Dever Orgill is a familiar face in a preseason sea of hopeful newcomers hoping to earn a place on the Whitecaps MLS squad.
It's been two and a half years since the Jamaican was last part of the Whitecaps set up, but the Residency product, who made 15 appearances for the Caps in their USL/NASL days, is back at the club and a serious contender for a spot on Vancouver's MLS squad for the forthcoming season.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Orgill was an electric and an exciting talent for the Caps from his earliest Residency days. A handful for defences, he was also a handful for management with his questionable on-field temperament.
Like many players, the impetuousness and mistakes of youth have been replaced by a more mature approach to the game as he has got a little older. He's 22 now and settling down with his Vancouver fiancé and becoming a father have all helped, but taking some time away from the professional game here has also played a part.
And getting away from it he did, turning out for Division 2 VMSL team NVFC Campobasso last season, a third tier side in the local leagues.
When the Whitecaps released Orgill in July 2010, following a training ground clash with 'Big Z' Tsiskaridze, he decided to return to his native Jamaica and signed with St George's SC of the Jamaican National Premier League the following month.
Dever takes up the story:
<i>"Right after I got released in 2010, I went back to Jamaica. I wanted to get the national caps in. What happened was I signed for a club there and got stuck in a contract and had to wait out that contract for two years.
So when I came back, because I was in a contract, there was no way I could go professional at that time. I just had to play amateur, because if I had played professional I would have got in trouble for that.
I wanted to get the caps for the national team, which I did, so that's been accomplished."</i>
Dever made his full international debut for the Reggae Boyz in October 2010, aged just 20. He now has two caps to his name, to go with his honours at U20, U17 and U15 level.
With such a pedigree Orgill clearly stood out at VMSL level and his goals helped guide NVFC Campobasso to promotion to Division 1 and secured the BC Provincial 'B' Cup (regular AFTN readers will remember we <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/tags.php?tag=nvfc+campobasso" target="_blank">covered the team's run</a> last year).
It was a great season for Orgill personally.
<i>"Yeah it was. My idea was to help that team go to Division 1, which we did accomplish that as well."</i>
So contract issues aside, how did he end up going from playing internationally for Jamaica to the Vancouver Metro Soccer League?
<i>"What happened was a friend of mine played for that team and he asked me to come and join them. Which made sense because there's no point in me wanting to get back in soccer if I don't stay fit.
I played those games to keep fit and come back and play stuff like this, like getting back into the Whitecaps. So while I was out there waiting, I was playing and trying to prepare myself to get back into the professional environment."</i>
It's Dever's second training camp in the last few months. Towards the end of last year he headed east to Edmonton to try his hand at cracking the NASL side's squad, but it wasn't a trip that went well.
Is FC Edmonton still an option for him if it doesn't work out here, or is that off the table just now?
<i>"No. What happened was I was in Edmonton and things didn't work out. I got to that camp but I was injured though. It was a bad camp for me.
I thought I did well, but it wasn't good enough for the coaches I guess. Maybe if I was fit, it would have been a better trial."</i>
Shaking off that injury, he soon got a call from the Whitecaps to come into their preseason camp, and although he started the camp off still nursing the effects of his injury, he now seems to be in full flow, banging in two goals in yesterday's game against Trinity Western University, and is determined to make an impression amongst the Caps decision makers.
With the MLS season just around the corner, what is Orgill looking to get out of this camp with the Caps? Is it a MLS contract or would even a PDL one do for now?
<i>"Right at this point I'm looking towards the MLS contract because I believe I can play at that level and I think the coach has seen some of that or else they wouldn't bring me into this.
What I have to do is just keep doing what I do and scoring goals is what I do. If I keep doing that, I should be ok."</i>
There may be a more serious side to Orgill's game now, but he still knows how to have fun and stand out when he's playing, whether that be his bright yellow boots or his customary celebratory backflips when he scores.
Watching Dever against TWU, you could certainly see that old swagger back and he was clearly enjoying himself out there.
Is he enjoying his football more right now that perhaps he was a few years ago?
<i>"Right now I'm enjoying it more than I did. What happened was when I was out of soccer I really realised how much I missed it. That's where I want to be.
Professional soccer is what I always wanted to play so getting back into the environment and playing is more than wonderful for me."</i>
Having his countryman Darren Mattocks there with him has helped Orgill fit right in, with the pair often seen sharing a laugh and a joke at the end of training.
<i>"Darren Mattocks and me are a lot alike. He's a player I look up to as well. We're around the same age and stuff.
What Darren accomplished with the Whitecaps last year was really a heads up for me too. He's a very signature player, goalscorer and stuff like that.
We're from the same country. It's good to have him around. He kind of has me under his wings. We work together. If I get the chance to play with him, it would be great. I know him from back in Jamaica. He's a great goalscorer and everything.
For me right now, I'm just looking forward to maybe joining him if that's possible."</i>
We're certainly hoping it is and are rooting for Dever to secure another contract with the Caps. The man tasked with deciding Dever's future with the Whitecaps is, of course, Martin Rennie.
He's liked what he's seen so far, but is still cautious and needs to look at him a lot more before making any final decisions.
<i>"He's got a chance because he's in the group right now. He's done quite well today and today was only the second day that he's really been able to train because he was injured.
We'll maybe give him a bit more time, but today was good. A good day for him.
I think right now we just monitor it. You don't judge it on one game against Trinity Western, which is kind of second string, so we'll judge it over a little bit longer.
But he definitely deserves the chance."</i>
Whether Orgill makes the cut this time around or not, the Caps will still be keeping tabs on him and Rennie confirmed that the club do hold his MLS discovery rights.
Orgill should find himself on the upcoming trip to Charleston and Carolina. With five games scheduled, there should be some more opportunities for him to show Rennie what he can offer the team.
With speed, composure in front of goal and a great scoring record, we may have a Jamaican duo at the Whitecaps once again this season, and with the other speed merchants in the squad right now, that would be more than a handful for any MLS defence out there.
<p>