Featured Player: Joel Bailey
whitecapsfc.com
As one of several forward/midfield options in Bob Lilley’s side, Vancouver Whitecaps FC striker Joel Bailey is hoping to make a regular contribution this season.
Though he has yet to score his first goal for the club at this stage, the 27-year-old has been a positive influence in helping the defending USL-1 champions to the top of the standings after eight games played.
With three starts and four substitute appearances under his belt this season, Bailey has been unfortunate not to sit alongside the likes of Eddy Sebrango and Joey Gjertsen in the club’s goalscoring list so far. Yet, a trip to Montreal on Friday evening may bring an ironic change in fortunes for the Trinidad & Tobago native.
It was from the Quebec-based club that Bailey made the move west to Vancouver this year, having spent the last three seasons with the Impact before Montreal head coach Nick De Santis opted not to retain the striker for the 2007 season. Despite the prospect of facing some of his former teammates, Bailey is only concerned with helping his current team claim a result. “I’d been there for three years and I have a lot of good friends there,” Bailey told whitecapsfc.com. “I’m looking forward to being back in the city for a bit, but as far as playing, I’m just going to do my job. It’s a big game because they’re on our heels for the top spot, so we’ve got to go over there and get the job done.”
A college stand-out at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, the speedy attacker’s first move to professional soccer came in 2003 when he joined the Major Indoor Soccer League side Cleveland Force. He admits the pro game has provided more of a mental challenge than from his time in college. “There are a lot of good players at the college level, but not at the same level of consistency,” Bailey said. “At the professional level, everyone is a good player, so it’s a bit harder to do the business. There’s a higher level of concentration that you have got to maintain.”
Bailey hopes his performances for the Whitecaps will lead to more international appearances for Trinidad & Tobago after getting the chance to play for his country in the recent Digicel Caribbean Cup tournament. Despite making four appearances for Wim Rijsbergen’s Soca Warriors, Bailey failed to earn a call-up for next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in the US. “I think if I do well with the club, scoring goals or what not, then I might get a call-up in the future,” Bailey said.
As the USL-1 season concludes at the end of September, Bailey plans to continue playing by returning to the indoor game with MISL club Baltimore Blast. “I usually play year-round, both indoor and outdoor,” he said. “In the last couple of years, I’ve been between Cleveland, Montreal and Baltimore. I’m going to go back and play indoor this year. The team that has my indoor rights is Baltimore, so I’m probably going to end up there.”