VANCOUVER, B.C. - Sebastian Fernandez may have grabbed the headlines with two goals in the Vancouver Whitecaps' 2-0 win over Dallas on Saturday, but perhaps most encouraging for the club’s postseason push was the play of midfielder Mauro Rosales.
Rosales picked up the assist on both Vancouver goals and dominated the middle of the park, showing why ‘Caps head coach Carl Robinson brought him to Vancouver in August.
"I thought it was his best game since he's been here, and I think sometimes we’re very lucky to have him," Robinson said. "I wanted to get him off a little bit earlier but he was enjoying the game so much. He said 'five minutes,' and I let five minutes go, and he said 'another five minutes,' and then another. He was excellent. His technical ability is second to none and he had a massive influence on the game."
Rosales, 33, played 82 minutes on Saturday, his second-longest outing since coming to Vancouver. Robinson has managed the veteran's minutes so far in an attempt to keep him free from fatigue down the stretch and that, along with some rest at training, reaped its reward against Dallas.
"I was feeling very good and obviously trying to help the team," Rosales said. "Probably I was a little selfish in trying to stay in the team, knowing that we had a lot of good players on the bench. I felt very well just playing with them and enjoying it.
"I was doing my best for the team. This was the reason, not trying to be selfish and not let the other ones play. It's part of my work to try and keep getting better and I hope that I can just build better performances like I did today."
Rosales has already made a significant impact to Vancouver, both on and off the pitch, since joining the team from Chivas USA. He has three assists in eight appearances and his work at training with Vancouver's young strikers is starting to see some results, especially in his connection with Erik Hurtado.
"This is what I want,” Rosales said. “To be in a position to help the team. To raise the team in any levels and help them. This is what I do."
