. “It was just this crazy mystery. It was literally like I had a poisonous bug going through my muscles. We’d fix one area and it would just go into another.”
Since the neurological issue was discovered, Thorrington has had manual therapy, adopted a specific exercise routine and received prolotherapy injections to strengthen the ligaments in his back. Prolotherapy injections put an irritant solution in the body to promote healing.
“Everything has come together to make me feel fantastic,” Thorrington said. “Even if a little niggle comes here and there, it doesn’t snowball into a big issue because we’ve sorted out the root cause.”
He appeared in the last five games of the 2011 season, starting four of them.
Thorrington could have left Vancouver for another team after last season but renegotiated a new contract to stay with the Whitecaps. His physical turnaround under Celebrini’s care was clearly a significant factor.
“I had these injury struggles but then I got an opportunity to work with one of the best physical therapists in the world,” Thorrington said. “I was reluctant to leave a situation that I knew was working. I don’t know what I’d be doing right now if it weren’t for Rick.”
Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie hopes a healthy Thorrington can play a major role in his revitalization plan for the squad this year.
“When I watched the games towards the end of last season, he was one of the guys playing quite a lot and doing really well,” he said. “If he’s on the field, we’re a better team. I definitely rate him very highly.”
Rennie thinks Thorrington can make an impact in the middle of the field.
“Depending on what system we play, there’s a couple of different roles he can play,” he said. “He’s very active, his fitness is very good and his pace is excellent.”
Rennie said friends of his in England, who knew Thorrington when he played with Huddersfield Town, told him Thorrington is a leader who provides a positive presence in the lockerroom.
Thorrington said veteran players need to be leaders.
“It’s not like preaching from the pulpit or anything but I have experience that I can lend to some of the younger guys going through similar things I went through,” he said. “I do think at times last year, we were a bit naive.”
Thorrington likes the attitude he sees now from players retained from last year’s Whitecaps squad. “I think the guys still here from last year are hungrier now and have that bit of an edge that we have something to prove,” he said. His own goals for 2012? “They centre around my health and staying on the field and helping the team build a winning culture,” he said. “The city deserves that. Our fans deserve that. To go out and just be a force in this league – that’s a realistic possibility.”
SIDE KICKS: Ghanaian defender Nuru Sulley, who played Sunday in the Caps’ 2- 1 win over the University of Victoria Vikes, has left without a contract after completing a one- week trial with Vancouver. Carolina Railhawks midfielder Floyd Franks – who has been on trial with the Caps – has reported to Carolina’s preseason training camp but is still under consideration for a Whitecaps roster spot.
The club released trialists Chris Estridge [ defender] and Andrew Fontein [ goalkeeper] on the weekend and took 32 players to Florida on Monday for pre- season training in Orlando. The group includes 26 signed roster players, three trialists [ Etienne Barbara, Bilal Duckett and Greg Klazura] and three residency players [ Caleb Clarke, Callum Irving and Sean Melvin].