THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps will have more offensive options available on Saturday as they look to improve their Major League Soccer road show against the New England Revolution.
Strikers Darren Mattocks and Etienne Barbara, who were sidelined with injuries at the outset of the season, both travelled with the team for the game in Foxboro, Mass., after making impressive debuts in Wednesday’s Amway Canadian Championship series-clinching win over Edmonton.
"Those players will be exciting players for this club," said Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie. "They give us a different dimension, and I think we’ll enjoy seeing them."
Mattocks and Barbara are in position to bolster a Vancouver team that has posted three straight league wins and five overall but struggled to score away from B.C. Place Stadium. The Whitecaps (5-2-2) have only scored three of their nine goals this season on the road.
Injury-riddled New England (3-6-0) has surrendered 12 goals to date — but only three at home.
Although Mattocks and Barbara were gone from the Whitecaps lineup and off fans’ radar, they were not forgotten, said Rennie.
"All along, we’ve known that those two guys are impact players — players with pace, great movement, can finish — and we’ve missed them all the way through the season up until now," said Rennie, whose club sports a 2-1-1 road record.
"No one else really probably thought about it, but we definitely knew that."
Mattocks, a 21-year-old native of Portmore, Jamaica, suffered burns to his shoulder and arm in a cooking accident at home in March. The former University of Akron star was Vancouver’s top choice, just second overall, in this year’s SuperDraft. Until recently, he could not partake in physical exercise, because sweat hampered the healing process, according to Rennie.
"Since getting better, I’ve been really working on my fitness," said Mattocks. "That’s the most important thing for me right now."
The five-foot-10 and 155-pound speedster made almost an immediate impact Wednesday as he subbed on in the 74th minute and scored an insurance goal in added time during Vancouver’s 3-1 comeback victory.
The strong offensive showing carried over from his two oustanding college seasons. In 2011, he finished second in NCAA scoring with 21 goals and four assists in 22 games with Akron, earning him Mid-Atlantic Conference player of the year and first team all-star honours.
The year before, he finished third in NCAA scoring with 18 goals and five assists while helping Akron win its first national championship in any sport. He was also named his conference’s newcomer of the year.
Since he plays soccer every day, the return to Vancouver’s lineup was easy after the burns healed sufficiently.
"This (cooking incident) is in the past," he said. "I’ve just gotta concentrate on building my team and moving forward."
Barbara, a 29-year-old native of Pieta, Malta, played for Rennie the past two seasons with Carolina RailHawks of the second-tier North American Soccer League, where he scored 20 goals and aded 12 assists in 27 regular-season games in 2011 and was named the circuit’s most valuable player. The Whitecaps acquired his MLS rights in a January trade from the Montreal Impact for Vancouver’s 2012 supplemental draft pick Gienir Garcia.
However, Barbara was sidelined by a sports hernia linked to a groin injury that has bothered him over the past decade. Although he has recovered to the point where he can play, the injury will still require ongoing exercises designed to strengthen the area.
"I’m happy to be back on the field — finally," said Barbara.
His happiness showed Wednesday after he came on in the 85th minute, made a strong run with the ball and drew a penalty kick. He was unlucky not to score as his shot hit goalkeeper David Monsalve’s hand and then struck the post and bounced away.
Barbara said the run leading up to the penalty kick immediately elevated his confidence level. Now, he’s hoping to make more contributions in league action.
"My personal goal is to get fitter, get healthier and get my game going again," he said.
Before coming to North America, Barbara spent the first 10 years of his pro career with five teams in the Maltese Premier League, and played two seasons in the German Regionalliga West with Sportclub Verl. English Premier League club Sheffield Wednesday gave him a tryout after his tenure, but opted not to sign him.
He described himself as a player who lives to score goals.
"I’d rather have a bad game and score goals than have a good game and not score goals," he said.
Barbara does not expect to start against the Revolution, but hopes to "find some minutes." With the late surge against Edmonton, the Whitecaps displayed the offensive finish that Rennie has been seeking much of the season.
But a strong start to the game will also be important. The Whitecaps have only scored three first-half goals in league play.
While Mattocks and Barbara’s availability poses some tough decisions for Rennie against New England, it also creates some long-term implications. Vancouver now has a surplus of talented forwards who will face tougher battles for playing time.
"It’s going to make things even more interesting," said Barbara.
Notes–Vancouver striker Atiba Harris, bothered by a bruised thigh, did not make the trip. … New England will play without defender Flo Lechner (fractured foot), midfielders Ryan Guy (calf) and Sainey Nyassi (hamstring), and strikers Zak Boggs (ankle), Jose Moreno (calf), and Jeremiah White (concussion). … This is the lone meeting between the teams this season. The Whitecaps recorded a draw and a loss against New England last season. In the memorable tie, Vancouver striker Eric Hassli was ejected after he scored on a penalty kick, threw his jersey into the crowd, and earn his second yellow card of the game.