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For Vancouver Whitecaps owner Ryan Gauld, long days are a thing of the past.
The 26-year-old Scot spent seven years in Portugal, where six-hour bus rides were out of the ordinary.
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“You would do it the day before a game. You’ll exercise early and finish early. Then the bus left the stadium at 11 a. m. m. , for two hours and then avoided somewhere for lunch. Then another 4 hours,” he said after Tuesday’s Whitecaps practice. at its exercise center at the University of British Columbia. Campus.
Like a circle trip of relatives.
There is no comparison between buses and planes, even if flying is a little more complicated at the beginning and end.
“It’s more comfortable to be on the plane than on the bus. So I’m definitely more of a fan of flying,” Gauld confirmed.
However, a long adventure is a long adventure. And the Whitecaps more than any other team in Major League Soccer.
Thankfully, the Caps don’t have long trips this season, but four of their next six games are away from home, a stretch that can make or break their playoff hopes.
Saturday
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. LA Galaxy
7 p. m. , Dignity Health Sports Park. Television: TSN. Radio: AM 730.
They play in Los Angeles this weekend, then in Salt Lake City, San Jose and Colorado in 3 of the next few weeks.
None of those flights are especially long, but two of the four warring parties along the way play in high-altitude cities, which, like humidity, is something for traveling teams.
“I think it’s the hardest league in the world to win outside. That’s what I think,” Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said.
In the past, it was a major disadvantage for the team, while maximum flights were allowed through advertising airlines, with only a handful of charter flights allowed through Major League Soccer regulations according to the season.
Two examples from the 2019 season attest to this: an eight-day series in April where the Whitecaps played on a Friday in Chicago, a Wednesday in Vancouver and the following Saturday in Orlando, Florida; or the week of May when they played in Kansas City on Saturday, they had to fly to New Jersey to face the Red Bulls in midweek, and then at home to play in Dallas the following Saturday.
That last one saw the Caps cancel their Kansas City-Newark flight before the league arrived and booked them an overnight charter flight that didn’t take them to the Big Apple until 3 a. m. Their return flight was via Seattle, but the one-way match was delayed, meaning the team missed its connecting flight to Vancouver from SeaTac Airport.
The team was able to electronically book the players on an upcoming flight to Vancouver, but the team staff eventually returned home across the border.
These kinds of nightmares are a thing of the past, at least for the time of the pandemic.
Due to COVID-19, MLS groups have flown on charter flights, and for a team like the Caps, that’s made a huge difference.
“To be honest, with COVID, they’ve taken a big step forward. For us. Just for us. Just for the team,” Sartini said.
So, the Whitecaps, underlined.
“Because through the letter for each and every game. And so it’s much less difficult than before,” he continued. to make publicity trips”.
The 1-1 draw in Nashville in late July came just four days after the Caps won the Canadian championship at home. In the past, once they gave up on their celebrations, they spent a long day flying to Nashville, with a connection somewhere, probably in Chicago.
You see, there are no direct flights from Vancouver to Nashville.
But with a charter flight, where seats are more comfortable, with more legroom and nonstop, competitiveness is mitigated, Sartini explained.
“It’s less difficult to win now than in 2019, but it’s still very difficult,” he said.
The six Whitecaps who tested positive last week for COVID-19 remained absent from education on Tuesday, but Sartini hoped 3 or 4 could return to education on Wednesday, assuming they tested negative on follow-up. PCR tests. ” If they come back, everyone will be smart on Thursday,” he said, before touching metaphorical wood. . . Forward Tosaint Ricketts trained only on Tuesday, and the team only called him one day of maintenance.
pjohnston@postmedia. com
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