MLS Crapshoot 2011!

I... I... I mean SuperDraft 2011!

Placing all your hopes for the future in drafting a college player has its pitfalls. Ask anyone who was a fan of the Vancouver Grizzlies, heck ask a TFC fan about Zach Herold. Luckily though, for every horror story that is out there, there are countless successes.

for the rest of the story about Vancouver's position in this years draft click here

'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.