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The latter role was one that Robinson — who replaced Rennie after Hurtado’s first season in blue and white — most often employed him. There were runs as a starter, mainly in 2014 and 2016, but most often Robinson looked to Hurtado as a player who could come on in the second half and inject some energy into the lineup.

“It was a tough job, never knowing when you were going to play,” Hurtado said about the role.

Robinson often spoke highly of Hurtado’s work ethic and of his willingness to accept being second choice so often, which other players might have bristled about.

It all came down to Hurtado’s hard work, which he said is just innate to him. Other athletes point to families or a coach as the reason why they are a grinder; Hurtado simply pointed to himself.

“That’s just how I am and how I’ve always been as a competitor. I’ve always pushed myself as hard as I can,” he said.

Robinson’s replacement Marc Dos Santos has a clear vision of where he wants his squad to be next year: One that focuses on ball possession, on making smart decisions under pressure, one that can play through-balls to speedy forwards.

The latter part of the approach might have suited Hurtado well. He wasn’t always on target with his scoring efforts, but there were some notably dramatic goals in the last few seasons from a player whose wild hair was often compared to that of Rufio, a character in the 1991 movie Hook.

Hurtado said he was intrigued by what he’d heard about the new coach, but also said he wasn’t surprised to find out the decision had been made to move him on.

“I’m just ready to show Kansas City what I’ve got,” he said.

But he also knows the first visit back to Vancouver with his new squad won’t be easy.

“When I come back, it’s going to be emotional,” he said. “I made a lot of friends there. Vancouver will always be special.”

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