VANCOUVER — When David Ousted makes his milestone start on Saturday, the man he succeeded in the Vancouver Whitecaps’ goal will there to see it.
Ousted will make his 100th MLS start, including playoffs, for Vancouver when the Whitecaps play the New England Revolution at B.C. Place Stadium.
Brad Knighton, the man Ousted replaced as the Whitecaps’ keeper in July of 2013, is now with the Revolution, as is former Vancouver midfielder Gershon Koffie.
"It’s going to be good to see those guys again," Ousted said this week after a training session. "For me, I’m proud I’ve played 100 games.
"It’s just not about being in there for 100 games, it’s being consistent and playing well for 100 games. That’s what I’m trying to do."
New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles currently leads MLS with 133 consecutive matches.
The Whitecaps return to action after a break in the MLS schedule due to the group stage of the Copa America tournament. Ousted also sat out Vancouver’s two-game defeat of the Ottawa Fury in the Amway Canadian Championship.
Ousted had made 15 straight starts this season, so the break allowed him to heal some bumps and bruises, plus helped him to refocus mentally.
"Physically you get knocks," said the 31-year-old from Greve, Denmark. "You get elbows and all that. Also it’s being mentally prepared."
At six-foot-four and 195 pounds, Ousted is agile and has strong leaping ability. During a game he is animated, barking out instructions to his teammates.
"David is a loud voice for sure," said centre back Tim Parker. "It’s a good thing to be have him behind you. It helps us out.
"He gives you directions. He lets you know what is going on around you, some things you can’t see or some things he is able to see quicker. You know he’s going to make a couple big saves for you and keep you in the games."
The Whitecaps are currently fourth in the MLS Western Conference with a 6-6-3 record. They are the only team in the conference above the playoff line that have scored less goals (23) than they have allowed (25).
Coach Carl Robinson has seen improvement after his team started the season 2-4-1.
"I’m pleased with quite a number of things," said Robinson. "I think we need to improve in a lot of areas. Individual mistakes have been a big problem of ours. We need to cut that out."
New England is eighth in the 10-team Eastern Conference with a 3-4-7 record. The Revolution also haven’t won on the road yet this season (0-3-3).
Robinson warned the Whitecaps can’t take the Revolution lightly.
"They are a good team," he said. "We keep talking about the East and West, which one is stronger. They have good players.
"You go through spells in the MLS season. It’s important when you go through a spell, when you are not winning as many games, you pick up points on the road. There is a fine line between winning and losing. Obviously they have drawn more games than they would have liked but they won’t be far away."
Parker sees similarities between Vancouver and New England.
"They have dangerous parts across the field," he said. "Obviously they haven’t had the start to the season they really wanted. I’m sure they are thinking this is a good opportunity to get on track."
Discipline has been a problem for Vancouver this season. The Whitecaps lead MLS with six red cards and 12 suspensions. They will play New England with captain Pedro Morales, striker Octavio Rivero and centre back Kendall Waston, who are all serving suspensions.
"We need to tidy up our discipline," said Robinson. "We are picking up stupid yellow cards and red cards.
"I’ve addressed that with the group. That needs to change. We need to be better physically sometimes in certain games and it would be nice to keep 11 men on the field."
The Whitecaps face a busy schedule.
After playing New England they travel to Toronto for the first game of their defence of the Amway Canadian Championship. That game is Tuesday at BMO Field. The Whitecaps then play in Philadelphia Saturday before returning home for the final match of the Amway series June 29.