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Adekugbe ready to fight for spot with Whitecaps

For young players transitioning into the professional ranks, small moments can mean the difference between becoming regular starters and waiting patiently in the wings for an opportunity.

Vancouver Whitecaps left fullback Sam Adekugbe had that moment last season, benefitting with a start in the second match of the MLS campaign following the team’s tame 3-1 opening day loss to Toronto FC at BC Place.

The Calgary raised player, then 20 years old, made the most of his chance, bombing forward at every opportunity over the following weeks, starting seven of eight league matches.

“It was probably one of the happiest times of me being in football,” Adekugbe told Sportsnet. “I was playing every match and I was comfortable, we were winning.”

Then the player hit what would be the first major speed bump of his career, suffering a serious ankle injury in a Canadian Championship match against FC Edmonton in May.

“I was very disappointed because I knew how long it was going to be,” Adekugbe said. “Then I was looking at how many games I was going to miss and obviously when you see that as a young player it definitely hurts you.”

He wouldn’t feature again in league play until the end of August. And by that point, with veteran Jordan Harvey putting in his trademark consistent performances week after week at left fullback as the team competed at the top of the Western Conference, there was no reason for coach Carl Robinson to consider slotting Adekugbe back in.

Reflecting on that injury and his return, Adekugbe now says it wasn’t the physical rehabilitation or the sense that he was missing out that was the biggest challenge, but the battle going on in his head.

“I wouldn’t say I handled it well,” Adekugbe admitted. “Once I came back, I started to get a bit mentally frustrated. But this happens when you’re young and you tend to make mistakes. I look back at it now and I know what I need to do better…the fact was after I came back is when I struggled the most.

“It wasn’t a matter of me getting injured; it was a matter of me trying to get back into the team. I started doing things in an unnatural way. When you try and force things it doesn’t necessarily work out and that’s what affected me the most, how I handled not being in the team, and not keeping up on my levels and not concentrating and things like that…I think I was mostly disappointed with myself in terms of the aftermath of the injury and not the injury itself.”

It’s perhaps a harsh self-assessment and it’s difficult to see under what scenario Robinson would have made the change given Harvey’s play and the team’s performances at that point in the season. But regardless of the reality of that scenario, Adekugbe is approaching this season with renewed hunger and a feeling he’s become mentally stronger.

Unlike this time last year, the 21 year old has a body of work, albeit short, that shows he can play at this level.

Robinson will surely be delighted to have Adekugbe fully healthy, and while it’s unclear which player will be first choice on opening day of the 2016 season, given their different attributes, one imagines selection could come down to the opponent, or the circumstances in a given match.

In a tough road game or against a high-octane offence, Robinson may be more inclined to go with the battle-hardened Harvey. At home, or against a stingy defensive team, perhaps the Whitecaps coaching staff will prefer to go with Adekugbe, with his pace and offensive instincts.

“He’s got to fight Jordan Harvey for that slot,” Robinson told Sportsnet during a recent conference calls with reporters. “What Sam needs to do is try to find a consistency within his play and the ability to deal with disappointments in his game.

“Because everyone goes through a loss of form, everyone goes through injuries, everyone goes through disappointments with the manager leaving you out. It’s how you react. You either roll your sleeves up and fight and get back in, or you feel sorry for yourself. Unfortunately in professional sports the people that feel sorry for themselves are the ones usually that miss out.”

Beyond his run of games to start last season, Adekugbe also spent a month during the off-season with Brighton & Hove Albion in England’s second tier. He said training in a different environment brought him out of his comfort zone.

This pre-season has also been useful. With new attacking players such as Christian Bolaños, Masato Kudo and Blas Pérez joining the squad, Adekugbe is looking forward to testing himself on a regular basis in training against different kinds of attackers.

“That’s almost the best part about training,” Adekugbe said. “The fact that I get to go against these types of players…I’m exposing myself to different styles. That automatically helps me become a better player. The more I open myself up to, the more I become better, the more I’m able to play, and the more I’m able to become confident in myself.”

FC Montreal wins 5-0 against Université de Sherbrooke

SHERBROOKE – FC Montreal won 5-0 against the Vert et Or at Université de Sherbrooke on Sunday afternoon, in a preparation game for the USL season.

In the 12th minute, winger Yacine Ait Slimane applied pressure on the opposing defence and won the ball back. He passed to forward Jacques Haman, who then scored the first goal of the game from inside the box.

Haman ended up making a key pass himself before halftime, placing the ball into midfielder Philippe Lincourt-Joseph’s run and releasing him in front of the goalkeeper. Lincourt-Joseph shot on the right side to score in the 41st minute.

The Bleu-blanc-noir started the second half the same way, applying high pressure and excelling in defensive transition.

After a cross from defender Zachary Sukunda from the right flank, winger Michael Bilak slammed a strong shot into the top left corner to make it 3-0 in the 50th minute.

Midfielder Mastanabal Kacher scored the team’s last two goals. On a pass from Bilak, Kacher took a precise low shot from 25 yards, in the 65th minute. He scored his second in the 83rd minute, bending his free kick into the left corner from outside of the box.

“We got better as the game went on. I was satisfied with their defensive attitude, said assistant coach Simon Gatti. The quality was sometimes average and we could have scored more goals, but it was a good lesson for us.”

FC Montreal will play its last game against Quebec university teams on Sunday, March 6, at 6pm, against Université de Montréal at Complexe sportif Marie-Victorin. The USL team will continue its preseason with games against Southern New Hampshire University, the Rochester Rhinos and the Ottawa Fury.

LINEUP

James Pantemis; Aron Mkungilwa, Jems Geffrard, Nevello Yoseke, Janouk Charbonneau; Mastanabal Kacher, Yacine Ait Slimane, Heikel Jarras, Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, Fabio Morelli; Jacques Haman

Subs: Luca Leone, Zachary Sukunda, Simon Lemire, Michael Bilak, Fabrice Mbvouvouma

GOALS
FCMTL: Jacques Haman 12’
FCMTL: Philippe Lincourt-Joseph 41’
FCMTL: Michael Bilak 50’
FCMTL: Mastanabal Kacher 65’
FCMTL: Mastanabal Kacher 83’

With a star-studded attack and rebuilt defence, there are high expectations for TFC going into the new season.

2015 regular season: 6th Eastern Conference (12th overall)

2015 playoffs: Knockout Round; 3-0 loss to Montreal Impact

MLS Cup odds: 17/1

Players in: Drew Moor (free agency), Steven Beitashour (Vancouver Whitecaps, trade), Will Johnson (Portland Timbers, trade), Clint Irwin (Colorado Rapids, trade), Tsubasa Endoh (SuperDraft)

Players out: Chris Konopka (option declined), Manny Aparicio (option declined), Jackson (option declined), Robbie Findley (out of contract), Joe Bendik (Orlando City SC, trade), Ahmed Kantari (waived), Luke Moore (waived)

With Jozy Altidore replacing the disgruntled Jermain Defoe and Sebastian Giovinco adding even more firepower to the line-up, Toronto FC went into last season knowing that a franchise-first playoff appearance was an absolute must. A terrible defence made that task far from easy, but thanks to Giovinco’s historic campaign, Greg Vanney’s side just managed to creep into the postseason with a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

They were subsequently eliminated quickly and embarrassingly, losing 3-0 at Canadian rivals Montreal Impact in the Knockout Round, but some shrewd offseason moves suggest they have every chance of going further this term.

Reasons to be positive

With MLS MVP Giovinco leading the way alongside fellow Designated Players Altidore and Michael Bradley, it goes without saying that Toronto’s main strength is in the attacking third. The club even have former US international Herculez Gomez as an option off the bench, while newcomer Will Johnson and fellow midfielder Jonathan Osorio have both been known to chip in with the odd goal as well. What’s more, with the likes of Homegrown playmaker Jay Chapman and first-round pick Tsubasa Endoh rounding off the roster, Vanney has some promising youngsters at his disposal.

More important, though, is the fact that the team’s grave defensive issues look to have been addressed. TFC’s unsettled backline was truly woeful throughout 2015, conceding a joint-worst 58 regular season goals, but the additions of three former All-Stars in goalkeeper Clint Irwin, right-back Steven Beitashour and centre-back Drew Moor should make a world of difference.

Trouble on the horizon?

The primary issue facing TFC is whether they can settle on a tactical setup that benefits them on both sides of the ball. The team have shifted from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 formation during preseason in an effort to fit their personnel, but whether the switch will offer the desired balance they’re looking for is no guarantee. Like last year, they’ll also be playing the opening eight weeks of the season on the road due to renovations to BMO Field, so the initial adaptation process will be all the more testing.

What a bad start would mean for Vanney’s job stability remains to be seen, too. The former academy coach was a surprise hire when he replaced Ryan Nelsen at the helm in September 2014, and while he may have led the club to a long-awaited playoff appearance in his first full season in charge, he certainly didn’t make himself indispensable either. A poor run of results could see him come under serious pressure, and if he makes it until the summer, he’ll also have to figure out how to cope with the loss of his three DPs to international tournament. As it is, he’ll be without Altidore for the first two weeks of the campaign while the physical striker rehabs from a nagging hamstring problem.

Key man: Sebastian Giovinco

Giovinco was nothing short of sensational during his first year in MLS, producing arguably the best individual season in league history. With 22 goals and 16 assists, the former Juventus playmaker surpassed Chris Wondolowski’s mark for the highest goals-plus-assists total in a season and took home both the Golden Boot and league MVP award in the process. Completely unmarkable at times, it’s going to be very interesting to see whether he can replicate those numbers in 2016.

One to watch: Tsubasa Endoh

While Endoh was considered a slight reach with the ninth pick of the 2016 SuperDraft, his preseason performances suggest that TFC did their homework. The Japanese attacker from the University of Maryland has fitted seamlessly into Vanney’s 4-3-3 setup, impressing with his creativity, work rate and defensive nous, and he could now be in line to see some major minutes this season. A potential Rookie of the Year contender? – Most definitely.

Predicted regular season finish: 2nd Eastern Conference

TFC certainly look like they should be one of the favourites for MLS Cup on paper, but we’ve seen this team fall short of expectations time and time again in the past. Nevertheless, with Giovinco’s brilliance and a reinforced and battle-tested backline, this could be the year when they finally live up to expectations.

How do you think Toronto will fare in 2016?