Vancouver’s Marcus Haber signed on with the Whitecaps today and there’ll be a story on him in tomorrow’s Big Paper. But he wasn’t the only Canadian content of note at Caps camp.
A pair of homegrown players with ties to Toronto FC were on hand at the Burnaby Sports Complex: defender Marco Reda and forward Joey Melo.
Reda (pictured) is the more well known of the pair, having played for TFC in 2007 and then spent last season in the USL-1 with Charleston. Actually, he was their captain, and they had his option year, so the fact he showed up this late into camp is a bit odd. Reda was too classy to comment on Wednesday but needless to say he found out late he wasn’t headed back there.
The Battery were 11-12-7 last season, good for fifth place. Reda, a native of Woodbridge, Ont., played 1730 minutes in 21 games, picking up one assist.
He was injured in Toronto and appeared only eight times in 2007, playing prior to that in top-flight leagues in Norway and Denmark.
The 31-year-old has been capped seven times for Canada, under Frank Yallop, but hasn’t been part of Dale Mitchell’s plans. His last appearance for Canada was against Martinique in Jan. 2008.
Mello is a Toronto native who signed a developmental contract there in 2007. Things went OK in his first season but he could sense a decline in interest last year and was released in December. He’s represented Canada at the U17, U18 and U20 levels though he hasn’t been part of the current U20 group.
Both will get a chance to play Friday as the Caps take on the Trinity Western Spartans in Burnaby (3 p.m.). Head coach Teitur Thordarson could take a decision on them as soon as this weekend.
Returnees Takashi Hirano, Lyle Martin and Charles Gbeke will be back in town by then but don’t expect them to play. Wesley Charles arrived this week too and was at training today.
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