| PREGAME SUMMARY: |
|---|
| 2019 MLS Preseason presented by Advocare |
| V-Varen Nagasaki vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC |
| Aloha Stadium | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Saturday, Feb. 9 - 1:15 AM ET |
| Stream: PacificRimCup.com |
Vancouver Whitecaps FC have escaped a snowstorm in British Columbia, as they have traveled to Hawaii as part of Preseason presented by Advocare to participate in the Pacific Rim Cup, with their first game in the tournament coming late Friday night/Saturday morning in continental time.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The Whitecaps are certainly a new-look side, with new manager Marc Dos Santos and a roster in the process of being remade.
Dos Santos hinted that there are two forwards on the way in a recent interview, and could one of those players be former Whitecaps attacker Fredy Montero? He said it was "possible."
"We have a lot of fresh faces, so we need some that have MLS experience, so one of them is going to have MLS experience, and the other one is going to be a new face," he told TSN1040 in Hawaii.
V-Varen Nagasaki
V-Varen are currently in the J2-League, after being relegated in the 2018 season. Founded in 2005, the club played in the regional leagues until winning promotion to the second tier in 2012. They were promoted into the top flight for the first time last season, but their stay in the J-League lasted just the one campaign. They'll look to make a quick jump back up to the first division following the upcoming 2019 J2-League season.
The club has had one player in the past who had previous ties to MLS, in midfielder Kohei Yamada, a 2012 Supplemental Draft pick by the Colorado Rapids who joined V-Varen Nagasaki after being waived during the 2012 season. He stayed with Nagasaki until 2014, when he moved on to another Japanese team.
