BY JOSE M. ROMERO
With all of the questions and criticism surrounding the Vancouver Whitecaps in the preseason about not having enough scoring punch, Shea Salinas was doing his best to help answer the critics.
Never known as a scorer, he has proved to be key when Vancouver has possession, a good "setup" player who can create chances for teammates at forward.
Salinas played a solid right wing in preseason games, going forward and using his speed to be an attacking threat for opponents. And he was fit, trying to make good on a promise he made to coach Teitur Thordarson to be the most fit player on the team.
Then, a knee injury in practice late last week that forced him out of the Cascadia Summit near Seattle. Salinas could miss the start of the MLS regular season. Even if he does, however, he's glad to be with the Whitecaps.
"I'm playing extremely confident, which is important," he said before his injury. "I'd say this has been one of my best preseasons so far, but preseason isn't a teller of exactly how your season's going to go."
The Whitecaps, an overall young team, will rely on Salinas' experience and ability. If anyone knows MLS, it's Salinas — he's on his third club in three years.
The 24-year-old Texan was with San Jose in 2009, then went to Philadelphia in the expansion draft after that season. Another November, another expansion draft last fall, and Salinas was off to Canada.
"Not tired of switching teams. My wife probably is," Salinas said. "But I'd like to find a home and I'd like to find a place where I can help the team win."
Salinas thinks Vancouver the city is "awesome."
"I love the coaching staff here, I love my teammates here," Salinas said. So I'm really excited to play this year."
When he is able to, that is.
Yeah, he really screwed up with Le Toux and Mwanga.
Nowak doesn’t know what he is doing when it comes to personnel
Part of the reason he was exposed was because he was/is constantly injured, and that has only continued in Vancouver.
Even before the Union jettisioned half of their team from last year, I thought it was a mistake to leave Salinas exposed in the expansion draft. Very flexible position wise, I thought he showed potential both as a outside midfielder or a fullback. And his goal against Houston last year was arguably the most impressive individual effort on any Union goal last year. I hope we don’t end up regretting this, but I don’t have a very good feeling about it.