Dean overcomes adversity in season opener

Christian Dean is making up for lost time.
Dean made his first Major League Soccer start since August 2015 as the Caps played to a 0-0 draw with the Philadelphia Union in the 2017 regular-season opener for both teams Sunday at B.C. Place Stadium.
With the start at centreback, Dean capped a comeback from two injuries and family tragedy. In March 2016, he suffered a left foot injury; in May, he hurt his right knee; and he also had to cope with the unexpected death of his adoptive father.
“It felt really good to be back out there,” said Dean. "Before the game, I had  butterflies for sure. But that’s a good thing. My dad always said: If you don't feel (them), you don't care."
Dean showed he cared Sunday by playing tall in the centre of Vancouver’s box, making it virtually impenetrable most of the night. While clearing balls away out of danger, he also made some smooth passes up the field, helping to launch Vancouver attacks that suffered from a lack of finish.
It was a rare night to shine for Dean, a 23-year-old East Palo Alto, Calif., native who was selected third overall by the Whitecaps in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. He has spent most of his pro tenure developing with Vancouver’s USL affiliate and made only three starts in five appearances with the first team in 2015.
He called his injury-plagued 2016 campaign “a brutal year” and credited Whitecaps coaches and players with helping him through it – along with his adoptive mother.
"She's been there for me," he said. "I've been in dark places. Just having people to support (me) has kept me going."
Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson was pleased for Dean, a former University of California-Berkeley star who was the Vancouver skipper’s first draft acquisition after he took over the team’s helm in 2014.
"He (came) in and he looked very mature – very polished – and he got stronger as the game went on,” said Robinson. “He worked with Timmy (Parker, the other centreback) and he should be proud of himself today."
Meanwhile, Whitecaps 16-year-old sensation Alphonso Davies also had reason to be proud as he made several runs with the ball and posed an almost constant threat while often working in tandem with Kekuta Manneh. While the Whitecaps continued to minimize Davies’ media afterward, he received plenty of attention from the Union during the contest.
“He’s incredible,” said Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin. “Basically, the vast majority of my weeks leading up to this (game) were spent on how to shut down a 16-year old kid. That’s a compliment. He’s a heck of a player. To see him run in person, how effortless it is, how powerful he is, and then to have the feet that he does … I don’t want to get carried away but he does