Whitecaps Acquire FC Zurich Striker

There has been one thing constantly talked about since preseason camp began in Arizona for the Whitecaps.  Who is going to score the goals?  The panic felt by the fans and discussed by the media doesn’t seem to worry the Whitecaps organization or at least they don’t show it.  As reported on the weekend, Director of Operations Tom Sohen was in Switzerland looking for help at the forward position.  It took only a few days but the Whitecaps have found their man in Eric Hassili, a striker from the Swiss Super League

A teammate with Alain Rochat at FC Zurich, Eric Hassli is a 29 year old French forward who comes to the Caps as the proven goalscorer fans were looking for.  The team is second in the Axpo Super League but Hassli is probably fourth on depth chart as the team is going with younger strikers and Hassli is coming off a serious leg injury.  He is a known for his strength as he is a 6’4” forward with good technical skills and has scored the spectacular goal on occasion as you can see in the video below.  He is by no means slow on the field as his blend of speed and size is what the Whitecaps are looking for in a striker.

Whitecaps Goalless Against MLS Rivals

The Whitecaps finished their second training trip set of matches in Arizona without a victory in four games including losing their last game today against LA Galaxy 2-0.  They failed to notch a single tally in their three matches against MLS opponents and were outscored five goals to nil.  The first squad played Friday against Chivas USA (1-0 L) and Monday against the Galaxy (2-0 L) while it was mostly a reserve squad on Saturday against the US U18 (2-2 D) and the game today against the reserve Galaxy side.

Whitecaps End First Trip With Win

The Vancouver Whitecaps completed their first preseason trip to Arizona as a MLS club with another victory over a club still alive in the CCL.  They defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1 with tallies from Atiba Harris and 1^st pick Omar Salgado and missed making it a two goal victory when Davide Chiumiento’s missed penalty.  They opened the trip with a 2-1 decision against Real Salt Lake who will be the Crew’s opponent in the CCL quarterfinal.  Sandwiched between those victories was a competitive 1-0 loss to Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders.

Post Draft Whitecaps Roster Analysis: Part II

While they have only signed only five midfielders to a MLS contract, the Whitecaps have many more in camp that have the potential to see significant playing time next year.  Versatility is the word for their center midfielders as the ones in camp have shown the ability to play as an attacker while being responsible defensively.  While the following players can definitely score goals, they are more in the playmaker mold and will create opportunity for the attacking players we will look at in Part III.