-Vancouver
The 'Caps returned to training today in East Vancouver after a weekend that could only be rated as a success after coming away with a draw against Portland, and a hard fought victory against Seattle. Practice is practice, and not really the most exciting thing to sit though and watch, so forgive me if you find these insights to be benign. In an effort to get the inside scoop on what's really going on sometimes it is all just a matter of collecting as many observations as my notepad can handle. So bear with me.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Russell Teibert - continued to shine with his intensity and ball control. It really is pretty incredible to watch him track up and down the field and maintain his consistency for the duration of a training session.
Nizar Khalfan - We got a glimpse of his new found desire to score from anywhere on the pitch, when he smashed a ball into the net from distance against Seattle over the weekend. While the goal didn't count it was still a very impressive to those of us who are highly skeptical of every move these guys make. He continued the trend today by burying just about every ball that came his way in the final third of the pitch.
Davide Chuimiento - Still not back to full health, but the team announced after today's training session that he has just signed a contract, and had been added to the roster effective immediately. The club gave fans a bit of insight into this signing earlier in the week with the announcement of their new DP Eric Hassli. It would be hard to see the club not signing a player after they make it public that they went to him for input on a potential signing. He stated that it took a little weight off his shoulders finally letting it be known that he is on the roster and not actually still trying out for the team. If this trend holds true, you can expect to hear Mouloud Akloul's signing soon, he has been featured on the websites countdown promotion today.
Jay Nolly - He lost a contact, it took a while to get it back in there. I realize that it seems really silly to mention this but team captain Jay DeMerit injured his eye in a similar manner and there was the potential for it to ruin his career.
Jay DeMerit - Captain! Our Captain! Took a knock to the face towards the end of practice, immediately called to the trainer and got the old tampon in the nose treatment and went back to talking shit to the rest of the guys about how great his team was in the scrimmage.
Atiba Harris - I'm sorry but, really, he can't hit the broadside of a barn. I'm not saying it to be mean, he can't finish. I have honestly never seen a guy miss so many shots from in close. He did hit the crossbar at one point but that's still not in the net right...
Cornelius Stewart - Honestly, I don't know what this guys deal is, he almost always seems to run into positions where he's taken out of the play. Disappointing, as I had him pegged as one of the players from last season's USSF D2 squad who would make this year's team.
Mouloud Akloul - Got his stretch on for the majority of the training session and did a couple sprints. It was good to see him finally with a pair of boots on and back in good spirits.
And other than Davide's contract announcement, the only real excitement today was that the club announced it has released an additional 2,500 tickets for the home opener — which, they are expecting to sell out pretty quickly since the last release sold in less than 24 hours. I know for a fact that even the most casual of fans, some that I am friends with, pounced on this new release and had their tickets purchased by 3:00pm. If you are looking to take advantage of this release you might want to get on this asap.