Stuart Armstrong had a big decision to make regarding his future this past summer and it lead to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The 32-year-old Scottish international was officially announced early Tuesday morning and at noon was unveiled to the media after training. Armstrong also got to train with his new teammates for the first time but not fully. He spent the morning jogging around the field of the UBC National Soccer Development Centre. He was jogging with fellow new signing Edier Ocampo and Sam Adekugbe.
The former Dundee United, Celtic and Southampton midfielder wore the Whitecaps colours for the first time and spoke to the media with head coach Vanni Sartini and Sporting Director and CEO Axel Schuster.
Coming to the Whitecaps was a big change
Soccer and life in general are full of changes. They can be small changes or big changes. For the Whitecaps new Designated Player, it was a big change to leave the UK behind and move halfway across the world.
“The first bit of awareness I had of Vancouver’s interest was from Gaudie (Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld), and then obviously from Axel, which we spoke at length about the club and the city and the package as a whole,”said Armstrong. “Then, it took some time for me to discuss with my own family and have some internal thoughts. Obviously, it’s a big change in terms of my life and my family and being far away from grandparents and everything like that. So yeah, it took a bit of time from those initial conversations.”
Armstrong held discussions with his wife and put his three month old daughter in mind when making the move to Vancouver.
“There was no problem on the sporting side,” said Schuster on Armstrong’s transfer. “I want to say thank you to his wife because they have a three month old kid and she is still working on her career. I think that she was also I felt had the feeling that we’ve also had to convince her to do this move so I want to say thank you here to her for for letting this happen.”
Schuster also added that he and Armstrong met in France, not Scotland. The Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director crashed Armstrong’s family vacation in France to convince him to come to Vancouver and ate an Italian restaurant with the player.
“Having a daughter so recently, even in that short space of time there’s been a lot of movement,” said Armstrong. “Obviously my end of time in Southampton, moving back to Scotland, not knowing our future, having the Euros, so in her young life she’s done a lot of traveling for a baby. She’s got more stamps in the passport than I do. That was a huge part and that’s what we tried to relate to Axel when we met him. It’s not only a decision for me in a football perspective, but it’s also a family decision.”
On the pitch with the Whitecaps
Armstrong stated he was fit but not match fit. However, there is a chance that he comes off the bench when the Whitecaps host FC Dallas at BC Place this Saturday.
“Hopefully, I can bring transitional play from back to front and connect the midfield to the forward line,” said Armstrong when asked about what he brings to the club. “Hopefully, I can chip in with some creativity and some goals and assists too.”
“I consider Stewart a good offensive midfielder,” said Sartini. “So I think his natural position, if you can call it a natural position, I like to see him as an eight when we have the ball and to help us progress in the ball forward and to give us a lot of things…So he can also help manage the tempo sometimes when we have the ball and everything.”
Sartini also stated that while he sees Armstrong as an eight, there could be times where he plays on the flanks or higher up the pitch. Armstrong has played those positions in the past.
The desire to come to MLS
MLS is growing but it is still seen as a “retirement league” by many soccer fans overseas.
“I think the perception is slowly changing away from that,” said Armstrong on MLS being called a retirement league. “I’m looking forward to experiencing for myself and getting a true understanding of the league. As I said every player I’ve spoken to has played over here speaks very highly of it and also that it’s quite demanding physically too.”
North American football and a new football culture will be something Armstrong will learn about once he gets suited up with the Whitecaps.
“I’m excited, that was part of my decision to come to MLS,” said Armstrong on the culture of football in North America, Canada and Vancouver compared to the UK. “It’s something completely new. I’m used to UK style of football…At some point in my career, even as a young player, I always wanted to explore playing abroad. I never knew it would be this far but I’m very excited.”
Time to get to work
The Whitecaps have nine matches to go in the regular season. With Armstrong now in the fold, the fight to finish in the top four is on. Vancouver has games in hand with the teams surrounding them and just sit one point behind the fourth place Colorado Rapids. However, their 41 points in just one point above three times including the Seattle Sounders who sit in eighth, one of the two play-in positions.
There is the Canadian Championship Final on September 25 against Toronto FC as well.
“It’s very exciting, I think it’s not often you come to a club and they’re in a cup final three weeks away,” said Armstrong in a scrum after his press conference. “I’m pretty fortunate to hopefully be a part of that and contribute there.”
It’s crunch time for the Whitecaps and Armstrong could very well be that missing piece Schuster was looking for.
“I think that overall, the whole transfer window for us was a good one,” said Schuster. “Now we have to go back to work and get the best out of it.”