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.

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

The Vancouver Whitecaps formally announced that they will be sticking with Teitur Throdason as their head coach going into their first MLS season.

If you look at the results shown by for example TFC in their first years of infancy one of the major issues that they have had to deal with is inconsistency on the bench; 4 coaches in 4 years. I think this is where Portland have made a big mistake. That being said I think I speak for everyone in the lower mainland when I say "I hope Portscum never win another game ever!"

Back to reality though, Teitur's resume is much stronger than any other coach in the MLS. Most notably having lead Estonia to rank in the 60's on fifa's charts. Canada would kill for that kind of placement.

The even keeled Thordason was the right choice for numerous reasons but most of all the whole "if it ain't broke don't fix it" line says it all. In 3 seasons he's been to 2 Championship's, Won the Cup in his first season, and The Whitecaps sit in first in their division (second in the league) at this very moment.

If you really look at it though despite the fact the Caps have 13 draws on the season they're doing pretty well. It may not be as beautiful to watch as Teitur's mentor has Arsenal play, but they haven't been losing either. I challenge you to point out a 3 game stretch where 11 of the same players started. With 8 roster additions in the last month, the uncertainty of having a job at seasons end and all the other hoopla surrounding the club one thing has remained the same, Teitur and his demeanour. Ok and his haircut but again if it aint broke don't fix it right?

New Players, Same Old Story

Caps Tie! Caps Tie!

On a day where the air was filled with anticipation, for the first home game featuring all the Whitecaps new signings the home fans we're left with a bit of a bittersweet taste in their mouths. Cornelius Stewart scored a goal on a perfectly placed shot to take the lead in the '16. On the goal Martin Nash was given his league leading 7th assist of the season.

In the dying seconds of the first half Austin scored of a series of headers after Yohance Marshall finally nodded the ball past the Whitecaps line.

Ridge Mobulu potted a beauty of a goal in his home debut. Showing great patience he came down the left side of the box down to the touch line and waited for the defenders to pass him by. He then shot the ball from a tight angle into the back of the net to take a 2-1 lead.

Youngster Ethan Gage was subbed into the game in his first game back since his recent engagement with the U-21 National Team. Not to place the blame on him but moments after his insertion for team captian Martin Nash, Austin were able to capitalize on a set piece.

The Dynamic Duo of Cornelius Stewart and Ridge Mobulu gave Austin fits. Stewart had a multitude of chances in the first half and Mobulu had a couple opportunities that went just wide of the Austin goal. While newcomers Cody Arnoux, Ridge Mobulu, Willis Forko, and Terry Dunfield, all made appearances, Mobulu was certainly the most note worthy of the new players on the day.

The Aztecs who are in second place on in the USL Division started the game without five of their regular starters on the pitch. Jay Needleham and Lawence Olum were injured. Forwards Eddie Johnson and Max Griffin sat out until Johnson came on to score the equalizer. Yordany Alvarez didn't even make it out on the Aztec's 2 game West Coast swing.

Jay Nolly had a great game as per usual and made several great saves in the dying minutes.

Clash of The Titans

As the season winds down we get a chance to check out Austin's potent offence while Jay Nolly tries to earn another clean sheet at home. With all the buzz about the new signings added to the Whitecap's most people probably don't realize that several of our players are in the Top 10 in most of the leagues statistical columns. Martin Nash leads the Deuce in assists with 7 including the one he got as I am writing this post and Cornelius Stewart has 4 putting him in a tie for 5th. Nelson Akwari although currently injured is 8th on the chart for Minutes Played while Jay Nolly sits in 3rd. Coquitlam standout Luca Bellisomo has commited the league high in fouls with 56, that's 9 ahead of Austin's Edward Johnson. Greg Janicki rounds out the foul table in 10th with 34.

Stay tuned for a post game update as the Whitecaps currently lead the Aztec's 1-0 on a Cornelius Stewart goal in the 16'

also look out for a podcast that I will be putting together in the coming weeks.

Omar Salgado's trial comes to an end.

The teenage American sensation (16 years old!) will not be continuing his Loan to the Vancouver Whitecaps as the club was unable to secure his registration papers to complete the agreement made with the MLS. It's just as well since the kid seems to have his heart set on continuing his training in the US after his joining the U-20 National Program recently and thus being forced to leave Chivas Guadalajara who only sign players who are eligible to play for the Mexican National side. It sounds like this kid had quite the upside to him fast and strong (6'4 ) but maybe the club saw enough from him to select him in the MLS superdraft this spring...

New Whitecaps Striker Jonathan McDonald

Whitecaps FC add Swiss pair - Highlights

Tommy Soehn has been Workin' Hard

It seemed inevitable more international players were on their way into the Whitecaps dressing room with the departures of Justin Moose, Johnny Steele, Ricardo Sanchez, Devor Orgill, and Marlon James. Facts are facts and if you are taking up an international roster spot and can't crack the starting line up you are going to be let go. Every game from here on out is going to be viewed as a trial for next season. Over the last 2 weeks the signings have come fast and furious. Alain Rochat (D), *Willis Forko (D/M), Kyle Porter (M), Terry Dunfield (M), *Alexandre Morfaw (M), *Davide Chiumiento (M), *Ridge Mobulu (F/M), *Cody Arnoux (F) and Costa Rican sensation *Jonathan McDonald (F).

*denotes an international

While the 'Caps have continued their strong play in the deuce it is going to be very interesting to see how all these moves affect the team chemistry. Alain Rochat and Davide Chiumento look fantastic in their video that has been posted on the clubs page and Jonathan McDonald appears to have blazing speed upfront. With Malould Akloul still sidelined with his ankle injury his status is still up in the air but it definitely sounds like the competition is heating up as the 'Caps fight for a championship in their final season before making the jump to MLS.

The one thing I appreciate the most is the Canadian representation in the signings, I am especially excited to see Alain Rochat who brings so quality experience in UEFA Champions League games, and can't wait to see these new additions perform against Austin on August 29th at Swangard.

Tough Loss at Home Gives Cascadia Cup to Portland

Tonight's match at Swangard was one of the best games the 'Caps have played all season. The atmosphere in the stadium was incredible, it always seems to get that way when the visiting fans are good and loud. Many people will point the finger at the officials for the unfortunate result at tonight's game, some may even have the audacity to blame Greg Janicki, for taking a red on a poor tackle on the leagues leading scorer. Janicki was running hard to catch Ryan Pore who was sprung on a breakaway he then cut across right to left and got Janicki to make contact and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

It is always tough to blame the refs because they aren't really playing the game but they surely had an impact on the evenings fixture. There were a couple of questionable calls or even non calls for that matter. Including a Portland hand ball in their own box and a penalty was given to Ryan Pore, even though upon further review you can see that Pore wasn't actually in the box when the foul occured. Jay Nolly sprawled out to make the save but just missed a perfectly placed ball. A few minutes later Nolly ended up getting caught out on a crossed ball and after a bit of a scramble Portland was able to hammer home the winning goal. But lets try to focus on the positives here because there were lots of them tonight.

Nizar Khalfan had a heck of a game up front creating all kinds of chances as did Cornelius Stewart. Khalfan took advantage of a fortunate cross for Phillipe Davies in the first half and blasted a shot to the short side on Portland's keeper to give the Whitecaps a lead early in the second half. Dispite what I would refer to as his only mistake this year, Jay Nolly made a couple of brilliant saves, as we have come to expect from him this year. The usual supects on the back line all had strong games and same up the middle.

It was a tough loss but you can't win them all... or even tie them all too bad our first home loss of the season had to come to the hated Portscum Timbers. I guess they were due seeing as they hadn't won at Swangard in 6 years. Tomorrow I am supposed to be getting my burger from Malould Akloul, he says just a burger no frosty, it was worth a shot to try.

Empire Stadium and A Quick Peek at BC Place

I know that it is old news to some but Empire is complete. The BC Lions have played a couple of games there already and will play the entire season there. The Whitecaps will continue to play this season from Swangard before moving over to Empire for the beginning of next season.
Here are a few picture's of Empire that were actually taken by Tyler Green of the Team 1040 and posted on his twitter. The ones of BC place are a couple weeks old I took them as I went up the Harbour Centre Tower. Whitecaps CEO, Paul Barber called Empire a world class facility and said that it was as close as you could get to a true English Football Stadium in North America. I think it is really a shame that they won't be able to play in it for longer then half a season but the reality of the situation is that it is in a less then ideal part of town for transit and for parking. It definitely has one of the best settings for views of the mountains as you will notice in the picture to the right. Although its hard to top the scene at Swangard. Really though, Swangard is in Burnaby. The coolest thing in my opinion as far as Empire is concerned, is how its located beside the PNE. If you are heading west on Hastings the view of this neat little stadium against the backdrop of roller coasters is pretty neat. I'll try to snap some pics this week also.

By July of 2011 the Whitecaps are expecting to move into BC Place which should have 2 retractable ceilings the first one to be on the top of the dome creating a actual retractable roof.

While the second would close off the upper bowl reducing the stadium from a cavernous 60,000+ person venue down to an intimate 20,000 + person venue. The computer generated images I have posted don't show the new Whitecaps branding but they definitely give you a great example of

the difference between the usage of the two systems for changing capacity.

As the week progresses I will try to get pictures of the construction going on at BC Place.

Malould Akloul owes me Lunch!

So as some of you may know I get the pleasure of hosting many of the Whitecaps half-time events and contests. This affords me the opportunity to interact with all kinds of people. So last Wednesday when the 'Caps hosted Miami I had a very special interaction with a couple of the players which is quite a treat for someone who is a fan above all else. So I'll paint the picture for you.

I was going over the script of our contest (kicking a ball blindfolded from 30ft at 10 bowling pins) with some of the other interns from the club and we were not really successful in our attempts at knocking the pins down. Actually almost everyone missed the pins completely. If you happened to catch the actual contest at half-time the results were much the same.

So we tried and we tried. Testing moving the kicking position closer, not using a blindfold, etc, etc; then Teitur came out and in his infinite knowledge told us we would be far more accurate if we didn't take any lead up steps and just stood there and kicked the ball from a standstill position. Then he kindly demonstrated by covering his eyes and from 30 ft away. STRIKE! every pin! He did it on multiple occasions.

As our pregame set up of the stadium progressed some of the players decided that they were going to give it a shot. So Chris Williams and Mr. Akloul had a go as we watched and I politely informed them of Teitur's earlier success.

This created a situation where the always entertaining Malould Akloul challenged me to do it and if I knocked em down he'd buy dinner. So I stepped up and covered my face with my arm. The result is displayed to the Left. Since Wendy's is a sponsor I think I deserve a Classic Triple and a Large Frosty.

Jonny Steele and Ricardo Sanchez traded to Tampa Bay...

and in return we got.... future considerations. Right now its hard to see any value in this move as the future means next season, and we're going to be in a different league. Now if these "transfers" remain through the transition from USSF D2 on to MLS it could prove somewhat useful if the Rowdies happen to have someone talented pushing up through their ranks.

While both players came in with decent resumes, neither seemed to make much of an impact. Sanchez while brilliant in deadball situations, lacked the consistency to stay in the line up, and was even left home on a road trip to Portland. Sources tell me he was a little lacking in the department of work ethic. Which could explain his stints during practices and exhibitions with the PDL team.

Steele also was involved in last weeks pre-game PDL kick about but I've never really heard anything about him to the negative. Any opinions I throw out would be purely speculation, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was a situation where he just wanted to be closer to his home. Supposedly he lives on the East Coast during the off season, and maybe just was homesick. Even guys with tattoos have a sensitive side.

Finally Decent Internet Access Again!

It has been nearly a month since I have been able to maintain this page and now we are finally back on track! In the next 5 days there will be 4 games played by either the Men, Women, or PDL teams so hold please fasten your seat belts and raise your trays and seats to the upright positions.