The 2012 PDL season wasn't a great one for Vancouver Whitecaps.
The U23 side was mainly a mix of Residency prospects and some local college talent, with the odd MLS player dropping in and out to bolster numbers.
The endeavours of the Caps U18 side in USSDA action hit the squad hard on occasions and the U23s ended up missing the playoffs. But it wasn't all doom and gloom.
One of the shining lights of the season was the captain of the side, Gagan Dosanjh. The current CIS MVP has impressed many and his hard work is set to be rewarded with a week's trial with FC Edmonton.
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It wasn't the first time Dosanjh had worn a Whitecaps jersey.
After a successful and promising youth career with Abbotsford, Gagan spent the 2006-07 season in Germany on loan to Energie Cottbus. His play was already standing out and in 2007 he was called up to the Canadian U17 team.
Later that year Dosanjh became one of the 18 handpicked players to make up the first Whitecaps Residency squad, making several trips to Europe to take on overseas opposition.
The head coach of the Residency at that time, Thomas Niendorf, was high on Dosanjh, and said of his talent, <a href="http://www.abbynews.com/sports/Dosanjh_loving_life_with_Caps.html" target="_blank"><i>"With him, it's just a matter of time"</i></a>.
Joining UBC in 2010, Gagan scored a team leading nine goals in his rookie season, as the Thunderbirds made it to the national final before losing 1-0 to York. His sophomore season didn't fare as well with just two goals, before he bounced back to his best with some of the form of his life last year.
And that form was on display as he returned to the Whitecaps to captain the PDL side for the 2012 season. After a slow start in the first couple of games, he quickly found his feet and was soon putting in standout performances.
He ended the season with four goals and four assists from his 15 appearances, and those of us who had watched him over the short season immediately put him down as one to keep a close eye on.
Gagan went back to UBC and had another impressive year for the Thunderbirds, captaining them to an unbeaten season and on to the Finals in Quebec City, where he lifted the Championship trophy with the team's <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?3917-2012-CIS-Mens-Soccer-National-Championshp" target="_blank">1-0 final win over Cape Breton</a>.
Dosanjh was a key player throughout UBC's season, leading by example with 17 goals and 10 assists in the Thunderbirds' 19 games, a performance which saw him become the Canada West Player of the Year and named the MVP of CIS Finals week.
UBC head coach, Mike Mosher, is only too aware of what Dosanjh brings to his team, as he told us last week.
<i>"Obviously he's got his abilities on the ball. He's such a dynamic player. He's our leading scorer, but i think maybe above all he's all of 5 foot 5 and all of 135lbs, whatever he is, but he doesn't give an inch and he works as hard or harder than anybody else out there, so he brings those attributes of a leader."</i>
And does he feel that Dosanjh has what it takes to make a go of it in the professional game and move up to the next level?
<i>"Yeah i think he does, I think he does. He's got terrific abilities and it's just a matter of the spots where he would play and getting an opportunity in the right spot and then getting his foot in the door there and moving on, but I do think he does have the ability to move to another level."</i>
Last week saw Dosanjh with another chance to show the Whitecaps management what kind of a player they had available to them, and the UBC captain had a strong game, with an assist on the first goal, as the Thunderbirds ran out 3-0 winners.
It was a great team win, but Dosanjh also knew that a game like that was the perfect chance for him personally to further show the Whitecaps that he has what it takes to play at a higher level.
<i>"It's definitely important. These are always opportunities to show what you are capable of."</i> Dosanjh told AFTN after the game.
<i>"Every time you play a side like the Whitecaps it's an opportunity to showcase yourself a little bit. You want to perform and do the best of your abilities. I think that's what we all strived to do today."</i>
But before Whitecaps fans get too excited about the prospect of seeing Gagan back in action with the club, he hasn't made any firm decisions as to where the next stage of his footballing career may take him. Returning to PDL action with the Caps is still a possibility though.
<i>"I'm not 100% sure of my plans yet for the summer, but it's definitely been talked there. If it fits right, then you could see me back, yeah."</i>
Dosanjh may not have finalised his plans for the summer yet, but whether he heads back to the Caps or not, he is a player that is still very much on Martin Rennie's radar.
<i>"He came in and trained with us last year at the end of the PDL season and he did well, and we know that he's done really well last season in college.
It was nice to see him out there. He played well and was very lively. Great work rate, great work ethic, so he's definitely someone that we have to keep an eye on."</i>
But Rennie and the Caps are not the only ones keeping an eye on Dosanjh.
Another opportunity may be on the horizon, with a chance for Gagan to join his former Abbotsford Soccer Association head coach Colin Miller in Edmonton.
UBC coach Mosher explained, the pair will be reunited when Edmonton come to Vancouver for a week of pre-season training at the end of this month.
<i>"There's been some conversations with Edmonton. He's going to train with them. They're coming out here shortly and he's going to train with them for a week and get a look.
Colin Miller's very good and Colin knows Gagan very, very well and he helped to develop him out of the Abbotsford club years ago."</i>
Dosanjh is in his third year at UBC and still has college eligibility left and years of school if he chooses to continue with that route, but with the standout footballing year he has had, he now has a number of options which need careful consideration.
Is a career in the game even something that Gagan is looking for right now?
<i>"I've always had a dream to play professional football. I haven't lost that dream at all. Right now I'm playing with UBC and as you can see, it's a fantastic side. So I look at it as another step in the right direction. Hopefully from here we can keep building and keep building my career. If not, I've got a fantastic education at a fantastic school."</i>
If Dosanjh impresses Edmonton during his trial, he would return to UBC to finish up the school year before heading to Alberta for the remainder of the season.
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