CAMILO SIGNS NEW CONTRACT WITH CAPS

The Whitecaps alleviated the fears that most supporters suffered through the offseason when they announced that they had come to a contract agreement with the 2011 leading goal scorer and player of the year Camilo.  It was uncertain early in the offseason that Camilo would return to the Caps mostly due to the Brazilian’s comments through his twitter account and the rumours that there offers from clubs around the world.  The chances of his return seemed to diminish even more as Rennie continued to acquire forwards, from re-signing Harris, drafting Mattocks, and bringing in former RailHawk Barbara in for a trial.

The first signs that Camilo situation would be resolved was last Thursday when the striker arrived in Vancouver, after an excused absence, and it was revealed that there were ongoing negotiations between the club and the Brazilian’s agent.  When Sebastien Le Toux was acquired from the Union, once again Camilo was mentioned as a possibility of leaving through trade or transfer.  But the early morning announcement cleared up any concern as it was clear that the Caps were excited to be the only MLS club to have three players that scored in double digits last year.

After a getting a couple of runs in the first two matches of last season, Camilo burst on the scene in the three goal comeback against Sporting Kansas City where he score twice and setup another.  It was the second half of the season when became to establish himself as a scorer as he potted seven in his last fourteen appearances of 2012.  In addition to his goals, the speedy forward earned the highest number of fouls in the box for the team but rarely was the one to take penalty kick.

Camilo spent most of last season as a wide player in the midfield in the 4-4-2 formation but will play closer to goal as a winger/forward in Rennie’s 4-3-3 which will help him come close to last year’s total.  He will be asked to continue his penetrating runs into the box off the wing but must also improve with his defensive responsibilities.  Even with all the attacking options on the roster currently there is little doubt that Camilo will be counted to provide similar totals this year.