'Caps to Open Against TFC

VANCOUVER BC – Major League Soccer (MLS) today announced Vancouver Whitecaps FC will kick off their inaugural MLS season on Saturday, March 19, 2011, at Empire Field against their Canadian MLS rival, Toronto FC (TFC).

"March 19, 2011, will be a historic day for our club and our fans. In just 90 days, we’ll be facing off against our Canadian rivals TFC and write the opening chapter for our club’s MLS journey," stated Bob Lenarduzzi, president, Vancouver Whitecaps FC. "Our cities have a history of passionate rivalries, and I know without a doubt our fans and our players are looking forward to meeting our Eastern Canadian counterparts on the pitch and taking our rivalry to a new level. As the club fast approaches its initial season ticket sales cap of 16,500, fans will need to act now to ensure they’re able to be a part of this historic moment."

Throughout the years, the Blue & White have played seven different Toronto-based clubs in Canadian professional soccer history posting an all-time record of 34W-23L-10D. Whitecaps FC also hold a favourable all-time home record against teams from Canada's largest city, having amassed 23 wins, six defeats, and six draws between 1975 and 2010. TFC were 9W-13L-8D during the 2010 MLS regular season and have compiled a MLS regular season record of 34W-54L-32D during their first four seasons.

At the North American second division level, Whitecaps FC have battled Toronto FC six times in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, posting a winning record of 2W-1L-3D and a home record of 1W-0L-2D. Toronto FC are the reigning two-time Voyageurs Cup winners, having won the title in 2009 and 2010.

MLS also confirmed today that all 18 clubs will take the field during the opening “First Kick” week as they embark on a 34-match, balanced regular season in which every club will face each of the other 17 teams twice – once at home, once on the road. Ten teams will qualify for the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Following the opening week, on Saturday, March 26, Whitecaps FC will play their first MLS regular season road match when the travel to PPL Park to face second-year club Philadelphia Union. Last year the Union posted a regular season record of 8-15-7.

The schedule for all 18 home openers is below. Kickoff times, additional matches, and national television broadcasts will be announced at a later date. The entire 2011 MLS regular season schedule will be released by early February.

Home club listed first, in bold; All times Pacific
Schedule subject to change:

Tuesday, March 15
Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, March 19
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC, time TBD
D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew, 4:30 p.m.
New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 4:30 p.m.
FC Dallas vs. Chicago Fire, 5:30 p.m.
Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, 5:30pm
Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 6 p.m.
Chivas USA vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:30 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 20
LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 26
Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers, time TBD
New England Revolution vs. D.C. United, time TBD
Chicago Fire vs. Sporting Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, 1 p.m.
Philadelphia Union vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 1 p.m.
Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy, 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 14
Portland Timbers vs. Chicago Fire, 8 p.m.

Thursday, June 9
Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire, time TBD

Whitecaps FC 2011 Major League Soccer season tickets start at a base price of $319, plus applicable tax and a $10 processing fee per order, and more than 60 per cent of seats are available for less than $31 per game. To secure a seat and for additional information about Whitecaps FC MLS season tickets, suites, and loge boxes, call 604.669.9283 or visit whitecapsfc.com.

For more analysis check out Andrew Bucholtz's Article at Canadian Soccer News

Whitecaps Training Facility Dilema

Map A) 8 Rinks Sports Complex
Burnaby

Map B) Delta Site at Hwy 91 and Hwy 10

Map C) Garden City Park
Richmond

Map D) Cloverdale Exhibition Grounds
Surrey

So here are your front runners in the lower mainland for potential 

Traing Facilities for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

for more an explination of what is going on with these maps click here

The Southsiders Break their Silence

The following is the official release from the Southsiders, Vancouver's Supporters Group.

We feel there are tremendous benefits to be gained by hosting as many visiting supporters in Vancouver as possible, because it is the rival supporters groups singing back and forth across the stadium that will turn Vancouver’s quiet spectators into lifelong supporters who shout their hearts out every match.

Our hope has always been that Vancouver could open its doors to more than 500 visitors, because we know the Timbers Army and ECS already have the numbers to fill twice that many seats. As a result, I suspect many of their fans caught outside the lucky 500 will be seeking additional seats anywhere they can get them, and this is a scenario which opens the door for potential security issues between rival fans seated next to each other.

to continue reading this release please click here

We've Got Room Bring Your Friends!

VANCOUVER, BC - Major League Soccer has approved a plan for the supporters groups from the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC to purchase up to 500 tickets for away matches against their Cascadia rivals in 2011.

Although detailed operational plans are still being developed, the 500 tickets will be sold to each of the visiting clubs, who will then allocate those tickets to their travelling supporters groups.

“The Pacific Northwest derbies have a tremendous history dating back to the 70’s and we are pleased that all three clubs, with the support of Major League Soccer, have come together to create what will be an exciting and safe environment for all fans to enjoy,” said Paul Barber, chief executive officer, Whitecaps FC. “Supporters culture in soccer is special and unique, and today’s agreement is a positive step in the right direction.”

The rivalry between the three clubs dates back to the old North American Soccer League. Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps entered that league in 1974, while Portland Timbers followed suit in 1975. The Pacific Northwest rivalry was rekindled in the 1990s when the clubs competed in North America’s second division professional leagues.

Whitecaps FC and Timbers will join MLS in 2011 as the 17th and 18th clubs; Sounders FC made its MLS debut in 2009. The complete 2011 MLS schedule will be released in the coming months. Prior to the start of the 2011 season, MLS will announce League-wide guidelines for travelling supporters.

Whitecaps FC 2011 Major League Soccer season tickets start at a base price of $319, plus applicable tax and a $10 processing fee per order, and more than 60 per cent of seats are available for less than $31 per game. To secure a seat and for additional information about Whitecaps FC MLS season tickets, suites, and loge boxes, call 604.669.9283 or visit whitecapsfc.com.


For more information check out Rudi's post at Canadian Soccer News

Jay DeMerit kills Santa...Days before Christmas

Not really but he had a way bigger line up for his autograph session.

The Whitecaps paraded their marquee new signing Jay DeMerit in front of the public today in an in store autograph session at Metrotown Mall.

read all about it at Canadian Soccer News, Vancouver Insider

Whitecaps Sign 2, But Cut 3

The Whitecaps signed 2 of their standout players from last year. USSF D2 Defender of the Year Greg Janicki and fan favourite Terry Dunfield. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg here in Lotusland. As the sun dropped behind Vancouver Island and the air got cooler, 3 players had their MLS Dreams dashed. 

To Read the rest of this article click HERE

The Emperors New Clothes

The Portland Timbers have released their new kits just in time for the Holiday Season. While they don't look all that great in these pictures, they actually look really classy on a player.

If you didn't get a chance to see the "Runway on the Runway" introduction featuring players and Alaska Airlines employees, sashaying down a runway in front of a Boeing Airplane it was pretty neat. The kind of thing you would expect from MLSE, but a little more poorly organized.  I especially like the Red, Secondary Kits. Unfortunately it's not the clothes that make the man it's the man that make's the clothes. I personally can't wait to see the Timbers lose at Empire in either their Green, or their Red Kits.

It's pretty cool to see the next level that Adidas has kicked things up to with their uniforms these days. Starting with the Whitecaps Argyle V's and W's to the Huston Dynamo's Radiation Rings, and now to Portland's sun rising from their arseholes. I can't wait to see what's next.

To Check out my immediate reaction see my post on The Canadian Soccer News.

Nolly, Knight, and Davies to Make the Jump

In a press conference today at the new Whitecaps FC flagship store, Teitur Thordason announced that he will be bringing Wes Knight, Jay Nolly and Phillipe Davies along for the ride to MLS.

Read more about it at my Canadian Soccer News page.

All the details will be up once I'm off work.

Jay DeMerit Signs with Vancouver

Jay DeMerit has officially signed with the Whitecaps, from now on you will be able to find my articles on The Canadian Soccer News. I will continue to post pictures associated to the article and an intro here but the full articles will only be available on the new site.

Teitur Thordason and Tom Soehn In Peru.

Congratulations to the Canadian Women's National Team

The Canadian National Womens Soccer Team has qualified for the World Cup in Germany!

Don't expect a game recap here, just not really my scene.

So I don't normally write about our National Soccer Program on this page but today I feel the need.

It appears that we have truly turned the corner with the Women's program.  While the women barely qualified for the last Olympic Games and they didn't really perform to the degree that was expected of them while they were in China.  Things really appear to be on the upswing now.

Several of the players in todays fixture featured prominently in the Vancouver Whitecaps Women's team this year. Sophie Schmidt was ferocious on the back line, while Kaylyn Kyle and Desiree Scott worked their tails off in the mid-field tonight. Kara Lang and Chelsea Stewart made appearances as substitutions later in the match as Jonelle Filigno and Deseree Scott simply ran out of juice. Melissa Tancredi got to rest up and watch from the sidelines.

While it is impressive to see the Canadians playing a more possession oriented style there were large gaps in the game where they seemed to knock the ball about and fall back into their bad habits. With that being said, they had the game in their control for all but what seemed like the first 15 minutes of the second half. They will have to run a much tighter ship if they plan on actually beating the American's.

The Americans are much stronger then any of the competition the Canadians have faced thus far while the Canucks have been hammering their opponents into the ground, they have been doing it without a lot of their normal starters on the pitch. This speaks volumes to the depth of the program which was something that has always been a problem over the years, but the reality is as well that while a lot of these new comers have been playing there are several battle tested players itching to get back on the pitch. Kara Lang is still recovering from an injury she received towards the end of the Whitecaps season and is just starting to get worked back into the line up, Brittany Timko was watching from the stands while she is still recovering from an injury also but has been travelling with the team.  Melanie Booth is out and so is Emily Zurrer who both had fantastic seasons this year with the Whitecaps.  Now the Canadians went the entire tourney without conceding a goal and while we look at that and think "man that's fantastic!" It really is, but, to beat the best in the world we might have to be a little bit better.

I know that a lot of people think that the gap between Canada and the rest of the c.o.n.c.a.c.a.f. nations is closing quickly, I don't feel that this is really the case.  I'm of the opinion that the end of Pellerud's tenure was really a low point for the program as a whole. While he did push our progress and achievements to a new level, we constantly saw the team play one style against every team they could beat handily but once the women came up against the Germans, Americans, or Swedes the entire game plan changed, and lets be realistic he had no faith in his players technical abilities.  Having seen a lot of these women play from their early teens onward I can say without a doubt that this new coaching philosophy has been the best thing to happen to the women's program since this new crop of players came in, and by new I mean the women that played in  Edmonton all those years ago. Physically there are only a handful of teams that can compete with the likes of a Melissa Tancredi, Lang or Sinclair in the air or even on the ground for that matter, and that was how we used to smash team like Jamaica and Panama 6-0. With a coach in place who has the faith in our players to let them play with it on the ground like they did growing up playing rep, and provincially, or even in college, I think we might really have opened the gap up even further.

So it will be interesting to see in the coming months how well our women do, Diana Matheson looks great out there getting balls to her feet so she can create from the middle of the pitch. Rather then her being forced to fight for headers when she is normally the smallest player on the pitch for Canada. Her play, and that of Carmelina Moscato is really what is going to make this team tick over the next several years.  I would have to imagine that we will see Moscato return to the line up for the final against the U.S.  Look for Melissa Tancredi to return also as her presence upfront is unparalleled by any other player on the squad.

Moscato couldn't crack the line up with Even Pellerud as the coach, she didn't really ever seem to fit the style of play. It's good to see her back in favour with the coaching staff, anyone who remembers her play during the U-19 world cup in Edmonton will tell you she was a force to be reckoned with.

Local hero and team captain Christine Sinclair had a fantastic game. She had a brilliant volley that was saved magnificently in the first half and then managed to tally a goal in the second.

So the final was 4-0 if you were wondering.
Goals went like this:
Josee Belanger scored in the '62 to make it 1-0
Jonelle Filigno scored in the '72 to make it 2-0
Team Captain, and potential World Player of the year Christine Sinclair scored to make it 3-0 in the '75
Rhianne Wilkinson scored in the '93 to make it 4-0

A strong Canadian team came to Mexico and smashed every opponent in the mouth (so far) .

The Southsiders are not impressed.

So my non-chalant attitude towards the pricing of Whitecaps tickets isn't shared by everyone.  Here is the official release from the Southsiders.


To all of Vancouver's football fans and supporters:

The Vancouver Southsiders do not claim to be entitled to any discounts, kickbacks, obligations, special favours or prices. Our money is as good as anyone else's when it comes to supporting the Whitecaps. We are not "owed" anything for supporting the Club up to this point, nor are we claiming to be.

The current uproar within our membership is largely due to the Whitecaps' failure to adequately manage the expectations of its new and existing supporters, and rightly so.

The Whitecaps' entire marketing campaign to date has been centred around the $319 price point as the proverbial "cheap seats".

When you look at EVERY team in MLS (and most football leagues in the UK and Europe, for that matter) the cheapest seats are nosebleeds and the seats behind the goal.

It's an obstructed view for most down there, which makes it affordable, and that is why your most active supporters groups tend to congregate there. To those fans it's not about the view, it's about the experience.

It is therefore not at all surprising that members of the Southsiders (and others in Vancouver who are interested in "supporting" as opposed to "watching") arrived at the conclusion that the cheap seats would be behind the net.

However, when taxes and fees are included, seats behind the net are $200 more than what the vast majority were anticipating as result of the marketing campaign. That's quite a shock to the system, let alone the wallet.

Here's the behind the net pricing for the big teams in MLS to illustrate a point:

Whitecaps.........$560
LA Galaxy.........$400
Seattle Sounders..$400
Portland Timbers..$369
Toronto FC........$361
NY Red Bulls......$272

The pricing for Toronto and Seatlle sparked chaos with their supporters this year... and here we are, set to play in a temporary tin-can venue (Empire Field) with no signings, charging $160 more than Seattle and $200 more than TFC.

The Galaxy have Beckham, and their package includes 3 - 5 major friendlies. Last year they hosted Real Madrid and Boca Juniors. We will be paying more than Galaxy fans just to see FC Edmonton and Montreal.

The Red Bulls are in the most expensive and most lucrative market in North America, with the league's arguably highest profile signing in Thierry Henry. Those fans are paying exactly what I paid to stand at Burnaby's Swangard Stadium last year for division two football.

Which brings me to this:

Last year, I paid $270 for the "privilege" of standing on metal bleachers, pissing in port-a-loos, waiting in line at substandard concessions and arriving 2.5 hrs early to ensure I could get a parking space.

Next year I will be at Empire, probably for the entire season. Once again, I will stand on metal bleachers, piss in a port-a-loo, tough it out in long lines for overpriced concessions and pay $30 for parking... and if I want the "privilege" of standing where I have since 1999, I have to pay $300 more more for my ticket than I did last year.

It is absolutely inconceivable that we should be forced to pay the same exorbitant prices for Empire Field as we will at BC Place. There is absolutely no justification for that, not even if we stocked our team with stars in their prime from the likes of Real Madrid.

Speaking of which...

Vancouverites will pay more for their seats behind the net than fans of Real Madrid do. And here's a kick in the ass - we only get two Canadian Championship matches in our package. They pay less than we do, and they get three matches to the UEFA Champions League!

I'm not so daft as not to know that Canada and Spain's economies are apples and oranges. I do however think there is an important lesson there though.

The Whitecaps have a stated goal of becoming a top-25 club on the global stage. Real Madrid has to rank in the top 3 on that list easily.

I would suggest that the Whitecaps should be looking to learn from the best before attempting to climb the ranks on the wallets of the supporters who kept them afloat through the dark days of the 1990s and 2000s.

Hell, they can even look at the bottom feeding dregs of the MLS for some wisdom.

DC United's supporters group, the Screaming Eagles, are paying less than what Vancouverites will to stand behind the net.

In return, their club provides the supporters group with a financial kickback estimated at around $75 per member. This allows the Screaming Eagles to provide their members fans with a free jersey every year, and free beer at tailgate parties before every match.

On a price-per-match analysis, I will concede that the $560 "Aqua" supporters section isn't too high, especially for the Vancouver's vastly overpriced sports market. It certainly pales in comparison to prices for the Canucks.

Unfortunately, Vancouver's fans don't have the option of paying on a price-per-match basis. It's an all or nothing deal, with half due in November, and half due in February.... that's right before Christmas, and right after. The Whitecaps couldn't have dropped this news at a worse time, although I acknowledge that the renovations at BC Place have played a role in this timing.

A more comprehensive and accessible payment plan would do wonders to quell this uproar. Almost every team in MLS has one, save for a few, and none of those exceptions are in markets as pricey as we are.

I also question this:

- Why do end zone seats for BC Lions games at BC Place cost 40% less than the corner seats... but at a Whitecaps match they will cost 55% more than the same corners?

- Why are the sections priced in a way so that two people with an aisle between them have a pricing differential of nearly $100 to $200?

It's a Mickey Mouse pricing plan, plain and simple. The Vancouver Southsiders should have been the Whitecaps' easiest customers to sell this experience to, and now we have several long-time members questioning whether this is a club worth supporting.

And that's why we're pissed off. 

Welcome to "modern football" Vancouver! 

Sincerely

John Knox
President
Vancouver Southsiders

Get Your Tickets!

The Whitecaps have released their ticket purchase information. Apparently the final word has come down from PavCo on the possible seating configurations. When I spoke with Howard Crosley the GM at BC Place, he had mentioned that the Whitecaps had approached him about possible changes to the seating plan due to higher then expected ticket deposits. Initially the Stadium was set to hold approximately 22 000 in the Lower Bowl  and upon the club's request, the plans have been looked at to see if that could be expanded to 25 000. Now a lot of fuss is being made about the cost of tickets.  Apparently we have the most expensive tickets in the league. This is Vancouver, everything is more expensive then it needs to be, but we deal with it. This whole outcry gets a big giant "meh" as far as I am concerned.   With everything else that the club has done in preparation for the upcoming season I doubt that the club would make such move without the demand actually being there for this pricing. Expect an update tomorrow.

Due to scheduling difficulties

we've had to postpone the show. sorry guys.

we tried. these things just don't always work out.

Podcast Preview

The Behemoth in all her majesty.
(Photo Pierce Lang)

Tomorrow I will be posting the first  West Coast Football Report podcast. Myself, and Emilio Ekuba, and possibly a few special guests will be recording a show early in the am and we'll feature an interview I conducted earlier in the week with Howard Crosley, The General Manager at BC Place Stadium. We'll talk a little more in depth about the 2 major announcements that the Whitecaps made this week. Also we'll have a quick talk about local legend Christine Sinclair's 5th nomination in the last 6 years for Fifa Women's World Player of the Year award.

BMO + Vancouver= Love

In a far less surprising move then Wednesday's Martin Nash announcement. BMO signed on as the Whitecaps First Founding Sponsor. They have had a fantastic relationship over the last several years.

Next year, expect kids from the island and the interior next year to be able to be involved in the Kicking with The Caps Program. When I put the question to Paul Barber; what kinds of additions will we see to the Kicking With The 'Caps program?  he made references to "a BC wide pro club" and  "We're keen to take our various community programs as far out into the province as we can".  Logistics are the biggest issue he can see,  it's not like the UK where you can set up a program "an hour away from the stadium" and reach a large population. "The logistics have to be very carefully planned, but whats encouraged me is that people way outside Vancouver, Metro Vancouver area are supporting the Whitecaps and therefore we need to reach out to them and help them feel a part of it as much as the people in the city."







Some new additions that Rob Serraglio Senior (Vice President of BMO Bank of Montreal, BC and Yukon Division) mentioned include, BMO Club Rave Nights  and Whitecaps FC Training Sessions, and Chalk Talk's from Coaches and Players. My personal favourite thing they do is the V.I.P. Autograph Sessions for the kids at the end of the match.

It's pretty cool if you think about it, and if you've ever seen how much fun the kids have with everything involved with the Kicking with the Caps program you will realize that this partnership really is incredibly valuable to the foundation of the Whitecaps Organization.

BMO customers will still receive preferential treatment with BMO customer specific express lines at concessions and beer stands.
They will also continue the BMO "Power of Blue" Move of the Game.

I will have to poke around a little more for some more specific details as the week goes on.

Martin Nash Has Officially Retired

Martin Nash Announces his Retirement from Professional
Soccer.  Flanked by Club President Bob Lenarduzzi, and
Club Manager Teitur Thordason. (Photo-Pierce Lang)

and in other news... The Vancouver Whitecaps have HIRED Martin Nash as a Staff Coach, in particular the Whitecaps are looking to involve more positional coaching in their Residency Groups and Senior Squad. Oh yeah and he'll also have a hand in Scouting.

His first task as a scout is a trip across the boarder to Seattle to check out their first round playoff match against Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy.

It was a glossy eyed affair that you could tell wasn't easy for the soft spoken Nash to get through.

He said he owed it to his family who have sacrificed so much for him to get this far with his career. It wasn't an easy decision for him to make, "There were a lot of long discussions with a lot of different people" he spoke with his wife, his brother, his kids. He wanted to go out on a "high" and did it on his own terms. The option was there for him to keep playing and be a part of the Whitecaps first MLS season, but he felt it was just time to step away.  In the end it was definitely the right decision.

Bob Lenarduzzi got up and reminisced about his first memory of Martin playing with the 86'ers. How they came oh so close to qualifying for the olympics when Bob was the coach.  He remembered Martin's first international cap at Swangard. And how he immediately made an impact the minute he stepped on the pitch.  He came right out and called him "dominant". We saw flashes of it this season, but as time has crept up on Nash, those flashes started to become shorter, and shorter, and the long season began to take its toll on his body.  Bob reconfirmed that Martin was going to be on the squad next year for MLS if he wanted to.

Teitur then stepped up to the scrum and laid it all out there. He gave high praise to a captain who stepped up and took on a leadership role the season after the Icelandic Coach arrived. He might not have necessarily seen those qualities during the first season but they were quite evident the last 2 years. "He is a huge reason why we were able to keep it together this season"  Teitur confirmed the speculation that Nash was no longer able to play a full 90 minutes; "with the number of games we are playing, the load when your 35 years of age you know, you see that it gets more difficult to recover between games". While Thordason will miss his passing and leadership qualities he looks forward to working along side him.


Nash leaves behind a large void in the marketing and promotional department. When asked who was going to fill that void, Lenarduzzi said, "Oh, I think we'll do ok in that regard; there will be more to come on that"

Happy Trails.

Today Whitecaps Fans will be waking up to a surprise.

In an unexpected move today Martin Nash will be retiring. Marc Weber reported early this morning that the Vancouver Whitecaps captain will no longer be lacing up his boots competitively.

A lot of the speculation this week has been on this personnel announcement. While most of us were expecting this announcement to be about the supposed hiring of a new Youth Technical Director. Apparently we were all wrong. It happens.

Expect a full report as it all unfolds and watch out for tweets during the press conference.

It all takes place at 10am Pacific.

Whitecaps set to make 2 Announcements this week.

The Vancouver Whitecaps have scheduled press conferences for Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday's address will likely pertain to the addition of Richard Grootscholten to the position of Technical Director of the Residency Program.  It's taking place at Swangard, and is with regards to personnel. A player signing probably wouldn't take place at the teams old pitch. So expect it to have to do with a non player.

Thursday's announcement is taking place at the BMO Vancouver Main Office. It is almost certainly to do with a renewed partnership agreement between The Bank of Montreal and The Vancouver Whitecaps. Speculation is centred around whether the announcement has to do with a deal for naming rights to BC Place, (I'm curious about if it might also have to do with naming rights for Empire Field)

Bob Lenarduzzi had mentioned that BMO was looking to increase their exposure and expand the brand on the west coast as far back as March so this announcement shouldn't come as a big suprise.

Stay Tuned for details.

Supposedly we've reached 15 000 deposits for seasons tickets!

"Later, Wankers!!!"

Ok none of these guys are wankers, at least not to my knowledge. So while Manchester United star Wayne Rooney is being shopped around like oh so many a United hero before him. As we think about that, lets take a look at some of the guys who suited up for the Whitecaps this season. Only to be released by the club. The harsh reality is for most of these guys was that they didn't live up to their expectations. Most couldn't stay in the starting lineup, some couldn't even crack the line up. Others were just victims of circumstance. The latter will certainly get another chance to move up just not with the Whitecaps.

1. Marlon James- Wasn't scoring. Was injured constantly. Was no longer on game roster as of July 25th.  Scored 1 Goal in 2010. Scored 9 goals in 2009. Started first game of the season.

2. Dever Orgil- Was released on July 8th. Had discipline issues. Has since gone on to play in his native Jamaica.  Scored 1 goal in 5 games for St. George's FC. Everyone had high hopes for the speedy Orgil but he just never clicked. Started first game of the season.

3. Ansu Toure- Released on August 11th. Scored one beauty goal on a cheeky back heel. Didn't really do much else. Started first game of the season.

4. Nelson Akwari- Was Playing 90 minutes a game until he was injured on August 18th. Released this week. He'll certainly find work on a NASL squad or even overseas. Probably the best move for him. Might not be ready to move to MLS.  Was a starter all season until he was injured.

5. Zurab Tsiskaridze-  Starter at the beginning of the season. As Takashi Hirano worked his way back to form he started to see minutes diminish ever so slightly. Had a solid season but lost more minutes to Willis Forko as he joined the club. Was released this week, leaving the club is probably the best move for his career. He should be a starter on any other club in the NASL.

6. Chris Williams- Started the first several games, but by May he couldn't seem to get onto the pitch. By August he started to get a few more minutes, but by the end of August the audition appeared to be over. He couldn't even get his name onto the roster sheet.

7. Richardo Sanchez- Was a big disappointment. A USL all-star the year previous. Couldn't supplant Martin Nash for minutes on the pitch. Was taking up an international spot on the roster and not getting on the pitch. It worked out to be the perfect formula for a trade. Was left at home for the road trip to Portland in April. Sent to Tampa for future considerations.

8. Marcus Haber- Was only here on loan June 16th was his last match before he left for England. Didn't score enough to live up to the expectations placed on him after his USL Rookie of the Year performance.  Received a lot of flack for not being an arial presence and using his 6'3 frame.

9. Jonny Steele- Another massive disappointment. Rumours had it that he wasn't a good fit in the dressing room. He couldn't crack the line up. Left the team abruptly in May returning home to Philadelphia to deal with "Personal Issues" I'm not going to speculate as I have never heard anything as to what the issues were. Was USL 1 MVP in 2008. Was traded on July 21st 2010. Was ineffective in his limited performances. Didn't fit the system, and Teitur even appeared to change to formation on occasion to try to cater to Steele's abilities.

10. Alex Elliot- Is probably wishing he'd stayed in Germany at this point. Mainz have been having a great season.  He couldn't get on the pitch.  Released this week.

11. Justin Moose- A former MLS Superdraft first round pick after leaving Wake Forest, He couldn't crack the starting line up.  Released on July 22nd. He wasn't a bad player, had lots of heart.

12. Takashi Hirano- Taka struggled with his fitness. Battled with a couple guys for minutes in May, June and July but couldn't seem to keep the kids out of the lineup. Realistically he's old. His future with the club was probably limited by his age. Hell the guy played in a world cup 12 years ago. Against a lot of guys who are now managing clubs. I hope he ends up following that path.

13. Jonothan McDonald- I don't think anyone was really sure what to expect from this guy. When I saw his highlight video i was instantly reminded of Chad Barrett* in Toronto.

14. Dan Pelc: Former Serbian White Eagles keeper. Wasn't playing, and is better off starting somewhere rather then rotting on the bench.

Lastly there were a couple Goalies that got a look in June while the team was on the Road.

Subrata Paul or Pal-Indian National. Most famous for having been suspended for 2 months by The Indian National League. The Suspension was for allowing the goal that caused Brazilian Striker Christiano Junior so much excitement he died of a heart attack. Only in India.

Danny Milosevic- A former Leeds United keeper who did better then Paul but not enough to make the club.

*This video is also dedicated to Duane Rollins at The 24th Minute who wanted someone to make him a  compilation video of Chad Barrett. Nobody seems to have taken the time to do it in T.O. but Fire fans were on it a long time ago.

Janicki Wins Defensive Player of The Year! and in less surprising news, Jay Nolly is best keeper.

Yesterday the USSF D2 announced that Vancouver Whitecaps standout defender Greg Janicki has been chosen as the top man at his position. As I stated in my Report Card for the New Baltimore, Michigan Native, he was a warrior. He played a good chunk of the season with a bandaged up head. His bloody gauze a testament to his fearlessness. Positionally, Janicki was always in the right place. Strong and athletic he showed a great ability to wait for the opportune moment to tackle rather then just charging in and getting beat by a speedier forward. A whole lot didn't get passed him so it wasn't a huge surprise that today the league announced that Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Jay Nolly was voted the league's top keeper. That's not to say that Nolly didn't deserve the prize he had a fantastic year. He played in all but 15 minutes or so of the Whitecaps season.  Led the league in Minutes Played and thus Games Played but also Goals Against Average. While the league held off on announcing Nolly as the Top Keeper it probably shouldn't have surprised anybody.

Oh and Martin Nash was named to the Top XI.  Quite possibly the best dressing room presence in the league. He really was the heart and soul of the team this year. I've joked around enough about how he's old and grumpy but in all reality he was a force to be reckoned with.  He kept Ricardo Sanchez off the pitch.

Now here in Vancouver we may not see that as a big deal.  Here we need to face facts though.

Sanchez was brought in to be an offensive presence.
2009 Season-7 Goals, 8 assists, 72 Shots on goal.

Still couldn't get into the first team.


Congratulations to all 3.

It's Called Whitecaps!

He it is! The debut of It's Called Fooball's bi-weekly show to focus on Vancouver Whitecaps FC.


Duane Rollins and Ben Rycroft welcome me to guest host on their show. We review a couple of the players and the season that has just finished. I get bumped for a bit as they interview Terry Dunfield. Then I'm back for a quick discussion about the moves the Whitecaps are making moving forward and a bit of perspective on Portland's first signings.

Looking Ahead

Well now that the season is over everyone has had a chance to sit back and really take a good look at what has really gone down over the last 8 months, here is my take on the players that made it through the season into the playoffs, and their potential moving forward into the Vancouver Whitecaps move to MLS soccer. Now I'm not Tom Soehn or Teitur Thordason so take my views for what they are worth. For all intents and purposes I will assume that there will in fact be a Reserve Division next season.

Goalkeepers:

Jay Nolly: North American Born. He has MLS experience, and his contract expires on November 30th 2010 so I would imagine that there will be an announcement pretty shortly after that. Nolly was one of the big standouts this year for the 'Caps. He led the league in games played, minutes played and Goals against average. Statistically he was the best keeper in the league. There weren't as many games this year that he actually stole for the Whitecaps the way he did last year but he will surely get a good look next year. I would take him.

A+

Simon Thomas: North American Born Canadian Born. Saw very limited action this season, He got in against Crystal Palace Baltimore for the life of me I don't remember it but supposedly it happened. As the team released Dan Pelc today I could see Thomas playing for the Reserve Team.

N/A



Fullbacks

Greg Janicki: North American Born Like Nolly, Janicki has had a taste of MLS soccer. Had a solid season, start to finish. He was a worrior. Big, physical, strong in the air, always in the right place at the right time. He was Vancouver's most consistent player on the back line. He has earned himself a good long look from the staff with the way he handled Bright Dike in the first round of the playoffs.

B+


Maloud Akloul: The Flying Frenchman, scored a goal in his debut and broke his leg on the play. After that he was out for the remainder of the season. He got into the season regular finale against Portland and looked to be a step behind. He has a very impressive C.V. but we haven't really had a chance to see what he's all about. Mind you he has shown a great ability to hammer in scissor kicks at halftime. He's a brick house though. Strong and athletic, but I can't say much more then I already have cause we haven't had a chance to see him. It seems like he was brought on to the team with the expectation that he would be making the jump to MLS.

N/A


Alain Rochat: North American Born Canadian Born. On load to FC Zurich in the Swiss Axpo Super League. Part of the Swiss International Player Pool. Has Champions's League experience against the likes of Real Madrid and AC Milan. If you went by the highlight videos alone he looks really impressive. Unfortunately you don't see his foul on Alex Pato that led to a Ronaldinho spot kick and a Red Card. The spot kick was converted and that was the end of FC Zurich's Champions League Run. He was injured most of September '10 and in his return match Zurich went on to lose 4-1 to FC Basel. He was signed for next year but it's important that we know what we're really getting. He does appear to be the real deal though. World class pace, great control of the ball with either foot. So we're going to have to wait and see.

N/A (I've never really watched him play in a match)


Luca Bellisomo: North American Born Canadian Born. Played in every game this year. Led the league in fouls. He played every game because he is the real deal. He moved back to central defence when the Whitecaps suffered a couple mid season injuries. Through and through the best player on the club to have come through the Residency Program.  If he can't crack the first team next year, I would imagine that he would be kept for the Reserve Squad.  He's the sort of player that could see a lot of time during Nutralite Cup matches. Although for him personally a move to another 2nd tier team may be the best move for his personal development.

B+


Wes Knight: North American Born. A fan favourite, his long throws make him a great asset. Oh and his incredible pace might help too. Played every game as though it was going to be his last. Had he not he might not have been getting the look that he surely will. He's suffered a couple injuries over the last couple years, knee problems. As the season progressed he seemed to play with a little less fear of tearing his knee again. Unfortunately he was unable to play in the second leg against Portland, and the first leg of the semi final in Puerto Rico due to a freak accident where he slipped on the pitch at Swangard and injured his shoulder. Wes has an incredible upside and is very useful as either a winger or an attacking defender.

B+


Willis Forko: Once more a player drafted by Real Salt Lake, He scored 8 goals in 38 appearances with the Utah outfit but for whatever reason couldn't stick. He's a Liberian International. Liberia are ranked 164th in the World placing them behind Asian Powerhouse Nepal. His only real memorable moment while he was here was a near Own Goal off a header that Jay Nolly pushed over the bar. He's a left footed player so he has some value.

C


Ethan Gage: North American Born Canadian Born. A Residency Product. While many of the reports I've heard have claimed that he doesn't normally play on the back four and is normally a mid fielder. Every PDL game I saw this year he started at Right Back. The Whitecaps PDL team was poor defensively. That's being kind. He played a pivotal role in the 2008 Championship run for the Whitecaps. He also had a very strong showing this year filling in for Wes Knight during the Second Leg versus Portland and in both matches against Puerto Rico. Although David Foley exposed his lack of pace in the 2nd Leg of the Semifinal.  Sign him to the Reserve Squad and hope that he continues to improve, he has a lot of the tools to be a pro someday, but needs to put in a lot of work.

D+

Takashi Hirano: Old War Horse. Former Japanese International. Has a great mind for the game. Injured to start the season worked incredibly hard to make it back into the squad. When mid season injuries hit the team Taka stepped in and filled the gaps.  He's ancient though.  Having played under both T.T. and Arsne Wenger, I could see him moving into a coaching or player development role with the team next year.  He was dropped from the squad more or less towards the end of the season to allow some of the new international signings to suit up for the Blue and White. I don't think it is likely he will be back next year and unfortunately I have to put this season as a fail.

F


Midfielders

Nizar Khalfan: Tanzanian International, Left before the playoffs to fulfill National Duties, has great speed, and scored 2 opportunistic goals this season. He should get a look, as he was able to make it through with the squad all the way to the playoffs. He was signed to A PDL contract so the Whitecaps will retain his rights as they train over the next several months.

B


Blake Wagner: North American Born.  Has MLS experience. Wagner had a great season. Chipped in with a couple goals including a hat trick. He was strong on the ball and played well defensively. Not a lot to say about Blake. He's got to get a look.

B


Phillipe Davies: North American Born Canadian Born. Another Residency Product. Fantastic on set pieces. He had a strong season on the Right Wing when he was called upon. He probably won't make the jump to MLS, I would be astonished if he did. I could definitely see him playing on the Reserve Squad. Really he would be better off moving on to another club where he would get more minutes in a starting role.

C+

Martin Nash: North American Born Canadian Born. Came into camp this year in the best shape of his career supposedly. 15 lbs lighter then last year. Lets face facts though. He's old. He threw out his back helping his neighbour move in the middle of the season. While that does go towards the character of the man it doesn't bode well for the longevity of his continued tenure with the club. He'll be on the team next year. He's the teams leader both on and off the pitch. He still has flashes of brilliance now and then but has a hard time finishing games. That being said, his early departure from the last couple games may have more to do with T.T. needing to get a look at some of his newer players in serious game action. In all fairness his legs have a lot of miles on them. I would imagine that he will be transitioned into a coaching role in the first 3 seasons.

B+


Kyle Porter- North American Born Canadian Born. Canadian U20 Player returned from a loan to Energie Cottbus in the German Bundesliga 2. Didn't crack the line up until October 2nd against Portland. Set up Cody Arnoux for a sprawling header. Played the ball in beautifully. Started against Puerto Rico in the semi finals. Didn't look out of place but didn't really create any serious chances either.
Another player with Residency Potential.

C+(I feel bad giving him such a low grade because we didn't really get to see a lot of him but I think this is fair.)

Terry Dunfield: North American Born Canadian Born. Local Kid, Brought up through the Manchester City Youth Program.  Has to make the squad for next year. Does absolutely everything right. Doesn't turn the ball over, makes smart passes. Oh and he is a fantastic defensive player too. Without a doubt the most impressive and consistent player brought in during the transfer window. If he's not on the team next year it's cause they have signed a dp at that spot.

A+


Alex Morfaw: Saw very limited action.  Didn't really do anything of note. Apparently he made enough of an impact to not get cut on Tuesday.

N/A


Davide (Dede) Chiumiento: Truly a conundrum. Incredible skill on the ball (as seen in his highlight package), but may be too small for the physical style of the North American game. He is invisible defensively,  and I felt as though he didn't seem to interested in getting involved in the play if other players were near.  T.T. kept him out of the lineup against Portland for precisely these reasons.  I wasn't impressed at all. Maybe he was apprehensive about getting his hands dirty because he knew he's made the team and is just trying to stay healthy for next year. Only he knows. The only reason he's not going to get an F is because I know he has potential. You're totally allowed to do that too, I know my teachers did when I was a kid.

D


Gershon Koffie: Scored in the first minute of the Quarterfinal First Leg vs. Portland. He featured heavily during the 'Caps playoff surge. Was impressive when called upon. Stronger then you would expect when he is on the ball. He is listed at 155 lbs on the Whitecaps website. I think that is generous. He was absolutely steamrolled at one point during the second leg of the Quarterfinal vs Portland. Then again he was run over by Bright Dike. He's going to have to do some strength and conditioning in the off season but he will be a great addition to the system he should at least get a look on the Reserve Squad until he puts some meat on his bones.

B-


Forwards/ Strikers

Cornelius Stewart: Already signed to a PDL contract so he will be protected during the off season. He left the club at the end of the regular season to play in some international games for St. Vincent.  He has speed to burn. That being said the kid is all Swedish and no Finish. He did however manage to assist on 5 of Vancouver's goals. Good enough to put him in a tie for 5th in the league, and 2nd on the team behind league leader Martin Nash.  He's a pretty lean guy and that might hold him back but he'll atleast get a crack on the Reserve Squad. I doubt he'll start too many games with the club next year.

C


Ridge Mobulu- This kid came out like gangbusters his first month with the squad and had great chemistry with Cornelius Stewart. He disappeared as the season progressed but he's quite young and very raw.  He could use a lot of first team experience. He will never get it with the Whitecaps first team. Reserve Squad potentially but I would let him go.

C-


Randy Edwini Bonsu- If you look at minutes played to goals scored, R.E.B. has the best ratio.  He had a tough season dealing with his health and fitness. He had very high expectations placed on him at the beginning of the season. He might be in over is head at this point. He's a solid player but really needs to play more to develop. Everyone thinks the world of him, he's a great kid. It just doesn't look like he'll be back with the squad next year. Atleast not on the first team. He could always play for the reserves. I think the best move for Randy would be to return to his hometown of Edmonton and get some first team minutes with their new outfit.

F  (not entirely his fault, but it is what it is.)

Cody Arnoux- North American Born. What can I say about Cody Arnoux? even though he has a contract with the Whitecaps, MLS may still force him to go through the draft process. That being said, at least T.T. will have had a good long look at him. Eventually he showed lots of promise.  Despite only managing 1 goal in 10 games he did look to be the one striker on the club who could handle the physicality of the MLS.

B-

Watch for a full on End of Season Review Thursday! And listen for my guest spot on the It's Called Football Podcast Tonight!

Seasons over thats it.

I'm not going to write a review for the last game. Everyone knows what happened. It sucks. I'm going to move things forward and post my player by player reviews for the year.

Whitecaps vs. Islanders 1st Leg Preview

Things are looking up these days.

With last Sunday's victory over the Portland Timbers we look ahead to The Puerto Rico Islanders.

Puerto Rico split the season series with Vancouver with a pair of draws. P.R. are barely made the playoffs this year after only winning 1 of their final 7 matches and finished their campaign with a record of 9-11-10, just barely staying ahead of a terrible Miami FC club.

While P.R. have played so poorly in the Deuce they have continued to remain one of the toughest teams to beat in the Champions League. They are the masters of the home and away system. Having recently beat MLS powerhouse LA Galaxy spirits are running high on the Island. This plays into their hands as our playoff system is also home leg, away leg.

The Islanders bring an attack that features a few skilled players but nothing like what we saw with Portland, they will not be nearly as physical either. I would imagine that Davide Chiumiento will get to see a little more time on the pitch as we will be looking to maintain possession for more of the game rather then constantly attacking in the way we played Portland in the first leg.

It will be a good test for Ethan Gage who will continue to fill in for the injured Wes Knight at Right Back. Its obvious that the kid has the physical abilities but we will see how he matches up with a far more tactical opposition. P.R. Like to get the ball into scoring position and hammer the ball on net as often as possible. They managed 20 shots combined in the 2 legs against Rochester. They drew 37 fouls combined. Now as I didn't manage to see the game usually that many fouls is a testament to how the other team begins to get frustrated by not having the ball. I think it will be very interesting to see which lineup takes the field in Bayamon today as Teitur will have spent all week thinking about which guys are going to turn the ball over the least. I'm going to say this is the time where Terry Dunfield steps up and really makes his presence felt.

I wouldn't expect a really exciting game, but you never know this is the playoffs and anything can happen.

Jonathan Fana will be the player to watch for P.R. all the magic starts with him supposedly.

Game Starts at 5 Thursday

Whitecaps Lose...but still Win!

I've seen some griping about how we were time wasting during the second half.

Look I get it, that's not how we play. It's not Whitecaps football. That's something that Montreal does. Definitely not how we play. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Winning is the goal. This isn't youth soccer it's not about going out and having fun. It's about going out and getting a result. While a 1-0 loss isn't the ideal result, it was enough to get us through to the next round. Ethan Gage did a great job covering Ryan Pore while filling in for an injured Wed Knight.

It was wild to see what a beast that Bright Dike truly is. There were a couple situations where he just hammered a smaller Whitecap player like Gershon Koffie. The Timbers seemed to be the more successful in getting control of the ball and getting it towards the goal during a match where it seemed to spend a lot of time bouncing around between the two teams.

Looking ahead to Thursday the boys will be heading to Bayamon to play the Puerto Rico Islanders. As we have seen over the last couple years P.R. are the masters of the 2 game home and away series. I could be wrong on this one but I'm pretty sure that this is the longest distance to travel for a playoff game in any pro league in the world. P.R. likes to grind out home wins and road draws using their skilled players to maintain control of the ball. As Teitur has said, this will be a totally different series from the last series which was incredibly physical, this one will be incredibly technical. I would expect to see a little more Davide Chiumiento.

Whitecaps vs. Timbers 2nd Leg Preview

As the Whitecap's return to Portland where they have been embarassed by their expansion cousins already twice this year, the sense is that things are going according to plan.

With the 2-0 lead after the first game (road goals count for nothing in the ussf d2), it seems like the Timbers have quite a heavy burden to bear as they return home. Home is a funny word in this sort of a situation. While the game will be played in Portland it wont be played in the Timbers normal home.

Vancouver will likely benifit from the change of venue as the Game will be played at Merlo Field (5000 Capacity) at The University of Portland, instead of PGE Park (15 000 capacity) which is currently being renovated. The new digs for the playoffs mean that Zurab Tsiskaridze might have a bit of an easier time playing the bounce on long balls that he seemed to be victimized by in the first game of the season at PGE. Not that Big Z was the only guy but he definitely stuck out in my memory personally as I can recall yelling at my computer screen on more then one ocasion. Another thing that should play in Vancouver's favour is Portland's best defender Mamadou Danso will be away on international duty with Gambia.

Expect a much stronger presence from Bright Dike, and Ryan Pore. Neither can be happy with the performance they each turned in for the last game. With Wes Knight suffering a separated shoulder and not even making the trip to P-Town expect to see more Ethan Gage starting and maybe even Mouloud Akloul getting on the pitch. It was interesting to see how the pace of the game changed last match as team leader Martin Nash, was substituted out for Davide Chiumiento. While Chiumiento does alot of thinigs brilliantly he definitely doesn't flourish in the defensive aspects of the game, which was something Portland Coach Gavin Wilkinson called him out on in the last game of the season, calling him a simply a luxuary player. The game definitely changed from the second that Nash left the field and it will be interesting to see when this change takes place today.

All that being said expect the Timbers Army to be loud and crazy, and expect a great game. Thursday's game was he most entertaining game the 'Caps played all year and it would be hard to imagine that Portland are going to sit back at let Vancouver walk all over them. Brace Yourselves.

Whitecaps vs. Timbers 1st Leg recap

It's alive! It's alive!

The Vancouver Frankencaps are alive!

I'd like to think I'm a realist, not a pessimist (ok maybe I'm a pessimist) but definitely not a optimist, thats for certain. So 4 poor results against the Portland Timbers, I wasn't too confident that we were going to hammer them the way we did on Thursday. I was hoping for 3-1 which still would have been a 2 goal advantage going back to Portland, but I should have had more faith in Jay Nolly. As you can see by the poll on the right side of my page, I voted for him as the player who'd have the biggest impact on the match. It's also a testament to how many people actually read my blog (Thanks Mom!). In all reality, had it not been for Nolly's great game, it could have easily been 3-2 Portland going back to Oregon. He made 3 huge saves, one of which was a volley over his bar off the head of his own defender (Willis Forko).

Overall, everyone on the Whitecap's had a pretty good game. That being said a couple players had exceptional games. Old Man Martin Nash had his best game of the Season. Playing in a more offensive position tucked in behind the striker he seemed to be on a totally different level then he's been on all year. After the boys in White and Blue capitalized in the first minute, and they gathered in the north west end to celebrate Gershon Koffie's goal it was Nash who came in to the group yelling "Alright boys lets stay focused lets keep our heads in it!" They sure did. Less then 12 minutes later the Whitecaps we're knocking on Portland's door and Blake Wagner drew a penalty off a Phil Davies free kick, that lead to a face off between Nash and Steve Cronin. Nash Hammered it low and though Cronin got a hand on the ball it wasn't enough.

Beyond that Cody Arnoux nearly drew a penatly a few minutes later, while Terry Dunfield hammered a strike off the post late in the first half. Phil Davies almost capped off a sensational game with a goal (really it was a gimmie) but popped it off the post. Koffie even tried a cheeky chip on Cronin from just over half that barely missed the goal to the left. So going back to my previous statement about how it could have been 3-2 Portland, it just as easily could have been 6-3 Vancouver but that's not reality. The reality is we won 2-0 in what was certainly the most exciting match we've seen at Swangard this season.

On a side note.

Overall Great Guy, Wes Knight, has dislocated his shoulder. Really you gotta feel for the guy. He has had to deal with a couple tough injuries over the last couple years and has really been a key cog in the Whitecap's machine (robot?). It sounds like he won't be playing on Sunday in Portland, so we hope he has a speedy recovery.

Kickoff is at 6pm pst.

Side note number 2: Portland have begun a massive construction project (ok not really massive by comparison to BC Place but still pretty big, slightly bigger then what we saw at BMO in the last off season) so they will be playing this game in the much smaller more intimate Merlo Field, which is home to the University of Portland. One great thing about this move for the caps is that the crowd will be much smaller (5 000 capacity as opposed to PGE Park's potential 19 000 +), and that they won't be playing on the absolute worst astro turf in all of sports.

With this location it sounds like it will be next to impossible to get a ticket as an away fan.

Whitecaps vs. Timbers 1st Leg Preview

This is what a whole season filled with Home Ties and Road Wins has boiled down to.

Portland have to be coming into this game a little disappointed in the fact that they weren't able to get the result they were looking for against the Whitecaps last week. It's not hard to fathom that the Timber's team chemistry is a little stronger then that of the 'Caps but last week we saw a great team performance from the boys in blue and white.

It's been just over 6 weeks since the additions of guys like Cody Arnoux, Terry Dunfield, Ridge Mobulu, Davide Chiumiento, and it seems like they are finally starting to gel. While Portland may be in playoff form, I might go out on a limb and say a lot of our guys are peaking into their mid season for which could be good or bad, we'll find out soon enough.

Fatigue is a definite factor at this stage in the season, we saw what a role it played in Portland's preparations for last weeks game as the Timbers rested Ryan Pore and Brite Dike the week previous as the strain of a long season was probably catching up with them. Look for those two to feature prominently in the Timbers deadly counter attack. They have been 'Caps killers all year long. Starting with Pore's two brilliant goals in the first match at PGE then Dike's goal last week at Swangard. Oh and his literal attempt to kill Takashi Hirano in the mid season tilt at Swangard. Fatigue is also an issue for Vancouver as guys like Chiumiento might not be quite match fit and may not get in a full game.

With the higher seeding in the playoffs Portland decided to play their first leg on the road which gives them the chance to move on with a victory at home or even a tie if they manage to get a win today at Swangard.

Both teams are going to want to win this game badly. Speculation over what type of game will be seen has been across the board. Last week we saw Teitur deviate from his normal 4-4-2 to playing with Chiumiento sitting in behind the striker in a possession/play making role providing service to Mobulu or Arnoux up front. I would expect more of the same.

With both teams having had a good look at each other I wouldn't be suprised to see coverage a little tighter on Chiumiento. A change in coverages would definitely benefit a guy like Terry Dunfield who has rarely made a mistake on the ball and been highly effective since joining the club. I would look to Terry to make a big impact in todays game. Hopefully he has a better goal celebration lined up then his last.

I would hate to wager on the match I would love to see an attacking 'Caps team win 3-1 but I think its far more likely that we see a closer game then that. We've seen a lot of tight games result in draws this year at Swangard but the emergence of some of our recent signings gives me hope that we can pull one out today.

In honour of Teitur's New Contract!

I will present you with some great interviews with coaches over the last couple years. Hopefully with more media exposure we can expect some more candid moments with Teitur, although it's doubtful. Regardless here are some great moments in recent memory with interviews from English managers.