Posted by

Harjeet Johal ,

February 19, 2015

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Mauro Rosales

VANCOUVER, B.C - Mauro Rosales is a prominent player in the current structure of the Vancouver Whitecaps roster. The 33 year-old playmaking winger joined the Vancouver Whitecaps last season after being acquired from Chivas USA on August 21. Rosales helped deliver a boost to the Whitecaps offense as the club was able to make a successful run in earning an eventual MLS playoff spot.



The former Ajax man re-signed with Vancouver during the offseason and is now preparing to play his first full season with the Whitecaps. Rosales's terrific vision and passing abilities allow him to be a brilliant setup man for all his teammates around him. When he is off the pitch, Mauro is leading by example and showing younger Whitecaps players what it takes to be a professional football player day in and day out.



Mauro Rosales is the latest MLS player to be featured in the Red Nation Online Interview Series.



RedNation Online: What sort of things are you and your teammates working on during preseason?



Mauro Rosales: Preseason fitness and trying to get everybody on the same page. Just working hard, concentration, and just trying to be okay with the ball. Passing, making drills, and also combinations is going to give us the chance to build good offensive plays. Obviously keeping the ball and possession in small spaces is something that we are looking for and trying to get better at.



RNO: As a veteran MLS player, would you maybe prefer to skip the preseason and just go right to playing MLS season matches?



Mauro Rosales: (Laughs) I’m not that way because if I'm not going to do the preseason I will not be good during the season. I have to do it, I have to do the hard part of the work. It's just two months. I have to do what I need to do to get better and to perform in the best way when the season arrives.



RNO: How are new players like Octavio Rivero fitting in with the club?



Mauro Rosales: They are fitting in very good. They didn't know that it was that tough to play and train. They are getting used to training, the hard work that we are doing and they will be very good for the season.



RNO: You turn Thirty-Four next Tuesday. Are you feeling physically fit, strong and in shape?



Mauro Rosales: Yeah, I am. I'm feeling fit and I'm doing what I have to do to not lose all my strength (by) just being next to the guys, and training hard with them. Training with guys we have that are nineteen and twenty years-old makes me feel younger. I keep running and training with the mentality of getting better all the time. Even if I'm thirty-four, I believe that I can still learn from them, I can still learn from the coaches, I can go forward and keep moving.



RNO: The Whitecaps have MLS, Amway Canadian Championship and CONCACAF Champions League matches this year. How many matches do you think you can play in?



Mauro Rosales: I will play as much as I can. I would love to play every single game, but I know that it's going to be hard because of the trips and the traveling that we have, it's a long distance. I hope my body can help me out and stay healthy. I'm just trying to do my best in every game that I have an opportunity.



RNO: You were talking to Coach Carl Robinson and your teammates during a training discussion today. Are you comfortable being a veteran leadership provider on this team?



Mauro Rosales: Yeah, we try to be helpful in all aspects, not just with the staff, but also with the young guys. We're trying to teach some of the stuff that we are learning and how they are developing during the season. We are looking forward to getting better every single day. Also, I try to do my best for the young guys just to let them (know) how good it is to be a professional player, to be in a team like the Whitecaps. They provide everything to just think about soccer and have a successful career.



RNO: With a lot of potential and a lot young exciting players on this team, can the Whitecaps contend with the likes of the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders and top teams in the Western Conference?



Mauro Rosales: We know they are difficult to play against with the potential teams that they have, but we are ready to battle against anybody. We are ready to battle with our team because we feel confidence with our qualities, for what we have as a team, and we are working every single day to get better. We have confidence to do our job and to face any kind of teams. They have strong experienced players, in those teams you named and we just want to be in the same level. In the field you are eleven against eleven, so that's what we will have to do.



RNO: Are there any concerns from you and your teammates about a potential CBA strike and MLS work stoppage?



Mauro Rosales: I don't know. We are all together to try to do what is best for the players, what is best for the league and we are following every single step and trying to be calm and wait for the resolution as fast as possible.