Posted by

Harjeet Johal ,

January 25, 2015 Twitter

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VANCOUVER, B.C. - The Vancouver Whitecaps introduced their trio of offseason acquisitions on a rainy Friday afternoon in Vancouver. Central defenders Diego Rodriguez, Pa-Modou Kah, and striker Octavio Rivero all took time to speak to the media and offer up their impressions and thoughts on joining the Vancouver Whitecaps organization.



Kah and Rodriguez have replaced the departed Andy O'Brien and Johnny Leveron as both players did not fit into the Caps plans for this coming season. Kendall Waston will have a new centre-back partner and it's expected that 24 year-old Rodriguez and 34 year-old Kah will battle to start alongside the Costa Rican when the Whitecaps season starts on Saturday, March 7 against Toronto FC. The Gambia born and Norwegian international, Kah talked about what interested him in signing with Vancouver.



"Playing against the Whitecaps and seeing the potential that they have, that for me was a no-brainer. The coaching staff they have, and the coach they have, was just for me a no-brainer. It's just wonderful because they have a lot of potential and I hope the team will grow."



Kekuta Manneh will be a friendly face to Kah as both players were born in Gambia, but took very different paths to arrive in MLS. Kah referred to Manneh as his "little brother", but that's not the only prior connection he has to the Vancouver Whitecaps organization.



"It's always nice when you have also your patriot who is also on the team, but I also have Marius Rovde the goalkeeper coach. Everybody has been openly nice to me, so as an organization I think Vancouver is tremendous. I'm just looking forward to helping on the pitch."



It would be foolish for Carl Robinson and his coaching staff to make promises about of playing time to Kah or any other Whitecaps player. It remains to be seen how Kah will fit into the Whitecaps back-four that was ever so stingy defensively last season. Kah was guarded when talking about playing time.



"That's between me and the coach. I've never seen a soccer player who doesn't want to be a starter. For me that's the same, I want to be a starter and I will do my best to start."



Diego Rodriguez will want to start on opening night just as much as Waston, and Kah as he could very much be a diamond in the rough for Carl Robinson. The former Malaga CF man was teammates with current Whitecaps skipper Pedro Morales during the 2012-2013 campaign. Although he did not earn any first team minutes in La Liga, Rodriguez was an important player for B-side Atlético Malagueño. The Montevideo, Uruguay native, spoke about his new exciting one year-loan opportunity with the Whitecaps.



"My main reasons for coming here were mainly because of the club. It's a club that's moving in the right direction and also because of MLS and the opportunities and growth that the league has seen over the last little while."



Having a coach like Carl Robinson who has a lengthy track record as a former footballer was a key reason for Rodriguez making the move to MLS. It also helps to have a coach like Carl Robinson who instantly instills confidence in his players and will always back his boys to the hilt.



"First off he's a great person and mainly him being an ex player, he's a footballer. He knows how to relate to players and the confidence he has shown in myself. I'm really hoping that I can repay that confidence with performances on the field."



With the way Rodriguez describes himself, Whitecaps fans are sure to enjoy his talents this season.



"I'm a player that's comfortable with the ball at his feet, I'm good in the air, I'm aggressive and I'll play until the final ball and until the final whistle."



The Whitecaps up and down offense last season could be a thing of the past with Uruguayan striker Octavio Rivero now in the fold. Rivero spent last season playing for Chilean club O'Higgins where he scored 10 goals in 16 matches. Rivero was cautious in describing his abilities and seems to prefer to do his talking on the pitch.



"It's not up for me to decide. That really comes down to you guys and my performances on the field are going to dictate the kind of player that I am."



Rivero who turned 23 years-old on Saturday earned the name "Cabeza" while playing in his home country because of all his goals scored via the header. Rivero wasn't about to predict how many goals he hopes to score or how he plans to find the net for the Whitecaps.



"Anywhere I go I'm going to try and score goals. I can't really guarantee anything, but I'm looking forward to giving my all and getting to work."



The dynamic trio that the Vancouver Whitecaps unveiled aren't household names just yet. However, given sometime to acclimate themselves during preseason and early on in March, Rodriguez, Rivero and Kah could be just what the Vancouver Whitecaps need as they strive for a 2015 home playoff fixture.



Notes: The Vancouver Whitecaps fitness testing and preseason training will begin on Monday at the University of British Colombia.