Official 2008 Vancouver Whitecaps Season Thread

[Robbie]

Hopefully, the 2008 Vancouver Whitecaps will rebound from their poor 2007 season thread and return to their championship from their great 2006 season two years ago. Good luck with their new coach, Teitur Thordarson.

A good start with a win in their first game.

[footy]

A 1-0 win over Montreal it was good night the Southside was a rockin.

[Robbie]

Those of you who are in Edmonton - going to see the LA Galaxy game on May 13?

[Robbie]

Well, over six months later, it looks like closure on two issues were finally achieved. First, the first 0-0 draw finally resolved a winner this time as the Whitecaps prevailed 2-1 over the Galaxy in the rematch.

Second, it looks like football football (soccer) indicated that Vancouver draws a bigger crowd than Edmonton. The attendance at Commonwealth Stadium of 37,104 was a good 11,000 less than the 48,172 at BC Place.

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Los Angeles Galaxy at Vancouver Whitecaps
May 13, 2008, 6:00 PM (PDT)

Score: 2:1 Win
Venue: Commonwealth Stadium
Match Type: Exhibition
Match Number: 1
Kickoff (PDT): 6:00 PM
Promotions: In Edmonton
Attendance: 37104

Match Report:
By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Major League Soccer side Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 in an international friendly in Edmonton, Alberta, on Tuesday evening.

Nicholas Addlery's first-ever goal for the club and Eduardo Sebrango's third goal of the season was enough to give the Whitecaps their first-ever win over an MLS opponent in club history, despite Alan Gordon scoring a fortunate equalizer for Los Angeles late in the first half.

In front of a neutral audience in 'The City of Champions', the Whitecaps showed more desire and attacking intent to stamp their authority on the contest, as the Galaxy struggled to contain their Canadian hosts for much of the game.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson named an unchanged side from the starting XI that began last Saturday's 1-0 home victory over Rochester Rhinos in the USL First Division.

His counterpart in Galaxy head coach Ruud Gullit included star midfielder David Beckham on the right-hand side of midfield, while Canadian international Ante Jazic made his first start of the season after recovering from an ankle injury. With American international Landon Donovan unavailable through injury, former Portland Timbers hit-man Bryan Jordan partnered Gordon in the Los Angeles attack. There was also a Galaxy debut for former Whitecaps goalkeeper Josh Wicks following his move to Los Angeles from Portland in the off-season.

On a windy and cool evening in Edmonton, a Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 37,104 saw the Whitecaps look the far better side on a bumpy pitch in the opening 45 minutes. Wicks was put to work early by Vancouver, with Alfredo Valente forcing the keeper to claim an Addlery flick into the Galaxy box after just three minutes.

Los Angeles seemed to struggle with the opening stages, and on four minutes, they would find themselves a goal behind. After Steve Kindel won the ball for Vancouver, Addlery got on the loose ball near the edge of the Galaxy box before eluding his marker Abel Xavier and beating Wicks with a side-foot finish for 1-0.

It was a stunning start from Thordarson's side, and Wicks was called on again to save from Adrian Cann's header after a well-played corner from Valente after just seven minutes.

The first quarter hour was dominated by the USL-1 club, but their MLS foes soon made Whitecaps goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic work on 16 minutes after he blocked away Joe Franchino well-struck shot. The former Toronto FC shot-stopper then did even better to stop a low strike from Mike Randolph a minute later.

Addlery remained a threat for the Whitecaps, and on 21 minutes, the Jamaican hit-man got the better of the struggling Xavier, as he outpaced the Portuguese defender before striking a right-foot shot off the far post before the rebound bounced away to safety.

With many of the spectators in Edmonton having come to Tuesday's game to see Beckham in action, it was not until the midway point of the half that he made a significant impact, as his free kick from the left forced Djekanovic to punch away the danger in the Vancouver box.

On 27 minutes, Beckham looked set to excite the crowd with one of his trademark free kicks, but the England international's effort went woefully wide of Djekanovic's goal. A minute later at the other end, Wicks had to save well from Tony Donatelli's unmarked header after the impressive Addlery found him with a cross on the right.

Chances were exchanged in the latter stages of the half, with Valente striking straight at Wicks from a tight angle on 34 minutes before Beckham fizzed a slicing effort just wide two minutes later.

Then, as the Whitecaps seemingly looked to be heading the break a goal up, Beckham helped Los Angeles claim an equalizer on 44 minutes. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid man played a forward ball for Gordon in the Vancouver box, and as Djekanovic attempted to punch the ball away, Gordon beat the Whitecaps keeper to the ball with his head to knock it into an empty net.

The goal was harsh on Thordarson's side, who looked far brighter before the halftime whistle was blown by referee Steve DePiero. The restart saw Vancouver make four changes, with Jay Nolly making his first appearance since preseason, while Justin Moose, Jeff Clarke, and Vicente Arze all came into the friendly match in midfield.

The second half remained open and competitive, with Jordan thinking he had given Los Angeles the lead on 54 minutes, but the former Timbers forward was correctly adjudged offside.

After a fine first-half performance in his fourth game for the club, Addlery was replaced by Nick Webb, as the former Oregon State University product came on for his first appearance since preseason on 61 minutes. It did not take long for the Bellingham, Washington product to make a decisive impact on the contest, as the Whitecaps soon restored their lead on 66 minutes.

The fleet-footed Moose intercepted a wayward Galaxy ball in the Vancouver half before playing a fine forward pass to Webb. His first-time low cross from the right found an unmarked Sebrango racing in and the Cuban hit-man finished with aplomb to make it 2-1.

The Whitecaps were in the ascendancy at this stage, and on 72 minutes, substitute Clarke was unlucky not to extend Vancouver's lead after his first-time shot from Sebrango's low cross was brilliantly saved by Wicks at close range.

It was a frustrating half for Beckham, and after failing to make the most of another free-kick chance, the midfielder was replaced on 75 minutes by defender Chris Klein before having ice applied on his right foot on the Galaxy bench.

Then an historical moment for the Whitecaps on 78 minutes, as striker and Edmonton native Randy Edwini-Bonsu became the first-ever Whitecaps Residency player to appear in a first-team game after being one of three substitutions made by Thordarson. Just this past weekend, Edwini-Bonsu was named Most Valuable Player with the Residency team at the INSEL-CUP junior international tournament in Germany.

In fact, the Whitecaps should have scored more goals late on, with only Franchino stopping Webb from getting his first goal for the club after stopping his close-range shot on the goal-line after the Galaxy failed to deal with Moose's corner from the left.

There was a scary moment for Vancouver, as Los Angeles had penalty claims when Jordan struck the ball against Cann's arm in the Whitecaps box, but referee DePiero waved away any appeals from the southern California visitors. In fact, Edwini-Bonsu came ever so close to completing a fairytale night for himself, as Wicks just got enough of his close-range shot to knock the ball into his own side-netting.

In the end, it was a superb performance by the Whitecaps, who showed soccer fans in Edmonton that there is little difference in the level of play between MLS and USL-1.

Thordarson's side will now move on from the Alberta provincial capital for an important Victoria Day weekend of USL-1 games, with the Whitecaps heading to south Florida to face Miami FC Blues on Friday night before meeting Canadian rivals Montreal Impact in their very-first game to be played at their new Saputo Stadium on Monday afternoon. The Galaxy, meanwhile, return to MLS action on Sunday afternoon when they travel to FC Dallas in Texas.

[Robbie]

A great identical wins of 3-1 over the weekend. At this rate, they are on par to win a double championship again like in 2006!

Congratulations to Andrea Neil as the Whitecaps have retired his #5.

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VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC are pleased to announce today that the club will honor longtime Whitecaps midfielder Andrea Neil following Vancouver’s W-League match against the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, June 7 by retiring her number five. Neil, the all-time leader in games played for both her country and her club, announced her retirement from competitive soccer on December 4, 2007.

From 2001 to 2006, Neil was the heart of the Whitecaps women’s side. She was the club’s captain for the first six years of the franchise’s existence and was a player/assistant coach for the last three seasons. In 2004 and 2006, Neil led the club to two USL W-League championships. She is not only the Whitecaps all-time leader in assists (22), minutes played (6,066) and games (69), Neil also ranks third for points (70), and is tied for third with goals (24) and game-winning goals (8).

The Vancouver, BC, native also enjoyed an extensive international career as well. Neil played for 18 years with Canada’s Women’s National Team, competing in four FIFA Women’s World Cups, earning a record 132 caps and scoring 24 goals.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC also announced today the signing of Canadian international forward Christine Sinclair for Saturday’s match. Sinclair is currently a member of Canada’s women’s national team residency program.

Sinclair will return to the Whitecaps lineup for the first time since helping Vancouver capture the 2006 W-League title. In three seasons with the Whitecaps, Sinclair has scored 21 goals and recorded 10 assists in 20 games.

The five-foot-nine native of Burnaby, BC, has earned 115 caps and scored a record 86 goals for her country. Sinclair, Canada’s national team captain, has been named the Canadian women’s soccer Player of the Year for three consecutive years. Sinclair turns 25 on June 12.

[Robbie]

For all of you who despise the sports teams from Toronto, the congratulations to the Vancouver Whitecaps men who defeated Major League Soccer side Toronto FC 1-0 in a pulsating Nutrilite Canadian Championship contest at BMO Field on Canada Day.

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/schedule/match07010802.aspx

[Robbie]

Congrats to the Whitecaps Women with their 3-1 to get closer to clinching a playoff spot. As for the men, they had to settle for a tie, but they have essentially clinched a playoff.

[Robbie]

Congratulations to the Whitecaps women as they finish their regular season with a win. Good luck ladies as they head into the playoffs starting at home next Saturday!



Real Colorado Cougars at Vancouver Whitecaps
July 20, 2008, 4:00 PM (PDT)

Score: 2:1 Win
Venue: Swangard Stadium
Match Type: Regular Season
Match Number: 12
Kickoff (PDT): 4:00 PM
Live Video: USL Live
Tickets: Buy
Live Stats: Launch
Promotions: Cadbury
Youth Club: Langley Girls Soccer Association
Attendance: 2322


Whitecaps striker Tiffeny Milbrett scored the first goal in Sunday's 2-1 win over Real Colorado Cougars at Swangard.Match Report:
Vancouver Whitecaps women closed out their regular season with a 2-1 home win over the Real Colorado Cougars on Sunday evening, a result which means Vancouver will host the W-League Western Conference Playoff Final next Saturday against the Seattle Sounders.

Vancouver hit for two quick goals early in the first half against Colorado, then survived a late surge by the Cougars, who were in a must-win situation.

The Whitecaps made three changes from the starting eleven that defeated Fort Collins last week. Forwards Jodi-Ann Robinson and Amy Vermeulen didn't dress, as both have been named Canadian Olympic Team alternates for Beijing. Getting the start instead was Julie Armstrong and midfielder Chelsea Stewart. As well, Erin McNulty was favoured in goal in place of Justine Bernier.

Just prior to kick-off, the Whitecaps announced their end-of-season awards. Defender Katrin Schmidt was named Newcomer of the Year, Lexi Marton picked up both Defender of the Year and Fan Favourite, goalkeeper Sian Bagshawe garnered the Blue and White Award for her outstanding participation in club and community initiatives, while Tiffeny Milbrett was declared Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.

The Whitecaps were first to threaten, as eleven minutes in defender Katrin Schmidt made some good moves before seeing her 20-yard blast deflect just wide.

On 13 minutes Karla Schacher played the ball to Tiffeny Milbrett on the left who took it to the edge of the six yard box and chipped in a short cross which ended up going over the keeper and into the net from a tight angle.

Just three minutes later, the home side doubled their lead as Kaylyn Kyle on the left sent a diagonal ball into the box that Cougars keeper Briana Schulze went for and missed, giving Julie Armstrong an open net to volley into from six yards.

Colorado coach Brian Haynes then opted to change goalkeepers, replacing Schulze, who wasn't at her best, with back-up Katie Bell.

Schacher had two more good chances later in the half. On 34 minutes she fired a good low shot that Bell did well to push past the post. Five minutes later Schacher reacted first to a poor defensive clearance that sent the ball straight up, and powered a header from close range off the outside of the post.

It was 2-0 at half-time.

Colorado came on strong in the second half, as Vancouver started to run out of steam. The key player for the visitors was forward Nicole Lukens, who put a header of the crossbar from a corner kick on minutes 55. Colorado out-shot Vancouver 13 to six in the second frame, with Lukens getting most of them.

On minute 88, Colorado managed to pull a goal back, and predictably it was Lukens who scored, as she fired a high shot from the right edge of the box over goalkeeper Erin McNulty and in.

Vancouver almost replied instantly as seconds later, Kirsteen Buchan in space teed up a shot from the top of the box, but rattled it off the crossbar.

Back the other way, in the 90th minute, Lukens forced a great diving save from McNulty off a corner, then seconds later Vanessa Mais put another header off the underside of the bar from a sharp angle to the right. Deep into injury time, Mais had another crack at it from distance, but McNulty touched the shot wide.


NINETY FULL MINUTES


Vancouver finish the season at 7-2-3 for 24 points, good for second place in the Western Conference, while Colorado have to settle for fourth spot at 5-4-3 and 18 points. The Whitecaps now host the third-place Seattle Sounders on Saturday, July 26 in a 4:00 p.m. start at Swangard Stadium.

Goal Summaries:

VAN - 13 - Tiffeny Milbrett (Karla Schacher)
Schacher found Milbrett on the left, who carried the ball in before chipping the keeper from a sharp angle. It was Milbrett's team-leading fifth goal of the season.

VAN - 16 - Julie Armstrong (Kaylyn Kyle)
Kyle sent a high ball into the box that the keeper came for but missed, with Armstrong then volleying into the open net for her second goal of the season.

COL - 88 - Nicole Lukens (Megan Flanagan)
Flanagan at the top of the box on the right played it to the overlapping Lukens, and from just inside the area she fired a high shot that sailed over Erin McNulty and into the net.

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 14 - Colorado 15
Saves: Vancouver 7 - Colorado 6
Fouls: Vancouver 15 - Colorado 14
Offsides: Vancouver 3 – Colorado 2
Corners: Vancouver 3 – Colorado 7

Cautions:
Vancouver: none
Colorado: Beth West 62'

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Erin McNulty; 4.Alexandra Marton, 6.Rachael Pelat (3.Shannon Woeller 76'), 10.Katrin Schmidt, 15.Chelsea Stang; 8.Kaylyn Kyle, 13.Chelsea Stewart, 18.Monica Lam-Feist (19.Anoop Josan 78'), 24.Karla Schacher (21.Paige Adams 46') 9.Jule Armstrong (29.Kirsteen Buchan 53'), 25.Tiffeny Milbrett (23.Tina Romagnuolo 67')

Subs: 26.Justine Bernier, 17.Eden Hingwing

Real Colorado Cougars
1.Brianna Schulze (0.Katie Bell 20'); 3.Afton Sauer, 8.Rayden Phillips (13.Kellyn Farrell 64'), 11.Brianna Young, 21.Elle Sweeney; 7.Beth West (18.Vanessa Mais 64'), 14.Katie Hooker, 16.Kathleen Paulson, 22.Megan Flanagan; 4.Nicole Lukens, 10.Kendra Chandhoke (5.Kerstyn Farrell 26')

[Robbie]

Between the top two teams in the USL, the Whitecaps drew a 1-1 tie with Puerto Rico Islanders and they remain tie in first place. Hopefully, the Whitecaps can do well in their final remaining games to finish first place overall.

[footy]

Fingers crossed we can get all 3 titles USL title, title for being first place and the Cascadia Cup for hopefully beating Seattle on September 20th !

Oh If anyone is interested in going to Tukwilla on September 20th as part of the Whitecaps suppoters club bus trip is $50 bus trip and ticket to game. Send me a pm and I will get you the name of the contact

Cheers

[Robbie]

The Whitecaps finished their final regular season with a 3-2 win over the Seattle Sounders. It will be a while before the Whitecaps face the Sounders again because the Sounders will be playing in the MLS in 2009.

The Whitecaps finished second in the USL Division 1, a huge improvement from their seventh place finish last year. Coach Teitur Thordarson should definitely get the coach of the year with the huge improvement.

Good luck to the Whitecaps as they enter the playoffs.

And in the meantime, it's good to see that the Whitecaps repossessed the Cascadia Cup.

[footy]

It was a great game on saturday we had about over 60 supporters make the trip down to Tukwila to the Starfire sports complex to watch game and partied with the team after the victory to become the 3 time Cascadia Cup champions and bring back the cup home.

Friday nights game against Minnesota should be a good one hopefully we can get 3 or more goals to give us a bit of goal differnce edge heading back to Minni.

The Southside should be a rocking as usual this friday !!!

[Soundy]

So what's the home playoff schedule look like? How about a quick primer on how USL playoffs work?

I've been to ONE Whitecaps game EVER, this past summer when I was working with a friend's band that played pregame/halftime, and actually quite enjoyed it. Like the Lions (you know, the OTHER kind of football), it's good entertainment for a great price... would love to catch a playoff game or two if I can.

[footy]

Here is a break down of the playoffs with Puerto Rico getting a first round bye.

Puerto Rico will face lowest remaining seed in semifinals. While the Islanders may have received a bye to the USL-1 semis, they will have to defeat two former champions en route to also capturing the league championship in three weeks. The USL-1 quarterfinal action that will determine the first opposition for Puerto Rico begins Friday, as teams open their two-leg, aggregate score series.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS v MINNESOTA THUNDER

Finishing second behind the Islanders by one point were the 2006 champion Vancouver Whitecaps. Vancouver will open at home on Friday against the seventh seed Minnesota Thunder, who would face Puerto Rico as the lowest seed, should they advance from the series when it concludes in Minnesota on Sunday, where the Thunder won their championship in 1999.

The pair played to a mirror image 1-1-1 tie in the season series, with both teams winning 1-0 on the road in the first six weeks of the season before playing to a goalless draw in Vancouver two weeks ago.

Leg One: 9/26 @ Vancouver 7:00 PT -- Leg Two: 9/28 @ Minnesota 3:05 PT

MONTREAL IMPACT v SEATTLE SOUNDERS

In a battle of two of the last three teams to win a title, four-time champions Seattle Sounders (1995, 1996, 2005, 2007) look to defend their crown against the two-time champions Montreal Impact (1994, 2004). The third-seeded Impact will open the series on the road Friday against Seattle, just two days after hosting Mexican side Atlante FC in their second CONCACAF Champions League group match on Wednesday. They return home to face the sixth-seeded Sounders to conclude the series on Sunday.

The Sounders and Impact also finished tied on the season, going 1-1-1. They opened the season series with a 1-1 draw in Seattle before the Sounders followed that up with a 1-0 win in Montreal. Seattle then fell to the Impact 2-1 in Seattle two weeks ago to complete the three league meetings.

Leg One: 9/26 @ Seattle 7:00 PT -- Leg Two: 9/28 @ Montreal 2:00 PT

ROCHESTER RHINOS v CHARLESTON BATTERY

Three-time champions Rochester Rhinos (1998, 2000, 2001) will play host to the 2003 champions Charleston Battery on Friday. The Rhinos, the only club among the field to have never missed the postseason, travel to Charleston to wrap up the series on Sunday - which will be live on Fox Sports World Canada and Fox Soccer Channel in the United States.

Charleston is the lone team among the playoff sides to have won the season series against their quarterfinal opposition, sweeping the Rhinos 3-0-0, and by a 6-1 margin on aggregate. They won the two meetings in Charleston by two-goal margins (2-0 and 3-1), with a 1-0 road victory sandwiched in between. They have not faced one another, however, since the final contest on June 28.

Leg One: 9/26 @ Rochester 4:35 PT -- Leg Two: 9/28 @ Charleston 4:00 PT (FSWC, FSC)

So who would the Islanders like to face? Of the four seeds (4-7) that could be their semifinal opponent, Seattle is the only club that Puerto Rico did not claim a winning record against in the season series, going 1-1-1. And with the travel distance involved with a potential Seattle series, combined with CONCACAF Champions League commitments, the defending champions are the one club the Islanders are hoping to avoid in their semifinal series.

The Islanders swept the Thunder in three contests by an aggregate score of 7-3 on the year, while they finished unbeaten (2-0-1) against Rochester and Charleston. Puerto Rico had an aggregate tally of 7-1 against Rochester, concluding with a 2-0 road win a week ago. They posted a 5-2 aggregate advantage against the Battery, but their 0-0 road draw on August 29 was the last meeting.

While they will not meet Vancouver and Montreal in the semifinals, the Islanders did finish the season without losing a season series against any of their off-season counterparts, posting a 1-0-2 record against Vancouver, and a 1-1-1 record against Montreal.

[Robbie]

A good 2-0 win for the Whitecaps over Minnesota in game 1 of the two game aggregate. The Whitecaps are in good shape for Sunday's game 2.