Vancouver Whitecaps' reorganization of their backline continued on Wednesday.
After being unable to come to new terms with an out of contract Andy O'Brien, 'Caps coach Carl Robinson was keen to add another veteran center back with MLS experience to his squad and Vancouver got their man with the signing of former Portland Timbers defenderPa Modou Kah.
O'Brien's presence will be hard to replace, especially off the pitch, but Robinson is confident that Modou Kah, who has two years experience in MLS and has played internationally for Norway, is a player that fits the bill.
"He's tough, he's competitive, and he's got a lot of experience in the league, as well as out of the league in Europe and in national team games," Robinson told Vancouver's TSN 1040 radio. "I think it was important that we managed to bring in someone like that, who had that character as well as experience because we've lost Andy O'Brien.
"He'll complement the group we've got. He's a different kind of player to Andy but hopefully he'll bring a lot of the characteristics I want in my backline this year. It's a great addition for us."
Modou Kah comes to Vancouver as a free agent, having been released by Portland at the end of last season. Robinson had identified the veteran as a possible addition to his squad last year and is delighted to add another experienced head to help mentor his young roster.
"Once we were unable to agree with Andy, then it was pretty simple - I wanted [Modou Kah]," Robinson admitted. "In our changing room as well, because doing the research on him, and it started four or five months ago when I thought that they might be moving him on, character-wise he fits into what we're about. He's competitive and he's been in winning teams. It was a no-brainer for us.
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The addition of Modou Kah takes Vancouver's center back count to five and Robinson confirmed that it was "more than likely" that Honduran Johnny Leveron won't be coming back to the Whitecaps.
With three new additions to the central defender department in the past eight days, however, Robinson feels that part of his squad is now good to go.
"I think we're pretty set there now," Robinson stated. "Bringing in [Modou Kah] was a big plus for us. We've got Diego Rodriguez coming in from South America, we've got the imposing figure of Kendall Waston and Christian Dean and we added Tim Parker. I've got my five center backs that I would be very comfortable moving into the season with."
