Going into preseason training camp, Vancouver Whitecaps still have some clear needs to be addressed. Up until the weekend, one of the biggest was the right back slot.
With no right backs signed and camp due to get underway yesterday, it was looking a little worrying.
The Caps' knew how vital it was to find someone with experience to replace the now retired YP Lee and they secured the services of the highly rated Steven Beitashour from San Jose Earthquakes for nothing more than allocation money, with head coach Carl Robinson describing him as <i>"arguably the best right back in the League"</i>.
That piece of the puzzle in place, the search is still on for a back up for the right back position and one player who hopes to impress in the next five weeks and stake a claim to a MLS roster spot is trialist Jordan Cyrus.
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The University of Maryland alumni may not be a familiar name to most, but the Whitecaps know a lot about the player after he had a week's trial with the club in October. They liked what they saw and invited him back for a longer look.
What every team would love to have from a right back is a player who can defend strongly but also have an attacking edge, with both speed on the wing and an ability to create and/or find the back of the net.
Starting off his career as a much lauded striker, Cyrus offers the Whitecaps a potent attacking option up that right wing.
Born in Monterrey, California but growing up in Norfolk, Virginia, Cyrus played his high school football for the Norfolk Academy Bulldogs and finished his time there as their all-time leading goalscorer with 122 goals. During his five years at the school the Bulldogs had an amazing record of 100 wins and only 5 losses.
He was named in the ESPN Rise Magazine All-American First Team and won a slew of honours, including becoming a two-time NSCAA All-American.
He played in the USSDA with Virginia Rush U18s before making the move to the Maryland Terrapins in 2009, under Canadian head coach Sasho Cirovski, where he made eight appearances in his Freshman year, starting one game.
An injury in his sophomore year saw him red shirted and sitting out most of the season, playing only 71 minutes in two games late in the year.
He repeated his sophomore season in 2011, and playing mainly as a sub he grabbed three assists and his first NCAA goal against West Virginia in the second round of the postseason tournament.
Maryland made an interesting switch in his Junior year and moved Cyrus to the right back role for 2012.
Cyrus explained how that move came about.
<i>"When I was playing as a striker I didn't get the looks I was wanting to. A couple of guys passed me over. Patrick Mullins, who's playing for the Revolution right now, is a great player and he kind of jumped me.
"Then one of my friends, Taylor Kemp, got hurt so they needed a back to fill in so I stepped up, I started playing well and then I took it from there and kept playing."</i>
And playing well. Cyrus made 23 appearances (15 starts) and scored two goals and provided three assists, as he became a key figure in a tight Terrapins defence.
Hoping to build on that in his Senior year last season, Cyrus never got the chance. Despite being previously redshirted, the NCAA refused him permission to play a fifth year for Maryland due to the two appearances he made in that ill-fated first sophomore season.
It was a decision that only came to light in the summer, frustrating both the school and the player.
<i>"Something happened in the office, I'm not really sure what happened, but the process got kind of messed up so I wasn't able to play my fifth year, but I was healthy.
"So this year I've kind of been out of it, working out by myself. I came up here for a week, trained a little bit but now I'm healthy and ready to play and start my professional career."</i>
With the absence of his senior year at Maryland there was confusion as to what that would mean for Cyrus in terms of the MLS SuperDraft.
<i>"I really didn't get to that point. I wasn't really sure how that was going to work. I was planning on trying to go into the draft but I talked to Vancouver around September/October and they liked me the way I played last year so they invited me out for a week to train with them.
"I did well here, so now I'm invited back, so that's how that worked out.
"I'm happy I didn't have to go through all the whole draft process and had a team before everything."</i>
Before heading to Vancouver in the fall, Cyrus admits that he <i>"didn't know anything"</i> about the city, but he soon made sure he found out.
<i>"When I came up here I did a little bit of exploring. I explored a little bit downtown, I really don't know the history of the city still, but I really enjoyed the sights. My girlfriend and I took a little trip down a little while ago, do a little shopping and stuff.
"It's a lovely place, pretty cool and I'm really excited to be here."</i>
He may have excelled in both attack and defence in his young footballing career to date, but Cyrus is clear as to what position he is looking at for a future with the Whitecaps.
<i>"I'm hoping to play right back here."</i>
Coming to a club like Vancouver, knowing that the back up spot is available, what does Cyrus feel he has to do in the training camp to prove that he's the right man to fill it?
<i>"I feel that I have to get fit enough to where I can play 90 minutes. I have to make sure I'm technically clean, but I have to make sure that I'm confident on the ball. I think the more that I play, the more I get used to this level of play I think I'll be more confident and ready to step up to that back up spot."</i>
So how did he find his first day in a MLS preseason camp?
<i>"I felt it was a little new, a little bit different to what I'm used to, but it was a good experience and a good little segway into the preseason."</i>
A MLS contract aside, Cyrus also has established goals from the camp.
<i>"I'm hoping to get used to the speed of play and kind of assert myself as a good player and get better as a player in the preseason and get myself right for the season coming up."</i>
It's going to be a tough camp for all the rookies and all the hopefuls. Spots are at a premium as always, but all the players know that if they can stand out and constantly perform at a high level, they will be given a shot.
The Whitecaps definitely need more right back coverage. As it stands, Cyrus and South African PDL player Ethen Sampson are the only other two right backs in the camp. Cyrus being a domestic may also count in his favour.
Carl Robinson may decide he wants more experience in there as cover for Beitashour, especially with the Iranian international hoping to be heading to Brazil with his national team in the summer and likely to miss several weeks as a result.
There may also still be room for another depth defender, either on the MLS roster or loaned out to Charleston Battery to develop further.
From what he's already shown in day one of this year's camp Jordan Cyrus certainly has a good chance at making the squad if he can keep up the same level of consistency for what will be a gruelling five weeks.
That gruelling aspect may not phase him. His coach at Maryland <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/wp/2013/08/16/maryland-terrapins-lose-two-key-players/" target="_blank">describes Cyrus</a> as <i>"a tireless worker and a tremendous leader on and off the field"</i>
Firmly focussed and with the right attitude and work ethic, he's going to be an interesting one to watch.
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