Whitecaps face frenetic three weeks, with six (maybe seven) games
The Vancouver Whitecaps have had two weeks to think things over. Now they won't have time to think about much at all, and head coach Vanni Sartini couldn't be happier.
Staring down the barrel of a month that will see them play six (possibly seven) games between May 8 and May 28, Sartini is hoping his team won't dwell on its current situation — last in Major League Soccer — and just focus on the games. With five league games, potentially two Canadian Championship fixtures, there barely will be time to train, let alone breathe.
“The first days after Austin ... it looked like a silent party. Everyone was a little down,” Sartini said of the team's last result, a 3-0 road loss to the Texans on April 23.
“I was happy that we didn't play. That gave us the possibility to really reset. Try to reset and to really focus on this enormous number of games that we have. I think from Sunday we're going to play Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday for three, four weeks in a row.
“When you do this, you basically are not able to train. (The break) gave us the possibility for two weeks to work a lot on things that we need to correct.
“I really, really, really, really like when we play every three days. I love it,” he added. “I love it because of two reasons; I think that we are a team that needs to be with its back (against) the wall, so we can't overthink things. And it gives me the possibility to give chances to everyone because we want every time to play with guys that are 100 per cent.
“I hope that I will be tired at the end of May, but I hope that we're going to have less points from the playoff (line) than the eight points that we have at the moment, and we're going to be in the next round of the Canadian championship. I am actually looking forward to it. I'm very excited.”
The Whitecaps (1-6-1, 14th West) start the month with Sunday's home game against Toronto FC (3-4-2, 8th East), with kickoff expected just after 1 p.m. PT (TSN, AM730).
The Caps also needed the break to get their roster healthy again with some of their players taking the pitch with WFC2 at Swangard Stadium last week to get some minutes while others rested. Ryan Gauld is back training after suffering a concussion, centreback Erik Godoy is finally ready for his first MLS minutes of the season, and Marcus Godinho got some time off to rest his knee.
But it wasn't long enough for Tristan Blackmon to get back to game fitness. He suffered a knee injury against Austin and is expected to be out for up to five weeks.
“The only positive note of this injury is that it happened when Erik came back. So at least we are not having a crisis in terms of numbers in defenders,” said Sartini.
Vancouver also got some depth at Wednesday's MLS transfer deadline, signing Portuguese defender Luis Martins. He'd played three seasons with Sporting Kansas City — including going the full 90 against the Caps in the playoffs last year — before being released in November. He entered the re-entry process and became essentially a free agent.
Martins, 29, has played in the top leagues in both Spain and Portugal, and had a goal and four assists in the 2021 season with SKC.
The left-footed product of Benfica's youth academy can play fullback, wingback or even on the side of a back three, and has the kind of work rate — the release highlights he covered 272 kilometres of ground last year, third-most in MLS — that Sartini covets.
Cristian Gutierrez's lingering knee injury was another factor in making the move, the only transaction the team said they'd make before the window closed Wednesday night.
Martins is already in town, with reports of him watching Wednesday's Champions League game between Manchester City and Real Madrid alongside his new teammates.
“He has a very good left foot and is fast,” Sartini said. “His versatility and his quality and experience. We're a very young team and we needed experience. We need guys that know how to navigate games when things are not going well.
“I hope that Luis will help us elevate the quality of experience that at the moment we lack a little.”