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Maybe it was the sharp look or the now-familiar air of resilience, but when Jayden Nelson stepped up late in the penalty shootout on Saturday, he — and likely thousands of Vancouver Whitecaps fans — had no doubt he would score.
French World Cup champions Hugo Lloris stood no chance in goal – Nelson fired a textbook spot-kick that set up teammate Sebastian Berchter to score the winner against LEFC, securing a date with San Diego in the MLS conference final this Saturday.
“Halfway through extra time I had already chosen my spot,” Nelson admitted, “and I knew we were going to catch up. You know, Hugo Lloris is in the net, and I saw him in the 2022 World Cup, which is crazy, but I knew I had to take my time. You can see that it took me a while to hit my spot, just to be able to hit my spot, just to hit my ball.” I knew I was going to score.
Nielsen has always been a confident footballer, however he decided that he would leave Toronto FC in 2023 to join Rosenberg in Norway. This was not due to a lack of belief on the player’s part; More precisely, it was a lack of belief on the part of the club…another young Canadian was given away by TFC, only to see them excel elsewhere. Sound familiar?
Ironically, following a stint in Germany, Nelson will be reunited in Vancouver with two players who were also let go from TFC: midfielder Ali Ahmed and midfielder/defender Ralf Presso. Ahmed has become a star for his club and his country, while Persu’s development curve, much like Nelson’s, continues to evolve, and he is regarded as a key member of the squad and an example of the White Caps’ superior depth.
Nelson is still young at only 23, but he, like his teammates, has experienced the Canadian football builder. And you can bet that many times he, Ahmed and Persu have pondered the vagaries of professional football, and how three Toronto boys had to leave their hometown only to find themselves together on the West Coast.
“I don’t want to say redemption,” Nelson explains, “but you have your time, you know, and this is our time to take the bull by the horns and shine. And, you know, if it was necessary for us to leave our city to do that, then so be it. But right now is the time that’s left to us alone.”
Through this remarkable season for the Whitecaps, the Canadian soccer public has been reminded that Vancouver is truly the epicenter of the sport in this growing soccer nation. The history is there, of course, but now the ‘Caps have returned to the great heights of yesteryear, as the more than 53,000 fans at the BC venue last Saturday will attest. Nelson agrees, it’s surprising how dominant a season is in a team and its city.
“Coming from Germany and seeing where Vancouver was when I first got here, and seeing how the city was in terms of fans and support and how it is now,” Nelson said. “It’s a big change, you know, and it feels good to see that everyone is behind us and to see this is the biggest moment in Canadian history in terms of soccer, so it’s definitely huge.”
Away from home this Saturday, the Whitecaps will be challenged by host San Diego FC, of course. Competing for the title of the biggest expansion team in history, and led by the impressive leadership of Danish forward Anders Dreier, the pressure will be on the San Diego Whitecaps, especially on defense, with Vancouver’s Tristan Blackmon – the MLS Defender of the Year – suspended following a red card against LAFC and centre-back Belial injured. Once again, Jesper Sorensen’s side will be forced to reach their famous depths.
The club has been doing this all season – its resilience has become the stuff of legend, despite getting the better of old nemesis LAFC, despite playing with nine men, minutes counted. An LAFC that beat Vancouver in the last two games didn’t really affect the mentality of the team, as according to Nelson, there was nothing to influence.
“The mentality is the same, we’ve been in situations that we never thought we’d get out of, you know, and this is just another, another example of how strong this team is, and we can win in a lot of ways,” he said. “And yes, it’s the same mentality – we’re just going to go. We have injuries, yes, but it’s just the mentality of the next round.”
mentality That’s one word that gets thrown around when discussing these Vancouver Whitecaps. Is it Berhalter’s dip in the cold sea before the match, which allows him to direct himself, or is it what Thomas Müller has brought with him – “just another man in the room. With a World Cup trophy and with a light of Champions League and Bundesliga medals” – or is it the man who never brings, and the company never brings it, who never says with it. Happening in Vancouver, and there is a Canadian heartbeat.
