When a player uproots everything to move to a new club, settling in with his new teammates isn't his only concern. All the logistical concerns with moving are intensified with the rapid nature of the global soccer world.
For the Vancouver Whitecaps this offseason, there was a lot of practice at getting that part of the equation right.
With 14 players arriving from outside the club, turnover rivaled only by expansion side FC Cincinnati this offseason, the Whitecaps' backroom staff worked tirelessly to ensure the new players had a smooth transition to the club.
“You can’t really piece out one little bit and say, ‘That’s the most challenging part’ because it’s all part of a whole," Joe Jesseau, Vancouver Whitecaps Head of Player Relations and Administration, told J.J. Adams of The Province. "I think the challenge is in the juggling, the fact that there are so many balls in the air. Underneath that, to get that player to a point where their family is moved, they’re settled, where they call this place home, you take joy in that.”
What exactly goes into these jobs? Well, Adams speaks with Jesseau and other staff members to get the full story of a wild offseason.
Read J.J. Adams' full piece on how the Whitecaps' backroom staff aided in the club's roster overhaul
