The addition of Mauro Rosales to Vancouver Whitecaps' roster in August, in a swap with Chivas USA for Nigel Reo-Coker, added an instant spark to their midfield, and his contributions both on and off the field played an important part in the Whitecaps' solid end to the season that saw them secure a playoff spot.
And Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson made it clear early on this offseason that they were keen to renegotiate a new deal to keep the veteran midfielder at the club, with his contract about to enter an option year. That new contract was officially announced on Tuesday morning, and Rosales will once again wear the white and blue of Vancouver next season.
"I'm very excited to sign for the club again for next year," Rosales told reporters in a conference call from Argentina on Tuesday afternoon. "I had other options but always knowing what I had here in Vancouver. I spent my last three months with them, and I know what I'm going to face.
"I don't want to be in a place that I may have an uncertain future. I'm not going to know what's going to happen at another club. Everything that Vancouver gave me in the last three months was more than I could expect from the other teams that I had offers."
Rosales has just finished his fourth season in MLS, and with a return of 12 goals and 45 assists from his 118 regular season appearances, the Argentine was in demand both within the league and elsewhere.
"I had offers but also teams that wanted to know my situation," Rosales said. "They wanted to know how things were going with Vancouver. They were waiting for me to start something, but I also had offers from outside of the country, in my country, and I had a few options in other leagues.
"I don't just think about the money. I'm just trying to be in a team that I feel very happy [in]. Vancouver was one of them, and that's it. My mind pointed me to being in a place where you're going to be happy, and Vancouver is the one."
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Rosales will turn 34 before the start of next season, and his veteran presence and leadership within Vancouver's squad were all contributing factors as to why Robinson was keen to see him back at the club.
The Argentine's work with the Whitecaps' younger players was regularly praised last season and coaching looks to be in Rosales' long-term plans, possibly in Vancouver. For now, though, he is just fully focused on the playing side.
"I'm at an age that I can be a player for two, three more years and then I decide what I am going to do," Rosales said. "I'm just 100-percent mentally prepared to play because I have enough to give on the field. I want to be a player for a long time, and I think ahead of me I have three more good years. I wanted to still feel that I can play and that I'm a soccer player.
"I'm not thinking about the future. Not just in Vancouver, I had offers from a few other teams to just join the team, and I had [offers] as a coach or with their academy. I still feel that I'm a 100-percent player."
