It appears that Martin Rennie is not prepared to give the fans an off-season of relaxation, already making moves and leaving room for acquisitions before pre-season begins in January.
Thankfully, one of the players likely to return in 2013 is midfielder, Jun Marques Davidson. I’m especially thankful for this since we did this interview before he left for Nepal, and I didn’t think it would be right for me to make up answers on his behalf!
Like every <i>'Nightcap With A Whitecap'</i>, we begin by discussing favourite nightcaps.
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<i>To be honest, I drink whatever everyone else is drinking. If everyone says “beer, beer, beer,” then I’ll drink beer. If everyone said “wine, wine, wine,” I’ll drink wine.</i>
What if everyone said "Jaeger Bomb"?
<i>I’ll say "Jaeger Bomb!" *laughs*
I like light beer, or I like wine, white wine, more than I like beer, but I have to start off light before I can get into something like jaeger bombs, or scotch or whiskey.</i>
Who would you say is your favorite Whitecap?
<i>I have to say Matty [Watson].</i>
Why?
<i>I know him better than anyone else. I played with him in Carolina. He’s very laid-back and easy going, and I’m the same way. We are both very chill. When people go out, there are two types: those who like to go out clubbing, or those who go to a quiet bar with friends and just chill; I’m that kind of guy. I just like to hang out with the guys and talk. Matty is like that too.
On the field, I like his game. We’re very similar. He helps the team and he’s hardworking. I give him a lot, A LOT, of credit when he’s playing, and I feel like not enough people give him credit.</i>
Who of the guys that you have never played with before, were you super impressed with this year?
<i>I like Alain [Rochat]. I think he has a very good mind for soccer. He understands the game a lot. I really love playing with Alain, Nano [Nanchoff], Matty, and Gershon [Koffie]. </i>
When did you know you wanted to be a soccer player?
<i>When I started. From that first day, that was the only thing that I wanted to do. I didn’t think about it too much, I had just decided that I was going to play soccer for my job. That was in third grade.</i>
So, 9 or 10 year old Jun already knew he was going to be a soccer player?
<i>In Japan, there’s an essay that you have to write about your dreams, what you want to be when you get older. A lot of guys say they want to be a professional baseball player, or a cop, or a fireman, I wrote that I wanted to become a soccer player. That was in the third or fourth grade as well.
Dreams come true I guess. Growing up I wanted to play somewhere in Europe, but I’m very fortunate that I get to play soccer, and that it’s my job.</i>
So, how did you find yourself in Vancouver?
<i>Well, I had been playing in Carolina, and I received an email from [Martin] Rennie saying he had just signed with the Whitecaps, and he wanted to make me part of the team. So my first thought was, "Oh, that would be pretty cool. I could play in the MLS". I played in First Division in Japan, so it would be nice to play somewhere else in the First Division.
I told him that yeah, I would consider going there. That’s how we started negotiations with the team. I didn’t think about what kind of team it was, or how they finished.</i>
You weren’t worried about joining the last-place team in the MLS?
<i>I didn’t know that the Whitecaps were last place last season; I didn’t really do a lot of research.
I don’t know if I’m weird or not, but I don’t think about that stuff. As long as the team, or the coach, needs me, and I feel like I should belong on the team, then I want to be there.
I don’t care if the team has the worst record, or the best record. Of course, you want to go to the team that always wins, but…</i>
What made you decide to make the move from Japan to Carolina?
<i>It came about through a mutual friend, between Martin and me. One of my friends knew Martin, so when I told him that I was thinking about going overseas to play, and have a new experience, he said, "I know a guy who coaches in North Carolina, great team, great facility, why don’t you send him an email?"
So I started talking with Martin, and he asked to see some of the games I had played in Japan. He thought I was a good player, and he wanted to bring me in.</i>
Were your parents sad that you were moving?
<i>Yeah, they’re always sad whenever I move further away, but they’re very supportive, so they try not to show it. It’s very obvious for their son to see that they’re trying to hide it; they aren’t very good at acting, and hiding their feelings.
So yeah, they were sad, but my mom is a person who loves to travel and see new stuff, so she was pretty excited.</i>
Did they come to visit?
<i>They didn’t come to Carolina, no. They came to Vancouver though and they loved it. I told them to come in August; I didn’t tell them to come during January when it’s raining!</i>
And are they buying a vacation home?
<i>They were thinking about it. *laughs* It’s so nice here. There’s nature, downtown, everything around here.</i>
Other than the city itself, what was your best experience of the season?
<i>Playing at BC Place, for sure. I think the stadium is beautiful, and the atmosphere is great. Whenever there’s a big game, against Seattle or Portland, it’s so packed. I feel very blessed and happy to be there.
Maybe I would say the opening game against Montreal, I won’t forget that.
I felt that the game would decide for fans who I was as a player. People didn’t know me, they thought, "Who is this guy? Martin brought him in because he knew him. Can he adapt?" I’m sure they all had questions, so I wanted to make a statement in that first game, because I always feel that the first impression is everything.</i>
So you felt that pressure, like maybe people thought you didn’t deserve to be here?
<i>I think that’s a fair thought from people who support the team. I had never played in MLS, they had probably never seen me play in Japan or Carolina. So there would be a lot of questions about me – “Can he handle the pressure of the league?” and all that.</i>
Do you think you handled it?
<i>Yes, I do. And I try to not care about those outside voices, or listen too much to the media. There are always both sides, people saying good stuff and people saying bad things. </i>
Speaking of bad things, what was your worst moment of the season?
<i>Maybe towards the end of the season when I was on the bench, because I really wanted to help the team, especially in the playoffs. As a player, you always want to play every game, but the coaches make the decision of which eleven players will play. I wasn’t one of the eleven, but I was still there to support the team. It was disappointing to me, as a player, but I’m happy for the team that we made the playoffs.
As for one single moment, I have to say, that game that we played in Salt Lake, when Darren gave me a pass, and I took a shot, but I hit the post. That could have been a winning goal, and it was the time of the season when it was very important. If I could have scored that, maybe the rest of the season could have changed.
When you think about it, that would be the game that I, well, I don’t regret it, but I wish [the ball] could have gone in.</i>
That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.
<i>I told Matty and he said the same thing. But, well, that’s what I thought after the game. I don’t think about it every day. I’m not out at a club, thinking “THAT GAME!” but I do think about it.</i>
Now that you have some time off, to think about other things, what are you planning for the off-season?
<i>I’m going to Nepal for a missionary trip. I will be playing soccer, and playing with kids. I’m going through Ambassadors in Sport. It’s a sport ministry group. I think Martin Rennie is going, and there will be other guys from the MLS. I was invited, though I have to pay for it myself, but they asked if I was interested in going and I said “Yeah!”
Then I’m going to stay there for some extra time afterward to explore. Then I’m going to Thailand for another missions trip. I was invited to that as well. Then I’m spending Christmas and New Years in Japan with my Parents.
Then back to Vancouver for pre-season.
I try to find a country or a place to go to in the off-season. It’s nice to take some time off and just enjoy myself.</i>
A well deserved vacation after this season. Have you started putting together your goals for next season yet?
<i>Obviously, try to play as many games as possible. Try to help the team win. I don’t really have a personal goal, I just want to help the team win and achieve what the team wants. If we set a goal of "We’re going to win the Canadian Cup" then I want to help do that.
If we decide to go further in the playoffs then I want to help the team do that. As a player, I just want to be healthy throughout the year and try to play every game.</i>
And you’re enjoying your time in Vancouver so far?
<i>Oh yeah, the people are great. I don’t really mind the rain. Personally, I like snow, rain, sunny days. I like seasons. Also, there are so many sushi restaurants.</i>
What’s your sushi order?
<i>I have to get salmon nigiri. Salmon is my favorite. Or, bring me any rolls and I’ll eat them.</i>
This lead to a 20 minute discussion of sushi… I’ll spare you the details. Though I did learn some proper pronunciation, so I can now order sushi like a boss.
Let’s get this conversation back on track… Other than BC Place, what would you say is your favorite stadium to play in?
<i>I would have to say Seattle, just because of the atmosphere, and the amount of people that show up for the game.
I love playing away games. A lot of booing, a lot of trash talking, I love that environment.</i>
That doesn’t bother you at all?
<i>No. I just think about beating them. I love it when their fans become silent, like they’ve given up. You’ve broken their hearts.</i>
Do a lot of players feel that way?
<i>I don’t know. I think a lot of players feel that way. People don’t think I’m very emotional, since I don’t show my emotions on the pitch, but I feel so good when we’re playing an away game, and their fans are so quiet, because they know that we’ve gone out and beaten them, in their own stadium.
I don’t need to say "shhhhh" and make them mad, I like to just win and quietly go home. That makes them even more angry.</i>
How about when you’re playing at BC Place? Can you hear the cheers, or just the noise?
<i>I hear the noise, but not really the chants. I have a lot more to watch and hear and think about while I’m playing than listening to the actual words of what’s being said.
In my position I have to see pretty much everything, what they’re doing, what we’re trying to do.</i>
What do you think is the strongest part of the Whitecaps game right now?
<i>The team effort. It made us really strong. We had a lot of attacking players, but they also contributed a lot on the defense. When there’s a clean sheet, they give the credit to the goaltenders and the defenders, but it’s not just about that, it’s about attackers who can also defend and make the job easier on the rest of us.</i>
What do you think needs work for next year?
<i>Attacking variations. Imagination. I think we could improve big time, since we’ll hopefully have a similar team next year and we took this year to develop the chemistry. In our second year, and third year together, we’ll know what we want from each other and how to play together.</i>
So you’re excited about next year?
<i>I’m sure people will have a higher expectation of me for next season, and people will want more and more from the team, and the players. So I want to put pressure on myself, a good pressure, because I want to show more, and I want to play much better.</i>
Any final thoughts on your first season in Vancouver?
<i>I just want to give a big, big thanks to the people of Vancouver, especially the people who support the Whitecaps. I feel like I’m at home, and I think that’s the reason that I was able to give a good performance throughout the season, because you feel like you’re at home and it makes you feel very comfortable and very confident. That’s important for players who are new to the team, and so many of us were new this year.</i>
Jun is now off to Nepal, but I look forward to seeing him take the field in 2013 and will sit tight, with the rest of the fans, and wait to see who’s going to be joining him.
Happy Holidays, AFTN Canada fans, see you next year!
xx.
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