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  • After impressing against Dallas, Whitecap Christian Dean admits rookie season "has been a little difficult time but it's a learning process"


    Michael Mccoll

    "I had no doubts about throwing him in at all," Robinson told us about Dean's start at the weekend. "People sort of said it was a big risk for me to throw him in away at Dallas but every decision you make is a risk and it was one that I had always planned. I had planned to do it earlier on in the season when we went away to Chicago, to play him. Unfortunately something had happened so I couldn't and this was the chance for him and I think he did very well and coped very well and he should be proud of his performance."

    Dean's first MLS start came in his home state. His family live in Houston but they couldn't make it out for this one, but his birth mum's best friends were at the game which was made the whole experience even nicer for him.

    Saturday may have been Dean's first MLS start as a Whitecap but he had previously started both of Vancouver’s Canadian Championship semi-final matches against Toronto in May, and made three substitute appearances in MLS prior to the Dallas game, for a combined total of 33 minutes.

    Despite the lack of top level experience, Robinson felt that Dean coped admirably and liked the aerial presence and the aggressive nature of the partnership he formed with new signing Kendall Waston, telling TSN 1410 radio after the game, "by the looks of them, they could be a fantastic partnership.". Having watched the game tape once again, Robinson was still full of praise for his rookie centreback at training yesterday.

    "He did very well," Robinson told reporters. "I thought he started the game, not a little bit nervously but a little bit cautious. I think he grew into the game. He tried to play offside once or twice on his own and I said to him we don't do that, there's no need to do that with your pace. Little bits of details that he will get during games and from playing regular. I was very pleased with him."

    Dean and Waston certainly looked to be a promising partnership for the Whitecaps for the future. A little raw and both have aspects of their defensive game that they need to work on, but the double aerial threat they provide in the opposition's penalty box would give many a defence some sleepless nights.

    For Dean's part, he enjoyed playing alongside Waston and is already a big fan of the Costa Rican's play.

    "Unbelievable. The guys a monster!" Dean told us. "But also he's solid on the ball, in possession and defensively. I'm learning from him as well because he's big and athletic like I am and watching him play these past couple of games, I've learned things from him. Just playing with him showed me that I'm capable of playing with him and it's also really fun. He's a great player."

    Waiting for his first MLS start, never mind some serious minutes, has been understandably frustrating for Dean. As a college player, he was used to starting and did so in all 55 of his appearances for the California Golden Bears in his three years in NCAA. To go from being one of the first names down of the teamsheet, to seldom even getting on the bench has taken some getting used to for the player.

    "It's been a little difficult, honestly," Dean admitted. "It's the first time really in my life actually that I've never started a game, so this has been a little difficult time but it's a learning process. Even if I mature here and make it over to Europe one day, I'm probably not going to start there some games so I have to be ready for that, so I think doing that here has kind of matured me in a way that has made me ready for what comes in the future."

    Frustration, disappointment and impatience is natural for every rookie wanting to start establishing himself in the pro ranks, but those feelings won't have been helped by watching his former Golden Bears teammate, and fellow centreback, Steven Birnbaum play 15 games and 1350 minutes for DC United in MLS this year.

    But rather than sit back and complain about his lot, Dean has knuckled down in training, using the experience of his good friend to spur him on to his own success and impress the Whitecaps coaching staff, and he is delighted to see what Birnbaum has achieved with DC this season.

    "Steve is one of my best friends in the world," Dean said. "He taught me how to play centreback. It's unbelievable to see what he's done. He's come in and he's kept his spot. For me, I'm just trying to learn and I still have a lot to learn. It's something that'll come eventually. I'm just happy for the guys that have gotten all the starts."

    This is certainly a learning year for Dean in many aspects, but he's come to a club with a lot of experience in the centreback position in the form of veterans O'Brien and DeMerit, two players who have played at the top level of the game. Both have taught him a lot, as have all the centrebacks in Vancouver at the moment, so what does Dean feel have been the biggest aspects of his learning curve after his move from NCAA to MLS?

    "I've learned a whole lot positionally-wise. Mentally, a lot," Dean told us about his transition from college to pro football. "The mental jump is huge coming here, especially watching [O'Brien and DeMerit] and watching them play. Even from Johnny and Carlyle who both have international experience. I think mentally it's just been a huge jump for me."

    With so many ahead of him in the competitive centreback pecking order in Vancouver right now, Dean knows that he has to show well in training to continue to be in and around the gameday squad. Athleticism and skill aside, another aspect that he has going for him is his versatility and ability to play in the left back role if required. It's something Dean is aware of, but his goal is to be marshaling that centre of the defence.

    "I have full back in my repertoire," Dean acknowledged. "It's what I played Freshman and Sophomore year, and high school. It's something I can do but I'm trying to transition to centreback and learn the position as much as possible. If need be I'll play left back. If they need me to play, I'll player wherever, if they want me to play goalie! It's just something that most likely I'd like to play centreback."

    Despite Dean doing well against Dallas, O'Brien should be back in the starting eleven to partner Waston for Vancouver against Portland on Saturday in the big Cascadian derby. With playoff points on the line, it's a match that Dean would love to play in, whether this one or sometime soon.

    "If I get the opportunity to play in Portland, I'm going to take full advantage of it," Dean said. "It's something that would be very exciting, it's a rivalry game. Cascadia Cup means a lot to our fans and a lot to us. It would be insane to play in that stadium with all their fans yelling at you and screaming at you. It would be fun."



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