Nerwinski getting restless on sidelines
Jake Nerwinski will watch a lot of soccer this weekend — and we’re not talking Champions League.
The Vancouver Whitecaps’ sophomore fullback watched his team’s 3-3 tie with the New England Revolution from the players’ box — and will be spending plenty of time breaking down the Major League Soccer game on film afterward.
It’s been a dichotomic season for the second-year right back as he started the first seven games of the MLS campaign before getting stapled to the bench for the next five.
He got back on the field for the third and final game of the condensed three-games-in-eight-days schedule against FC Dallas May 19 and had another workmanlike outing, recording the third-most touches, tying for a teamhigh three clearances and was third only to Kei Kamara and Jose Aja in aerial battles won.
But he gave way to the more experienced Sean Franklin again Saturday.
“It’s very tough,” said the six-foot, 175-pounder. “It’s a mental game. You have to be ready when your name is called, but game after game when you’re not playing, you kind of get upset a bit because you want to be out there.
“We’re not here to make money to sit on the bench. We’re here to play — I want to play ... It was good to get back out Saturday (May 19) and hopefully I can get in the lineup more.”
Nerwinski has been solid this season. Of Whitecaps with at least 700 minutes played, he’s the sixth-highest rated on the team. And the New Jersey native — who signed a contract extension in February — is value for money like his opposite number, left-back Brett Levis. The two youngsters are the lowest-paid firstteam players with Nerwinski’s US$71,625 salary just a little more than Levis’ $70,750.
The 23-year-old will be the first to say he has plenty of room in his game to grow. His defensive positioning still needs polishing and he can be crossed up by smaller, quicksilver-type attackers, but his straight-line speed on the flanks is tailor-made for the Caps’ style of play.
“I’m not as happy with how I’m playing,” said Nerwinski. “It’s different; you come in your first year, and you don’t really have any expectations, so you’re kind of playing free.
“And I had a pretty good year last year, so that kind of stays in the back of your head that you need to perform at the same level — or even better, really. So I guess that’s been tough for mesofar.
“Honestly, it’s all-round play. My defensive positioning, reading the play more and I think my quality of crosses when I get forward need to get better. I think that’s what I really need to improve on because that’s my game. That’s what I can bring to the table, that’s what I can bring to the team and I think I can improve on that.”
The Caps have given up 16 goals in the seven games he has sat — they gave up 11 in Ner- winski’s first seven starts — with plenty of blame to be shared for the breakdowns and miscommunications that led to several soft goals.
In his rookie year that saw him start 19 regular-season matches and all three playoff games, Nerwinski had five assists, good for second among MLS rookies on the year and third among MLS defenders. It was why he was named the Caps’ most promising player in 2017.
This year, he’s stood his ground against some of the league’s best attacking players like Montreal’s Ignacio Piatti, who is second in dribbles per game (4.5), and Houston’s Alberth Elis, who’s right behind in fourth (6.3). But Franklin has risen in Carl Robinson’s favour as the Caps coach has elected for the veteran’s experience, savvy defending and attacking ability.
Robinson also cited the second year being the hardest for young players and wanted to ease the burden on his young right back.
“He said it was a little mix of everything,” Nerwinski said of his conversations with the head coach. “After the first seven games, he said he wanted to give me a little bit of a break. I thought Sean has been playing well and that’s what he’s been telling me and he doesn’t like to switch up the back four very often.
“I’m in that second year, where I’m not playing at my best, and I think that’s what is going on right now.”