It was worth a try, right?
I reached out to new Vancouver Whitecaps director of soccer operations Tom Soehn yesterday to see if he had some perspective or comments on the current dire situation at the club he left behind, D.C. United.
Soehn, shockingly, didn’t want to weigh in at all, only saying that it’s really difficult given how many injuries United current has and that it’s always tough to watch a former club struggle, especially given all the friends he still has here in Washington.
It was much easier to talk with him about the Whitecaps, who will enter Major League Soccer next season.
“I’m really happy with the decision I made because I truly believe this franchise has a lot to offer, and moving forward I think the ownership group is great, and they have really high expectations, which I really enjoy being a part of,” said Soehn.
Since his hiring in the winter, Soehn said the longest he’s actually been in Vancouver at any one stretch has been two weeks. His wife and four children will join him in June.
“When you have a close family, it’s difficult,” said Soehn. “But credit my wife, she’s strong enough to handle this, and if it were the reverse – she was leaving and I was staying with the kids – there’d be no chance it could happen. I’m man enough to admit that.”
Meanwhile, he’s focused on getting the club prepared to build its roster for next year.
“Having a big player pool to draw from and knowing when contracts are up and affordability and maximizing your assets, as far as knowing which players are available when, that’s something that we’re doing pretty extensive research to make sure that we’re making the right decisions come time,” he said.
Former United members Jay Nolly, Justin Moose and Greg Janicki are all currently on the Vancouver roster, but Soehn didn’t exactly give them a rousing endorsement.
“They’re all fighting to try to make an impression this year so that they can make the roster next year,” he said. “We have the whole season to evaluate, and that’ll be interesting to see who’s left at the end.”
In case you haven’t seen, the Whitecaps plan to move into BC Place next summer, but they’ll also have an interim stadium until it’s finished. Seriously. (By the way, can’t wait to get over to RFK Stadium this morning….)
“I really think us piggy-backing the Olympics, that was just a huge burst for sports in this market, and then you actually have the Canucks doing well, and then you’ve got the World Cup,” said Soehn. “We couldn’t be coming in at a better time. It’s going to be exciting, and Seattle raised the bar for expansion teams, and we’re looking to try and raise the bar on them. I think it can be done here. It’s a very soccer knowledgeable area, and they’re craving another team outside of the hockey team.”
Apparently, it wasn’t a bad time to get out of Washington, either.
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