Whitecaps hoping veteran midfielder Andrew Jacobson brings a calming influence

VANCOUVER – Andrew Jacobson admired the Vancouver Whitecaps from afar. Now he can help steady the club after a stumbling start to 2016.

Vancouver acquired the 30-year-old midfielder in a trade with New York City FC last week, a couple of days before the Whitecaps suffered a second straight defeat to open the Major League Soccer schedule.

Jacobson — who wasn’t with his new teammates for that 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City — played four years with rival FC Dallas before joining New York last season. He knows what Vancouver has to offer.

“It’s a well-balanced team,” Jacobson said this week. “It’s a possession-based team.

“If you come out to press there’s a lot of speed to get in behind you. I think we can hurt people in a lot of different ways.”

The opposite has been true through two games, thanks to some critical mistakes, with Vancouver losing 3-2 at home to the Montreal Impact before that setback against K.C.

Defensive lapses on the backline and naive play all over the pitch have cost the Whitecaps dearly. Matias Laba is a rock in the centre of the defensive midfield, but who lines up beside the Argentine has been a bit of a question mark.

Vancouver traded Gershon Koffie to the New England Revolution before the season, while Russell Teibert is injured. That leaves Kianz Froese and Deybi Flores, both just 19, to split starting duties.

Froese, a Canadian international, did well against Montreal and was subbed on for Flores at halftime against Sporting after the Honduran had a difficult opening 45 minutes, including a giveaway that led to K.C.’s first goal.

It’s unclear whether the six-foot-two 185-pound Jacobson will play this weekend when Vancouver visits the Seattle Sounders, who also have two losses through two games. But his new teammates are eager to see what Jacobson brings.

“He’s a good soccer player, he’s a leader and he’s maybe that missing piece we need in midfield,” said Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted. “Having that calming presence is hopefully going to help us.”

Vancouver head coach Carl Robinson likes to make it clear he doesn’t want to put up barriers to impede the progress of his younger players. He stressed Jacobson’s addition shouldn’t be viewed in that light when it comes to Froese and Flores.

“They’ve got to earn that right to be in the team,” said Robinson, who sent targeted allocation money the other way in the deal with New York. “Experience like (Jacobson) brings will help these guys.

“He’s calm, he’s confident … he’ll bring a lot to the table for us.”

A soft-spoken native of Palo Alto, Calif., with 174 MLS appearances under his belt, Jacobson was eager to return to the West Coast before the trade and is happy he wound up in Vancouver.

“(The Whitecaps) have a great reputation amongst players inside the league,” he said. “The coach has a great reputation.

“It’s a place players want to be.”

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