Paradigm Shift

So we tied another game against a Canadian opponent.... the general consensus around the city is "meh". I've been asking soccer fans around the city how they feel towards the Whitecaps season thus far and indifferent seems to be the resounding answer. They can't score, they don't win any games, the same things my incredibly ground breaking blog has been saying for the last month.

Its got me to thinking though. Ok, so we draw AC St. Louis, and Crystal Palace Baltimore, not really great teams. But maybe we need to readjust the frame on this picture.

We also tied Toronto FC, twice! by all accounts and measures they are the best team in our country. They play in the highest level of competition and are the reigning champions in our National tournament. While TFC have been scoring franchise highs in goals for this season, they have also been scoring franchise lows in goals against. Bear with me for a second. While we all love to rag on the team from "THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE", they are one of the best teams in MLS this year. They are unbeaten at home in all competitions and Stefan Frei with his defensive back line haven't really been letting anybody score as of late. So in all reality 0 goals for and 0 goals against against TFC is a fairly good record. Despite what you want to think about the teams Toronto fielded against the Cap's they didn't score either...

Our other Nutrilite opponent, Montreal, are the reigning USL D-1 Champions. Now whether they have taken this tournament seriously over the last two years remains to be seen. But they have clearly made their League fixtures a priority over this span. We remain one point ahead of them in the League standings and have now finished 4 points clear of them in the Voyageurs Cup. 3 times this year we've drawn even against last years champions. Not really that bad.

Previously I had made comments about how "We need to hold people accountable for their actions" and I think what irked me was the way Team President, Bob Lenarduzzi was quoted in the press. I found the context made it sound like he was complaining about the Impact time wasting, and how it may have cost his club another championship. But tilting the frame has made me realize that first we need to look at where the quote is coming from. This is our man, he bleeds BLUE and WHITE, you call the Whitecap's Offices on Water St. and HIS voice is the automation. He calls himself Bobby and almost expects you too as well. When he says that he "can't understand" why Montreal as a team wouldn't want to give their faithful the best on field product to watch, its not that he's complaining or crying. He's confused, and please don't take that to mean that he's slight of intelligence, what I am saying is he literally doesn't get that mentality, it's not how he played the game, it's not how he runs his club. Like I said if you stabbed the man he would bleed blue and white.

The one thing we can't take away from these guys is they have been trying. Everyone, whether its been Janicki playing with a bandaged up brain, or Wes Knight with a sore leg. It could be Martin Nash with a strained back (and you know he would play every minute if Teitur would let him) , all the way to call ups like Cornelius Stewart and Doudou Toure emptying the tank the last couple weeks desperately trying to stay up with the big club. Even if you could see how many laps Hirano was doing before and after games while he was getting back to match fit. It really is something when you look back on all of it.

Maybe we all need to take a step back and have a sip of our coffee's and really think how lucky we are to be watching this club, in their last year at Swangard, in their last year before making the jump to the MLS. Yeah maybe their not tearing it up like they did last year but they are in every game. That's the last I'm going to say on that.

The Whitecaps PDL team plays tonight at SFU if anyone feels like checking it out. "The kids can play, let me tell ya!" I watched them beat on a very good Victoria Highlanders team to start the season off in the Coast Capital Cup. A game where Doudou Toure potted a goal! the Game starts at 6 I believe I will be there at 3 getting the inside scoop. I hope to see a couple of you out there. I will provide a post game review of the game and I will also post a review of the Women's Game from this past weekend. As I hadn't had a chance to get around to it.

One last note I know I said I was going to post a note about the format of the Nutrilite Championship and its future but really if you want to see the current discussion on it I urge you to check out the 24th minute blog. Duane Rollins posted a very insightful blog on it and if you can't beat em, link em! my dad always used to say!

ok he never said that but he would if he was tech savvy.

here's the link for anyone who can't find it on their own.

http://www.24thminute.com/2010/05/what-to-do-about-v-cup.html

0-0 as predicted!

I should have bet on this game. In an effort to look on the bright side, Montreal didn't score either...

Another clean sheet for the 'Caps none the less. It was quite interesting to see the number of quality chances on goal and plays that just looked like they might turn into something. Though the score line was much the same as it has appeared for many of the home fixtures this year, yesterdays match was definitely the most exciting. There was a buzz of excitement in the air well before the match even started. Originally scheduled for 7:30 the kickoff was delayed until 7:50pm for the television broadcast. Ricardo Sanchez had a strong game in the middle replacing an injured Martin Nash. He had several quality crosses off of set pieces. Takashi Hirano was subbed into the game in the second half and looked like he is getting much closer to being match fit after missing most of the early part of the season. To be completely honest he looked like he wasn't quite used to the pace of the game after watching from the side lines for so long. That will come with a little more game action.

Justin Moose played a strong game as did the usual suspects on the back end. Jay Nolly didn't have to make any trademark brilliant saves but did enough to keep the ball from crossing his line so there really isn't much more you can ask of the guy. Zurab Tsiskaridze (Big Z to anyone with a twitter account) had yet another strong showing. He was strong with his challenges on the ball, made several runs up the left side of the pitch to keep the pressure on the Montreal defence, and played several gorgeous free kicks into the Montreal box in the 2nd half. Whoever it was that got him to come over from Miami deserves a raise.

With the draw Vancouver remain atop of the standings in the NASL division with 9 points (2-1-3). The Whitecaps have two very difficult games coming up as they face Toronto FC on Wednesday in a game that may decide the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, and then Saturday they face a strong Rochester Rhinos side.

A loss to TFC secures the Reds a second straight Voyageurs Cup, and would create a nightmare situation for the tournament with 2 nationally televised games remaining with no consequences on the outcome.

With Rochester coming to town the 'Caps will be facing a team that has had no problem finding the back of the net this season with 9 goals for. It should be a good test for the boys in blue as Rochester are one of the teams to beat this year in The Deuce, and Vancouver has not been able score against teams with losing records.

On a lighter note, while Rochester is in town look out for #3 on their defence (Mayor) Adam West.

Thank You Chicharito

Javier (Chicharito) Hernendez signs with Manchester United a few weeks back to become the first Mexican player to join the Red Devils in their storied history.

Part of the agreement Manchester made with his club Guadalajara was that Sir Alex and his lads would have to lace up thier boots and play a match in Guadalajara's brand spanking new stadium. Is it then convenience or coincidence that their North American tour now includes Houston Texas as a stop?

Toronto fans are really lucky though as they get to see Man U take on Glasgow Celtic. All very interesting. It makes me wonder though if Montreal Fans get to watch their aweful team play against AC Milan and Fiorentina, and Toronto fans get to watch those Italian clubs play eachother and the United v. Celtic game... What the hell do Vancouverites get? We missed out on Everton last year cause of the damned turf at bc place. Will Seattle's preseason fixture be the best that we get???

In other Man U North American tour news, they will be training in Chicago prior to their match in T.O. and by the sounds of it they will be unveiling new uniforms with new sponsors as they have apparently signed a new sponsorship contract with Chicago based Aon.

Postgame Nutrilite Canadian Championship Game 2 Montreal at Vancouver

So yeah it's a day late but you'll have to forgive me I was at Swangard from 10am til 10:30pm last night.

Montreal came into the game with a record of 0-1-0 having lost to Toronto FC last week. Their baby pink 3rd Jerseys have not seemed to bring them any luck thus far in the 2010 Championship, not that the team did anything in last years tournament.

Overall it was a pretty boring game for about 80 minutes. Once Montreal was given a red card everything seemed to change. As you would expect.

Marcus Haber finally got his first goal of the season with the 'Caps which will hopefully get him on a roll as the boys in blue and white have had quite a significant amount of trouble scoring from open play. I'm having a difficult time thinking of an example for you. When the Whitecaps have scored it has been from set pieces and corners and I believe this is the first goal scored by someone who wasn't a fullback.

Montreal do not look anything like defending champions. They definitely have discipline issues. 3 red cards in 2 games and now they have to go play TFC again next week... Good job Impact way to give the fans something to cheer about! It was funny to see the Southsiders splash Montreal's Peter Byers, with beer as he ran toward them with his finger his mouth. Almost as good as the Croatian guy getting punched by the fan.

I was very impressed with the turn out last night at Swangard, it was actually the loudest I've heard it this season.

Nutrilite Canadian Championship

Tonight's match between Montreal and Vancouver will mark the return of the dirty scoundrels of last years tournament who played spoiler to the Whitecaps dream of capturing their first Nutrilite Championship. As most Vancouver fans will painfully remember, Montreal rested their key players in the final Nurilite Match vs Toronto. Montreal who had already been eliminated from the tournament had to hold Toronto to
less then 4 goals to secure the championship for the Whitecaps. Toronto had never scored 4 goals in their 3 year history. Somehow they managed 6 balls over Montreal's goal line on that fateful evening in La Belle Provence. Many locals calling the Impact cowards and claiming the game was a fix.

We all know Montreal was resting their stars for a match 2 days later vs. The Whitecaps, which they eventually won to add insult to injury. What we might not realize though is the actual "impact" that it had on Montreal's season.

I recently listened to a podcast (the fan 590's Nigel Reed and Bob Iarusci) featuring Montreal's Technical Director Nick De Santis, in which he stated that had it not been for that victory over the Whitecaps, his club never would have made the playoffs. Thus they never would have been able to win the League Championship. So
personally I can't blame them. It's a tough way to miss out on a championship but look at Liverpool's agrigate loss to Athletico Madrid this week in Europa League. In the end you have nobody but yourself to blame if you don't win the games you need to win. Montreal did just that and won the USL.

The USSF D2 (aka the deuce) introduced stipulations this year that teams must field the best team available to prevent a repeat of what happened in last years Nutrilite Championship. 

Hopefully Teitur's boys will be able to find a scoring touch on Wednesday, as it seems that Jay Nolly's incredible goaltending has been their only saving grace this season. Pun intended.

Montreal Suspended Roberto Brown, their top striker for a couple games, he has also been suspended by the CSA. He was involved in a dust up with Toronto FC defender Nick Garcia in the last match in which Montreal was defeated 2-0 by the Reds. 

Whitecaps felled by Timbers

Tonight the Whitecaps suffered their first loss of the season. It was a tough game to try to judge their performances on as while they were facing their stiffest competition thus far they also had to battle what appeared to be one of the worst pitches I've seen in a good long time. Martin Nash didn't have his strongest game of the season turning the ball over frequently in the first half. The fullbacks appeared to have great difficulty judging the bounce of the ball off the turf at PGE, and Marlon James always seemed to be a step behind the man marking him (as demonstrated first by his brutal shove from behind on his check then later his yellow card on a poor tackle).
2009 Rookie of the year Marcus Haber was virtually invisible through no fault of his own but by poor service from his midfielders. When he did get the ball on the one occasion it seemed as though he wasn't quite comfortable on the ball after having spent the first 3/4s of the game running around without getting any touches. The two bright spots in this match were Jay Nolly's incredible saves to keep the 'Caps in the game and Jonny Steele's debut and instant impact on the game in the second half. He drew a free kick on the edge of the Portland box less then 2 minutes after coming on.
It was a great game to watch back and forth. It was extremely physical with by my count 7 yellow cards between the two clubs and red for Portland to put them a man down. Strangely enough the referee for this match (and one of his linesman) did not make it to the game and were stuck in Los Angeles. A local ref was brought in last minute. He called a rather fair game. I had been expecting a little home cooking but he did well. Upward and onward I suppose.
The Whitecaps play defending USL D1 Champions L'Impact du Montreal on Wednesday at 7:30pm. This will be Montreal's Second Game in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. They lost on Wednesday in Toronto 2-0. More on that later...