Last year the first two goalkeeper spots on the Whitecaps depth chart were set in stone, with both players getting the chance to be the number one. By the end of the season it was clear that the club were losing faith in their third choice keeper, Brian Sylvestre, after a couple of bad performances in reserve games.
The American U20 international was unsurprisingly released in November and this preseason they've turned to a familiar face to fill that third keeper role with the return of Simon Thomas, former Residency alum and backup in the Caps' Division 2 days.
Thomas first returned in the summer, just to train, and made an impression right away on the new coaching team, even if the thought of returning to Vancouver was not on his mind.
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<i>"It was more of a training thing, keeping myself fit for trials back over in Europe and North America but coming back to the old club was great as they were very welcoming by training with the coaches and staff."</i>
A lot has changed in Vancouver since he's been gone and Thomas has definitely noticed the differences between his days with the USL Whitecaps and the current team in MLS.
<i>"There are many more resources available to the boys. With all the staff around everything is monitored and every single player throughout the roster is looked after. It's a bit different training wise but every coach has different ways on how he wants to conduct practice. There is a better quality of player and a lot of emphasis has been put on being better athletes and taking care of your body."</i>
Coming out of the Residency program in 2008, Simon Thomas spent most of the time behind Jay Nolly on the bench, only appearing for 12 minutes as a late game sub against Crystal Palace Baltimore in 2010. Despite not getting much game time, the young keeper felt he learned a lot behind Nolly in his early days as a professional.
<i>"He was a good keeper to learn from because it gave both of us something to strive for. He was older but I felt like I learned the game with him because he was still learning the game as well and we were both hungry for the spot.
He was a class act with me, always pushing me on and having so much support for me. When I came on (as a sub) he told someone on the bench 'It has been a long time coming for me to get on the field.' It was just the way Jay was."</i>
Going into MLS for the 2011 season, the Whitecaps decided to go with the athletic but raw Brian Sylvestre, which meant that Thomas had to find a new club. It was a decision which surprised many.
In the winter of 2011 he signed with English League One side Huddersfield Town, a move which proved to be a great learning experience for the player.
<i>"It was the best thing for me as I couldn't have asked for a better experience from them. The speed of the play, the way the players think the game through. There was no choice but to adapt and you had to continue to learn which helped you pick up the different things about the game like defending and organization. Just the little tricks which helped change my game massively."</i>
There was no single person that helped Thomas in his year and a half in England, but more a group that supported him in his education of the keeper position.
<i>"The goalkeeper coach was good for me but we had two older keepers who had played in the Premier League in Ian Bennett and Nick Colgan. They were able to pass on wisdom as they were both veterans but had two different styles of goalkeeping, so it was great to learn from as you can see how both conducted themselves in training everyday. In addition Alex Smithies, being an English U21, it was great to work with him because we played a similar style which allowed me to put myself in situations he was in and learn from it."</i>
His return to Canada seems to have put Simon in a better position with the national team. The young keeper earned himself his first senior international cap when he recently came on at the half for an injured Lars Hirschfeld. An exciting time for any young footballer.
<i>"The Denmark match was brilliant. There wasn't much pressure coming in at halftime as a sub. It gave me a lot of confidence going into the game with the United States."</i>
With Hirschfeld still injured, Thomas moved up the roster and started the next game where he picked up a cleansheet against a dangerous, MLS filled United States side. Thomas felt the game against the Danes helped them in preparing for the Americans.
<i>"Denmark are a very skilled side but I think we relaxed defensively on a couple of the goals. They had decent finishers and it seemed they were able to find the net on that day. The match against the Danes made us young players realize that this was a higher level of movement out there. We knew we needed to be sharper defensively for the next match against the States."</i>
Some have felt that the move back to North America will not only help his pro career but also his international one, making him more visible to the national coaches. This will not be a factor for Thomas however if he decides to sign with the Whitecaps.
<i>"I would assume it would help with being over here with a MLS side, being the top league in North America. I hadn't given it too much thought as it was more about finding the right fit with a club for me."</i>
While there hasn't been any official announcement the Caps look interested in signing Thomas, especially when you consider the only other keeper in camp besides Cannon and Knighton is Residency keeper Sean Melvin and there were no keepers selected from college.
After a year and a half it seems like the club will fix the error they made and bring the Canadian keeper home. In return they will be getting a more experienced player and one that will certainly push to not just be seen as the number three at the club. It's a great position for the Whitecaps to be in.
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