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Pair of Canadians are thriving in new positions for Vancouver Whitecaps

Har Johal
Har Johal
|
Mar 26 2026, 9:18 pm
Pair of Canadians are thriving in new positions for Vancouver Whitecaps
Ralph Priso has thrived at centre back (Simon Fearn/Imagn Images)

A pair of Canadians have stepped up for the Vancouver Whitecaps this season.

Converted central midfielders, Ralph Priso and Jeevan Badwal, have both taken significant steps with their development and are a big reason why Vancouver is off to a 4-1-0 start. The Whitecaps are tied for second spot in the MLS Western Conference at the March international break. 

Behind Priso’s move to centre back

Priso was in a midfield position crunch with Andres Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter last season, before taking on a big role at a new position.

A season-ending ACL injury to Ranko Veselinovic and a subsequent conversation with coach Jesper Sørensen and assistant coach Jan Michaelsen helped bring the idea of converting the 23-year-old Toronto native to centre back.

“I think I’ve played 18 games as a centre back,” Priso told Daily Hive. “I think something that is important is not making the same mistake twice. Whether it’s positioning, communication, decisions with the ball. I’m going to make mistakes, it’s normal, but I think the more important thing is not making the same mistake twice, learning from the mistakes. As long as I’m doing that, I’m better.”

The move was a stroke of genius. Not only has Priso established himself in his new position for his club, but he also earned a second-career call-up to the Canadian men’s national team just months away from the start of the FIFA World Cup.

“First and foremost, I think Ralph is a very intelligent player,” Sørensen said. “Ralph is fast, and when he plays in the midfield, he doesn’t really get to show that top speed because you don’t run at top speed…. We always say in the midfield that he was good in duels. It was just a problem to sometimes get into duels fast enough. We always thought he was a very, very good player technically.

“We wanted to see if we could transform him into a centre-back player because I think that would help him. Now he utilizes his physicality better.”

Surrey’s finest

Badwal has taken on a bigger role in his second season with the Whitecaps, starting six of nine games across all competitions.

With Ryan Gauld working his way back from knee surgery and Thomas Mßller not starting in every game, the 20-year-old Surrey native has been tasked with playing higher up in an attacking midfield role. 

“It’s been great,” Badwal told Daily Hive following training on Wednesday. “I’m filling a role where I can just play like myself. Playing with that confidence is just amazing, and having Jesper and players have trust in me is a lot. Being someone that’s so young, there’s a lot that I can take in from Thomas, Gauldy, everyone on the team. I’m doing my role for the team.”

Badwal had his efforts rewarded with a cracker of a goal against the Seattle Sounders in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round-of-16 match on March 18. 

“My shooting has always been something that I want to work on,” Badwal said. “That goal that I scored against Seattle, it just comes down to taking my chances and get more opportunities like that. In the Minnesota game I hit the post. I think it should have been a goal. It’s just me coming down getting more goals and assists and taking the next step.” 

The next step in Badwal’s growth is believing in his own abilities and taking his chances. 

“He has to trust himself in situations that he can be decisive,” Sørensen said. “Not just give the ball to a more experienced guy and let him do the work. He also has to get even cleaner in his touches, especially the space in between the midfield and defensive line for the opposition. Be a little more aggressive in wanting to be more determined himself.

“In general, I would say he is ahead of what most people thought he would be in his development.”

Whitecaps injury updates

The Whitecaps continue to be hit by injuries. Cubas could potentially be sidelined for four weeks with an adductor injury. Veselinovic and Sam Adekugbe both continue to train with the first team and are question marks to play on Saturday, April 4, vs. Portland at BC Place.

“They haven’t participated in anything yet and we play Portland in nine days,” Sørensen said. “That would probably be soon, but we’ll have to see. They’ve been out for a long time. The only thing I’m interested in is how they’re doing on the training ground right now.”

Gauld continues his return-to-play plan. He has progressed to running laps and working out.

“It’s also about not forcing him too much. We will see,” said Sørensen.

Belal Halbouni had been partially training with the first team last week, but the news on the Whitecaps centre back is unfortunate. Halbouni did not train on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

“He was participating more in training a week ago, but he has suffered a minor setback, and we just have to see how long he’ll be out,” Sørensen explained. 

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