By Canadian Press

Second time’s the charm: Aly Ghazal eager to help Whitecaps’ playoff push

Aug 17, 2017 | 2:45 PM

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps wanted to bring Aly Ghazal to Major League Soccer over the winter before he eventually settled on a move to China. When the midfielder’s stay in Asia lasted just six months, both the club and player were happy to circle back and make a deal.

The Whitecaps announced the signing of the 25-year-old Egyptian last Thursday, making Vancouver his third stop since January after transferring from C.D. Nacional in Portugal to China’s Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng FC.

“I knew (the Whitecaps) tried to get me before I went to China, but money talks, especially for the Portuguese clubs,” Ghazal said after training with his new teammates earlier this week. “It was difficult to come here before.”

It was also difficult for him find playing time in the Chinese Super League after a rule change reduced the number of foreigners allowed to suit up in games, relegating Ghazal to second-team and Cup competitions.

“I don’t regret (going to China),” he said. “I get a good experience from everything. The move to China was good for me, not so much in football, but around football I learned a lot in these six months.

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“I will do my best to earn my position and help the team.”

Ghazal’s arrival came just days before fellow defensive midfielder Matias Laba tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Vancouver’s weekend road loss to the New England Revolution, a devastating injury that will rule the Argentine out until next spring.

Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson didn’t deny he’d previously looked at Ghazal, adding his arrival slightly lessens the blow of losing “arguably our best player” in Laba.

“He’s a big, strong boy,” said Robinson. “He’s comfortable on the ball, he breaks plays up, he can pass, he can get forward.

“He will compliment what we’ve got already.”

Andrew Jacobson subbed on after Laba went down, and while both he and Russell Teibert are in the midfield mix in the short term, it’s pretty clear the six-foot-two, 195-pound Ghazal — who played five seasons at Nacional and was the first Egyptian to be named the permanent captain at a European club — will be asked to fill the void left by Laba once he’s match fit.

When that will be is another question with the Whitecaps set to embark on a stretch of three games in eight days, beginning Saturday at home against the Houston Dynamo.

“If Mati doesn’t get injured, there’s no immediate rush,” said Robinson, who used targeted allocation money to sign Ghazal after he parted ways with his Chinese club in July. “One thing I won’t do is I won’t rush him. It’s important he’s fit when he plays because we’ll see the best of Aly.”

The Whitecaps are currently a point out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but have at least two games in hand on all but one of the teams above them in the standings. Houston, meanwhile, sits in a three-way tie for first, six points up on the Whitecaps.

Vancouver also acquired defender Aaron Maund from Real Salt Lake prior to the close of last week’s transfer window, an addition that should help solidify a centre of defence that was relatively thin with Kendall Waston, Tim Parker and Jacobson, when needed.

“He’s a good lad,” said Robinson, who dealt Christian Dean to the Chicago Fire to make way for Maund. “He’s very calm, he’s good on the ball, and he’s got good leadership qualities.”

Real’s defender of the year in 2015, Maund made 13 MLS appearances this season, including 12 starts.

“Sad to leave Salt Lake, but really excited for the opportunity,” said the 26-year-old from Dorchester, Mass. “All good things come to an end. It’s a crazy business.”

But while Maund will no doubt see action, the move for the versatile Ghazal, who can also play in defence, stands as the more crucial acquisition at the point, especially with Laba’s biting midfield presence on the shelf.

“It was very good for me to have a new adventure,” said Ghazal. “You have big supporters behind you, you have a nice stadium, you have the best city in the world, as they say, so it was everything for me.

“It was perfect to come here.”

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Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press