The Vancouver Whitecaps are focused on winning a championship this season while trying to build a team for the move to Major League Soccer next year.

The Whitecaps, who currently lead the NASL Conference of the United States Soccer Federation's Division 2, bolstered their roster by signing 10 players this summer.

The new additions will help Vancouver in the drive for a USSF D-2 title. The coaching staff and management will also have a chance to evaluate which players will remain with the team when the Whitecaps jump to MLS next spring.

"Obviously we are in the winning business and we want to win now," Tom Soehn, the Whitecaps' director of soccer operations, said in an interview. "We want to make ourselves better for this year, then parlay a successful year moving into MLS.

"It also gives us a unique opportunity to evaluate some guys in our environment and learn about the talent but also the character of the players. We have an ability to transfer our roster to MLS. The more that we feel we can transfer, the better our starting point will be."

Among the players the Whitecaps signed before the European transfer window closed Tuesday were defender Willis Forko, a native of Liberia who has played in Norway and with Salt Lake in MLS; midfielder Terry Dunfield, a former Canadian international who has spent most of his career in England; striker Jonathan McDonald, a member of Costa Rica's national team; and Swiss internationals Alain Rochat and Davide Chiumiento.

Chiumiento arrived in Vancouver on Sunday.

Rochat will be considered a Canadian because he was born in Quebec. Due to family reasons he won't officially won't join the Whitecaps until January but Soehn wanted to sign him before another team did.

"Sometimes situations present themselves," Soehn said.

Many of the new players are coming off their summer break so will need time to adapt to a new league. Soehn and Whitecaps coach Teitur Thordarson are willing to be patient.

"We are going to need the full length of the season we have left, including the playoffs, to be able to evaluate them as they get their fitness and their sharpness," said Soehn.

"There is always a time frame of getting the guys united and understanding the system. It takes a little bit and we realize that. That's why we are using every opportunity to evaluate everyone."

The 9-3-13 Whitecaps play their final regular season game Oct. 2.

The current Vancouver roster has an average age of around 24 years. The team also has fan favourites like goaltender Jay Nolly and midfielder Martin Nash, the younger brother of Steve Nash, the NBA star and Whitecaps part owner.

Soehn was evasive when asked how many current Whitecaps will be with the team when it joins MLS.

"Every week you have a different idea," said Soehn, who spent the last three years as head coach of D.C. United of MLS. "It's a constant cycle of watching and evaluating.

"One thing we are doing very well is collaborating between the coaching staff and management to make sure we are not missing anything and we are using every possible scenario to evaluate them. That's why we are being very patient and using the entire season to evaluate where guys stand."

Another decision the management must make is whether Thordarson will coach the team next year. The Whitecaps have called a news conference for Thursday where the issue is expected to be addressed.

"What I can say is so far is we have been very pleased with the (coaching) staff," said Soehn. "They have continued to get results. "

The Whitecaps will also have a chance to add talent to their roster through the MLS expansion draft, where the team can pick 10 players from existing clubs, and the MLS SuperDraft, which includes college and Generation Adidas players.

In July the Whitecaps won a coin toss with the Portland Timbers, the other MLS expansion team next season. Vancouver elected to take the first pick in the SuperDraft. That left Portland with the first pick in the expansion draft.

"We feel the drafting class has been getting better and better," said Soehn.

"We feel like we potentially could have somebody that could be the face of our franchise."