Axel Schuster was never concerned about signing a long-term deal to remain CEO and sporting director of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

He believed a contract extension would come as he continued planning for the clubB次元官网网址檚 future. His wife, meanwhile, had questions over when the paperwork would get signed.

B次元官网网址淎t some point, my wife asked me, B次元官网网址楢re we really staying in Canada for longer? You have no contract done,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Schuster, who hails from Cologne, Germany, said Tuesday after the club announced he had signed a four-year extension.

B次元官网网址淭he whole process of really getting the contract done took awhile because there was so much focus on other things.B次元官网网址�

Schuster has been with the club since November 2019 and guided the B次元官网网址楥aps through a tumultuous period.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the B次元官网网址楥aps to relocate three times, setting up camp first in Florida for the MLS is Back tournament, then finishing out the 2020 campaign in Portland. The team also started the 2021 season based out of Sandy, Utah, due to border closures.

Schuster said the way the entire staff handled the upheaval has been a high of his tenure. Staying positive in the face of so much adversity was a low.

B次元官网网址淎s a Canadian club, we had to go through a lot,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd coming in to tell everyone every day, B次元官网网址楾here are no excuses, guys. There are explanations, yes, but there are no excuses. And we will not change where we put the bar.B次元官网网址� I think that was a tough point.B次元官网网址�

Allegations of sexual misconduct against two former coaches have also plagued the Whitecaps in recent years.

Dealing with the allegations and an ensuing independent investigation was difficult, Schuster said.

B次元官网网址淚 think we as an organization have done a lot in the last three years and changed a lot,B次元官网网址� he said.

There have been ups and downs on the field, too.

The team tumbled to the bottom of Major League SoccerB次元官网网址檚 Western Conference in August 2021, prompting Schuster to fire head coach Marc Dos Santos. Vanni Sartini, who previously served as the clubB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渄irector of methodology,B次元官网网址� took his place.

The B次元官网网址楥aps went 7-2-5 under Sartini and made the 2021 playoffs, marking the clubB次元官网网址檚 first post-season appearance in four years. Vancouver signed the Italian coach to a two-year deal in November.

Vancouver got off to a slow start in 2022, though, taking a single point in its first eight games.

The club rebounded through the summer and won the Canadian Championship, but is still fighting for a playoff berth with a single game left in regular-season play. The Whitecaps (12-14-7) can get back to the post-season with a road win over Minnesota United on Sunday.

B次元官网网址淓ven with having now the chance to go to playoffs, we are very critical and hard on us because we think we should have done better, we should have a few more points this season so far,B次元官网网址� Schuster said.

The CEO and sporting director said putting more hardware in the clubB次元官网网址檚 trophy case over the next four years is his main priority.

B次元官网网址淚 know our fans are waiting for that forever,B次元官网网址� Schuster said. B次元官网网址淎nd winning on and off the pitch is the most important thing.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擥emma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press