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We’ve got another new AFTN Extra podcast for you and it’s another international themed affair as we delve into Canada’s big 6-0 victory over Honduras in their first match at the 2025 Gold Cup.
We pick over the bones of the game and bring you postgame chat with Canada’s stand-in head coach Mauro Biello and players Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Niko Sigur, and Tani Oluwaseyi.
This 42 minute episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via Transfernow) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
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Canada got their 2025 Gold Cup campaign off and running in some style at Vancouver’s BC Place on Tuesday evening with a 6-0 shellacking of Honduras in their opening group game.
Burnaby boy Niko Sigur started the rout off in the 27th minute with his first goal for the national team, with Tani Oluwaseyi doubling Canada’s lead two minutes into first half stoppage time.
Tajon Buchanan struck twice in the second half in the 48th and 65th minutes to put Canada four up, before Promise David saw Canada go nap with 15 minutes to go. Nathan Saliba put the cherry on top in the last minute to make it six, as Canada fully lived up to their tournament favourites tag.
Here’s the story in pictures. Words by Michael McColl, photos from Tom Ewasiuk.
*For the second time in 12 months, BC Place sported a beautiful grass pitchThe Voyageurs were out in force in a crowd of 24,286Canada’s starting XI27 – Burnaby boy Niko Sigur opens the scoring after a fantastic give and go with Jonathan DavidA special moment at home for the Burnaby boy45+2 – A superb pass from Richie Laryea plays in Tani Oluwaseyi, who rifles it into the roof of the net from a sublime angle2-0 Canada at half time48 – Richie Laryea crosses in from the left. Tani Oluwaseyi takes a touch on the way through and Tajon Buchanan is waiting at the back post to fire home Canada’s third65 – Tani Oluwaseyi rises to meet Mathieu Choiniere’s corner in from the left. His header is blocked, but it falls to Tajon Buchanan, who pokes the ball homeTajon’s brace makes it 4-0 as Canada run rampant75 – On the pitch for just four minutes, Promise David is played in and gets a goal with a neat finishJoy all round as Canada go nap90 – A Honduras turnover is pounced upon by Nathan Saliba, who takes a touch inside before firing home from the edge of the box to round off the scoring*You can find all of Tom’s photos from the match on AFTN’s Flickr account HERE
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, FIFA World Cup, and Canadian national team chat and interviews.
Vancouver Whitecaps’ 11-match unbeaten run in MLS came to end in Columbus on Saturday after the Crew dispatched them 2-1. We look back at the main talking points coming out of the match, including the continued absences of key players and the blooding of a couple of homegrowns. The match marked the midway point of the ‘Caps’ MLS regular season and we delve into the fantastic first half of what is shaping up to be a momentous year for the table toppers.
It’s an exciting time for football in Vancouver and the one year countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has now begun. We look at how prepared Vancouver is to host an event of this magnitude and hear from the legendary Christine Sinclair, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, and BC’s Minister for Sport Spencer Chandra Herbert.
Canada are preparing for next year’s World Cup at this year’s Gold Cup, which got underway this past weekend. We chat about Canada’s chances, and hear from head coach Jesse Marsch, Whitecaps winger Ali Ahmed, and Sporting KC defender Zorhan Bassong.
All of this plus we talk FIFA Club World Cup, World Cup 2026 qualification, and music-wise, a solo Pete Shelley continues his residency as our Album of the Month, we’ve two Britpop songs from Menswearand Powder, and a Columbus Crew classic features in Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
00.00: Intro
02.50: The FIFA Club World Cup kicks off
19.55: Whitecaps lose in Columbus but stay top
46.08: Whitecaps Half Year in Review
72.43: Canada start Gold Cup campaign as favourites
85.28: Jesse Marsch talks Gold Cup preparations and expectations
95.56: Ali Ahmed on Gold Cup in Vancouver and tournament hopes
104.15: Zorhan Bassong talks Gold Cup opportunity
113.10: CONCACAF World Cup qualifying reaches final round
120.30: 2026 World Cup one year countdown underway
124.25: Christine Sinclair talks World Cup 2026 and memories
130.25: Is Vancouver ready for next year’s World Cup
151.50: Wavelength – Shawn Bandz – Columbus Crew (Yellow Swag)
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
Spotify
YouTube
Amazon Music
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Podchaser
CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, Northern Super League, and national team chat and interviews.
What a week it’s been in Whitecapsland. Eventful doesn’t even do it justice, as the team returned from a heavy cup final loss only to be hit by gastrointestinal illness that left Sunday’s derby game with Seattle Sounders in doubt. In the end it was played and despite everything the ‘Caps came away with a stunning 3-0 win over their Cascadian rivals. We look back at the match, the build up, and the fallout.
Turning our attention to the national teams, we look back at Canada’s win over Ukraine in the Canadian Shield as they prepare for the Gold Cup, the Canadian women’s U20s qualifying for the World Cup, and our feature interview is with the Vancouverite and Vancouver Rise player who scored her first goal for the senior team this week, Holly Ward. We chat with Holly about her fantastic year to date for both club and country and what’s to come.
All of this plus we look around the lie of the land in the CPL and the recent resignation of Commissioner Mark Noonan, and music-wise, a solo Pete Shelley continues his residency as our Album of the Month, we’ve a Britpop song from Powder, and an old Scottish World Cup song in Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.35: Intro
05.10: Whitecaps rout Sounders after week from hell
58.42: The lie of the land in the MLS West
70.00: Canada beat Ukraine and international Whitecaps round-up
93.50: Holly Ward interview
114.28: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive? – Holly Ward
121.45: CPL round-up after Week 10
138.33: The road ahead for the CPL after Mark Noonan’s departure
149.50: Wavelength – Peter Nardini – We Jist Might Win
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
Spotify
YouTube
Amazon Music
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Podchaser
CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Who saw this one coming? Undermanned, understrength, and under the weather, Vancouver Whitecaps put in a performance of the ages to come away with a 3-0 derby day rout of the visiting Seattle Sounders at BC Place on Sunday evening, helped along the way by some self destruction from their opponents.
Homegrown BC boy Jeevan Badwal set the makeshift ‘Caps on their way with his first MLS goal in the 40th minute, before two red cards for the Sounders’ Nouhou and Jon Bell in a three minute spell swung the match firmly in Vancouver’s favour. A rocket from Daniel Rios and a late penalty from Damir Kreilach completed the scoring and the Whitecaps extended their lead at the top of the Western Conference after a week like no other.
Describing this result as remarkable doesn’t even do it justice with all that went before the match.
With nine players away on international duty and Ryan Gauld still out injured, this game was always going to have heavy rotation for Vancouver. Then the GI bug ripped through the Whitecaps and we weren’t even sure if there was going to be a game, but this is MLS, so of course there was.
Saturday’s status report listed 18 Whitecaps players as either out or questionable, but in the end Jesper Sorensen rolled out the line-up most would have expected or near expected. That saw six changes from the team that started last Sunday’s final against Cruz Azul and just four changes from the last MLS match against Minnesotra. There were seven WFC2 call-ups on the bench, but all things considered, this was about as good as it was ever going to get. The burning question though was how long these starters could all last in their drained conditions and the heat?
The first chance fell Seattle’s way, with Ralph Priso’s headed clearance falling to Alex Roldan in the box, but he pulled his effort wide of the right post.
Seattle enjoyed the better of the early play, but then Vancouver started to find their feet and played got into their rhythm, creating a couple of half chances and not showing any signs of fatigue.
Neither side were able to muster a shot on target in the first half hour. Or at least one that counted. Jesus Ferreira was slipped in in the 19th minute, forcing a leg save out of Yohei Takaoka, but the flag subsequently went up for offside.
Seattle turned up the pressure as the first hydration break of the match approached. Cristian Roldan had a goalbound shot deflected by Mathias Laborda, with Pedro de la Vega curling a low effort past the far post from the subsequent corner.
The ‘Caps were putting in a good performance and would have been happy to get in to the break on level terms, but with Seattle looking the team more out of sorts, Vancouver found the breakthrough in the 40th minute.
It was a patient goal as the ‘Caps took a methodical approach moving forward, ending with Edier Ocampo centering the ball for a stretching Badwal to direct the ball past Stefan Frei for his first goal for the first team in his first home start.
Slots it in like a vet. 🎯 Jeevan Badwal officially secures his first as a ‘Cap.
📺 https://t.co/702Uz1sfsF #VWFC | #VANvSEA pic.twitter.com/Qs0VqVyCwu
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 9, 2025
Albert Rusnak had a chance to send the visitors in at the break on level terms, but he blasted over from a good position and the ‘Caps headed in with the unexpected lead.
Brian Schmetzer will have fired his Seattle side up at half time, and probably tore a few strips off them as well, and they came out on the front foot. Perhaps they were too fired up because by the 55th minute mark they were down two players.
Laborda broke through on the right wing in the 52nd minute and was hauled back by Nouhou, leaving referee Ricardo Fierro with no option but to send off the Seattle centre back.
The Whitecaps thought they had their second goal a minute later from Bjorn Inge Utvik, but the referee blew it off for a foul.
Seattle’s bad day at the office got significantly worse in the 55th minute when Jon Bell clipped Emmanuel Sabbi as he raced in on goal. The contact seemed purely accidental, but there was a definite clip and all of a sudden it was 11-v-9.
With everything that has gone on in the last few days, even that didn’t meant the game was put to bed, with Seattle making a quadruple substitution to freshen things up. They needed a second goal to relax a little and it came in style in the 71st minute.
Badwal played the ball inside to Priso who touched it to his right for Rios to blast home from outside the box and the Whitecaps had the 2-0 lead.
GOLAZOOOO BY RÍOS 🔥 Assisted by Ralph!
📺 https://t.co/702Uz1sfsF#VWFC | #VANvSEA pic.twitter.com/pWjwfzkk0U
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 9, 2025
That felt like game, set, and match, but buoyed by the second goal, Vancouver pushed for more.
Ocampo had a spectacular scissor kick effort saved by Frei, then Priso saw a shot from the edge of the box tipped over by the Sounder keeper.
The ‘Caps kept pushing and they got their reward in the 87th minute when Joao Paulo brought down Sabbi in the box with a reckless challenge. Kreilach stepped up and sent Frei to the wrong way from the spot and a fantastic victory was complete.
King Kreilach 👑#VWFC | #VANvSEA pic.twitter.com/hoQ2JAqAhk
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 9, 2025
This was a stunning result and performance from a team that a week ago was suffering heartbreak and humiliation in a continental cup final and fighting gastrointestinal illness all week. It was simply remarkable. The fight and spirit instilled by Sorenson in his side has been extraordinary to watch.
When you look at games of the season come the end of the year the Champions Cup performances against Miami, Monterrey, and Pumas will all be up there, as will the opening day shellacking of Portland. The nature of this game and the background behind it deserves to be in that mix as well.
The win saw the Whitecaps extend their unbeaten run in MLS play to a club record 11 matches, while Takaoka kept his eighth clean sheet in the league this year and 10th overall. The ‘Caps extended their lead to five points at the top of the Western Conference and retook the lead in the Supporters’ Shield race, all of this with a game still in hand.
It’s been quite the week, in quite the season.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – 0 Seattle Sounders
ATT: 24,276
VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 2.Mathías Laborda,15.Bjørn Inge Utvik (12.Belal Halbouni 64’), 4.Ranko Veselinović ©, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 18.Édier Ocampo; 59.Jeevan Badwal (19.Damir Kreilach 74′), 13.Ralph Priso; 11.Emmanuel Sabbi, 14.Daniel Ríos, 26.J.C. Ngando [Substitutes not used: 32.Isaac Boehmer, 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 43.Antoine Coupland, 44.Jackson Castro, 48.Adrián Pelayo, 54.Daniel Russo, 63.Johnny Selemani]
SEATTLE: 24.Stefan Frei; 16.Álex Roldán, 25.Jackson Ragen (33.Cody Baker 81’), 15.Jon Bell, 5.Nouhou; 18.Obed Vargas, 7.Cristian Roldán; 10.Pedro de la Vega (14. Paul Rothrock 60’), 11.Albert Rusnák (6.João Paulo 61’), 77.Ryan Kent (19. Danny Musovski 60’); 9.Jesús Ferreira (85.Kalani Kossa-Rienzi 60′) [Substitutes not used: 26.Andrew Thomas, 3.Travian Sousa, 75.Danny Leyva, 93.Georgi Minoungou]
SCORING SUMMARY:
40’ – VAN – Jeevan Badwal (Édier Ocampo, J.C. Ngando)
70’ – VAN – Daniel Ríos (Ralph Priso)
88’ – VAN – Damir Kreilach (penalty kick)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 46.1% – SEA 53.9%
Shots: VAN 13 – SEA 7
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – SEA 0
Saves: VAN 0 – SEA 2
Fouls: VAN 10 – SEA 11
Offsides: VAN 0 – SEA 1
Corners: VAN 3 – SEA 3
CARDS:
52’ – SEA – Nouhou (Red)
55’ – SEA – Jon Bell (Red)
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
JESPER SORENSEN
On the team’s strong response tonight in the face of adversity this week:
“All the credit in this world has to go to our players, because this week has been very rough. I would say maybe some funny words, but it’s not appropriate here, but I think that it’s been a very rough week. I think the players, what they did today was exceptional. And you sometimes need a bit of luck, of course you do. They got two sending offs and that changed everything, of course it did. But they gave everything they had in their body on the pitch. We could see how tired everybody was also in the break. And, you know, it’s been very difficult. I think the result was great [but] I stand by my opinion that I would have preferred this game not to be played. I would not be a hypocrite sitting [here] after a 3-0 win and just say that everything is perfect, because I don’t think so. All our players were clear to play medically, but, you know, they haven’t [trained well]. We had players [whose] first day of training after a long trip to Mexico was yesterday. And I think the preparation as not good. I think, as a coach, that I was very concerned about the players’ health. And also, when we have that many players out, then we don’t have much margin. We’ve played 25 games in three and a half months and we managed to have only one [long term] injury in [Ryan] Gauld. Had we had three or four? I don’t know what we could have done. And we can also bring a lot of MLS Next Pro players and they are big talents, but for me as a head coach I don’t think the first experience should be getting in an MLS game fighting for a low defeat or something. I’m so proud of the players, every credit to them from my side. I think they did everything. I will leave it here with the game but I think that had it been up to me, we hadn’t played this game.”
On Jeevan Badwal’s first start and first career goal:
“Jeevan [Badwal] is a lucky player because he has a coach that actually sees his talent, and I think that he just has to show it. I think he has today. It’s also up to us in the coaching staff to also give him the opportunities. But I think that he is a young player, hasn’t played much this season, but I think that he’s very fast around the pitch. He’s very strong against the ball. He has better time on the ball than most players in the central area because he moves his feet so fast. And then, he can run forever, but also he was sick during this week, so he was not at his best. But what I saw today was promising. He played well together with his teammates, and that’s the most important thing when I look at it. It’s not about getting in and playing a very good individual game; it’s about getting in and playing well with the rest of the team and show that you can fill out the position. And of course, the goal made it special, right? So for a young man scoring at home was beautiful.”
RANKO VESELINOVIĆ
Praising Jeevan Badwal and his character:
“He’s amazing, seriously. I’m not saying that just because it’s a nice thing to say. I mean it because he’s a really nice guy and I always know how I was when I was younger when I entered the team, how my behaviour was. I always respect guys like that, that keep their heads down, they’re always positive, they work hard whatever comes, they don’t complain about anything, and they wait for their chance. And he deserves it tonight. It’s a game that he’s going to remember all his life scoring the nice goal. He was amazing all game, doing the dirty work, doing all the good things in offense and that the reward for his great training that he’s done all season.”
JEEVAN BADWAL
On his first home start and goal:
“It feels amazing. Obviously, growing up in the academy, it’s one main thing, scoring a goal at BC Place. As a little kid, I was in those stands watching a lot. But now, scoring a goal at BC Place in front of family, in front of friends, just means a lot more. It’s amazing.”
Now, I don’t think in my years of writing these previews I’ve ever thought “I wonder if this match is actually going to kick off”.
But that’s the situation we currently find ourselves in! As of the time of writing, we’re just over 24 hours out from the Whitecaps taking on rivals (both in geography and in the table) Seattle. Normally, this would be a highly anticipated matchup, but unfortunately these aren’t quite normal circumstances!
This was already marked as the MLS equivalent to a “schedule loss” ages ago, considering that it falls in the middle of a very active international window. The fact that Tate Johnson and Giuseppe Bovalina both even managed to find a way to be unavailable is the cherry on top of a grand total of nine first-team players away to represent their respective countries.
While that was bad enough, now there’s the harsh new reality of a stomach bug that swept its way through the organization this week, affecting a number of the players who are still in Vancouver (as well as some who have gone away).
Given that the ‘Caps were already going to have only 12 first-team outfield players available for Sunday, and now that an unknown number of that small group have been battling illness since returning from Mexico City, one would think that if any game is going to get postponed, it would be under these circumstances.
But as of right now, that’s not yet happened and as the hours and days ticked by it was becoming clear that the game was going ahead. So assuming that the proceedings do, in fact, proceed, what might that look like? The murmurs are that there will be up to seven WFC2 call-ups for the game. How many of those are really MLS-ready? Well we’re going to find out pretty quickly.
It’s not going to look pretty, outside of the backline at least, and even there it all depends who has been hit by the bug. Sure there’s no natural left-back available, but playing one of Mathias Laborda or Édier Ocampo on their opposite side gives you a defensive line and keeper combo that wouldn’t look out of place on any given weekend.
The front six though, that’s another story. In fact, unless Jesper Sørensen starts a WFC2 call-up, or plays Ocampo as a winger, there’s only six options available for those six spots!
Those options are Ralph Priso, JC Ngando, and Jeevan Badwal in the midfield, and Emmanuel Sabbi, Daniel Rios, and Damir Kreilach up front. Pretty bare bones in the best of times, and of course these likely aren’t the best of times for all of them.
Of course, there’s the question of whether this crisis of availability could prompt Sørensen to actually change his formation? Bringing in Bjørn Inge Utvik or Belal Halbouni to play a back three and shifting either Kreilach or Badwal to the bench seems to be the most logical outcome in that case, and it will be interesting to see exactly how married the man on the sidelines is to his 4-3-3 system, especially with how things went against Cruz Azul (which we don’t need to revisit).
It doesn’t help the Whitecaps’ cause that the Sounders enter this weekend with just three international call-ups, who have combined to play less than 250 minutes between them on the season to this point. There’s a trade-off though, as Seattle is battling some key injuries.
Forward Jordan Morris remains out, as do centre-backs Yeimar and Kim Kee-hee (in addition to Paul Arriola’s ACL tear). The men in green have been in good form recently, however, with just two losses in their last 10 outings.
While the ‘Caps still have a clear lead over the rest of the West in terms of points per game, the fact that they’ve now played the fewest in the conference means that there are a number of teams now breathing down their neck in terms of total points.
If the Sounders win, they’ll just be three back of the blue and white. And while I’m often optimistic heading into each game (even before this season) it’s a little hard to see where a victory might come from on Sunday, assuming the teams do take the pitch. But I guess that’s why they play!
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and national team chat and interviews.
Vancouver Whitecaps’ trip to Mexico City was not a happy one. A heavy 5-0 loss to Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup final saw the ‘Caps outclassed and look a shadow of the team that got them to that point. A tough one to take, but it shouldn’t fully be allowed to cloud what was a fantastic and galvanising cup run and the season so far. The worry is that there could be some lasting psychological damage in the coming weeks and we hear from head coach Jesper Sorensen about lifting the team up after this and getting back to winning ways.
We also look at Michael’s experience in CDMX both at the match and in the city, plus the breaking news that the ‘Caps didn’t come home with a trophy, but they did come home with gastrointestinal illness. We look at what went down, what it means for the game against Seattle at the weekend, and hear from Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster.
We’ve also got four interviews to bring you this episode as we turn our attention to the international game. With Canada preparing for the Gold Cup later this month, we chat with the man who is, for us, the current number one goalkeeper for the national team, Minnesota United’s Dayne St Clair and talk with head coach Jesse Marsch about the development pathway in Canada and the role of League1.
Nine Whitecaps are off to represent their country this international window. We talk with one of them, Giuseppe Bovalina, who is off to play for Australia’s U23 side, about his move to Vancouver, life in MLS, what he misses about back home, and playing with the Olyroos. Plus we chat with another antipodean, former Whitecap Michael Boxall, about New Zealand’s qualification for the World Cup and his international career.
All of this plus music-wise, a solo Pete Shelley begins his residency as our Album of the Month, we’ve a Britpop song from The Bluetones, and Armchair Loyal are back in Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.36: Intro – a cursed episode, the end of the lucky hat, and Club World Cup ticket prices slashed
09.28: VFC derby chaos as CPL refs take centre stage again
25.12: Heartbreak and humiliation for Whitecaps in Champions Cup final loss to Cruz Azul
59.25: Michael’s trip to Mexico City – the highlights and lowlights
87.25: Will heavy final defeat affect Whitecaps’ psyche?
96.33: Whitecaps hit by gastrointestinal illness following return from Mexico
121.40: Dayne St Clair interview
139.27: Michael Boxall interview
153.30: Giuseppe Bovalina interview
164.30: Jesse Marsch talks Canada’s development pathway and the role of League1
172.20: Wavelength – Armchair Loyal – Chairman of the Bored
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
Spotify
YouTube
Amazon Music
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Podchaser
CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’ve got another new AFTN Extra podcast for you and it’s an international themed affair as we look at both Canada and America’s upcoming national team matches as both prepare for the 2025 Gold Cup.
We look at the upcoming games, the Whitecaps call-ups, and hear from Canadian men’s national team head coach Jesse Marsch and his US counterpart Mauricio Pochettino from recent press conferences.
This episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via WeTransfer or Transfernow) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
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Vancouver Whitecaps’ Cinderella-style run in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup came to an abrupt and hugely disappointing end at Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City on Sunday evening after a 5-0 drubbing by Cruz Azul in the final.
The Liga MX powerhouse were simply magnificent from first kick to last, putting the final to bed early on following a four-goal blitz in the first half. Aggressive from the off, Ignacio Rivero opening the scoring for Cruz Azul just eight minutes in and after that there was no looking back. Lorenzo Faravelli, Ángel Sepúlveda, and Mateusz Bogusz added further goals before half time and an out-of-sorts Whitecaps side were left shellshocked.
When Sepúlveda added a fifth five minutes after the restart, you were just wondering how out of hand this was going to get. A (very) small positive for the ‘Caps was that that was it and Cruz Azul were crowned CONCACAF champions for a seventh time, with the largest margin of victory in a final since 1990.
For the Whitecaps, it was a sad ending to a wonderful cup run that captured people’s imagination across Canada and the US and galvanised the fanbase here in Vancouver. It’s hard to not feel down by how it all ended, that’s why I wanted to wait about 24 hours before putting this report together.
This was a team that wasn’t meant to be here, but had played in such a way and knocked out some huge names in the process that they had many fully believing they would win. That’s why the lopsided scoreline feels like a gut punch, but in the cold light of day, it shouldn’t cloudy the memories and achievements the run to the final created in the first place. It does however leave a horrible stain on what went before. Recency bias and all that.
The fact of the matter is the Whitecaps were simply outplayed on the night and struggled to get any foothold in the game, when they arguably did a little in the second half, it was long after it was game over. The normal Whitecaps playing style was not able to even be remotely executed. You can blame the build up of games, the lack of rest, the playing surface, altitude, a somewhat naive gameplan in trying to play out of the back against a team pressing so aggressively hard and turning the ball over time and time again as a result. And they all did play a part in the defeat, but the main reason the ‘Caps lost so heavily is that Cruz Azul were tremendous, a side packed full of quality, and deserved winners. The gulf was huge.
Jesper Sorensen went with probably what many would have considered his strongest line-up of players available, with Ryan Gauld still injured and Sebastian Berhalter suspended. You could maybe have made a case for the full backs and the third midfielder among others, but on paper, this felt a strong team. Sadly the game was not played on paper.
Cruz Azul took the game to Vancouver from the off and when they had an early look on goal, it was a worrying sign of things to come.
The Mexicans got their breakthrough just eight minutes in and it was the first of several costly turnovers from the ‘Caps. Edier Ocampo played a ball to Andres Cubas, but his immediate return pass under pressure was knocked away from the Colombian by Carlos Rotondi, playing in Rivero, who made no mistake in firing low past Yohei Takaoka. Could Tristan Blackmon have slid in to try and put off or block the shot? Should Takaoka have got down better? Perhaps.
¡Ignacio Rivero abre el marcador de la Final! 🚂 pic.twitter.com/dAsjjEqvKv
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) June 2, 2025
A bad start, but the Whitecaps had been down in Mexico before and came back and they’ve been making a habit of it in MLS of late. The worrying thing though was that Cruz Azul were handling the conditions and the slippy pitch far better and Vancouver simply couldn’t get the ball and play their dominant game.
Cruz Azul were dominating play and Carlos Rodríguez didn’t miss by much when he got onto a cross into the box in the 21st minute and fired narrowly wide.
With Vancouver failing to get any foothold or rhythm, Cruz Azul doubled their lead in the 28th minute and once again it was Cubas who was caught out. Cruz Azul’s aggression wasn’t allowing the quick, neat, short passes that have become the Whitecaps M.O., yet they still tried them and Cubas was intercepted by Faravelli, who held off the Paraguayan to bring the ball forward and rifle on in off the left post from just outside the box and it was 2-0 to the home side.
¡Derechazo de Faravelli para aumentar la ventaja de La Máquina! 💥 pic.twitter.com/V3Pyw01Aga
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) June 2, 2025
The ‘Caps were now in a hole of their own digging, but we’ve seen a couple of comebacks from two goals down in recent weeks. Unfortunately this time, they were facing much better opposition. Still, it felt that the next goal was huge. If the ‘Caps got it, it’s game very much back on. If it goes the way of Cruz Azul, it’s goodnight.
And we all know the outcome of that nine minutes later.
Rotondi tore up the left wing and whipped an invited cross in, which Sepúlveda stretched to get on to and direct it past Takaoda. He certainly looked offside when he met it and had come back from an offside position as the play started, but the goal stood and Cruz Azul had the 3-0 lead.
¡Sepúlveda la manda al fondo de la red! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gRmwbKkVkN
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) June 2, 2025
Offside or not, it wouldn’t have really mattered as Vancouver were just not at the races and didn’t even look like pulling one back never mind two or three.
It was almost four for Cruz Azul in the 42nd minute when some hesitation between Blackmon and Takaoka nearly allowed Rivero to nip in, but the ‘Caps keeper smothered the danger.
That was just mere respite and three minutes later the Liga MX side got their fourth on a lovely passing move on a six-on-five transition.
The move ended with Cubas cutting out a cross, but the rebound fell to Bogusz who drilled the ball to the far corner from the edge of the box with Takaoka rooted.
¡Mateusz Bogusz anotó el 4-0 para Cruz Azul! 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/I6eRIqCmeR
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) June 2, 2025
What the half time team talk in the Whitecaps dressing room was, I dread to think, but they made a couple of subs to try and stop the damage. It didn’t work.
Cruz Azul went nap five minutes after the restart. The Whitecaps had actually started the second half well, pushing forward and finally pressing, but they were undone again when a long ball forward saw Cubas slip at the halfway line and a run and two passes later and Sepúlveda was heading home from Jorge Sanchez.
¡DOBLETE DE SEPÚLVEDA! ⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/P0lhZbBa8s
— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) June 2, 2025
The good news for the ‘Caps was that this was the end of the scoring, but they rode their luck to keep it at five.
Ranko Veselinovic headed a Giorgos Giakoumakis effort off the line in the 70th minute after Takaoka was dispossessed by Sepulveda, after what can only be described as pissing about with the ball at the edge of the box. The Greek forward turned away thinking he had scored, so small victories!
And Giakoumakis looked on in anguish again with six minutes remaining when he ran onto a long back forward but pulled his shot wide of the left post.
Moments later Takaoka came up with the save of the match, flying across his goal to turn away a Jesús Orozco header off a corner, but that was all she wrote and Cruz Azul had a dominant seventh CONCACAF crown.
For the Whitecaps not to even muster a shot, never mind one on target, is mind boggling. The closest they came were two balls in for Brian White in the second half that were too far ahead of him, one from Pedro Vite and one from Emmanuel Sabbi
Was this just a juggernaut of a side that got their gameplan spot on and ran over the Whitecaps or a sign of more concern that the number of games have caught up to them?
We’ll find out soon, but there was a huge difference between two teams coming off nearly two weeks rest and the other four days. Questions need to be asked about the preparation for the match. Football is a game of what ifs – what if some of our best players didn’t have a night to forget, what if that third goal had been given offside, what if we had a plan B when the first one wasn’t working?
All the Whitecaps can do is learn from this, put the disappointment and hurt aside, and come back and show everybody that this was an off night and the team we’ve seen go 15 games unbeaten are still there and still a force to be reckoned with. Let’s see how we feel at the end of July.
FINAL SCORE: Cruz Azul 5 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 33,046
SCORING SUMMARY:
8’ – CAZ – Ignacio Rivero
28’ – CAZ – Lorenzo Faravelli
37’ – CAZ – Ángel Sepúlveda (Carlos Rotondi)
45’ – CAZ – Mateusz Bogusz
50’ – CAZ – Ángel Sepúlveda (Jorge Sánchez)
STATS:
Possession: CAZ 67% – VAN 33%
Shots: CAZ 16 – VAN 0
Shots on Goal: CAZ 4 – VAN 0
Saves: CAZ 0 – VAN 2
Fouls: CAZ 11 – VAN 13
Offsides: CAZ 2 – VAN 1
Corners: CAZ 10 – VAN 1
CARDS (ALL YELLOW):
65’ – VAN – Ranko Veselinović
CRUZ AZUL: 23.Kevin Mier; 4.Willer Ditta, 6.Érik Lira, 33.Gonzalo Piovi; 2.Jorge Sánchez, 15.Ignacio Rivero (5.Jesús Orozco 67’), 8.Lorenzo Faravelli (18.Luka Romero 77’), 19.Carlos Rodríguez (14.Alexis Gutiérrez 86’), 29.Carlos Rotondi; 7.Mateusz Bogusz (11.Giorgos Giakoumakis 67’), 9.Ángel Sepúlveda (31.Amaury Morales 77’) [Substitutes not used: 1.Andrés Gudiño, 30.Emmanuel Ochoa, 3.Omar Campos, 17.Amaury García, 21.Gabriel Fernández, 26.Carlos Vargas, 32.Cristian Jiménez]
VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo (2.Mathías Laborda 46′), 4.Ranko Veselinović © (15.Bjørn Inge Utvik 86’), 33.Tristan Blackmon, 3.Sam Adekugbe; 45.Pedro Vite (13.Ralph Priso 63’), 20.Andrés Cubas, 26.J.C. Ngando (14.Daniel Ríos 80’); 22.Ali Ahmed, 24.Brian White, 7.Jayden Nelson (11.Emmanuel Sabbi 46′) [Substitutes not used: 30.Adrían Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 12.Belal Halbouni, 19.Damir Kreilach, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina, 28.Tate Johnson, 59.Jeevan Badwal]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
JESPER SORENSEN
On bringing excitement to the city of Vancouver:
“Of course, we will do everything to be back in this tournament. It’s been great for us. We know how to get here, we can only get here through the Canadian Cup or the MLS, so it’s very important that we perform well in those two competitions. I would say that we hope that we would go away with the trophy in our hands. But it wasn’t to be today. The opposition was too good for us today. Having said that, I’m happy that we created some excitement. We also how many fans came to cheer us on. And I’m very grateful for all the fans coming here, and I think that’s some of the excitement we have been creating not only ourselves, but also together with our fans and I hope that we are starting to build something, even though tonight was very, very tough for everyone.”
On bouncing back in MLS play:
“Contrary to other teams playing a game like this, we are mid-season and not at the end of the season, so we have a huge task ahead of us because we have to pick ourselves up after a huge disappointment. But we have to do that. One thing is to be champions in football, another thing is to be champions of life. That’s about your behaviour and it’s about how you react when you meet adversity, and it’s about how you show resilience when things are tough. So up until now, I’ve only seen those things from the players and that’s what we have to do again. It’s going to be tough, no doubt about that, it’s going to be tough because this is a huge disappointment. But we are mid-season. We are not at the end of the season, so we have a long season ahead of us and hopefully also more big games ahead of us again.”
When the Whitecaps defeated Saprissa in the second leg of their tie back at the end of February, that result didn’t quite spark waves of excitement amongst the fanbase.
Eliminating Monterrey in the Round of 16? That got a bit more of a reaction. Then they did the same against Pumas. Then they took down Inter Miami in front of the club’s biggest crowd in decades, before doing it again on the road the following week.
Suffice to say, things have ramped up over the last three months. And now it all comes down to one final match, heading back down to Mexico City for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final against Cruz Azul.
It’s undoubtedly the biggest night in the club’s MLS-era history, and in strong contention to be the biggest across any era of soccer in Vancouver. The ‘Caps have the chance to not just win an continental trophy, but to be the first Canadian team to ever win this competition and just the second MLS side to do so since the massive expansion of the tournament in 2008.
As a fun bonus, with a win the ‘Caps would also qualify for the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December where they would face off against the winner of this year’s Copa Libertadores, as well as qualify for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
How many players from this year’s squad will even still be around in 2029? Who knows?! But it would still be a milestone moment. (For the record, the only players left from the 2021 squad are Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Pedro Vite, Ranko Veselinović, and Isaac Boehmer. And those first three all arrived midway through the season.)
Of course, the ‘Caps will sadly be without Gauld for Sunday’s final, a massive blow as the club’s captain continues to progress very slowly in his injury recovery. With Sebastian Berhalter also out due to yellow card accumulation, Jesper Sørensen will at least take solace in that his team has a clean bill of health otherwise.
The pair of key absences means a lot will be resting on the shoulders of Vite to provide that creative spark and link between the midfield and the attack. Assuming he isn’t tasked with playing as one of front three, he will likely be partnered with Andrés Cubas and J.C. Ngando, although Sørensen could also turn to Ralph Priso if he wants to try and focus on defensive stability.
Brian White is the second-leading scorer in this year’s Champions Cup with six goals, just one behind Cruz Azul’s Ángel Sepúlveda. White’s 10 goals in all competitions leads the team with more than double anyone else’s total, while Ali Ahmed leads the ‘Caps in assists with five.
Having the pace of likely two of Ahmed, Jayden Nelson, and Emmanuel Sabbi up front should help with counter-attacking threat, which could be quite important when facing a side in Cruz Azul that ranked second in Liga MX in average possession this season (57.2%). While the ‘Caps have enjoyed playing with the ball in their control for much of this year, they’ve ceded the possession battle in each of their last three CCC matches (the second leg against Pumas and both legs against Miami) and still came through in each of them.
While the duo of Veselinović and Tristan Blackmon picks itself at the back, both fullback spots are hotly contested. The duo of Édier Ocampo and Tate Johnson certainly held down the fort admirably in the absences of Mathias Laborda and Sam Adekugbe, but it may be hard for Sørensen to not go with his more veteran players, especially as they came into this season as the top options.
The ‘Caps come into Sunday riding a 15-match unbeaten streak, not losing in any competition since their 3-1 defeat to Chicago on March 22nd. On the other side, Cruz Azul had gone 19 matches without a loss before they fell to Club America in the second leg of their Liga MX Clausura semi-final tie two weeks ago.
Los Celestes were the top side across the two halves of the Mexican league regular season, with an impressive 22 wins, nine draws, and just three defeats, although they faltered in both the Apertura and Clausura playoff semi-finals, both times against Club America. They did eliminate their Mexico City rivals in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup, part of their road to the final that also included triumphs over Haiti’s Real Hope FA, Seattle, and Tigres.
The home side boasts plenty of dangerous attacking options, with Sepúlveda, Ignacio Rivero, and Carlos Rotondi all recording more than 20 goal contributions across all competitions this season. Cruz Azul are tied for the second-most CCC titles with six, although just one of them is from the 21st century (in 2014). This is also the first-ever meeting between them and the Whitecaps.
While they might enter as the underdogs, the ‘Caps have certainly been there before this season and come out on top. We’ll see if they can do it one more time!
There is no beating around the bush here – Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to Seattle Sounders was the worst home performance of the season from the Vancouver Whitecaps.
After a resounding display against Portland on Saturday, in which the ‘Caps were unlucky not to get all three points, this match felt like a shadow of a shadow of their normal selves. Tired legs, busy schedules, and missing stars all took their toll, but overall, it simply wasn’t good enough from the Blue and White, with scenes supporters never want to see in their home stadium.
No Energy Gives Seattle No Problem
Whilst the point of a busy schedule is often used as a cheap excuse for when teams perform poorly, it cannot be looked past for the Whitecaps in this game. They have been playing Saturday – Wednesday – Saturday for three straight weeks, including a midweek game where only Toronto, LAFC, and Sporting Kansas City played (the Canadian Championship final). Add some niggling injuries to some major players including Ryan Gauld, Stuart Armstrong, and Ali Ahmed, and you could almost forgive the Whitecaps if they weren’t firing at all cylinders on Wednesday.
The issue is, it wasn’t even just a case of not playing at their best. This was a case of playing at a new level of worse. The ‘Caps had a good first few minutes before Seattle settled into the match and began to take control. Players who usually have been solid defensively like Sebastian Berhalter, Ranko Veselinović, and even the unreplaceable Andrés Cubas were lethargic in getting into their positions.
“We didn’t have any energy, we struggled from the start,” admitted Vanni Sartini after the match. “We weren’t able to cover the distance like normally we do. We were always a little half late.”
Seattle were able to expose that through playing quickly into the wide areas. And while that is the natural weakness to a back three, the Whitecaps typically are good at nullifying those spaces by rapidly closing them down as soon as the ball gets there. The problem was that that was noticeably lacking for the majority of the game. That then began a trickle-down effect where players began to overcommit to cover those spaces, therefore opening spaces in the middle, and allowing Seattle to be able to switch the play at pace and carve chances through the middle.
In the attack, the Whitecaps did have their chances. Sam Adekugbe had some noticeable misses in the first half, while Seattle had to force a couple goal-line clearances and blocks themselves to keep the clean sheet. Had one of those chances, like the Pedro Vite shot that got blocked on the line, gone it, it could have very well changed the match. But sometimes you have to create your own luck, and the Whitecaps didn’t have enough in the tank to do so.
The second goal buried the team, with the third being that twist of the knife to make this result sting just a bit more. It left bitter tastes in the mouths of the fans, the players, and even Vanni Sartini, although he tried to be a little optimistic after the match.
“It’s better to have this bad performance and bad energy now, when we can put a remedy on it, than, you know, in a playoff game” pointed out Sartini.
While true, the performance still leaves some concerns for fans after the lack of wins in regular time in the last five games. The ‘Caps will need to dig deep to climb back up the table and ensure their place inside the Top 7 of the Western Conference.
And just like that Paul Rothrock makes it 3-0 @SoundersFC pic.twitter.com/U1mrW4Rrsy
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 3, 2024
Questionable Decisions Leave Fans Frustrated
Although it is simple to criticize, it is never easy to make the right decisions when you are the one in charge. As a newly-minted coach myself – even at the amateur level – it’s easy to point out issues when you’re not in the hot seat. But nevertheless, the responsibility for this loss has to considerably fall on Sartini and his choices both before and during the game. And he’s the first to admit it as well.
“We don’t have to put the blame or a lot of criticism on the players,” explained the coach. “Today, it’s more probably on me. We didn’t choose the right way to play, not because of the game, not because of the Sounders or whatever. The right way to play understanding the condition of the players, because some of them, they were probably extremely tired from the last two weeks, and that caught up with us.”
Fans were a little confused that, given the grueling nature of the schedule, certain players like Deiber Caicedo and Edier Ocampo hadn’t started the match. While the likes of Cubas, Sebastian Berhalter, and Fafa Picault had been doing pretty well up until that point, they had also been playing quite frequently during this long stretch – and it showed.
“We try to rely on guys that are doing really well, but maybe they needed a day off today,” conceded Sartini. “Every player’s gonna want to play, every player is gonna say ‘Yes, I’m ready to go’. But I need to be better in choosing the best 11 next time.”
But then fans became even more perplexed on how long it took Sartini to take off those tired players, waiting for the last 20 minutes to make significant changes, when Seattle had already scored all three goals. Many were questioning why Deiber Caicedo had only 13 minutes on the pitch, despite having arguably the most energy out of most players, and instead Sartini turned to Levonte Johnson as his first sub near the hour mark.
This is embarrassing. The fact Vanni has made one sub and it's fucking Levonte Johnson coming in when we have played so shit, it's fucking shocking #VWFC
— Kyle Massey (@KMass1717) October 3, 2024
Those in-game decisions were arguably as culpable as the ones he made beforehand, as the Whitecaps never quite found a way back into the game until way too late. Nevertheless, every loss is a lesson to not only the players but also the coaches, and hopefully it becomes one that Sartini learns from quickly as another fast turnaround is upon him with Minnesota on Saturday.
Alarm Bells for Playoffs?
Last Saturday, the Whitecaps secured their playoff spot thanks to that point against Portland. Reaching the post-season is obviously something to be happy about, but everyone understands that it was the bare minimum to do so. The ‘Caps’ ambition is to go beyond that and reach the Top 4 so that they can secure a home playoff advantage and establish themselves as one of the best teams in the West.
And up until a few weeks ago, that looked like a very real possibility. The Whitecaps were just a few points behind the top four and had one-game advantage on a couple of the teams above them. But fast forward to the start of this month, and two points out of a possible 12 puts that ambition into serious jeopardy. Two poor losses both home and away against LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders sandwich a Portland game that should have been a win, similar to the match against Dallas nearly a month ago.
The Whitecaps now sit in 7th, just one point above Minnesota and two points above Portland who sit in the play-in spots. The proximity of Minnesota’s position also makes Saturday another must-win game if the Whitecaps don’t want to be sucked into a battle for these last places, especially given their own expectations. The good news is that they still have a game in hand over everyone above and below them except for LAFC. The bad news is that it’s against the aforementioned LA side.
A win against Minnesota puts them level with Colorado in 6th and, if results go their way, they can still sneak into the Top 4 if they beat Real Salt Lake – who currently sit in fourth – on the final day of the season.
That dreaded match against LAFC on Thanksgiving weekend between those two fixtures could also be a massive decider, as this recent rival has had a tendency of getting one over the ‘Caps more often than not. With international breaks and recent suspensions also a feature, it could be a drastic climax to this Whitecaps season, with everything still on the table.
VWFC https://t.co/767VJYijn8 pic.twitter.com/chfM27lG8E
— Corey (@Corey_Borealis) October 3, 2024
Vancouver Whitecaps are drained both physically and emotionally. That was the take of head coach Vanni Sartini after a woeful performance in a 3-0 loss to Cascadian rivals Seattle Sounders at BC Place on Wednesday evening.
With the games coming thick and fast, Sartini apologised to the fans for the performance, citing it as an important wake-up call for the team for the season run-in, but there has to be some alarm bells ringing in the Whitecaps camp after a string of poor performances that has them winless in their last three MLS matches, lacking creativity, and all coming at the very worst point of the season.
A first MLS goal from Ivorian Georgi Minoungou had given the Sounders a narrow lead in an uninspiring first half and they doubled their advantage from the spot in the 65th minute from an Albert Rusnak penalty. The outstanding Rusnak then set up Paul Rothrock for a third two minutes later and it was lights out for the ‘Caps.
Vancouver finished the night with 10 men after Fafa Picault picked up a second booking for a tackle on Rusnak and it capped off a very poor night for the home side and one they will need to regroup from very quickly.
With Ryan Gauld and Ali Ahmed still out nursing injuries, and with Stuart Armstrong rested, Sartini made three changes to the team that drew with Portland Timbers on Saturday night. Their absences were sorely missed and a Gauldless Whitecaps side is starting to look like a very toothless one.
It was a cagey opening, with both teams sounding each other out. Seattle had the first shot on goal 12 minutes in when Obed Vargas fired wide.
Two minutes later, however, and the Sounders broke the deadlock. Rusnak sent a corner in from the right. Jordan Morris flicked it on to the back post and Minoungou was on hand to bundle the ball home from a yard out.
What a moment for Georgi
He scores his first @MLS goal for the 1-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/czWC2dL60m
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) October 3, 2024
The Whitecaps responded well and controlled possession for much of the rest of the half.
Sebastian Berhalter saw his deflected rocket parried away by Stefan Frei in the 19th minute, with Fafa Picault’s shot on the rebound blocked.
Sam Adekugbe had a great chance to level in the 25th minute when a Pedro Vite cross came to him at the back post but his shot cannoned off the ground and over the Sounders bar.
But that was to be it for Vancouver, who managed to muster just one shot on target in the first 45 minutes as they went in trailing at the half. Seattle had also managed just one shot on target, but it was a telling one.
The second half started with Seattle seemingly camped in the Vancouver half, but without creating any real danger.
The Whitecaps almost grabbed the equaliser with a quick counter attack in the 58th minute. Picault sent a cross into the back post that looked like it was going to be claimed by Frei, but his hesitation allowed Adekugbe to nip in and cut the ball back to Vite, who could only look on in anguish as his goalbound shot was cleared off the line by Nouhou.
It was to prove to be a valuable clearance for the visitors, who doubled their lead in the 65th minute when Ranko Veselinovic brought down Rothrock in the box. Rusnak stepped up and dispatched the penalty.
And the Slovakian played an important role in Seattle’s third, playing the ball inside to Rothrock, who ran in on goal and tucked it away past Takaoka to the far corner.
And just like that Paul Rothrock makes it 3-0 @SoundersFC pic.twitter.com/U1mrW4Rrsy
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 3, 2024
It was almost four for the Sounders in the 75th minute when Morris was played in by Rusnak, but Takaoka was off his line quickly to smother the danger.
Frei denied White two minutes later, as Vancouver still tried to find a way back into the game. Deiber Caicedo then had a chance with four minutes remaining that was deflected wide.
Vancouver’s night then went from bad to worse when Picault picked up a second yellow for a clumsy challenge on Rusnak and his subsequent red will now see him miss Saturday’s crucial playoff positioning match with Minnesota.
It was a horrible performance, with just a few flashes of hope. Some of that can certainly be put on the heavy schedule of matches and the huge emotional importance of having three derby games in a row, including a cup final. The players looked drained. They have no time to recover. Players are having to step up to cover for injuries and now they will have to do so again to cover upcoming international absences and Picault’s looming suspension.
Vancouver aren’t the only team facing this right now of course. What did go in their favour on Wednesday evening was that the two teams directly below them, Minnesota and Portland, dropping points. Points that keep the Whitecaps in that 7th spot in the Western Conference that would see them miss the play-in game.
Considering we were thinking that a top four finish wasn’t just a possibility, but very much in their own hands, just a few weeks ago, shows the dramatic drop-off in form for the ‘Caps and at the worst possible time. They’ve at least clinched their playoff berth already, but finishing in one of the two play-in game spots would be a very disappointing end to the season and a step backwards.
Saturday’s match with Minnesota is massive. The Loons now sit just one point and one place behind Vancouver in the standings and are coming into the match with just one loss in their last six matches, with four of those games victories. A Whitecaps win gives them a four point cushion and guarantees they finish above them, with Minnesota having just one game remaining after that match. A defeat and the subsequent possibilities are far more bleak.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 3 Seattle Sounders
ATT: 17,362
SCORING SUMMARY:
14’ – SEA – Georgi Minoungou (Jordan Morris, Albert Rusnák)
65’ – SEA – Albert Rusnák (penalty kick)
67’ – SEA – Paul Rothrock (Albert Rusnák)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 41.9% – SEA 58.1%
Shots: VAN 10 – SEA 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 4 – SEA 5
Saves: VAN 2 – SEA 3
Fouls: VAN 12 – SEA 7
Offsides: VAN 2 – SEA 2
Corners: VAN 3 – SEA 6
BOOKINGS:
13’ – VAN – Sam Adekugbe
39’ – VAN – Alessandro Schöpf
46’ – VAN – Fafa Picault
88’ – VAN – Fafa Picault
90’+1 – VAN – Ralph Priso
SENDING OFF:
88’ – VAN – Fafa Picault
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda (Édier Ocampo 71’), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon (Bjørn Inge Utvik 71’); Sebastian Berhalter, Pedro Vite, Andrés Cubas (Ralph Priso 71’), Alessandro Schöpf (Levonte Johnson 59’), Sam Adekugbe; Brian White (Déiber Caicedo 77’), Fafa Picault [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ryan Raposo, Belal Halbouni, Damir Kreilach]
SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Alex Roldan, Yéimar Gomez Andrade, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou (Jon Bell 87’); Cristian Roldan (Josh Atencio 74’), Obed Vargas; Georgi Minoungou (Pedro de la Vega 76’), Albert Rusnák, Paul Rothrock (Reed Baker-Whiting 74’); Jordan Morris (Danny Musovski 76’) [Substitutes not used: Andrew Thomas, Nathan, Danny Leyva, Dylan Teves]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“We didn’t have any energy, we struggled from the start. We weren’t able to cover the distance like normally we do. We were always a little half late. Then we tried, to be honest, we had some chances to score in the first half, even in the second half. At 1-0, they saved the ball on the line. But it was never the impression that we were intense enough. I think the numerous amount of games that we played caught up with us. We hit a wall, mentally, when we conceded the second goal. Then it was over because we did a lot of silly mistakes. This has to be a very good wake-up for the end of the season. We don’t have to put the blame or a lot of criticism on the players. Today, it’s more probably on me. We didn’t choose the right way to play, not because of the game, not because of the Sounders or whatever. The right way to play understanding the condition of the players, because some of them, they were probably extremely tired from the last two weeks, and that caught up with us.”
DEFENDER RANKO VESELINOVIC
On how to bounce back ahead of Minnesota:
“It’s been a tough schedule, so many games, like every three days for the last seven, eight games. But now it’s all about the mental side. We need to find a way, we don’t know how yet, but we’re going to talk tomorrow, we’re going to rest tonight and then we need to push through. We need also our fans to help us on Saturday because they can be a big part and can give us that lift that we need. But we’ll talk to each other. The most important thing is to stay together now, in the locker room. To find what mistakes we did and just be sharper in the duels and wanting to put a better performance.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS chat and interviews.
It’s been a successful week for the Whitecaps. They won a third straight Canadian Championship and booked their spot in the 2024 MLS playoffs, all while turning in two less than inspiring performances. We look back a both the Toronto and Portland Timbers matches, hear some cup final audio from Isaac Boehmer, Bjorn Inge Utvik and Brian White, and look at the MLS West playoff race.
There’s a big week ahead for the Whitecaps Girls Elite too, as they host San Diego Wave in CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup action. We preview the match and bring you interviews with head coach Katie Collar and forward Jessica De Felippo.
All of this, plus there’s more Britpop chat and music, Big Country wrap up their stint as our Album of the Month, and Italian band Neeskens feature in Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.10: Intro
03.35: Whitecaps threepeat in Canadian Championship
15.11: Bjorn Inge Utvik post final audio
18.25: Isaac Boehmer post final audio and discussion
27.35: Brian White post final audio
30.59: Canadian Championship needs further change
37.55: Whitecaps book playoff spot after uninspiring draw with Portland
73.45: Whitecaps Girls Elite vs San Diego Wave preview
76.00: Katie Collar interview
84.35: Jessica De Filippo interview
93.48: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Katie Collar
95.30: Christine Sinclair announces retirement
99.00: Wavelength – Neeskens – Go Johan Go! Kick That Fucking Penalty
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Cavalry FC earned their sixth consecutive berth in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) post-season on Saturday, thanks to a goalless draw with Vancouver FC at Spruce Meadows.
For Vancouver, the 0-0 draw ends a four-game losing skid and keeps the sixth-place Eagles in contention for the CPL’s fifth and final playoff spot, with three matches to go.
“Obviously we’ve had some very poor weeks and we came here to try to change our destiny and try to be in competition for the remaining games that are left,” said Vancouver head coach Afshin Ghotbi after the match.
“I’m really proud of the commitment, the grit, and also the discipline we showed in the defensive part. We have to improve in the attacking part… but it was a fair point, and I’m hoping it gives the players confidence moving forward.”
With Vancouver FC mostly opting to sit back and absorb Cavalry’s attacking pressure, the match didn’t produce too many fireworks.
As they often do at ATCO Field, Cavalry dominated possession and outshot Vancouver 15-6. At the other end of the pitch, Cavalry’s defence limited the Vancouverites to just a single touch in Marco Carducci’s 18-yard box.
But as has often been the case this season, Cavalry couldn’t find a formula to generate a goal, producing their third goalless draw of the season (and their second against Vancouver, having tied the Eagles 0-0 in Kelowna back in June)
For fans hoping to see a goal, the most exciting moment of the match was probably a looping overhead kick from Cavalry striker Tobias Warschewski in the second half that pinged off the top of Callum Irving’s crossbar.
But for a Vancouver FC squad that was in the midst of a four-game losing streak and has the CPL’s leakiest defence this year (with 41 goals against), earning a draw on the road against one of the CPL’s perennial contenders was nothing to moan about. Vancouver’s back line managed to fend off eight Cavalry corner kicks, while Irving made four saves to keep the visitors in the contest.
“As a back line, keeping the clean sheet was our first and foremost objective of the game,” said defender David Norman Jr.
“We did that, and I thought we were strong defensively. Now it’s figuring out a way to stay compact defensively to limit chances (against us), but also to create more going forward and start putting some balls into the back of the net.”
The result means Vancouver has still not beaten Cavalry throughout the last two seasons, in eight overall outings – 10, if you include the Canadian Championship.
Granted, Vancouver did show some attacking intention in the second half, when Ghotbi subbed in Ayman Sellouf, T.J. Tahid and Gabriel Bitar in an attempt to turn the tide in the Eagles’ favour. But any chances to advance deep into Cavalry’s half were snuffed out by the hosts, who have boasted the CPL’s toughest defence this season.
Thanks to the efforts of defenders Daan Klomp, Callum Montgomery, Michael Harms and Tom Field, Marco Carducci only had to face two shots to conserve the clean sheet on Saturday – his league-leading eighth of 2024.
The clean sheet was little consolation for Carducci, who said the players were disappointed to only claim a draw at home.
“Honestly, right now we’re obviously a bit disappointed we didn’t win tonight,” Carducci said. “We created enough chances to do that, so that was our first focus – winning.
“On one hand, we’re a bit disappointed with the outcome because I think we could have come away with three points and the team feels that, but we got a job done in terms of getting the playoffs clinched.”
The North Star Cup will likely be the only hardware Cavalry will be able to challenge for this year.
While Cavalry could still technically defend their CPL Shield from 2023, the mathematical likelihood of finishign first is almost nil, considering league-leading Forge FC won 2-0 over York on Saturday. That result created an eight-point lead for the Hamiltonians at the top of the table, with three games left. Cavalry would have to win all three of their remaining games, while Forge would have to lose all three for the Calgarians to hypothetically defend their 2023 regular-season title.
Carducci shrugged off the disappointment that the CPL shield will almost certainly not be staying in Calgary this year, stating the CPL playoffs provide the club an alternative route to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Plus, there’s the added motivation that winning a playoff championship is still elusive for the Calgarians, who lost the playoff final both last year and in 2019.
“We’ll still focus one game at a time,” Carducci said. “Obviously our goal was to defend the shield and we’ll keep focusing on ourselves. We’ve got nine points to play for, so our goal is to come away with nine points. Ultimately, it’s a bit out of our hands but we also know in this system, we look at the playoffs as well and that’s another route for us…to get back into CONCACAF.”
Cavalry has made the post-season every year since the CPL kicked off in 2019. But for Vancouver, qualifying for the playoffs this year would be a new experience, after finishing seventh in their debut season in 2023.
Now just one point back of the fifth-place Pacific FC (who admittedly have a game in hand) the Eagles still have a chance. But they will no doubt be up against it, with two remaining road trips – including next weekend, when they fly across the country to face Halifax.
Norman Jr. said it would be “huge” for Vancouver to make the post-season this year, and called the goalless draw against Cavalry a performance they can build off of as they continue to vie for the playoffs.
“ It was a solid performance throughout many areas,” he said. “It’s just building off this performance today, looking at what we did well and finding areas we can take into Halifax next week.
“(Making the playoffs) is a goal we’ve had since the beginning of the season and we’re right on the cusp of it. Now it’s about hard work, keeping our head down, a bit of luck and putting it all together these last three games.”
We’re back with another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure.
Episode 90 is a 50 minute episode around Wednesday’s Canadian Championship final between Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto, including the full postgame press conferences from both John Herdman and Vanni Sartini.
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Vancouver Whitecaps made history at BC Place on Wednesday evening, lifting their third straight Voyageurs Cup after a penalty shoot-out win over Toronto FC.
After a scoreless 90 minutes, the teams headed to penalties for the second time in three years, and just as in the 2022 Canadian Championship final, it was Vancouver who were the more clinical from the spot, burying four of their five kicks.
Isaac Boehmer was the Whitecaps hero throughout, denying Federico Bernardeschi from the spot in the first half, producing a string of top saves, and coming up big to deny Kosi Thompson in the shootout. All that was left was for Bjorn Inge Utvik to dispatch the crucial penalty in the Whitecaps’ fifth kick. He did it with ease and Vancouver were champions once again.
Vanni Sartini went with a very strong attacking line-up, with Isaac Boehmer continuing his cup run in goal. But Toronto’s gameplan was clearly to come out all guns blazing and they immediately took the game to Vancouver from the first whistle, with Boehmer forced into an acrobatic save to turn away a Bernardeschi shot with just 30 seconds on the clock.
TFC’s fast start continued with Jonathan Osorio ficking on a corner to the back post, which just eluded Lorenzo Insigne, before Osorio fired over himself moments later.
Vancouver were struggling to get any kind of offensive foothold in the game, and Boehmer was called into action again in the 21st minute from a Richie Laryea shot.
The Whitecaps finally had their first look on goal in the 25th minute when Ryan Gauld rose to meet a Sam Adekugbe cross, but he could only direct his header wide.
Vancouver had found their offensive chops and Fafa Picault brought a save out of Sean Johnson in the TFC goal in the 35th minute.
The ‘Caps were looking for a penalty when Brian White went down in the box, nothing was given but Toronto went up the other end and got one of their own in the 37th minute when Laryea felt Laborda’s arm on his shoulder and needed no invitation to go down.
Bernardeschi stepped up to take the spot kick, but Boehmer produced a superb stop to keep the scores level at the half.
BOEHMER >>>>>
Bless you, @onesoccer #VWFC | #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/i1rl8LbLZj https://t.co/gVEO7GOB0j
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 26, 2024
TFC started the second half as they did the first, taking the game to Vancouver, and Insigne flashed a shot narrowly wide of the left post in the 49th minute.
Laryea found himself in acres of room in the 53rd minute from a Bernardeschi pass, but Boehmer came out to save his attempted pass to the back post.
The game got cagier, with neither team looking to make a mistake and no real clear cut opportunities being carved out by either side. The Whitecaps were controlling possession and looking the more likely if either team was to get the breakthrough, but they were struggling to get through a resolute TFC backline.
Boehmer, the clear Man of the Match, produced another save to deny Bernardeschi with three minutes to go, as TFC seemed to set up camp in the Vancouver half in the closing moments. They couldn’t find the goal they were looking for, however, and just as when these two teams met in the 2022 Canadian Championship final, the game was heading into a penalty shootout. And once again it was to be a centre back that dispatched the winning spot kick for the Whitecaps.
The ‘Caps went first and Gauld dispatched his penalty with aplomb. Prince Owusu followed suit for TFC, before Stuart Armstrong saw his spot kick saved by Johnson.
It was advantage Toronto, but it didn’t last long as Matty Longstaff hit his kick off the bar and the teams were level at one apiece after the first two rounds. Sebastian Berhalter put Vancouver back ahead and Boehmer superbly saved Thompson’s effort to give the Whitecaps the advantage.
White extended their lead, meaning Osorio had to score to keep TFC alive. He did, but Boehmer almost got his hand to it. That set the scene for Utvik to become the shootout hero, and just as Tristan Blackmon did in 2022, the Norwegian dispatched his kick perfectly and the Whitecaps had their threepeat.
THE MOMENT #VWFC win the 2024 TELUS #CanChamp, beating #TFClive on penalties with this winning strike pic.twitter.com/NS13Ugwmwm
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 26, 2024
The Canadian Championship has been a tournament of heartbreak for the ‘Caps over the years, with so many close calls and one solitary win up till 2022. That’s now three in a row for the team under Vanni. A remarkable achievement and one which Sartini said postgame was built on “love”, with such a unified dressing room all fighting for each other.
They’ll all enjoy this victory, but they can’t for too long, with two huge Cascadian derbies coming up in MLS action over the next week. For now though, let’s just soak it all in. Champions x3.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 0 Toronto FC [Whitecaps win 4-2 on penalties]
ATT: 12,516
SCORING SUMMARY:
None in 90 minutes
Shootout-
VAN – Scored – Ryan Gauld
TOR – Scored – Prince Owusu
VAN – Missed – Stuart Armstrong
TOR – Missed – Matty Longstaff
VAN – Scored – Sebastian Berhalter
TOR – Missed – Kosi Thompson
VAN – Scored – Brian White
TOR – Scored – Jonathan Osorio
VAN – Scored – Bjørn Inge Utvik
STATS:
Possession: VAN 34% – TOR 66%
Shots: VAN 7 – TOR 15
Shots on Goal: VAN 2 – TOR 7
Saves: VAN 7 – TOR 2
Fouls: VAN 12 – TOR 6
Offsides: VAN 0 – TOR 0
Corners: VAN 2 – TOR 9
BOOKINGS:
15’ – VAN – Fafa Picault
45’+1 – TOR – Deandre Kerr
53’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda
90’+3 – VAN – Brian White
VANCOUVER: Isaac Boehmer; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ali Ahmed (Ryan Raposo 45’), Andrés Cubas, Pedro Vite (Stuart Armstrong 84’), Samuel Adekugbe (Sebastian Berhalter 72’); Fafa Picault (Alessandro Schöpf 60’), Brian White, Ryan Gauld [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Tristan Blackmon, Levonte Johnson]
TORONTO: Sean Johnson; Shane O’Neill (Sigurd Rosted 72’), Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta; Richie Laryea, Alonso Coello (Deybi Flores 84’), Matty Longstaff, Lorenzo Insigne (Kosi Thompson 68’); Federico Bernardeschi, Jonathan Osorio; Deandre Kerr (Prince Owusu 68’) [Substitutes not used: Luka Gavran, Aimé Mabika, Kobe Franklin]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the historic three-peat victory:
“It’s a fantastic feeling. I’m really proud of the guys. I told them after the game, this is the victory of love. This is the victory of love of the guys for each other, of togetherness of this group. Everyone was really pulling for each other because even in a day where TFC played better than us, we fought, fought, and fought. I’m really happy for them.”
GOALKEEPER ISAAC BOEHMER
On seizing the moment:
“Being a young goalkeeper, you have to take your moments when you get them. You’re not always going to be part of the squad sometimes, so we just have to keep focus and keep working hard.”
On how long he will cherish this moment:
“I will remember this for the rest of my life.”
The Whitecaps might currently be in the thick of a furious battle for playoff positioning in the final few weeks of the MLS season, but throw that out of your mind! Forget all the permutations and the potential matchups and anything that involves an American club. It’s time for the Canadian Championship Final!
That’s right, it’s time to see whether the ‘Caps can earn themselves a three-peat, which would be a pretty impressive run considering that before 2022 they’d only ever won one Voyageurs Cup. It would also be the first three-peat in the competition since Toronto FC did it from 2016-2018.
And wouldn’t you know it, but it’s John Herdman’s tricky reds who stand in the way of Vancouver glory, just as they did in 2022 when Tristan Blackmon dispatched an ice-cold penalty to win the trophy. On top of the winners being able to proclaim themselves as the best team in Canada, the spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup on the line only adds to the reward.
Fortunately for the ‘Caps, they have as clean of a bill of health as they’ve had at just about any point this season. Outside of a lingering injury to fourth-string keeper Max Anchor, everyone is in training and could feature on Wednesday night.
In the last couple editions of the tournament (including earlier this season) it’s felt at times like a struggle to pick out the required minimum three Canadians who must start. Now, however, that isn’t really an issue! There are half a dozen options who have all played real minutes in recent weeks, not counting Isaac Boehmer who could be an option over Yohei Takaoka (but I would be a little surprised if Vanni Sartini went with him here).
The most likely outcome would seem to be that Ali Ahmed, Sam Adekugbe, and Ryan Raposo get the nod, with Belal Halbouni as another option if Sartini feels those first three would have too much positional overlap. Ralph Priso (who has had a couple surprisingly effective shifts recently) and Levonte Johnson are other options, but not quite as likely with the rest of the squad healthy.
Sartini must have had this final on his mind when selecting the lineup for the last match against the Galaxy, as Ryan Gauld, Fafa Picault, and Pedro Vite all only played in the second half. Andrés Cubas didn’t play at all, but should be ready to go Wednesday, while Stuart Armstrong continues to be an intriguing piece off the bench.
The attacking tandem of Gauld, Picault, and Brian White has been deadly at times, and getting them all out on the field together has to be a priority. If Cubas and Vite are also out there, along with the Canadians, then that just about sorts out the lineup right then and there.
Looking at the visitors, Toronto have had a bit of a tumultuous year. In MLS play, they went from a surprisingly decent start in the first few weeks, to a horrible slump where they won just one game in twelve, to rebounding with a series of wins that’s pushed them back into the edge of the playoff picture. These two teams played all the way back in April at BC Place, which the ‘Caps won 4-0 in a dominant affair.
Injuries have been an issue throughout the season. In recent weeks Lorenzo Insigne, Jonathan Osorio, and Kevin Long have all been battling ailments, while new signing Henry Wingo only played three times before getting hurt two weeks ago.
Federico Bernardeschi remains at the forefront of the Toronto attack, leading the team in both goals (8) and assists (8) in MLS play. After being shutout in both of their last two matches, the Reds will be looking for a rebound.
Neither of these two teams played another MLS side in their road to the final. The Whitecaps took down Cavalry FC and Pacific FC, while Toronto defeated semi-pro sides Simcoe County Rovers and CS Saint-Laurent before eliminating Forge FC. This is a step up for both of them, and it’s all on the line. Let’s go get another trophy!
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, CPL, and Canadian national team chat and interviews.
It was a two-game week for the Whitecaps, but a tough one where they only took one point and fell down the MLS West standings. We pick over the bones of the draw in Houston and the loss in LA, look at the lie of the land in the MLS West, and preview Wednesday’s big Canadian Championship final with Toronto.
We’ve three interviews for you. First up is WFC2 head coach Ricardo Clark to look at the ‘Caps important win over Tacoma and the looming playoffs, plus we chat with WFC2 midfielder Liam Mackenzie about his development, signing his first pro deal, scoring his first pro goal, playing in the MLS Next All-Star game, and more.
Last up is a chat with new Vancouver FC U19 head coach Todd May, as we talk with Todd about the aims of the team and how it all fits in to the CPL landscape. All of this, plus we look at the weekend’s CPL action, there’s more Britpop chat and music, Big Country continue their stint as our Album of the Month, and My Brother Woody are back in Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.27: Intro – the new look Champions League
11.42: Whitecaps get just one point from Houston and LA
42.50: The lie of the land in MLS
50.30: Canadian Championship preview
61.60: Ricardo Clark interview and WFC2 chat
68.53: Liam Mackenzie interview
81.50: CPL round-up
101.13: Todd May interview and VFC U19 discussion
119.52: Wavelength – My Brother Woody – Another Fucking Weekend Ruined
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: @LAGalaxy/x.com)
Vancouver Whitecaps certainly won’t be California dreaming after a tough night in Carson that saw them fall 4-2 to the Western Conference leading LA Galaxy.
Gabriel Pec pulled the strings for LA, grabbing a goal and two assists, while the Galaxy also saw Joseph Paintsil and Riqui Puig on the scoresheet, along with a Sebastian Berhalter own goal. Brian White had made it interesting and 2-1, before the Galaxy grabbed a couple more and Sam Adekugbe’s late header was a mere consolation than a case of what might have been.
With an eye on Wednesday’s big Canadian Championship final, Vanni Sartini made seven changes to the team that drew in Houston on Wednesday, keeping the likes of Ryan Gauld and Fafa Picault on the bench.
On paper, the line-ups made it feel like a potentially long night ahead. One where they may be happy to sit back, see if they can hit on the break, and grab a point if they can. And while LA enjoyed a lot of the early possession, it was Vancouvers’ Alessandro Schopf who came the closest in the early stages with a long range effort deflected wide for a corner 10 minutes in.
The Galaxy weren’t offering much in reply despite dominating possession, with the Whitecaps defence looking comfortable out there. Pec had a weak shot held by Yohei Takaoka in the 24th minute, but that was about it.
But the pressure kept coming and it felt like the opening goal was too, and so it transpired in the 32nd minute.
The ‘Caps managed to clear another Galaxy attack but the ball came to Pec, who drilled a low one through a crowd of players and into the bottom far corner, with the aid of the slightest of deflections off the calf of Tristan Blackmon. It wasn’t much of a deflection, but that was enough to just take the ball away from Takaoka’s waiting gloves.
Gabriel Pec finds the opening goal for the @LAGalaxy!
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/JvMidxGu1h pic.twitter.com/Xk28zJTSpO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 22, 2024
With a stacked bench, Vancouver just needed to get to half time at worst trailing by one goal, and although LA pushed hard, they were wasteful with the many chances they did have and the ‘Caps went in just 1-0 down.
Sartini made one sub at the half, with the talismanic Ryan Gauld coming on, and the Scot had an immediate impact, helping to set up a chance for Edier Ocampo, who blasted over two minutes after the restart.
LA doubled their lead in the 50th minute after pouncing on a loose ball from Schopf and breaking from the edge of their own penalty box and into the Whitecaps one in mere second.
It was lovely quick passing football from the Galaxy with Berhalter turning a Pec cross into his own goal, not that he knew too much about it.
A huge uphill battle now for Vancouver to get anything out of this, but to their immense credit they fought back and pulled a goal back just past the hour mark. Gauld sent a lovely ball in to the back post, which Berhalter knocked down into the path of White, who swept the ball home from a few yards out and all of a sudden it was game very much back on.
Brian White cuts their lead in half
https://t.co/9e5xQvXpBM #VWFC | #LAvVAN pic.twitter.com/y3BfgSoPue
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 22, 2024
The hope was to be shattered just six minutes later and it was another quick counter attack that killed the ‘Caps, with Pec playing the ball inside to an on-rushing Paintsil, who timed his run to perfection and slotted home the Galaxy’s third.
Disappointing to concede so quickly after getting themselves back in to it, but LA’s ball movement was a joy to watch.
Gabriel Joske pic.twitter.com/eVVRJBdWmc
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) September 22, 2024
LA rubber further salt into the Vancouver wounds in stoppage time, and once again it was on a quick counter, with Pec storming forward before centering it for Riqui Puig.
The Spaniard took a touch inside before blasting home the fourth past Takaoka.
Riqui Puig adds one to the @LAGalaxy goal tally in stoppage time! pic.twitter.com/ilomgo7R9N
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 22, 2024
There was still time for the ‘Caps to make the score a little bit more presentable, when Adekugbe rose to head home a Gauld corner.
A 15th assist of the season for Gauld, bringing him level with Lionel Messi for third overall in MLS, but you really have to question McCarthy in the Galaxy goal on this one.
Sam Adekugbe finds the back of the net for @WhitecapsFC in the closing moments of the match! pic.twitter.com/18sPEfHavN
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 22, 2024
Not a fantastic result or overall performance from the Whitecaps, although their understrength side didn’t look too troubled for the first half hour and there was more fight when some of the big hitters came on in the second half.
The focus now is on regrouping for the big Canadian Championship final on Wednesday and hopefully the threepeat for the ‘Caps that they so seek.
FINAL SCORE: LA Galaxy 4 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 25,387
SCORING SUMMARY:
32’ – LA – Gabriel Pec
50’ – LA – Sebastian Berhalter (own goal)
63’ – VAN – Brian White (Sebastian Berhalter, Ryan Gauld)
69’ – LA – Joseph Paintsil (Gabriel Pec)
90’+3 – LA – Riqui Puig (Gabriel Pec)
90’+7 – VAN – Sam Adekugbe (Ryan Gauld)
STATS:
Possession: LA 58.3% – VAN 41.7%
Shots: LA 15 – VAN 13
Shots on Goal: LA 8 – VAN 2
Saves: LA 0 – VAN 5
Fouls: LA 5 – VAN 9
Offsides: LA 0 – VAN 1
Corners: LA 4 – VAN 12
BOOKINGS:
8’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
85’ – VAN – Stuart Armstrong
88’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
LOS ANGELES: John McCarthy; Miki Yamane, Carlos Emiro Garcés, Maya Yoshida, John Nelson (Mauricio Cuevas 83’); Marco Reus (Marco Delgado 66’), Edwin Cerrillo (Gastón Brugman 83’), Riqui Puig; Gabriel Pec, Dejan Joveljić (Miguel Berry 82’), 28.Joseph Paintsil (Diego Fagúndez 77’) [Substitutes not used: Novak Mićović, Julián Aude, Eriq Zavaleta, Jalen Neal]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Belal Halbouni, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Mathías Laborda (Ryan Gauld 46′), Sebastian Berhalter, Ralph Priso (Pedro Vite 46′), Alessandro Schöpf, Édier Ocampo (Sam Adekugbe 66’); Brian White (Fafa Picault 77’), Levonte Johnson (Stuart Armstrong 65’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ryan Raposo, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Damir Kreilach]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the challenges with a rotated team against the Galaxy:
“We knew that we were going to suffer and we were not going to have a lot of the ball, but we were very well structured, and that’s the reason why we conceded only one goal [in the first half]. Second half, we played more – we could have scored more than two goals – we had three, four chances really – really, really, really clear. But we made too many mistakes in preventative defence. The third and the fourth goal especially, happened because we didn’t do what we were supposed to do. When – positionally – it’s a reminder that if we get away from our principles, we get punched, especially against a quality team. That’s it.”
On playing the next five matches at BC Place:
“They are critical. The next five games are going to decide our season. We knew that we needed to go all in, starting from Wednesday [in the TELUS Canadian Championship Final]. It’s going to be a community effort – us, the club, everyone who works for the club, and the fans. The fans, in my opinion, are going to play a critical role in the next five games to put us in a condition to try to reach the highest position possible, and to win a trophy Wednesday.”
FORWARD BRIAN WHITE
On returning to the pitch the past two matches:
“It’s been a while since I was able to get a lot of minutes, of proper game in, so it was good to get out there and get some 70-some minutes, especially with the stretch we have coming up. So, we’ve got to turn to the page and look forward to the next game.”
On the Canadian Championship Final on Wednesday:
“You don’t have a lot of opportunities to win trophies. Anytime you get that chance, you want to do anything you can to win. You don’t look at it as three in a row, you look at it as this is a chance to win a trophy, and that’s what we have coming up on Wednesday. Everyone is going to be up for it. It’s going to be a fun night, and hopefully we can come away with a win again.”
It was your proverbial game of two halves in Houston on Wednesday night, as Vancouver Whitecaps battled to another road point with a 1-1 draw against the Dynamo, setting a club away points record in the process.
The Whitecaps were very much under the cosh in the first half, and in many ways were fortunate to only go in at the break trailing to Ezequiel Ponce’s stoppage time penalty. But it was a much different Vancouver in the second half and they deservedly tied things up in the 73rd minute, when the returning Brian White stroked home a Fafa Picault cross, for a share of the spoils.
On a night where the ‘Caps could have gone into the top four with a win, and they could have got all three points if they’d only been a bit more aggressive after leveling, they stay where they are in the ever tightening Western Conference, setting up an exciting season run-in that will really test how good this current team really is.
Vanni Sartini made four changes from the team that beat San Jose on Saturday, lining up once again in a 3-5-2 formation, with both Stuart Armstrong and Ali Ahmed rested for the heat and humidity down in Houston.
The Dynamo came out strong and caused a string of corners and defensive scrambles in the opening minutes, but couldn’t make their pressure pay with a breakthrough.
Sebastian Cowalcyzk had the ball in the net for Houston in the 10th minute, but Ibrahim Aliyu was clearly offside in the build-up before sending in his telling cross from the left.
Vancouver were struggling and playing the match mostly in their own half. Ryan Gauld did fire off a weak shot in the 12th minute, forcing the first save of the night for Dynamo keeper Steve Clark, and he was called into action again to deny Picault at his near post in the 24th minute.
Aliyu did well to get onto a lovely ball over the top three minutes later, but he had a heavy first touch, allowing ‘Caps keeper Yohei Takaoka to smother the danger.
Takaoka produced a strong save at the back post to deny Amine Bassi in the 33rd minute, after he got onto the end of a Griffin Dorsey cross, but the flag went up for offside anyway.
With the game seemingly drifting into half time scoreless, Vite’s tackle on Bassi three minutes into stoppage time was initially given as a free kick on the edge of the box, but was upgraded to a penalty after a video review. Up stepped Ponce, and although Takaoka got a hand on it, the Dynamo DP fired home and Houston had the lead at the half.
¡Ponce golazoooo! Tune in to #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV to catch the second half!#Hustlin4More pic.twitter.com/bbcPZ89rOy
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) September 19, 2024
Vite was lucky not to pick up a second yellow for the foul for the penalty and was one of two players hooked by the ‘Caps at half time, with Ralph Priso and Alessandro Schopf coming on, and it was a much different looking Vancouver side for the second 45 minutes.
Schopf sent a cross in to the back post, which Mathias Laborda headed wide in the 55th minute, before Gauld won the ball on the edge of the box and fired a shot in that Clark saved 10 minutes later.
The ‘Caps dodged a bullet when Erik Sviatchenko crashed one off the bar in the 68th minute, with an Edier Ocampo header ending up in the side netting for Vancouver three minutes later.
Vancouver were looking threatening and they got the goal their play deserved in the 73rd minute with a well-worked move that saw Gauld play the ball through to Picault and the Haitian sent in a perfectly weighted pass for White to sweep the ball home from in front of goal, in his first game back after a concussion.
INSTANT IMPACT by White to get our equalizer
https://t.co/TQRoyr9khU #VWFC | #HOUvVAN pic.twitter.com/frIc0k0jbw
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 19, 2024
It felt that the Whitecaps were in the ascendency but they went back into their shell instead of killing off the game and the Dynamo enjoyed the lion’s share of the play for the rest of the match, but a very solid and structured Vancouver defence kept them at bay.
The result made it just one loss in the last 10 MLS games for the ‘Caps. Fantastic stuff, and the fact that you come away from going to such a tough place disappointed to only get a draw, is a testament to what we now expect from this team. They outshot Houston and battled hard in some very tough conditions.
With his assist, Gauld set a Whitecaps MLS club record for assists in a season with 13, while Picault tied his career high in goal contributions with 16 in all competitions, previously set with Houston in 2021.
The draw also saw the Whitecaps set a MLS era record of 25 points taken on the road in a season and they now head to conference leaders LA Galaxy on Saturday for what is set to be a very entertaining encounter and perhaps a precursor to a playoff match to come between the teams.
FINAL SCORE: Houston Dynamo 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 14,282
SCORING SUMMARY:
45’+7 – HOU – Ezequiel Ponce (penalty kick)
73’ – VAN – Brian White (Fafa Picault, Ryan Gauld)
STATS:
Possession: HOU 63.6% – VAN 36.4%
Shots: HOU 10 – VAN 9
Shots on Goal: HOU 2 – VAN 4
Saves: HOU 3 – VAN 1
Fouls: HOU 13 – VAN 11
Offsides: HOU 5 – VAN 1
Corners: HOU 12 – VAN 2
BOOKINGS:
26’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
37’ – VAN – Yohei Takoka
38’ – HOU – Erik Sviatchenko
57’ – HOU – Micael
90’+4 – HOU – Amine Bassi
HOUSTON: Steve Clark; Griffin Dorsey, Erik Sviatchenko, Micael, Franco Escobar (Daniel Steres 79’); Adalberto Carrasquilla (Brooklyn Raines 70’), Artur; Sebastian Kowalczyk (Mckinze Gaines 78’), Amine Bassi, Ibrahim Aliyu (Latif Blessing 70’), 10.Ezequiel Ponce (Sebastian Ferreira 84’) [Substitutes not used: Andrew Tarbell, Brad Smith, Ethan Bartlow, Jan Greguš]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Andrés Cubas (Ralph Priso 45’); Ryan Raposo (24.Brian White 60’), Sebastian Berhalter, Pedro Vite (Alessandro Schöpf 45’), Sam Adekugbe (Édier Ocampo 70’); Ryan Gauld (Tristan Blackmon 86’), Fafa Picault [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Deiber Caicedo, Levonte Johnson]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s second-half fight-back:
“The second half was much better. I asked the guys to stay in the game because that was the most important thing. Every time that we had the ball, even in the first half where we didn’t play well, every time we felt that we could score. We played the ball in behind and we could have done something, and in fact, we created more chances, Mathías [Laborda] had a couple of chances with the header, and then we scored a beautiful goal. I would say it was a classic Whitecaps’ goal with the combination on the side and then Brian [White] attacking the first post. So, I think it was a massive point against a very good team.”
On Brian White’s impact off the bench and how it felt to have him back:
“He played and after 10 minutes he scored! That’s how I feel. He had the presence in the box, what was missing, to be honest. If you play a dominant game, like how we played in Austin and last game against San Jose, you can even play with two guys that are not classic number nines, because the ball is that much in their final third, so sooner or later someone is going to arrive there. But if you don’t play a dominant game, you need with you a number nine who occupies the box and can attack those spaces. So, you know, Brian [White] came on and he did fantastic, so I’m really happy.”
On the performance of MLS Defender of the Year contender Ranko Veselinovic:
“In the locker room they all joke because I have some sons, and Ranko is one of my sons. I’m really proud of his growth tactically – he’s always been a good defender, but for me, he was always too much, I would say instinctive, and not believing in what he has to do tactically. In the last two years, he became a master in playing that position in our zonal defence system. Today he showed, and he showed himself, that when he’s in the right position, it’s really hard for everyone to win the one-v-one against him. He made two great interventions one in the first half, but also the one in the second half against Ponce that he could have scored the second goal.
Those are the little bricks that then make the house, that it make us tie because everyone can see the pass of Gauldy, the assist of Fafa, the goal of Brian. But if there’s no work before from everyone else, it’s hard to score goals. So I’m really happy that he did a fantastic performance.”
FORWARD FAFA PICAULT
On his team’s resilient performance:
“I’m very proud of the group because, coming here a few days after our last game, performing under these [hot] conditions it takes a lot. Everyone stuck together after going down 1-0, we fought together as a group, we defended well, we stuck to what we needed to do and I’m very proud of everybody.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO
HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On tonight’s result:
“We played very well. We had tons of good chances, and we just didn’t see it out. We can analyze their goal all we want, but we have to be able see out these games. With this type of attacking performance at home, we should be winning.”
On Ezequiel Ponce’s third goal this season:
“(Ezequiel) Ponce is getting into better spots each game. He continues to get more looks and more shots, so that’s a positive. Now we just need to continue to see more of them go in.”
DEFENDER GRIFFIN DORSEY
Opening remarks:
“It was another game at home that we dominated and should’ve walked away with three points from. We have things to learn and some more winning to do on the road. I respect that they’re one of the best teams in the league, but I think that the locker room was disappointed that we tied because we deserved to win.”
On Saturday’s match in Austin:
“We’re thinking of the game in front of us right now, and we owe Austin. They took six points from us this season. It’s a rivalry game and a good atmosphere. It’ll be a great night to get a win in Austin.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, CPL, and Canadian national team chat and interviews.
The Whitecaps got back to winning ways at the weekend, with a 2-0 win over San Jose, that wasn’t pretty but crucially got the job done. We pick over the bones of that one, look at the season run-in and the in-form runners and riders, look at the signing of Jeevan Badwal to a MLS Homegrown deal, and chat with Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau about signing his own first team deal.
Our feature interview this episode is with Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. We chat with Seba about his journey to Vancouver, a life spent in football, carving his own path, where he sees his ideal position, the abuse his dad has received when US head coach and how it affects the family, and more.
Turning our attention to the Canadian national teams, we hear from men’s head coach Jesse Marsch about the rise of Ali Ahmed, what the rest of the year looks like, and talk to him about his own growth as a coach from when he first to came to Canada in 2011 with Montreal. We also hear from Ali Ahmed himself about his time in the recent Canada camp and coming back to Vancouver, plus we chat about the kickfest that was the Mexico game and look at the women’s U20s defeat at the World Cup.
All of this, plus we look at the weekend’s CPL action, there’s more Britpop chat and music, Big Country continue their stint as our Album of the Month, and Halftime Oranges are back in Wavelength with a song about footballers’ hair!
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.27: Intro – another busy week, match fixing
14.15: Whitecaps beat San Jose with another clean sheet
33.50: The lie of the land in the MLS West
48.40: Sebastian Berhalter interview and discussion
66.45: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive? – Sebastian Berhalter
75.25: Canada crash out of U20 Women’s World Cup to Spain
79.55: Canada kicked off the park in Mexican “friendly”
85.33: What rest of year looks like for the CanMNT
97.17: Jesse Marsch’s growth as a coach
107.30: Ali Ahmed talks about being away with Canada
112.50: Jesse Marsch’s thoughts on Ali Ahmed’s continued rise
117.20: Jeevan Badwal signs a homegrown contract
124.16: Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau earns first team contract
130.50: CPL round-up
138.40: Wavelength – Halftime Oranges – Hair
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Ryan Gauld grabbed a couple of assists and Stuart Armstrong scored his first goal as a Whitecap to give Vancouver a crucial 2-0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes at BC Place on Saturday evening.
The ‘Caps dominated from star to finish, and much like last week at home to Dallas, they were denied time and time again by some fantastic goalkeeping. This time the Quakes’ Daniel was the thorn in Vancouver’s side, making nine saves in total, but unlike last week, they were at least able to beat the ‘keeper twice to come away with a much needed three points.
Fafa Picault opened the scoring in the 35th minute, but the ‘Caps had to wait until four minutes from time to seal the deal, with Armstrong’s first MLS goal. With a fourth straight clean sheet to boot, it wasn’t a bad night at the office for Vancouver, but it was a frustrating one at times.
With Brian White and Andres Cubas out injured, Vanni Sartini made six changes to last week’s starting line-up, with a view to the upcoming midweek match in Houston. It was far from being a full strength Whitecaps team that kicked this one off, but they didn’t need to be against a San Jose side that made a good case for promotion and relegation in the US soccer pyramid.
Daniel’s heroics started in the 12th minute when Gauld played the ball through to Picault, but the save was made. Nine minutes later, Gauld beautifully lofted the ball to the back post and the Quakes keeper kept out Picault’s header, before saving at the near post to deny Ali Ahmed in the 23rd minute.
The ‘Caps eventually got the breakthrough their play deserved in the 35th minute and once again it was Gauld and Picault linking up, with the Haitian international rising unchecked to head home the Scot’s corner from five yards out.
Fafa Picault scores his 1⃣0⃣th goal this season across all competitions!
https://t.co/x1cswFtNag
#VWFC | #VANvSJE pic.twitter.com/VSwYnU3X3Y— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 15, 2024
Gauld had a chance to add to the Whitecaps’ tally on the stroke of half time, but his shot from the edge of the box curled just wide and Vancouver had to be happy with just the one goal advantage.
Usually that would leave you a little concerned that they hadn’t turned their dominance into more goals, but San Jose were just resembling warm bodies in blue jerseys for that first 45 minutes.
The game continued the same way to start the second, with Picault heading a Sam Adekugbe cross off the bar in the 51st minute.
Daniel then produced saved to deny Ahmed and Edier Ocampo as the midway point of the half approached.
Vancouver had a lucky escape in the 68th minute when San Jose quickly countered on a ‘Caps giveaway and although Ousseni Bouda had the ball in the net for the visitors, he was just a step offside.
As the ‘Caps pushed for the killer second, Daniel saved an Alessandro Schopf shot from the edge of the box in the 82nd minute, before keeping out an Ocampo header from the resultant corner.
Vancouver finally turned their relentless pressure into a second goal with four minutes of the match remaining and it was a goal made in Scotland, with a bit of Ecuador thrown in for good measure.
Pedro Vite and Gauld linked up superbly with a couple of near interplays, before the Scot played the ball inside to his wide open countryman Armstrong to blast the ball home from 14 yards out.
ARMSTRONG GAULD
https://t.co/x1cswFtNag
#VWFC | #VANvSJE pic.twitter.com/RnUZwocTMp— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 15, 2024
Bouda should have pulled one back for San Jose in stoppage time, but he pulled his header wide, a perfect indication of a poor game in general for the visitors.
All in all, a win, no matter how it comes about, is all that the Whitecaps were needing here. There’s some question about being clinical in front of goal against the worst team in the league, but they were up against an inspired goalkeeper for the second week running. They scored two, won at home, and kept a fourth straight clean sheet, extending their time without conceding a goal to 393 minutes.
The victory moved Vancouver up to 5th in the MLS Western Conference standings with seven matches remaining. Two points below the playoff lines with a game in hand and three off 2nd. If they can be more clinical in front of goal, this could be a very exciting season run-in.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 0 San Jose Earthquakes
ATT: 21,309
SCORING SUMMARY:
35’ – VAN – Fafa Picault (Ryan Gauld)
86’ – VAN – Stuart Armstrong (Ryan Gauld, Pedro Vite)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 54.1% – SJ 45.9%
Shots: VAN 19 – SJ 5
Shots on Goal: VAN 11 – SJ 2
Saves: VAN 2 – SJ 9
Fouls: VAN 9 – SJ 8
Offsides: VAN 1 – SJ 1
Corners: VAN 7 – SJ 2
BOOKINGS:
26’ – SJ – Carlos Akapo
41’ – VAN – Ralph Priso
89’ – SJ – Jack Skahan
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Bjørn Inge Utvik, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Ali Ahmed (Édier Ocampo 66’), Pedro Vite, Ralph Priso (Sebastian Berhalter 56’), Alessandro Schöpf (Stuart Armstrong 84’), Sam Adekugbe (Mathías Laborda 66’); Ryan Gauld, Fafa Picault (Levonte Johnson 84’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Damir Kreilach, Déiber Caicedo]
SAN JOSE: Daniel; Carlos Akapo, Rodrigues, Tanner Beason; Benjamin Kikanović (Vitor Costa 46′), Niko Tsakiris (Alfredo Morales 55’), Jackson Yueill (Jack Skahan 86’), Paul Marie (Amahl Pellegrino 73’); Cristian Espinoza, Preston Judd (Ousseni Bouda 46′), Hernan López [Substitutes not used: William Yarborough, Tommy Thompson, Beau Leroux, Casey Walls]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the team’s performance:
“I think we played very well. Really well. I would say, without even having a minute of not being the best team on the field. In the last two games, we played really well against Austin and Dallas, where we were probably the best team on the field for 75 out of the 90 minutes. Today was 90 out of 90. We had a lot of chances, we played really well. It would have been a disaster, to be honest, to not win today because we showed that we were clearly the best. But I’m really happy on the quality of the team, as we played literally as we planned.”
On Ryan Gauld and Stuart Armstrong’s link-up for the final goal:
“So it was 90’s night tonight, no? It looked like Brazil 1994 with Bebeto and Romario, with Stu [Armstrong] and Ryan [Gauld] up top, so that was a great goal.”
MIDFIELDER STUART ARMSTRONG
On the reception from the crowd after he scored his goal:
“It’s a really cool thing. Whenever you arrive somewhere new, you want to do well, you want to fit in with the team, you want the guys to like you, not only as a player but as a person. As Gauldy said, they’ve [the team] been so welcoming since I’ve come, everyone’s been so nice, the players, staff and then also the fans, with the reception. Everything’s just been great so far.”
ATTACKING MIDFIELDER RYAN GAULD
On his connection playing with Armstrong:
“I’ve always said its good and easy to play with good players and get an understanding. I think every new player that arrives here kind of finds out themselves that it’s quite an easy group to fit into. We’re a good group to welcome new players and get them fitted in quickly and you can see that Stu’s hit the ground running already. It’s good to have another good, quality player in there.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
INTERIM HEAD COACH IAN RUSSELL
On the team’s effort tonight:
“We started the game decent, had some good energy. We played three at the back to try to deal with their two forwards. They have dangerous players there, and we struggled a bit with some runs from midfield. They were getting beyond us. We tried a few tactical switches during the game and created some chances. [Ousseni] Bouda had a good chance; he was offside. We didn’t generate enough in attack and were defending a lot.”
On the decision to substitute Benji Kikanović:
“At halftime, Benji was injured; we didn’t know that until we’re walking back on the field, and he couldn’t go, so Vitor [Costa] just went, played wing back. Benji was having a good game. You know, he’s been good all year. I wouldn’t have taken him out.”
On the recent performance of forwards Preston Judd and Ousseni Bouda, who had the game-tying goal called back for offside:
“Bouda’s been in really good form. I wanted to get Bouda on the field. I thought Preston did okay. He could do better, but Bouda had a big chance, almost scored another one.”
On the tactical takeaways from tonight’s match:
“The way that Vancouver defends, they played the two [forwards] high so played a back three. We were able to circulate the ball, 3v2. Now, inside their upper man, they have three midfielders to our two. In those moments, we’ve got to find the gap whether it’s Cristian [Espinoza] tucking in or non-tucking in, a pocket, try to bring extra players in. I think at times, we did find those gaps and able to get it wide, but it wasn’t consistent enough. There’s usually space against them wide they play zonal with their wing backs. So these little switches of play, we did get into positions, especially in the first half, but crossing left something to be desired, and they were pretty organized with their back three when we were crossing balls. They’re pretty good in the air.”
“We did find gaps at times, but Vancouver is organized. They’re a good team. They get back behind the ball quickly. So when you do find these pockets, you have to go at pace. You have to have good service. You have to serve it beyond them, in behind their backs, in the air. They’re good in the air.”
DEFENDER PAUL MARIE
On looking ahead to the midweek match against Seattle Sounders:
“Tonight, the mentality was not right. We know it. We were supposed to be on the front foot and we were not. We definitely need to shift our focus on Seattle and come out at 200%.”
On areas of improvement:
“We’re not clinical enough. I think we need to keep the ball better, and we need to hurt them more. We were not able to tonight. I think we ran a lot defensively and just used a lot of energy where we were trying to press a lot. We were not doing great with that. … When you get to the final third, we need to do way better. We need to work on it.”
On Hernán López being positioned more on the left side of the attack tonight:
“He has a lot of freedom, because we’ve been giving him a lot of freedom. So he can help us left, right. He can kind of go where he wants. It’s nice. We need to find him and put him in good situations. We know if we put him in a good situation, he’s going to be spreading the balls and shooting. He’s going to be very dangerous.”
With the excitement of some new additions, combined with the numerous players who were out on international duty returning, the Whitecaps have the potential to get some momentum going again. Of course, things aren’t perfect as both Brian White and Andrés Cubas are out with injuries, but the ‘Caps hopefully shouldn’t need them in order to beat San Jose, who are by a decent margin the worst team in MLS this year.
The fact of the matter is that purely going by record, this is the only “easy” matchup the ‘Caps have left this season. After this it’s seven more MLS matches, all of them against teams currently in the playoff places. Combine that with the fact that there’s currently just four points separating 4th and 8th in the Western Conference standings, and the range of where Vancouver could potentially finish the regular season is quite vast.
Looking at the positives from the last couple weeks, the ‘Caps have kept three straight clean sheets across all competitions! That’s certainly a far cry from where they were at for a good chunk of the season. The downside is that in the 250+ minutes since White went down in the Canadian Championship semifinal, they’ve scored just one goal themselves. It’s not been too pretty!
(Of course, if Déiber Caicedo had just not been robbed point blank by Jimmy Maurer at the death last weekend then things would feel quite different, but fine lines and all that.)
It will be interesting to see how Vanni Sartini lines things up in the attack in the continued absence of White. Does he go with the combo of Ryan Gauld and Fafa Picault up front and try and forge ahead without a striker entirely, as he did against Austin? Does Damir Kreilach get another start in order to at least have a big body up top? Does Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (just signed to a first-team contract alongside Jeevan Badwal) get a shock start to see what he can do?
None of those options stand out as a clear pick of where to go, which shows how hard to replace White is on this team (whether or not that’s a good thing roster building-wise is another question). Adding Caicedo, Stuart Armstrong, and Édier Ocampo to the squad provides some more attacking juice, and all three of them will likely figure into the action in some way, but regardless the way the team plays needs to be tweaked when White isn’t out there.
Defensively, Sartini’s men will be hoping for more of the same as they’ve had in the last couple of outings. Tristan Blackmon made his first start in over two months against Dallas and showed well, earning himself a MLS Team of the Matchday nod. Belal Halbouni has made a surprise push for more minutes with another solid performance, although Matias Laborda likely still has the inside track for the right centre-back spot.
Looking at the visitors, it’s been an absolute disaster of a year for the Earthquakes. With just 17 points from 27 games, they’re all but locked into finishing dead last in MLS and have a shot at breaking their club record for fewest points in a season.
The ‘Caps won 2-0 in the road meeting between the two sides all the way back in early March, but have to be wary of giving up a similar result to the last time the Quakes came to BC Place. In that game (in August of last year) the visitors were outshot 19-3 but stole a 1-0 win off a goal from Cristian Espinoza.
Espinoza remains the danger man for San Jose, with four goals and 11 assists (the same amount as the rest of his team combined) this season. Forward Amahl Pellegrino leads the team in goals with six, while Jeremy Ebobisse has just four after bagging 27 in the previous two seasons combined.
Terms like “must-win” and “trap game” might be a little cliché, but the Whitecaps certainly need to come out of Saturday night with more points on the board, especially considering the dropped points last weekend, and how real the threat of falling well down the conference standings is.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, Canadian national team, and international football chat and interviews.
It’s been another big week for Canadian soccer, at both club and country level, and we kick things off chatting about Canada’s men’s national team’s historic, and dominant, win over the US on Saturday. It was a performance that showed the growth of the side under Jesse Marsch and also tantalizes with this being only just the beginning. We also look at the Canadian women’s U20s run at the FIFA World Cup that’s seen them reach the knockout stages.
Turning our attention to the domestic game, an undermanned Whitecaps dropped another two points at home in MLS action. We chat about the Dallas game, the continuing costly home form, look at some of the depth players called into this match, and the current lie of the land in the MLS West. Plus we hear and talk about Caleb Porter’s all-time epic rant about our least favourite referee, Tim Ford.
We’ve two interviews in this episode. First up is WFC2 forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau. We chat with Nico about his experiences being called up to the first team, making his MLS debut in Montreal, his home debut against Dallas, and more. Next up is Vancouver FC defender James Cameron, and we chat with the BC boy about signing his first pro deal, his growth, the current season, his Canada experiences, and his hopes for the future.
All of this, plus we look at the weekend’s CPL action, there’s more Britpop chat and music, Big Country continue their stint as our Album of the Month, and Armchair Loyal are back in Wavelength with a fitting song about referees!
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.27: Intro
04.00: Canada dominate US eh in friendly win
21.00: Canada women’s U20s advance to World Cup knockout stage
33.50: Ryan Gauld gets his first Scotland caps
42.35: Undermanned Whitecaps drop two big points at home to Dallas
69.50: Caleb Porter loses it with referee Tim Ford
80.45: More Britpop chat!
68.05: Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau interview and discussion
98.15: A look at the Whitecaps’ depth and player performances
111.55: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Fafa Picault
114.26: Whitecaps Girls Elite secure historic Champions Cup victory
121.35: James Cameron interview
140.50: CPL round-up
159.35: Wavelength – Armchair Loyal – Public Elleray Number One
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: @FCDallas/X.com)
Whatever way Vancouver Whitecaps’ players want to unwind after their match with FC Dallas on Saturday evening, let’s hope they give the casino next door a wide berth because Lady Luck clearly decided to take a weekend break.
The Whitecaps pummeled Dallas, hitting the woodwork three times, seeing efforts cleared off the line, and denied by some great goalkeeping as they simply couldn’t find the breakthrough and had to settle for a single point in a 0-0 draw.
Severely undermanned, a draw isn’t the worst result many feared, but it was two more points dropped at home, and they lost a little bit of ground in the playoffs standings, although they still have at least one game in hand on four of the five teams above them. A lot still to play for, but it’s results like this that can be highlighted come season end as crucial to where things finish up.
With five players away on international duty and two unavailable due to injury, it was a bare bones Whitecaps squad that took to the pitch at BC Place. Vanni Sartini handed first Whitecaps MLS starts to centre back Belal Halbouni and midfielder Ralph Priso, with Levonte Johnston and Damir Kreilach leading the line in a 3-5-2 formation.
The first half saw the gods of fortune both giveth and taketh away for the Whitecaps, in a game that took a little bit of time to warm up. Once it did, it was the ‘Caps who carved out the best chances.
Alessandro Schopf saw a curling effort crash off the right post in the 24th minute with, with Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer rooted. The rebound fell to Matias Laborda, playing in a wingback role, but he drove his shot past the far post.
24’ | So close! Off the woodwork by Schöpf!
https://t.co/A0O6UjhU4s #VWFC | #VANvDAL pic.twitter.com/VT9YA31vqo
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 8, 2024
Vancouver came close again in the 33rd minute. Ryan Raposo, who was causing the visitors a lot of problems, sent in a cross to the back post which was met by Laborda. His looping header was weakly punched away by Maurer and with the ball flying over his head, Sebastian Ibeagha was on hand to head it off the line and the danger was cleared.
Sebastian Berhalter was next to try his luck and his curling free kick in the 35th minute had Maurer scrambling to turn it away. The ‘Caps kept the pressure on, and Raposo chipped another ball into the back post, this time for Kreilach, who could only look on agonizingly as his header came back off the right post.
35' HUGE double save from Jimmy in his return to the XI! pic.twitter.com/16se25SS0d
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) September 8, 2024
Dallas should have gone into the break with the lead. As the visitors broke through the Vancouver lines, Paul Arriola played the ball outside to Petar Musa. His cross into the box was casually flicked into the air by Ranko Veselinovic, straight to Arriola, who had continued his run. The American’s shot was palmed away by Yohei Takaoka, but he couldn’t get a strong enough hand on it and it fell to Tsiki Ntsabeleng inches from goal, who somehow whiffed at his shot and the ball ran wide. A huge escape for Vancouver.
Vancouver were the better team, outshooting Dallas 11-2 in the first half, but the only stat that mattered was whether they could convert those opportunities into goals in the second half. They weren’t.
Musa was played in for Dallas five minutes after the restart, but ended up poking his shot well wide from a good position, before Vancouver took the game back over, forcing a string of corners, but no saves from Maurer.
Dallas had the ball in the net in the 66th minute when Arriola’s low long ranger cannoned off the left post, straight to Musa, who guided the ball past Takaoka, but the Croatian forward was offside.
As the substitutions came apace, Vancouver made a double Colombian substitution in the 73rd minute, handing Edier Ocampo his MLS debut and welcoming Deiber Caicedo back into the ‘Caps fold.
The woodwork was to deny the Whitecaps for a third time on the night in the 75th minute when Tristan Blackmon got onto Berhalter’s free kick into the box, but as his header flew up into the air, it came back off the crossbar and Dallas cleared the danger.
As the minutes ticked down and the chance of a goalless encounter grew ever more likely, Caicedo was played in on goal in the 83rd minute. As the forward tried to round the onrushing Maurer, the Dallas keeper did enough to knock the ball away and the ‘Caps couldn’t capitalize on another good opportunity to take the lead.
Two vital defensive plays from @FCDallas to keep this one scoreless. pic.twitter.com/MJ1uTe6T1p
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 8, 2024
It was another great play from Maurer, who was playing his first competitive game in over a year.
Stuart Armstrong came on for his Whitecaps debut a minute later, and with a couple of slips, it may take him a little bit of time to find his feet on the turf.
The Whitecaps had two fantastic chances to win it in stoppage time.
Five minutes in, Sam Adekugbe played a lovely cross into the back for Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau, but with the ball taking a clip on the way through, it didn’t fall well for the WFC2 call-up and he flashed his shot high and over.
Seconds later and the ‘Caps had another great opportunity to win it at the death. Adekugbe again sent in a great cross from the left, Laborda headed into the danger six yard box and the ball eventually ran through to Caicedo yards from goal, but Maurer somehow managed to pull off a stunning save on his line to turn it away and earn his team a crucial point.
The stop that saved the shutout
Take a bow, Jimmy. pic.twitter.com/V4HUdAYVYU
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) September 8, 2024
Disappointment and frustration at the end for the ‘Caps. They outshot Dallas 20-6, but only getting a quarter of those shots on target was the tale of the game. A point going into this game, missing so many players, wouldn’t have been considered too bad a result, but with how the match played out, it very much feels like two big points lost.
With Seattle’s win at Columbus, Vancouver now drop to 6th in the standings. They move within two of 4th place, with a game in hand, and remain eight points above Dallas who sit in 10th.
There’s positives to take. Ocampo and Armstrong made their MLS debuts, Caicedo got back onto the pitch in a ‘Caps jersey, and there were some promising performances from the likes of Halbouni and Laborda. But they need to take these full points at home. Another two dropped is simply not good enough.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 0 FC Dallas
ATT: 23,188
SCORING SUMMARY:
None
STATS:
Possession: VAN 51.5% – DAL 48.5%
Shots: VAN 20 – DAL 6
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – DAL 2
Saves: VAN 2 – DAL 5
Fouls: VAN 11 – DAL 7
Offsides: VAN 2 – DAL 2
Corners: VAN 7 – DAL 1
BOOKINGS:
83’ – VAN – Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau
87’ – FCD – Marco Farfan
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Belal Halbouni (Édier Ocampo 73’), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Mathías Laborda, Sebastian Berhalter, Ralph Priso (Stuart Armstrong 84’), Alessandro Schöpf, Ryan Raposo (Sam Adekugbe 62’); Damir Kreilach (Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau 63’), Levonte Johnson (Déiber Caicedo 73’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Giuseppe Bovalina, Jeevan Badwal
DALLAS:
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the performance:
“I think we played very well. I think it was really good, but I’m not satisfied because we deserved to win. I think we played better than them. We had a lot of chances, some of them were very close, like the two at the end. But, I am extremely proud of the team. Everyone played really well, A lot of players that didn’t start a game for so much time, some of them were a little tired at the end because they didn’t have the 90 minutes, since they normally play maybe 20-25 minutes. They came in and, I think, did a good job. It was a good job, and this tie is, if we do a great job next Saturday [against San Jose], it makes next Saturday’s win four points instead of three, so that’s beautiful. That’s beautiful. The future is beautiful.”
On his team’s strength in depth and the pressure that comes with it:
“Having good players is never a problem. We have 20 starters. That’s pretty simple. The guys that started today – we missed like six players, plus Bjørn [Inge Utvik] that was on the bench almost as support because he had a bit of a problem during the week. So we missed seven players and we dominated them. We dominated them, that’s what happened. You know, we’re doing really well, so it’s more than a headache, a little bit of pressure, to be honest. I feel now a little bit of pressure because we need to deliver. We cannot hide anymore. We go in there and we want to be in the top four, maybe even more. That’s because of the quality of this team.”
MIDFIELDER STUART ARMSTRONG
On making his debut:
“I enjoyed it. It would have been nicer if we won, but a good start. The atmosphere was good. I think the team played well and we were unfortunate not to win. As debuts go, it was pretty good.”
On being a DP and getting fully match fit:
“I think getting up to speed as quickly as I can will help the team. I just want to come here and give my best football. Of course, the different style of the DPs, and everything that involves, of course that adds a little bit of pressure. I think throughout my career, there’s always been pressure when you play. So that’s part of the culture, part of playing football. And I just need to perform at my best every week.”
DEFENDER RANKO VESELINOVIC
On the match:
“I think we controlled, especially, the first half. We had so many chances. We just missed that little something, that finishing touch to put the ball into the net. But that happens in a game. I would rather have those games than have zero shots. So I think it’s a positive game for us, but we’re all going to think of the chances we made.”
On the stretch run:
“I just hope that we’re all healthy, because we have a great group. I think that we have an amazing team. We have a lot of games at home, and we need to be really good at home. We need to win games.”
On the first MLS home match since July 20:
“The fans were great, the atmosphere was good. Especially later in the second half, they were pushing us as you could see we created chances. The next game we hope to see even more people because we’re going to need them. Seven games, it’s like a final until the end of the season.”
FC DALLAS
INTERIM HEAD COACH PETER LUCCIN
Takeaways from tonights match:
“The first half was bad. Our press was too passive and we lacked aggressiveness and we did not press our opponent nor did we go forward. In the second half we changed our shape and did a better job of not letting them get the ball. Tonight was not good enough. We have a squad full of potential on the field, but we did not do enough offensively tonight.”
Thoughts on Jimmy Maurer’s first start of the season:
“Top. We tied tonight’s match because of Jimmy (Maurer). He is a player with a lot of experience and quality. I am very happy with his performance.”
On building for the next match:
“What we lacked today is what was working for us previously. We scored goals and tonight we did not do that. We need to have more offensive volume, play more balls from behind. We were too passive tonight so we have to work on this and get back to scoring.”
JIMMY MAURER
Takeaways from the result:
“A little disappointed because we’re at a point in the season where there’s not a lot of margin for error. We need points so we’re going to be disappointed by that and I don’t think that we played sharp. But a point on the road, we’ll take it and move on but we’ve got to start picking up all three.”
On keeping a shutout on his first appearance of the season:
“It felt great. Credit to all my teammates and the staff. Drew (Keeshan, FC Dallas goalkeeper coach) has been keeping me sharp all year, games or not. I feel the support from everybody, from the staff to the players. I felt great and just happy to do my part for the team.”
On what the team can improve on ahead of the next game:
“Just a lot of details, a lot of sharpness, decision making and shifting at the same time. A lot of things where we were disjointed tonight, a little half second behind and it cost us.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, Canadian national team, and international football chat and interviews. It’s our international special this episode as we cover the club and national team game from a wide variety of perspectives.
We kick things off with a look at the Whitecaps win in Austin this past weekend. Comfortable and very important, it sets them up nicely for the MLS season run-in after 42 days since their last league match. We take a look at how things are looking the in the MLS West and Vanni Sartini shares some thoughts on the match and the task facing the team now with six players away on international duty for the upcoming match with Dallas.
One of those players that will be away with Canadian international Ali Ahmed. We chat with him about the upcoming friendlies and talk with one of the WFC2 players that could be called up to replace the missing guys, Jay Herdman, about his experiences at last year’s U20 World Cup and this year’s Olympics with New Zealand. And talking of the U20 World Cup, we look at the great start made by the Canada at the women’s one in Colombia and talk with head coach Cindy Tye.
We’ve two fantastic feature interviews for you this episode. First up is the newest Whitecap, Scottish international DP Stuart Armstrong. We chat with Stuart about his move to Vancouver, his career so far, what the future may hold in store, playing for Scotland at two Euros, and more. It’s a great career retrospective for fans of his, new and old.
Next up is Whitecaps winger Fafa Picault. We chat with the forward about life in Vancouver, playing for Haiti, his football playing grandfather, and his deep love of music and food, in a really enjoyable interview that shows Fafa’s passions to the fore.
All of this, plus Zach tells tales of his footballing adventures in Costa Rica, we have a way too long, but thoroughly enjoyable, chat about Britpop, and Big Country kick off their stint as our Album of the Month.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.28: Intro – Oasis fever!
06.25: Zach’s experiences of football in Costa Rica
25.23: Whitecaps dominate Austin in return to MLS action
43.35: The lie of the land in the MLS West
47.00: Vanni on the Austin win and facing Dallas short-handed
52.02: Ali Ahmed talks Canada’s upcoming friendlies
58.37: Jay Herdman interview on his Olympic experience with NZ
69.15: Axel on how the Stuart Armstrong deal came together
76.03: Vanni on how Armstrong will fit into system
81.05: Stuart Armstrong interview and discussion
101.04: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Stuart Armstrong
106.55: Fafa Picault interview and discussion
137.40: Britpop discussion
150.16: Canada U20s kick of 2024 Women’s U20 World Cup
157.53: Cindy Tye interview
164.05: FIFA trial of Football Video Support review cards
167.05: Canada’s men back in action against US and Mexico
168.47: Wavelength – Damien Quinn – Celtic Medley
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
It’s been six long weeks since Vancouver Whitecaps’ last league match. A ridiculous amount of time midseason, but thankfully, no doubt helped by their midweek Canadian Championship triumph, there was no rust or hangover very evident in Austin on Saturday evening.
A Pedro Vite strike in the 70th minute proved to be the difference between the teams on the scored in the ‘Caps 1-0 win, but in truth this was a fairly dominant, comfortable, and assured performance with every player knowing their role and keeping the necessary structure and shape to leave Texas with a well-deserved three points.
With Brian White out under concussion protocol and Sam Adekugbe missing with a mild groin strain, Vanni Sartini was still able to run out a a fairly strong line-up in Vancouver’s first MLS match in 42 days.
The first meeting between these two sides back in May wasn’t a classic, a goalless affair in which the Whitecaps outshot Austin 24-4, dominating the match but unable to find the breakthrough. The visitors mustered just one shot on target that day and were happy to just defend. The second meeting of the season between the two was a far more entertaining affair, but still with Vancouver dominance.
The ‘Caps were the far better team in the first half, with a Ranko Veselinovic header off a corner four minutes in setting the tone. Long range shots from Vite, Andres Cubas, Sebastian Berhalter, and Fafa Picault all tested Austin, with the Texans causing a couple of scrambles off corners, but nothing more.
Vancouver thought they’d got the breakthrough a minute before half time, when Ryan Gauld superbly fired home a neat Ryan Raposo layoff, but the goal was ruled out after a video review for offside in the build up on Veselinovic. It was a questionable call that certainly didn’t look to be clearly answered in the replays to overturn the call on the pitch, but referee Mark Allatin thought otherwise.
Was a beauty goal nonetheless @RyanGauld
https://t.co/h6XpMa8JHK #VWFC | #ATXvVAN pic.twitter.com/8t1cefIFQy
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 1, 2024
Austin started the second half brighter, with Yohei Takaoka forced to punch an Alex Ring corner away from under his bar.
Vancouver got back off the front foot and the action flowed end to end, without any real clear cut chances to break the deadlock.
That was to change in the 70th minute.
Ali Ahmed’s shot in the box was blocked, but Austin failed to clear their lines and the ball came to Vite. The Ecuadorian played a neat give and go with Gauld before lashing the ball home from the edge of the ‘D’.
It was Vite’s first goal of the season in MLS and his first league goal since July last year. We all know what he’s capable of, it’s getting the consistency now that will see him move his game to another level. It also proved to be the night’s match winner.
Was a beauty goal nonetheless @RyanGauld
https://t.co/h6XpMa8JHK #VWFC | #ATXvVAN pic.twitter.com/8t1cefIFQy
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) September 1, 2024
Both sides had some half chances in the last 20 minutes, with Austin’s two best ones coming in stoppage time, but they came to nothing and Vancouver easily held on for three big points in an ever tightening Western Conference playoff race.
In the end, everything was alright, alright, alright for the ‘Caps. It was another three huge points, giving them a seven point cushion now over Austin, who dropped below the playoff line with the loss.
The ‘Caps tied their all-time MLS record for wins and points on the road in a single season, both set under Carl Robinson in 2015. They now have to take that form into their home matches, with six of their remaining nine games coming at BC Place. Next up is Dallas, and with six players away on international duty, it’s a match where those behind in the pecking order really need to step up.
FINAL SCORE: Austin FC 1 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 20,738
SCORING SUMMARY:
70’ – VAN – Pedro Vite (Ryan Gauld)
STATS:
Possession: ATX 53% – VAN 47%
Shots: ATX 7 – VAN 20
Shots on Goal: ATX 0 – VAN 5
Saves: ATX 4 – VAN 0
Fouls: ATX 12 – VAN 10
Offsides: ATX 2 – VAN 1
Corners: ATX 9 – VAN 7
BOOKINGS:
8’ – ATX – Matt Hedges
87’ – ATX – Osman Bukari
90’+8 – VAN – Yohei Takaoka
90’+9 – ATX – Guilherme Biro
90’+10 – VAN – Fafa Picault
AUSTIN: Brad Stuver; Mikkel Desler (Jáder Obrian 79’), Matt Hedges (Jáder Obrian 79’), Brendan Hines-Ike (Julio Cascante 67’), Guilherme Biro; Owen Wolff (Gyasi Zardes 67’), Alexander Ring, Daniel Pereira; Osman Bukari (Ethan Finlay 90’+1), Sebastian Driussi, Jon Gallagher [Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Jhojan Valencia, Hector Jimenez, Oleksandr Svatok]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik (Tristan Blackmon 82’); Ryan Raposo (Alessandro Schöpf 63’), Sebastian Berhalter (Belal Halbouni 85’), Andrés Cubas, Pedro Vite, Ali Ahmed (Giuseppe Bovalina 90’+2); 11.Fafa Picault, Ryan Gauld (Damir Kreilach 90’+2) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Joe Bendik, Ralph Priso, Cyprian Kachwele]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the performance and victory against Austin FC:
“It was a very good performance. We played very well, we were in charge of the game for 90 minutes. We could have scored in the first half, we had a lot of chances, we defended very well. We didn’t concede, basically, any risk until that cross in the 93rd or 94th minute when [Julio] Cascante headed the ball, I think that was the only chance for them and it’s normal to concede a chance when they put like 15 guys in the box, so we did very well. We were always in the right positions with the things we were supposed to do, exploiting the areas that we actually thought we could exploit. Huge congratulations to the guys tonight. I think the performance was, I would say, a top team performance.”
On what this win means going into the final stretch of the regular season:
“It’s huge because it means that we picked up from when we stopped, playing very well and making a result. It’s also huge because I think we need to start to look forward. For sure, we are respectful and we need to stay in the top seven but also, if you want to look forward and get into the top four or even more, we need to win games. That’s going to fuel us to do better and try to win the next game against Dallas, and then again in the next game against San Jose.”
MIDFIELDER ALI AHMED
On the team’s belief on the road:
“We came and got the job done. I think this year, coming on the road, all 20 guys on these trips really believe that we’re coming in and we’re grabbing three points. It’s a different belief, this group now. We feel we can beat anybody, anywhere, and I think you’ve seen our form on the road so far this year.”
DEFENDER RANKO VESELINOVIC
On the good road form:
“We showed those [good performances] so much on the road this season. I would like us to even be a little better at home, but I hope that it’s going to be like this now that we have a lot of games before the playoffs at home. Let’s try to make a good performance and have a bit more confidence and on the road so far we’ve been pretty wonderful and I hope we can continue like that because that helps us a lot when we can be somewhere away from home and making results.”
After a mere 42-day break, the Whitecaps are finally ready to play an MLS regular season match once again! The fact that there’s a break that long in the middle of the summer is quite something, but after a long post-Leagues Cup pause and a bit of a pyrrhic victory over Pacific FC, the ‘Caps have their sights set on Austin.
With less than two months to play in the regular season, the Whitecaps are certainly now in the stretch run. There are 10 MLS games to go, plus the Canadian Championship final against Toronto FC. Seven at home, four on the road, the chance for a cup three-peat and just seven points separating 4th and 11th place in the MLS Western Conference standings. It’s all to play for!
Unfortunately, the ‘Caps have a bit of a hole up front heading into this all-important stretch of games. Brian White is in concussion protocol after a harsh smack of the head on the BC Place turf against Pacific, while Levonte Johnson is again out due to a minor calf injury.
That means the only proper #9 fit to play is Damir Kreilach, and there’s not a ton of available attacking depth behind him, Fafa Picault and Ryan Gauld (who also didn’t look 100% against Pacific despite scoring the lone goal). We could see any of Ali Ahmed, Ryan Raposo and Sam Adekugbe filling in up front, and potentially some WFC2 callups to fill out the bench. The wildcard option would be the return of Déiber Caicedo, who is back training with the team, but it’s unclear whether he’ll have the match fitness to play this weekend.
The one positive piece of injury news this week was Tristan Blackmon making his return off the bench on Tuesday after two months on the sidelines. After being ever-present in the lineup last year, the American defender has not been at the forefront nearly as much in 2024, both due to injury as well as some struggles on the pitch when he has played. He and Bjorn Inge Utvik could be in a battle for who will get the minutes in the big games coming up.
Andrés Cubas and Pedro Vite as the duo in the middle of the park has been the bread and butter for Vanni Sartini this season, with Alessandro Schöpf returning on Tuesday to his role of quasi-wingback/third central midfielder. Sartini has been tinkering with his system, and with the lack of attacking options there definitely needs to be a focus on being as defensively sound as possible, given that the ‘Caps haven’t kept a clean sheet in MLS play since May. Ironically, that was against Austin!
That 0-0 draw on May 4th is the only previous meeting between these two sides this season. The ‘Caps actually have quite a good record against the Texan outfit since they joined MLS, having only lost one of their seven matchups. Their last trip to Q2 Stadium was also a scoreless draw, back in April of last year.
Austin currently sits in 9th place in the West, trying to cling to one of the final postseason positions. After a fantastic 2022 campaign where they finished 2nd in the conference, the Verde & Black have slumped back down the table and are in danger of missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. They have scored the third-fewest goals in MLS this year, but are above average in terms of goals conceded, so don’t be surprised if this ends up being another low-goal affair.
The Whitecaps might be down to take the offer of a low-scoring game, given their injuries up front and the fact that they’re on the road. On the other hand, with the opportunity for homefield advantage in the first round of the playoffs in sight, any chance for a win is an important one. Thankfully, at least, there won’t be any more month-long breaks between games.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Pacific FC, Vancouver Rise, Vancouver FC, Canadian Championship, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and MLS Next Pro chat. Phew, that’s a lot of bases to cover, but we do it and we’re joined by Harjeet Johal to help us along!
We kick things off looking at the Whitecaps Canadian Championship semi-final. The threepeat awaits when they play TFC next month, in a tournament that already needs another revamping. We delve into the win over Pacific and get the thoughts of both head coaches, Vanni Sartini and James Merriman.
Keeping the Whitecaps chat going we look ahead to the return to MLS action, as Vanni shares his thoughts about the season run-in, and we chat with Ryan Gauld about his Scotland call-up. Plus we look at what the injury to Brian White might mean to the Whitecaps and ponder if there will be any cuss words dropped against Austin.
The big news story this week on the women’s side was the launch of new Northern Super League side Vancouver FC. We chat with Chief Business Officer Sinead King and Sporting Director Stephanie Labbe and discuss the new name and branding, where the team might play, what kind of crowds they’re expecting, when with a head coach and players start to be announced, what quality we can expect from the new league, and more.
All of this, plus we look at WFC2’s playoff push and chat with head coach Ricardo Clark, look at Vancouver FC’s hugely important and dramatic late win against Valour in the CPL, and chat with VFC’s birthday boy match winner Ayman Sellouf and head coach Afshin Ghotbi.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.25: Intro
04.23: The Whitecaps Canadian Championship threepeat is on
20.15: The Canadian Championship format needs to change
31.08: Aussie’s swearing upsets MLS!
36.15: The Whitecaps playoff hopes very much in own hands
46.27: Ryan Gauld finally earns Scotland call-up
57.05: Vancouver Rise FC are born – what we know so far
103.20: WFC2’s playoff push continues
113.30: 10-man Vancouver FC win at the death
127.37: Wavelength – The LaFontaines – Scotland, Bonnie Scotland
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The threepeat remains on for Vancouver Whitecaps, who booked their place in next month’s Canadian Championship final with a dominant, and mostly comfortable, 2-0 aggregate win over Canadian Premier League side Pacific at a sparsely attended BC Place on Tuesday evening.
An early first half goal from Ryan Gauld had the Whitecaps one up at the break, but didn’t really tell the tale of the half, with the MLS side recording almost 80% possession. Pacific were more threatening in the second half, but wasteful of their few chances, and that 1-0 scoreline was how it was to finish on the night, in a match that wasn’t a classic but allowed the Whitecaps to shake off some rust after nearly three weeks out of action.
With an eye clearly on Saturday’s game in Austin, Vanni Sartini played most of his first choice starters, but kept a couple on the bench, in the Whitecaps first match back on the pitch for 20 days. Pacific were missing players through injury and recent additions Moses Dyer and Devin O’Hea were cap-tied and with their form and scoring disappearing on them in recent weeks, this was always going to be a tough ask of the Vancouver Island side, with the first goal on the night absolutely critical.
The ‘Caps came out fast, looking to put the tie to bed early. Gauld had a nice interplay with Brian White three minutes in, with the striker’s long range effort saved by Emil Gazdov. It was a sign of things to come.
Gauld saw a shot saved minutes later, with White’s overhead kick off the rebound going over.
The breakthrough came 11 minutes in, with Gauld celebrating his first call-up to the Scottish senior men’s national team in fine fashion.
Ryan Raposo did well to break up a play deep in the Pacific final third. As the ball broke to Sam Adekugbe, his neat touch inside played in White, whose shot was saved well by Gazdov, only for the rebound to fall to the Scot, who blasted high into the net from a few yards out.
HOT START @RyanGauld puts us ahead early! #VWFC | #CanChamp | @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/43pb537k5K
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) August 28, 2024
Gauld’s goal had been the difference make in the first leg, and with Pacific’s scoring woes this season, his second already felt like the tie had been put to bed, but the Whitecaps couldn’t afford to be complacent.
The ‘Caps joy at the early goal was soon tempered by concern over a possible concussion for Brian White seconds later from the subsequent kick off. Closing down an attempted clearance, White who took a ball to the head at point blank range. After a lot of concern from his teammates, a groggy White had to go off in the 15th minute, replaced by Damir Kreilach.
The injury had brought an eerie hush to the stadium and it seemed to suck a little bit out of the ‘Caps. The rest of the half followed a pattern of the Whitecaps pressing hard, dominating possession, and rarely letting Pacific get out of their own half, but without adding to their tally.
Kreilach had the ball in the net for the Whitecaps in the 32nd minute, tucking away a neat through ball from Alessandro Schopf. The flag went up quickly for offside, but replays showed the Croatian was the right side of the line and the goal should have counted.
Clear cut chances were few, with Dario Zanatta wasting a rare one for the visitors moments later by blasting over from a good position. Reon Moore then went down softly in the box for Pacific, under the attention of Mathias Laborda, but the referee waved away the penalty appeals.
The second half saw Pacific open up more, but the Whitecaps were still dominating.
Kreilach came within inches of connecting on an Adekugbe cross, before Man of the Match Gazdov pulled off a tremendous double save in the 65th minute. First denying Pedro Vite’s shot with a low save to his right and then tipping Schopf’s susbsequent strike over the bar.
Kreilach again came close to adding a second for the ‘Caps, but his header off a Raposo cross grazed the outside of the right post and behind for a goal kick in the 79th minute, with Zakaria Bahous replying for Pacific with a long range shot that flew over.
Adonijah Reid sent a dangerous ball across the Whitecaps goal with five minutes remaining, but there was no takers for Pacific.
The last chance of the match fell to Laborda in stoppage time, but his effort went over and the referee blew an end to proceedings moments later.
It was a workmanlike performance from the Whitecaps. They weren’t at their best, but they didn’t have to be. The long layoff certainly looked to have seen them gather some rust. Hopefully this will allow them to shake some of it off. With White now almost certainly missing at least one game, and with no new faces on the horizon, goals for the ‘Caps are going to be a concern as they return to MLS action. Someone needs to step up to fill the void left.
The victory at least gives the Whitecaps the chance to host Toronto FC on September 25th, as they look to lift a third straight Voyageurs Cup. To achieve that, they’ll need to be more clinical in front of goal.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 0 Pacific FC [Whitecaps win 2-0 on aggregate]
ATT: 10,966
SCORING SUMMARY:
11’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld
STATS:
Possession: VAN 68% – PAC 32%
Shots: VAN 15 – PAC 8
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – PAC 3
Saves: VAN 3 – PAC 6
Fouls: VAN 3 – PAC 18
Offsides: VAN 0 – PAC 3
Corners: VAN 5 – PAC 5
BOOKINGS:
0’ – PAC – Juan Quintana
45’+2 – PAC – Cédric Toussaint
90’+1 – PAC – Kevin Ceceri
VANCOUVER: Isaac Boehmer; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik (Tristan Blackmon 63’); Ryan Raposo (Belal Halbouni 82’), Pedro Vite, Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 74’); Ryan Gauld (Fafa Picault 63’), Brian White (Damir Kreilach 16’), Sam Adekugbe (Ali Ahmed 63’) [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka]
PACIFIC: Emil Gazdov; Juan Quintana, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Kevin Ceceri; Kunle Dada-Luke, Sean Young, Cédric Toussaint (Adonijah Reid 45’), Georges Mukumbilwa (Marco Dominguez 45’); Pierre Lamothe (Reon Moore 30’), Steffen Yeates (Zakaria Bahous 69’); Dario Zanatta (Andrei Tircoveanu 69’) [Substitutes not used: Sean Melvin, Christian Greco-Taylor]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“I think we went a little bit down when Brian [White] got the injury …but I think to be honest the first half was really good. Even the first 10 minutes before the goal, [we had] three or four chances, we could have scored more than one goal…We did very well in the first half, we didn’t concede anything, the only scares were on two silly mistakes giving away the ball. In the second half, James [Merriman] made some changes, they came out much more aggressive than the first half…we were a little slow in the first 15 minutes, I think until I made the three changes they were better than us in those 15 minutes. They didn’t have big changes, but they were always there. Then we went to a 3-5-2 with fresh guys in the mid and wide with Ali. I think we could have scored a second goal, but I’m satisfied with the performance of the team.”
On playing Toronto FC in the final:
“I think it’s going to be very different than when we played them at the beginning of the year. They are much more structured defensively than when they came here. They are much more compact and you could see, if you are not a good team you don’t go to Houston and win the game. They are really good with the ball, with a lot of players. I think of course we have the skill and quality to win the game. It’s going to be hard, but we’ll be ready to go. I think it’s a 51-49 for us because we’ll be here at BC Place. It will be a beautiful night against a rival.”
CAPTAIN RYAN GAULD
On going to a third straight Canadian Championship Final:
“It’s huge for everyone. As I always say, we all play football to win and to win trophies, so to get back into another final and have the chance to do it again, would be really good. You know, we got the luck of the draw again in that we’re at home, and hopefully we can do three in a row.”
On learning about his Scotland call-up:
“I found out just during the night. Obviously, this one was announced around mid-day there [in Scotland], so it’s our night here. I just knew, obviously, that the squad was being announced so I just kind of woke up in the middle of the night, checked my phone and I was like ‘okay, there we go, called up, very nice’.”
GOALKEEPER ISAAC BOEHMER
On facing TFC in the final after this season’s earlier win:
“It’ll be a new game, we’ll be ready for it. They’re going to come out flying so we just have to be ready, stay focused for that game. It’s obviously going to be a completely different game that what it was a few months ago when we beat them. But they have good players, so you never know what can happen in these games so, we’ll just be ready for it.”
We’re back with another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure.
After a ridiculously long wait of 48 days, the second legs of the 2024 Canadian Championship semi-final go on Tuesday. We’re excited and we hope you are too! I was on the Whitecaps pre-match call and was listening to the other three teams’ ones too and enjoying the chat. So I thought you would too.
In this episode we bring you the semi-final pre-match calls for all four head coaches as Vanni Sartini’s Vancouver Whitecaps host James Merriman’s Pacific FC, and John Herdman’s Toronto FC host Bobby Smyrniotis’ Forge FC.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know. Some subscriber renewals didn’t go through due to expired cards, so you may need to re-subscribe.
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We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Pacific FC, Vancouver FC, and Canadian Championship chat and interviews.
No MLS action for the Whitecaps this weekend because of the Leagues Cup final, so it’s full steam ahead looking to next week’s Canadian Championship semi-final second leg against CPL side Pacific FC. We preview the match and Pacific’s huge slump in form, as the Whitecaps will be coming in cold for this one. Plus we hear some thoughts from both head coaches, the ‘Caps’ Vanni Sartini and Pacific’s James Merriman.
In the first of two feature interviews this episode we sit down with Pacific’s key defensive piece Thomas Meilleur-Giguère to chat about the match, Pacific’s season so far, his own personal footballing journey, and adapting to BC island life from the hustle and bustle of city life in Quebec. We also chat with a defender that’s left Pacific and gone back to college, Eric Lajeunesse. Eric played in the first leg and looks ahead to the second, as he talks about his time in the CPL so far and transitioning back to the college game with UBC.
Our second feature interview is with a former UBC Thunderbird, and current Vancouver FC player, Sebastian Dzikowski. We chat with the forward about his time at college, transitioning to the pro game, and trying to break into a VFC side that’s in a playoff dogfight right now.
All of this plus there’s still time to talk about the Whitecaps Girls Elite tough outing in Mexico in CONCACAF Champions Cup action, chat with centre back Keira Martin, and bring you a Wavelength song about a much maligned, and long forgotten, English cup competition.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.26: Intro a decent weekend in MLS for the ‘Caps
08.05: Whitecaps v Pacific Canadian Championship preview
17.25: Thomas Meilleur-Giguère interview
39.51: Eric Lajeunesse interview
49.20: Sebastian Dzikowski interview
79.52: Whitecaps Girls Elite go down to heavy loss in Mexico
90.20: Keira Martin interview
96.45: Wavelength – Armchair Loyal – The Full Members Cup
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
After an unplanned week off, we’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps chat, covering both the men’s and the women’s teams at the club, and we’re joined by Felipe Vallejo to talk about it all.
And what a history making week it’s been for the Whitecaps’ women’s team. Not only did they play in the first ever CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup match, they won it, qualifying for the group stage where they’ll host two NWSL sides at BC Place in October. We look at the historic win in El Salvador and what lies ahead in the group stages, plus we sit down for a chat with head coach Katie Collar to chat about it all.
Our second feature interview this episode is with Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director Axel Schuster about the summer transfer window, the lack of moves so far and what may be to come, and the club’s decision to declare for the 3 DP route under the new MLS roster rules. Is another DP heading to Vancouver? We’ll also chat about growing the club’s brand, attracting players to the city, changes coming for the boys’ academy teams, and the club’s new women’s team that will be launched very soon.
Plus there’s still time to talk about the Whitecaps’ forced postponement of their MLS match with LAFC this coming weekend and the worse case scenario that played out for them.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.25: Intro
04.20: Whitecaps break extended with LAFC postponement
20.45: Whitecaps Girls Elite make history and the Champions Cup task ahead
44.25: Katie Collar interview
72.10: Axel Schuster interview
106.15: Unpacking Axel – transfers, DPs, club growth, NSL team
125.35: Vancouver’s NSL team brand launch and possible Whitecaps rebranding
129.26: Wavelength – The Tartan Specials – Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure.
Episode 88 is a 59 minute show talking Whitecaps Girls Elite, Vancouver FC, and Pacific FC.
We look at the Whitecaps’ Girls successful League1 Canada title defence and ahead to this week’s big CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup game in El Salvador against Alianza, with audio from head coach Katie Collar and star midfielder Jeneva Hernandez Gray.
We also look back at last weekend’s latest BC derby in the CPL between Vancouver and Pacific, the blockbusting trade that is lined up between the two sides, and hear from Pacific’s James Merriman and Thomas Meilleur-Giguère about where it’s going wrong for the islanders and what they need to do to get back into the playoff places and prepare for the Whitecaps, and VFC’s victorious Afshin Ghotbi and Wero Diaz.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know. Some subscriber renewals didn’t go through due to expired cards, so you may need to re-subscribe.
Not a subscriber yet? You can read all the details about what our ‘Extra’ podcast is, how you can get it, and how we deliver it to you, HERE.
This episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via WeTransfer) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
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If you don’t have paypal and want to pay a different way, or just want to buy this single episode (cost is $3 for a one-off episode), or if you have any further questions about the service, then drop us a line at: aftncanada @ hotmail.com.
Subscribe today and help support AFTN in continuing to bring you some of the best independent Whitecaps, Canadian, and local soccer coverage around.
(Photo Credit: League1 Canada)
With the Northern Super League (NSL) on the horizon, there seemed to be many more eyes on the 2024 Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship in Hamilton, Ontario this past weekend, with the next generation of women’s soccer on display. Four teams came into the tournament with the hopes of earning a spot for the 2025 Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup, but only one team raised the trophy come the end, so read on to find out all that happened in this year’s WIPC.
INTER-PROVINCIAL CHAMPS #VWFC | #WIPC24 pic.twitter.com/5BHymKKfLz
— Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy (@WFCElite) August 11, 2024
Upset On One End, Usual Business On The Other
With NDC Ontario and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy on either side of the bracket, it seemed fated that two out of the three National Development Sides (NDC) would face in the final of this year’s WIPC. However, for NDC Ontario, they were subjected to an upset at the hands of punchy side CS Mont-Royal Outremont (MRO).
After having already defeated last years runners-up PEF Quebec in the Ligue1 Quebec playoffs, CS MRO came into this first semi-final match on Friday with all the confidence in the world. That confidence could have been quickly snuffed out after NDC Ontario opened the scoring in the 3rd minute through Bryana Gaynor, but instead they went right up the other side of the pitch and scored through Joëlle Gosselin.
CS MRO then held off NDC Ontario for much of the rest of the game. NDC had more quality chances, but were unable to convert on their momentum. One moment of controversy in the first half will stand out for NDC, as they had a shot from distance hit the crossbar and cross the goalline, only to be denied the ghost goal a la Frank Lampard in the 2010 World Cup. They looked to get karmic justice afterwards when they were awarded a penalty, but midfielder Reece Kay missed her penalty after slamming it against the left post. From there, MRO was able to gain their own momentum with some decent counter-attacking opportunities to keep the scoreline level come the end of the match.
Much of that fight came from MRO’s ‘keeper, Lea Palacio-Tellier, who seemed to stand on her head in the match. She then solidified herself as the hero after saving NDC’s Emma Donnelly penalty to earn the Quebec side a place in the final and prove MRO giantkillers once more.
Meanwhile, it ended up being business as usual for Whitecaps FC, as they defeated Calgary Blizzard 2-0 in the other semi-final, although it did not begin that way. The ‘Caps went goalless in the first half, after some disconnected passing in the attack and some solid compact defending from the Blizzard. Josie Longhurst did come close to giving the Whitecaps the lead right at the stroke of half-time, but was denied by the crossbar.
Head Coach Katie Collar decided to make some changes at half time and brought in the highly-rated Jessica De Filippo. The Mississauga-native came on and utilized that experience she earned in Germany and Spain to get a quick-fire brace, including an audacious chipped first goal from some 25-yards out.
After that, the Whitecaps went into cruise control and saw out the rest of the game with relative ease and Chloe Taylor almost made it 3-0 halfway through the second after also smashing a close-range effort against the woodwork. With the result secured, the Whitecaps were ready to move on to the final on Sunday.
More goals like this today?
Head to Tim Hortons Field today for more Women's Inter-Provincial Championship action, or watch live on YouTube via @onesoccer.#WIPC24 pic.twitter.com/AtQYkVvMx0
— League1 Canada (@League1Canada) August 11, 2024
Tepid Third Place Match, Thrilling Final
In the third place match, NDC Ontario had the chance to set things right after arguably losing a match they should have won in the semi-final. Calgary Blizzard came out with hopes of coming away with a bronze medal, and did their best, but ultimately came out second-best once again.
In what was a rather quiet game, only NDC’s early goal through Adriana Bianchin was of any real note. That is until the 87th minute, when Blizzard player Mykena Walker got sent off after a second yellow card for a rough tackle, having received her first yellow just 14 minutes earlier for a delay of restart. NDC Ontario will feel vindicated finishing on a high, while Blizzard will take some good lessons from their two matches against two of the best sides in the country.
But that match then set-up an exhilarating final. With the Whitecaps heavy favourites, it was all on CS MRO to showcase themselves once more and provide another upset, to which they very nearly did. Coach Collar made some pretty big changes for this final, benching the likes of Jeneva Hernandez-Gray, Emily Wong, Jade Mitchell, and Jessica De Filippo, perhaps with one eye on this week’s Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup match in El Salvador. That allowed MRO to take advantage, and draw first blood in the 22nd minute. Anais Naila Oularbi, who has been one of the crown jewels for CS MRO, opened the scoring after a deft finish inside the box.
The Whitecaps bounced back after that early shock and equalized through the ever-talented Kaylee Hunter in the 37th minute. Hunter stepped up for a penalty after Quinn Johnson was adjudged to have been brought down in the box, giving the ‘Caps parity in the first half.
The second half saw the Whitecaps bring on some extra-firepower in Wong and De Filippo, but it was once again CS MRO that got the next goal, as Joëlle Gosselin proved herself clinical once more after curling her shot into the side netting from just inside the box. The ‘Caps shifted into high-gear after conceding, and did not have to wait long to equalize once more. Hunter got her brace just six minutes after MRO’s goal, picking up on a loose ball in the box and lacing a shot into the back of the next
Both sides fought to get the game-winner, with the Whitecaps coming the closest after Hunter missed a one-on-one and De Filippo struck the post, but with everything on the line, the game was to be decided on penalties.
Both teams missed two penalties in the opening four, meaning that the game hung in the balance as it went into the sudden death fifth round. Jaime Perrault dispatched a cool penalty to pile on the pressure for Rose Hughes. Hughes stepped up and fired her shot against the bottom of the crossbar. Time seemed to stand still as the ball ricocheted off the bar, but it ended up hitting the ground on the wrong side of the goalline for Hughes, giving the Whitecaps the victory and the championship in the most heart-breaking and heart-palpating way.
It was all smiles afterwards for the Whitecaps, as Kiera Martin lifted the golden trophy to cap off another wonderful season for the Girls Elite team. With domestic duty now wrapped up, the team will switch their focus onto the continental challenge at hand, with their first match against Alianza taking place tomorrow in El Salvador.
CHAMPIONS #VWFC – your 2024 @League1Canada Women's Inter-Provincial Championship WINNERS pic.twitter.com/or09zvRv2g
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 11, 2024
Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2024 Leagues Cup campaign is over. Good, some of you will say, and that may also include some within the club, who will now be happy to have a couple of week’s rest before the real action gets back underway at the end of this month. Not that anyone would ever say that publicly. They get fined if they do!
Mexican side Pumas UNAM came to Vancouver on Wednesday evening and moved into the last 16 of the tournament with a 2-0 win over the ‘Caps in front of a sparse crowd at BC Place. A first half goal from Cesar Huerta, capitalising on a turnover he himself forced, and a second 12 minutes into the second half from Jorge Ruvalcaba did the damage.
The Whitecaps had their chances and could have been a couple up within the first half hour, but the clinical finishing was severely lacking. It was a fairly even game, and a very entertaining first half, but the general consensus from fans and media at full time was certainly one of, well at least that’s over for another year.
Back in the dugout after his one match ban, Vanni Sartini made four changes to the team that booked their knockout round spot with a victory over Tijuana at the weekend. One was enforced, with centre back Belal Halbouni ruled out with a concussion, replaced by a rested Ranko Veselinovic. His presence and recent form was missed.
It was an entertaining and fast-paced first half, with the action flowing from end to end.
The Whitecaps had a couple of early chances, first when a Levonte Johnson pass inside just eluded Brian White, then Johnson was denied by a superb sprawling save from Pumas keeper Julio Gonzalez.
The best chance of the game so far fell to Vancouver in the 27th minute when Johnson burst through on goal, but was again denied by Gonzalez.
Yohei Takaoka was called into action in the 34th minute, turning away a Ruben Duarte shot, but Pumas weren’t tobe denied and found the breakthrough three minutes later.
Huerta picked the ball off Bjorn Inge Utvik’s foot, which was then taken forward by Piero Quispe. Quispe played it back to Huerta, who made no mistake drilling it past Takaoka from about 12 yards out.
Zurdazo del 'Chino' Huerta para adelantar a los Pumas en Vancouver#LeaguesCup2024
Watch free on Apple TV https://t.co/w5P5xSzWUe pic.twitter.com/WIVaXEHAjz
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 8, 2024
Takaoka was forced into another save in the 42nd minute, keeping out an Angel Rico effort, but there was an offside in the build up anyway.
The ‘Caps started the second half on the front foot, and Gonzalez saved from White in the 49th minute after a nice run and cutback from Ali Ahmed.
Pumas doubled their lead in the 57th minute when Duarte sent a low one in in front of goal and Ruvalcaba turned it past Takaoka.
Jugadón de los Pumas y Jorge Ruvalcaba duplica la ventaja en Vancouver #LeaguesCup2024
Watch free on Apple TV https://t.co/w5P5xSzWUe pic.twitter.com/Qg45LhPlXX
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 8, 2024
The ‘Caps were enjoying possession but not creating anything of danger.
Ryan Raposo had a blast saved by Gonzalez in the 76th minute, but it all just fizzled out in the end, despite some late pressure from the home side.
Pumas’ quality shone through. It felt that they never really hit top form, but that was still enough to dispatch the ‘Caps. Vancouver had their chances and if they’d taken a couple of their early ones, this was a whole different end result.
Now they get to rest. Brian White looked exhausted out there and a shadow of himself without Ryan Gauld on the pitch alongside of him.
The ‘Caps are now not back in action until August 24th when an even more star-studded LAFC side come to visit. Possibly. If LAFC make the Leagues Cup final it is the same weekend and the Whitecaps game will be postponed. In that case, the ‘Caps are not back in action until the second leg of their Canadian Championship semi-final against Pacific FC the following midweek, and that is not an ideal scenario. Maybe we do have to pay some attention to the rest of the Leagues Cup tournament after all.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 -2 Pumas UNAM
ATT: 9,691
SCORING SUMMARY:
36’ – PUM – Cesar Huerta (Pedro Quispe)
57’ – PUM – Jorge Ruvalcaba (Ruben Duarte)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 58.6% – PUM 41.4%
Shots: VAN 9 – PUM 9
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – PUM 5
Saves: VAN 3 – PUM 5
Fouls: VAN 9 – PUM 12
Offsides: VAN 3 – PUM 1
Corners: VAN 5 – PUM 3
BOOKINGS:
69’ – VAN – Fafa Picault
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović (Alessandro Schöpf 71’), Bjørn Inge Utvik (Giuseppe Bovalina 82’); Andrés Cubas; Ali Ahmed, Pedro Vite, Sebastian Berhalter (Ryan Raposo 62’), Fafa Picault (Damir Kreilach 82’); Brian White, Levonte Johnson (Sam Adekugbe 62’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Joe Bendik, Tristan Blackmon, Ralph Priso, Ryan Gauld, Finn Linder]
PUMAS: Julio González; Pablo Bennevendo, Nathan Silva, Ruben Duarte, Lisandro Magallán; Pedro Quispe (Santiago Trigos 79’), José Caicedo; Jorge Ruvalcaba (Robert Ergas 68’), Ignacio Pussetto (Guillermo Martínez 68’), Cesar Huerta (Rogelio Funes Mori 85’), Ángel Rico (Ulises Rivas 45’) [Substitutes not used: Gil Alcalá, Rodrigo López, Pablo Monroy, Jesús Rivas, Ali Avila, Michell Rodríguez, Carlos Garcia Peralta]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
HEAD COACH VANNI SARTINI
On tonight’s match:
“I think we played against a very good team. A really, really good team. But in the first half, we were the better team. We had three chances in front of the net. The first one a cross very well defended, if not Brian [White] scored a sitter. Then the goalkeeper made a top save on Levy [Levonte Johnson] and then we had one-v-one against the goalkeeper. So we were doing well, we weren’t risking anything to be honest, and then, unfortunately, we made an enormous mistake where we gave away the ball to make them score. And then the second half was really hard because against a team like this, they’re also very intelligent and very organized, they are not shy to go back and defend in a 5-4-1 with nine guys at the back, so it’s hard. And then, unfortunately in the second half, we conceded one chance and they scored the [second] goal… They defended very well, but I think the 2-0 is a little bit harsh.”
On the lessons learned tonight for the rest of the season:
“It’s a lesson if you don’t convert your chances in elimination games against very good teams, and we’re going to play hopefully a lot of these games in the near future… You need to be the best team not only from box-to-box, but also in the box. I think today we’ve been the best team from box-to-box but in the box we didn’t and that’s the game for you… We need to be all in perfect shape and we need to be more clinical when we finish. It’s not going to happen like against Tijuana where we have 15 chances, or sometimes even in the league. I think what I take away is, we have the awareness that we play good football and we’re doing well, but we need to be better in those decisive moments. That’s the key, basically.”
Well, who would have predicted that the Whitecaps would win their Leagues Cup group going into the tournament? I certainly didn’t! But here we are, and for the second straight year the ‘Caps are into the Leagues Cup Round of 32, and we don’t have to play Tigres again!
That’s right, this time it’s Pumas UNAM coming to town, not an easier matchup by any stretch of the imagination but at least a fresh one. The ‘Caps have a chance to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time in the tournament’s (quite short) history, and can do so at home.
Unfortunately for Vanni Sartini’s men, while the gaffer himself will be back on the touchline for this one, Belal Halbouni is the latest casualty of the injury epidemic plaguing the club’s defenders after he picked up a concussion in the win over Club Tijuana. With Tristan Blackmon, Sam Adekugbe, and Luis Martins all also battling injuries, WFC2’s Finn Linder might be the top centre back available off the bench on Wednesday night.
The good news is that Ryan Gauld is at least back in training, and while he won’t play against Pumas he might be able to do so against either Seattle or the LA Galaxy should the ‘Caps advance to the next round of the tournament (failing that, Gauld should definitely be available for the return of MLS play on August 24th). In terms of those who are fully fit, both Ranko Veselinović and Ali Ahmed had the day off against Tijuana and should be fresh.
Up front, Levonte Johnson continues to be a bit of a confounding player, as he tallied both a couple maddening errors (including causing a rough head injury to poor Tijuana goalkeeper José Rodriguez with a shot he should have buried), but also had both a goal and an assist on the first and second ‘Caps’ goals. Despite his faults he’s definitely been more effective than Damir Kreilach this year, and given the lack of incoming transfers up front for the team, expect Johnson to see plenty of minutes off the bench the rest of the way backing up Gauld, Brian White, and Fafa Picault (who have all been fantastic at times the last little while).
While Johnson took advantage of his 45 minutes on the weekend, the same can’t be said for Ralph Priso, who while not terrible, certainly didn’t show too much in a rare chance to start. Given the level of competition provided by players like Andrés Cubas and Pedro Vite (as well as Sebastian Berhalter and Alessandro Schöpf when they’re not playing out wide), minutes in the middle of the park are going to keep being hard to come by for the young Canadian.
Looking at the visitors, Pumas have started the Liga MX season hot with 10 points from 4 matches, but stumbled unexpectedly in the Leagues Cup group stage, losing to Austin before prevailing over Monterrey on penalties to make it to the knockouts. They’ve got some firepower up front, including Mexican winger César Huerta, who led the team in both goals and assists last season, and they’ve only conceded three times in the first four league matches of the Apertura.
This is the stage where the Whitecaps fell last season, losing in a penalty shootout at home. Will history repeat itself and leave us with a dearth of August matches to watch? Or will we see the potential for an honest to god cup run? With this team, it’s quite impossible to predict any of what to expect.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Leagues Cup, Canadian national team and Olympics chat, and we’re joined once again this week by Harjeet Johal to talk about it all.
The Canadian women’s national team’s defence of their Olympic gold came to an end at the hands of Germany last week. We look at their fighting spirit on the pitch after a tumultuous two weeks off it, and ask what’s next for the team and everyone involved? We also look at the men’s Olympic football and Canada’s failure to make it to the games since 1984. What’s wrong with the youth program here in the country, especially after the men’s U20s missed out on next year’s World Cup?
Turning our attention to the club game, Vancouver Whitecaps saw off LAFC and Tijuana to top their Leagues Cup group and set up a clash with Mexican giants Pumas. We look at the matches, the highs and the lows coming out of them, and chat with Belal Halbouni, Levonte Johnson, and Fafa Picault about what cup competitions mean to them. Plus we chat with ‘Caps head coach Vanni Sartini about what he’s learned as a coach playing against Mexican opposition and learn how he’d like the Leagues Cup to expand beyond the current month it’s played out over.
And there’s still time to look back at this weekend’s two League1 BC championship matches, chat with Whitecaps Girls head coach Katie Collar and captain Brianne Reed, talk with TSS Rovers men’s head coach Brendan Teeling and history-making defender Nik White, and look at the latest action around the Canadian Premier League. Plus English new-rave band The Klaxons feature as our new Album of the Month.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.17: Intro
04.00: Canada’s Olympic title defence is over
19.00: What’s next for the Canadian women’s national team?
26.12: The spying scandal drones on
47.40: Men’s Olympic football – should Canada prioritise it more?
62.05: Canada U20s fail to make the World Cup – how do we fix the system?
78.38: More known about Vancouver’s 2026 World Cup games
82.40: Whitecaps top Leagues Cup group
100.33: Whitecaps players excited for cup football
105.47: Vanni on facing Mexican opposition and expanding the Leagues Cup
118.20: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
128.15: Whitecaps Girls Elite do the L1BC three-peat
133.17: Katie Collar interview
137.25: Brianne Reed interview
143.03: TSS Rovers make history with L1BC double
146.30: Brendan Teeling interview
148.40: Nik White interview
153.00: Wavelength – Baron Nichts – Soccer
159.51: CPL chat
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It’s been quite the whirlwind first season in charge of TSS Rovers for head coach Brendan Teeling, and one that can now end with his side becoming the first two-time League1 BC champions and the first team to do the regular season and postseason double.
The amiable Irishman was thrown into deep end in May when he took his team over to Vancouver Island to take on CPL side Pacific FC in the first round of the Canadian Championship. TSS were mere seconds away from knocking out a professional side for the second straight year before Pacific tied things up at the death and the Rovers lost the subsequent penalty shoot-out.
Although he only officially took charge of TSS in April, Teeling was part of the coaching staff for the team last season during their historic Canadian Championship run. For your very first match in charge, and the first game of the entire season, to be a cup game against higher opposition, was a baptism of fire for sure, but one that gave Teeling and his players another taste of the pro game and all the impetus and motivation they needed for the 2024 League1 BC season ahead.
TSS’ goals were pretty straightforward enough – win the regular season title, thus securing a third straight Canadian Championship berth in 2025, then go on and win the playoffs.
Three straight wins to start their league campaign, and a six match unbeaten run to begin the season, saw the Rovers sitting pretty at the top of the standings. There were a few wobbles along the way, but it set them up nicely to control their own fate all season. That fate was secured on July 14 in Kamloops when TSS came away with a 4-2 win over Rivers, a victory that saw them achieve their first two goals – their first regular season title and a spot in next year’s Canadian Championship.
“Yeah, job done in that regard,” Teeling told AFTN. “I feel really, really happy. Delighted for the lads. It was nice to have that out of the way and then we could move on to playoffs.
“It seems so far away when we played that Canadian Championship game. This was always the goal, to get back there next year. We’ve achieved that, but we still want to win the playoffs.”
First up for TSS in the postseason were Harbourside FC in the semi-finals, a team making their playoff debut. The Nanaimo side had finished the season strongly, securing 4th in the standings, and if they hadn’t thrown away a two-goal lead in their final match of the season, they could have finished third, leaving the Rovers to face the Whitecaps instead.
Harbourside headed to Swangard Stadium last Friday full of confidence, having dispatched an out of sorts looking Rovers side 3-0 in Nanaimo just six days previously. But missing their talismanic Golden Boot winning striker Billy Bagiopolous, along with a number of second half chances, TSS dispatched them with relative ease in a 4-1 victory thanks to goals from Kian Proctor, Ivan Mejia, Massud Habibullah, and Koji Poon.
It was an important victory for the club, as they were keen not to have any post regular season hangovers, with their eyes very much still on the price of a league and playoff double.
“We needed a reaction after the game last week,” Teeling told us after that semi-final victory. “Credit to them, last week they were better than us. This week, we had a good week of training and it showed.
“We’re excited to try and do the double, so hopefully we can win on Sunday and we can win another trophy to cap of another excellent season for the club.”
The team standing in their way to a historic double is Altitude FC. The North Vancouver side have been the in-form team in the second half of the season, but not only did they fail to take a point off TSS during the regular season, they failed to even score a goal, going down to a 6-0 defeat at Swangard in May and a 1-0 loss at home in July.
TSS will go into the championship game as favourites, but they know they’ll have to work extremely hard to finish off their successful season in style.
“We’ll certainly not be taking anything for granted on Sunday,” Teeling said. “We know how motivated they’ll be to make amends for those previous results, but we’ll be motivated too. We’ve got a chance to make history and we’re expecting a right battle out there, but we’ll fight till the very end and so will they. It should be a cracker.”
Altitude and TSS Rovers play for the 2024 League1 BC Championship at Swangard Stadium on Sunday. The game is set to kick off at 4pm. Tickets are available HERE, but if you can’t make it along, AFTN will have the commentary for both the men’s and women’s Championship game on the League’s YouTube channel.
An explosive three-goal second half performance saw Vancouver Whitecaps secure their first ever victory over Mexican opposition and top their Leagues Cup group at BC Place on Saturday evening.
Trailing to an early Kevin Castañeda goal after an even first half, the Whitecaps came out all guns blazing after the restart and when Fafa Picault tied things up for Vancouver in the 49th minute, there was no looking back for the MLS side. Levonte Johnson fired the ‘Caps into the lead in the 77th minute, before Pedro Vite blasted home the securer against a Xolos side that had just gone down to 10 men.
The 3-1 victory saw Vancouver top West Group 7 and set up a Round of 32 showdown against further Liga MX opposition, Pumas UNAM, at BC Place on Wednesday or Thursday evening next week.
With Vanni Sartini suspended after his red card in the penalty shoot-out win at LAFC on Tuesday, assistant coach Michael D’Agostino was the main man in the dugout for the Whitecaps and they made five changes from the starting line-up from midweek. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the return of Yohei Takaoka in goal for Isaac Boehmer, who had a fantastic outing in the win over LAFC.
While Vancouver needed just a draw over the 90 minutes to advance to the knockout stages, Tijuana needed to win in regulation and they opened the scoring eight minutes in when Diego Barbosa nudged the ball inside to Castaneda, who brought it down and fired past Takaoka.
Kevin Castaneda scores the first #LeaguesCup2024 goal for @Xolos
s up 1-0 pic.twitter.com/Fi2G8pDa6M
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 4, 2024
The ‘Caps had their first chance of the game in the 14th minute when Sebastian Berhalter sent in a corner which was met superbly by Brian White, but his header was equally superbly turned away by Antonio Rodriguez in the Tijuana goal.
Tijuana had a great chance to double their lead in the 20th minute when the ball came to Jesus Vega in acres of room at the back of the box, but he flashed at his shot and pulled it wide left.
The game went back and forth without any clear cut chances. The best the Whitecaps mustered to go in level came in 36th minute when Picault sent the ball across goal but a Xolos defender took it away from White as he slid in to meet it.
The ‘Caps came out rejuvenated for the second half, with a couple of changes to boot, and it took them only four minutes to get back on level terms when one of those subs, Johnston, played in Picault, who ran in on goal and finished with aplomb.
Takaoka White Johnson Picault@WhitecapsFC tie it up here in the second half. pic.twitter.com/6SMXi9oCkk
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 4, 2024
The Whitecaps were now in the ascendency and Johnson almost put them in the lead three minutes later when the ball came to him in front of goal.
Tijuana keeper Rodriguez came up with a point blank save from the striker’s fierce shot. Unfortunately for him and the Xolos, the save came via his face and the full-on force of the shot seemed to knock the keeper out and after a lengthy stoppage of around 10 minutes for treatment, the stopper left the field on a medical cart and sub keeper Jesús Corona came on.
It was all Vancouver now and Berhalter had a long range effort saved by Corona in the 69th minute, before White curled one narrowly past the right post six minutes later.
The ‘Caps kept pressing and they got their reward in the 77th minute. Andres Cubas expertly won the ball in the middle of the Mexican’s half. Johnson took a touch, before drilling a low one past Corona and into the bottom right corner, and Vancouver had their first lead of the evening and one foot into the knockout round.
Levi Johnson with precision @WhitecapsFC take the late lead at BC Place pic.twitter.com/Qrc2lWpNI6
— Leagues Cup (@LeaguesCup) August 4, 2024
Tijuana’s night went from bad to worse when Aaron Mejia was sent off for a DOGSO challenge on Picault in the 81st minute, when the Haitian was running in on goal.
Two minutes later, Picault had a big part to play in the clinching goal for the ‘Caps, pouncing on another giveaway and cutting the ball back. It ran through to Vite, who made no mistake from the edge of the box.
@Pedro_Vite45
https://t.co/xFbXskbLhl #VWFC | #LeaguesCup2024 pic.twitter.com/201VLddDSn
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) August 4, 2024
That was it for the scoring and the Whitecaps comfortably saw out the rest of the match and the 10 minutes of stoppage time, although the Xolos did have a couple of late forays forward.
It was a well deserved win and with Pumas defeating Monterrey on penalties, it gave the ‘Caps another chance to have a crack at a Mexican giant at BC Place.
With a pretty favourable draw, this could see the ‘Caps make a strong run for the Cup. It may be a much-maligned tournament in some quarters, and with many of it with just cause, but there’s something magical about cup competitions and the Whitecaps want to be in this one for as long as they can.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – 1 Club Tijuana
ATT: 18,896
SCORING SUMMARY:
8’ – TIJ – Kevin Castañeda (Daniel Barbosa)
49’ – VAN – Fafa Picault (Levonte Johnson)
77’ – VAN – Levonte Johnson (Andrés Cubas)
83’ – VAN – Pedro Vite (Fafa Picault)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 43.3% – TIJ 56.7%
Shots: VAN 13 – TIJ 14
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – TIJ 4
Saves: VAN 3 – TIJ 4
Fouls: VAN 10 – TIJ 13
Offsides: VAN 2 – TIJ 1
Corners: VAN 5 – TIJ 5
BOOKINGS:
25’ – TIJ – Kevin Casteñeda
75’ – TIJ – Jesús Gómez
SENDING OFF:
81’ – TIJ – Aaron Mejía
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Belal Halbouni (Finn Linder 90’+5), Bjørn Inge Utvik; Sebastian Berhalter, Ralph Priso (Levonte Johnson 45’), Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Pedro Vite 45’); Fafa Picault (Giuseppe Bovalina 89’), Brian White (Damir Kreilach 89’), Ryan Raposo (Eliot Goldthorp 90’+8) [Substitutes not used: Joe Bendik, Isaac Boehmer, Ranko Veselinović, Ali Ahmed]
TIJUANA: Antonio Rodríguez (Jesús Corona 62’); Diego Barbosa, Unai Bilbao, Jesús Gómez (Francisco Contreras 87’), Nicolas Díaz; Joe Corona, Aaron Mejía; Efrain Álvarez, Kevin Castañeda (Rafael Fernández 50’), Jesus Vega (Jaime Alvarez 61’); Carlos González (Ivan Tona 87’) [Substitutes not used: Fernando Madrigal, Eduardo Armenta, Fernando Monárrez, Jesús Hernández, José Zuniga, Domingo Blanco, Geonathan Barrera]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
ASSISTANT COACH MICHAEL D’AGOSTINO
Overall thoughts on the game:
“I think we gave them a little bit too much in the first half. This team [Tijuana] is a very good team with the ball, and we learned that the hard way in the first 20 minutes of the game. It was kind of a game of two halves. In the second half, we were a little bit more aggressive, we pushed guys a little bit higher on the press. We were able to win the ball back and we recognized that they were a little bit vulnerable in transition. We were able to hit them with the first goal from Fafà, and then from there, the game changes a little bit. I thought the boys did well to stick with what we wanted them to do in the second half and really utilize the gameplan.”
On a first win versus Liga MX, and now playing Pumas:
“It’s great to get an international win, and representing Canada in this competition. It’s never easy to play against Mexican teams, they’re always very good, very skillful. We were watching the Monterrey-Pumas shootout at the end, and when we saw Pumas win we were obviously happy because we want to give our fans another game at home.”
Playing without Ryan Gauld:
“It shows a lot of character from the guys, and the fact that they’re putting importance on the tactics… It’s never going to be easy when you’re missing your captain – arguably your best player – but the guys have stepped up and I think Gauldy would be the happiest guy in the room to see us doing well without him, cause he’s just that kind of guy. It’s very difficult without him, but at the end of the day, we’ve proven that we can play and we’ve got the depth, and that guys can step up when they need to.”
On Fafà Picault’s play:
“It was really, really good. The fact that Levonte [Johnson] and Brian [White] were able to occupy their two centre backs just gave so much more space for Fafà, just gave so much more space for [Ryan] Raposo. And, obviously, we had our three in the midfield that were able to able to dictate the play a little bit, but you know really, really good to see Fafà be dynamic on the left side, he comes alive. He takes guys on and he does his little tricks and things like that. But he’s done it in a way to be effective.”
CENTRE BACK BELAL HALBOUNI
On the first half:
“The locker room talk at halftime was just, we’re better than this. We knew we could persevere through the 1-0 deficit. At the end of the day, that’s exactly what we did. We fought together as a team. At the end of the day we got the job done.”
On playing in a cup competition:
“The cup games are what brings team camaraderie together. It’s something that we all as a team want to strive for, to win that cup – nonetheless, win the league – but the cup is always something special, to hold the trophy at the end of the tournament. And that’s our goal.”
On getting his opportunity:
“I’ll tell you something first and foremost, my religion teaches me to be patient. And when my opportunity comes I just have to be ready. I feel like with the Wrexham game, with the LAFC game, and this game as well, the opportunity came and I ran with it. The most important thing is to be ready when your chance comes.”
FORWARD LEVONTE JOHNSON
On getting a goal after a near miss at LAFC:
“I think every player goes through ups and downs in their career. Recently, it hasn’t been going well. But this goal tonight definitely helped, it definitely gives me the boost of the confidence that I needed. Hopefully that carries over to the rest of the games in the season and we finish out strong.”
On cup competitions:
“Playing different competition is very different to playing MLS, it’s a different style of play, and it [was] a very exciting match to play for us. It just brings a new experience and atmosphere and hopefully that helps us when we get back to MLS in league [play].”
On the second half turnaround:
“It was a group effort. The first half we didn’t do as well as we could have. The second half we came out with a lot more energy, a lot more drive, a lot more passion. We pressed them a lot and forced a lot of mistakes for our goals. At the end, it kind of overwhelmed them with our press and our finishing.”
Altitude FC are out to make history. Prior to this season, the third year League1 BC club had never reached the playoffs in either the men’s or the women’s division. Now, they stand just 90 minutes away from lifting their first ever trophy when they face off against regular season champs TSS Rovers in the 2024 Men’s L1BC Championship game at Swangard Stadium on Sunday.
Last weekend was a huge day for the club, making history following a hard-fought 3-1 semi-final victory over Vancouver Whitecaps at a packed Kinsmen Field in North Vancouver. It was a game that Altitude dominated in spells, but they failed to turn that dominance into goals and were holding on to a narrow 1-0 lead thanks to Oliver Herbert’s 16th minute goal.
The Whitecaps made it interesting, levelling things up through Ethan Stiver in the 71st minute, but the North Shore side found another gear, scoring late goals from Lucas Booth and a second from Herbert to secure a famous victory.
“The boys deserve it,” Altitude head coach Faly Basse told AFTN after securing his side’s spot in the championship game last Sunday. “They’ve been working since the beginning of the season really hard to come to that point, so this is actually the gift from their work that they’ve been doing since then. So I’m happy for the boys, 100%.”
Altitude have been the in-form side in the second half of the league season, losing just once in their last eight matches of the campaign. That loss came at the hands of TSS Rovers, a 1-0 home defeat in a match that went a long way to deciding who got the League’s spot in next year’s Canadian Championship.
The Rovers are a team which has seemingly had Altitude’s number over the years. The North Vancouver team have won only one of their six previous meetings and have been heavily outscored.
TSS have won both of the games between the sides this season. The first meeting came at Swangard on May 17, where a rampant Rovers side ran out 6-0 winners.
It was the third time in their first four matches that Altitude had been kept off the scoreboard, but it was to prove to be the big turning point of the season for the North Shore side. They regrouped, they were galvanized, they had a point to prove, and they went on a six match unbeaten run, recording four wins and two draws, climbing up the table in the process and getting into the playoff positions.
“Yeah, I think the boys realised that the game that we play, like I always say, when you’re starting a season, you’re maybe going to have one or two games that you maybe are going to be behind always,” Basse told us. “Any big team, any team who go far away and win championships, they always have one or two games like that and I think the game that we played at Swangard was one of them.
“So we played, we had to control the first, I would say, 30 minutes of the game and then after, you know, mistakes were coming and then boom. Then you have to pay for that. So, you know, that was the game that we and the boys know it. I told them this is the game that we have to let go and keep moving and keep focusing on what we are doing and our potential and quality that we have, because we have a big quality team.”
The second meeting saw the Rovers win by a single goal in a very close game that game could have gone either way. A result that leaves them feeling they have everything to play for this weekend and they still have a point to prove that that first result was a not a good representation of the team.
“It’s a good squad that we have this year,” Basse continued. “And the most important thing, those guys are living really good together, right? So I think to be able to have successful team, you must have a team who can get together, living together, understanding together, and want to work together. This year we can see that on the field, on the field and off the field.”
Just getting to the Championship game is massive for Altitude from an off the pitch perspective. It’s going to help grow the club, grow the fanbase, and perhaps most importantly of all maybe help them get more sponsors and players for the team next year. It just feels such a big, defining moment for the club as a whole.
“Oh, definitely,” Basse agreed. “When you’re winning, you attract, right? Because you can see the stadium was packed today. So I think that’s exactly what we’re looking for. We’re looking for a community, everyone to get together around this team, and yeah, sponsors. We’re looking for many, many team sponsors to be able to help to bring this team to the next level again.
“The club has been doing a really, really great job, but I think by moving to the next steps, again, that will help to have all the community, all the North Shore around this team. I think it’s going to help 100% to move to the next level again. So yeah, definitely this is amazing to see the stadium packed like that, beautiful day, and having a great result. So I’m happy to see that so that we can see that in the North Shore we have a football community and a football culture here.”
Altitude and TSS Rovers play for the 2024 League1 BC Championship at Swangard Stadium on Sunday. The game is set to kick off at 4pm. Tickets are available HERE, but if you can’t make it along, AFTN will have the commentary for both the men’s and women’s Championship game on the League’s YouTube channel.
Well, for about 80 minutes against LAFC the Whitecaps looked surprisingly efficient. Yes, they’d gotten a little lucky defensively (most notably with a Mathias Laborda goal-line clearance) but they were certainly full value for their lead against the favoured hosts. Then, it all came crashing down, and what was nearly a monumental choke turned into a merely minor choke by virtue of pulling out the win on penalties.
The two points the ‘Caps left California with have put them in a spot where all scenarios are possible depending on the result against Club Tijuana Saturday night. Win? That’s first place. Lose on penalties? That’s fine, you’re still in second. Lose in regulation? Eliminated.
The ironic twist is that coming second in the group might actually be better than coming in first. That’s because Austin FC pulled off two somewhat surprising wins over Monterrey and Pumas in their group, and have thus come in first. If the ‘Caps finish second in their group, they will host Austin in the round of 32 (due to a weird rule where Leagues Cup hosting priority is determined not by play in the actual tournament but rather by MLS play). If they come in first, they either host Pumas, or play Monterrey at a neutral site in Texas (due to yet another weird rule where multiple Liga MX teams have “hosting” priority over everyone else due to their own league play).
Confused? You should be. All you need to know is that heading into Saturday’s match, the ‘Caps can finish in any of the three spots in their group, can play any of the three teams in another group should they advance, and can do so at one of multiple stadiums. That’s quite a lot of permutations!
To make things even more odd, both Vanni Sartini and Juan Carlos Osorio (the manager of Tijuana) received red cards in their respective matches against LAFC! So, it will be assistants patrolling the touchline for both sides at BC Place.
When it comes to predicting Vancouver’s lineup for this one, that might be a little difficult in parts. I mean, who would have guessed that Laborda would line up at wingback in order to bring in Belal Halbouni for his first non-friendly start for the first team this year? Not that Halbouni did poorly, in fact for someone who’s only played in half a dozen actual games over the last 12 months he was downright solid. Will that be enough for a second start on Saturday? Who knows?!
In goal, it appears that Isaac Boehmer has been tasked with starting in both cup competitions this year, leaving Yohei Takaoka for MLS play. I’m definitely a fan of giving Boehmer some more reps, as trying to develop a goalie without loaning them out can be tough if they’re stuck being a backup week-in, week-out without getting any actual game time.
The LAFC match was Boehmer’s fourth start for the first team this year, with the chance to get a few more in Leagues Cup and the Canadian Championship. That’s solid for the BC native who’s still just 22 years old, and really the only way to try and gauge his viability as a long-term #1 keeper for the club. He’s definitely not shown poorly in any of his starts this year, and with both he and Takaoka having club options on their contracts for 2025, that could be a spot where the ‘Caps try and free up some cap room as well as an international roster spot ahead of next season.
Of course, that’s thinking quite a ways into the future. In the here and now, something that’s really stood out is how low the ‘Caps are on reliable forward options. The drop-off from Brian White and Fafa Picault to Damir Kreilach and Levonte Johnson was quite apparent against LAFC, and of all the non-DP players on the team, White is the one whose health we are dependent on most currently. If he goes down, especially if Gauld struggles with his fitness once MLS play resumes, then the chances the ‘Caps have of doing anything in the postseason are probably cooked.
With that said, White will surely be leading the line once again against Tijuana. Andrés Cubas and Ryan Raposo both played more limited minutes against LAFC so could be fresh, while Sam Adekugbe didn’t play at all and will hopefully be able to plug in and provide a spark down the left flank.
Looking at the visitors, Tijuana lost 3-0 to LAFC last weekend and lost the shots on target battle 10-4 despite holding over 65% possession. LAFC were able to hunker down and counter-attack against them with great effectiveness, and that’s the type of gameplay it’s easy to envision the ‘Caps aiming to do as well. The Mexican side finished 16th out of 18 teams in last season’s Clausura and are mid-table with a 2-1-1 record to start this season.
Things are pretty straightforward for the ‘Caps: a win or draw through 90 minutes gets them through to the next round. A loss, and it’s three weeks until their next match when MLS play resumes. It would certainly be nice to be able to pull out a win over a Liga MX team, something the Whitecaps have still never done in an official competition (at least in the MLS era) Let’s root for some history!
(Photo Credit: LAFC)
They made it a lot more difficult than it should have been after taking an early two-goal lead, but despite being shaken by LAFC’s late comeback, Vancouver Whitecaps came away from BMO Stadium with a penalty shoot-out win in their first Leagues Cup group game.
Two up by the 17th minute after a Sebastian Berhalter banger and a strong header from Ranko Veselinovic, the Whitecaps put in a fantastic first half performance before wilting in the second and allowing LAFC to tie things up with a Kei Kamara goal two minutes from time and a Mateusz Bogusz equaliser five minutes into stoppage time.
Frustrations at throwing away the lead boiled over on the ‘Caps bench, as Vanni Sartini was shown a straight red for appearing to swear at the fourth official, but thankfully for Vancouver, calmer heads prevailed in the shoot-out and the Whitecaps got the important second point from the game.
The Whitecaps were clinical from the spot, burying all four of their penalties, to win it 4-2 and set up an enticing match on Saturday against Mexican side CLub Tijuana.
The ‘Caps can finish anywhere from first to third in the group. A win and they top the group to take on either Mexican giants Pumas UNAM or Monterrey, a draw (no matter what happens in the subsequent shoot-out) and they travel to Texas to take on Austin, and a loss over 90 minutes and they are eliminated from this year’s competition.
All to play for at BC Place on Saturday night.
FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles FC 2 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps [Whitecaps win 4-2 on pens]
ATT: 18,351
SCORING SUMMARY:
5’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
17’ – VAN – Ranko Veselinović (Sebastian Berhalter)
88’ – LAFC – Kei Kamara (Denis Bouanga)
90’+5 – LAFC – Mateusz Bogusz (David Martínez)
STATS:
Possession: LAFC 66% – VAN 34%
Shots: LAFC 20 – VAN 15
Shots on Goal: LAFC 9 – VAN 4
Saves: LAFC 2 – VAN 6
Fouls: LAFC 11- VAN 13
Offsides: LAFC 2 – VAN 1
Corners: LAFC 6 – VAN 2
BOOKINGS:
13’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
53’ – VAN – Belal Halbouni
80’ – LAFC – Cristian Olivera
90’ – LAFC – David Martínez
90’+1 – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
SENT OFF:
LOS ANGELES: Abraham Romero; Sergi Palencia, Jesús Murillo, Aaron Long, Ryan Hollingshead (Omar Campos 46’); Mateusz Bogusz, Ilie Sánchez (David Martínez 69’), Erik Dueñas (Eduard Atuesta 46’); Cristian Olivera, Nathan Ordaz (Kei Kamara 46’), Denis Bouanga [Substitutes not used: Hugo Lloris, Eddie Segura, Thomas Hasal, Tomas Ángel, Maxime Chanot, Thomas Musto]
VANCOUVER: Isaac Boehmer; Belal Halbouni (Andrés Cubas 69’), Ranko Veselinović (Ralph Priso 87’), Bjørn Inge Utvik; Mathías Laborda, Sebastian Berhalter, Pedro Vite, Alessandro Schöpf (Ryan Raposo 69’), Ali Ahmed; Fafa Picault (Levonte Johnson 46’), Brian White (Damir Kreilach 76’) [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Joe Bendik, Giuseppe Bovalina, Eliot Goldthorp, Finn Linder]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
ASSISTANT COACH MICHAEL D’AGOSTINO
On the team’s performance, and taking two points instead of three:
“I am more gutted for the players because I think they put in 94 minutes of intense hard-work. It’s very, very difficult to play here [in Los Angeles], it’s one of the hardest places to play in the league. We’ve played here enough to know that it’s very, very difficult even to get a point so, I feel a bit gutted for them because to concede two goals at the last minute is very difficult but, I think we controlled the majority of the game but at the end of the day, if you give them a chance you know they’re going to bury them. At the end of the day, they kind of took over the last 20-30 minutes and we had tired legs. These things happen, we know we had a chance to go and finish it to make it 3-1 not far from the end there, and it didn’t go in. At the end of the day, we get punished for it. I’m really proud of the guys, but at the end of the day, I’m also gutted.”
On Sebastian Berhalter’s performance tonight:
“He’s really stepped up. Sebastian [Berhalter] is one of the hardest working guys, not only on this team but that I’ve ever met and he’s a guy that is definitely put in a lot, and he’s getting the rewards for it, he’s a team player. He’s a guy that will put in 90 minutes, 100 minutes, whatever is needed. I’m happy for him having a good performance, he’s had a lot of good performances recently and he’s definitely stepped up.”
MIDFIELDER SEBASTIAN BERHALTER
On his goal:
“I think it was just one where the ball pops out to me, and why not? You just take the hit and I’m just glad it went in.”
On the importance of the win ahead of Tijuana:
“They will be a good team, but we’re confident in ourselves. We wanted the three [tonight], but we’ll take the two and move on to the next game.”
GOALKEEPER ISAAC BOEHMER
On staying composed in a tough match:
“Just preparing like I do every game. It doesn’t matter where I’m going, what stadium, what team we’re playing. I just stick to what I know what to do and follow the principles of how we play and continue to learn and work hard, and it will come together.”
On Leagues Cup:
“I played Leagues Cup last year and we won as well, and it felt great. You don’t come in here often and get points. I really wanted a clean sheet, but it’s ok, we won. So I’m happy for that.”
On the shootout:
“It’s hard to really prepare for penalties. You study a lot of the players, and you can read their bodies. At the end of the day it’s just 1v1, and it comes down to you versus the man.”
On the two points before playing Tijuana:
“It’s super important. We’re in control of our own destiny now. They’re going to be a good team, we have to perform well and do what we have to do.”
LOS ANGELES FC
HEAD COACH STEVE CHERUNDOLO
On what can be taken away from a match like this:
“One point. [Laugh]. Look, I think we absolutely fell asleep for the first 20 minutes, collectively. Some more than others, so individually as well, and that’s unacceptable. That put us in a tough spot to come back from. I was very happy with the reaction after that, and then chasing a game, which is not easy against Vancouver. They’re quite slippery and dangerous in transition. It’s a good little team and they defend very well in a deeper block. They added another midfielder tonight and they did a great job, as far as their gameplan goes. But again, putting yourself in that deep of a hole is always difficult. But I was happy with chasing the game and then getting a point in the end was fantastic. It made it interesting. But I think overall, tonight in the final third we were a little sloppy and made some poor decisions, which added to the sloppiness. If we were a little cleaner in that portion of the field then I still think you win after conceding two goals. But if you don’t play and finish your chances in a clean and clinical manner, then it’s really hard to win a game if you go down 2-0. So not a poor performance, but a very poor first 20 minutes and I think that’s the reason why we didn’t win.”
On at what point he knew Mateusz Bogusz’s late equalizer was onside:
“We have the game on our iPad as well. So we were able to see there was a defender on the ground. Not sure who it was, [Bjørn Inge Utvik] maybe? He kept [Bogusz] onside.”
DEFENDER RYAN HOLLINGSHEAD
On the match:
“A really good response from the guys. Not a great start, weird first goal, got beat on a set piece and tried to respond. I thought the guys stuck with it. Lots of numbers to try to break through, [but] they sat back so deep. To be able to find two that late in the game is huge. Great resilience.”
On the importance of this result in the battle to finish top of this group:
“That point is going to be huge for us. Hopefully it plays out well for their next game. Obviously, if we win the penalties there we’re top of the group, so tough for that not to happen but still a huge point, a needed point. It really puts us in a good spot to see what’s going to happen.”
DEFENDER JESÚS DAVID MURILLO
On difficulty at the start:
“When you find two quick goals, the match goes in their favor. It means we have to do extra work and go against the current to recover and go the long haul. On their end they created long balls to create danger. We kept trying, but the opportunities didn’t go in and sadly in the penalties we weren’t able to get the extra point.”
On the way the team played in the last 15 minutes:
“The last 15 minutes is kind of what we do. Especially when we’re losing we have to risk more and put more forward. We sacrificed a bit more and luckily we got the draw.We came out with the draw, didn’t get the extra point, now we get to rest and recover and work on the mistakes we had tonight.”
On how long it took to be certain the game-tying goal would count:
“It was just and deserved. We put a lot of effort forward to tie the game and it came at the end in the final minutes. We created many chances and the goal came from one of those good chances. Now we turn the page because whoever our next opponent is, is going to be tough. Sadly with the VAR it’s like that, you have to wait for them to review. On my end I thought the goal was on from the beginning and with how the goal unfolded, so I thought it was always on. Like I said we’re going to turn the page and rest and recover.”
On what the result says about the group:
“At the end we get the point that helps us for what’s coming with the decision of the groups. We know there is nothing that can defeat us when we put our arms down and head down and work work work no matter what minute of the game it is. I think we were rewarded with a draw and we can’t give advantages so we have to rest and recover and work for what’s next because it’s not going to be easy.”
DEFENDER SERGIO PALENCIA
Coming back for the draw after being down 2-0:
“We came in a little bit asleep against this team that makes games complicated. We had to fight hard to tie the game. They put a lot of guys on defense but they had a lot of good players that can play the counter attack. It was difficult but this shows the team does not give up along with the help of the fans.”
Waiting on facing the next team:
“We have completed our work now. We would’ve liked to win today to be first in the group but we’re in the second round now. We will await the match between Vancouver and Tijuana. We will be ready for what comes next. We will have a few days to rest to be ready.”
Well, it’s certainly been a long time since I’ve written one of these previews! It’s been quite a busy number of months for me, but thankfully I’m now back in the saddle and ready to kick on with some MLS action!
Wait, what do you mean this isn’t MLS play? You’re telling me the Leagues Cup wasn’t just a one-time thing? We have to do this every year now?
Okay, so apparently there’s not another MLS match for another four weeks, when the Whitecaps will take on LAFC. Instead, we get to watch something completely different: the Leagues Cup, where the Whitecaps will take on LAFC!
Of course, the fact that the Leagues Cup groups are drawn out of geographic pots (at least on the MLS side) means there’s only a certain number of teams the ‘Caps could have drawn. But there is a bit of an “oh of course” feeling to lining up against LAFC, who have become a bit of a bogeyman for the ‘Caps as of late. First it was the Champions Cup. Then it was the MLS playoffs. Now they want to knock us out of a third competition??? Thankfully there’s no way we can get them in the Canadian Championship, at least for now…
To be honest, it’s hard for me personally to get too jazzed up about the Leagues Cup. Given how jarring of a shift it is to suddenly pause the entire league to play in a side tournament, unless you’re one of the favourites to lift the trophy then playing in it doesn’t really do anything but provide extra wear and tear for players who (in the case of the Whitecaps) have already played in three other competitions this year.
Especially with Ryan Gauld hurt (who couldn’t have picked a better time to need a month off), a tough group draw, and an overall choppy season to this point, it’s hard to see the ‘Caps as any sort of favourites.
With that said, of course I will be watching! If the Whitecaps are playing on TV, then I’m going to watch (unless they’re playing Wrexham). And it’ll be interesting to see whether the month of good form they put together before last weekend’s loss might be a sign of turning the corner again, or whether the home defeat to the Dynamo will send things crashing down again.
The main issue at the moment (besides Gauld’s injury) is the fact that the backline is currently being held together by duct tape and spit. With Tristan Blackmon, Mathias Laborda, and Luis Martins all dealing with injuries recently, and Javain Brown now gone from the team, there’s not much there besides Ranko Veselinović and Bjorn Inge Utvik.
As long as one of Laborda or Blackmon is good to go on Tuesday then it’s fine, but if not, then there are some interesting questions. Will Belal Halbouni actually get some non-friendly minutes? Will Sam Adekugbe be drafted in as an emergency centre back, or Sebastian Berhalter, or even all five feet and four inches of Andrés Cubas – who did so for about 10 minutes against Houston?
The other notable injury consequence is that Gauld’s absence gives Ali Ahmed the chance to get more reps as one of the three forwards. With Damir Kreilach not gelling as of yet this year and Levonte Johnson being just so-so, the only assured starter spots up front in a current Best XI belong to Brian White and Fafa Picault, leaving space for the young Canadian.
It’s been a bit of an up and down year for Ahmed too, with questions as to where his best position in this team actually is, but he showed at the Copa America how dangerous he can be when he’s in the attacking third. Giving him more reps in that part of the field can only be a good thing, and we need as much creative juice as we can right now with Gauld out.
Looking at the opponents, LAFC are coming off a 3-0 thumping of Club Tijuana to open up Leagues Cup on Friday. The regulation win all but assures them passage to the next round, barring a complete collapse against the ‘Caps in this match. The black and gold are once again humming and have only lost twice in all competitions since the end of March. Denis Bouanga continues to terrorize defences with an incredible 17 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this year, and he’s set to be joined up front (perhaps Tuesday, perhaps later) by Olivier Giroud.
The ‘Caps have won just five of their 19 meetings all-time against LAFC, and just once in their ten matches in California. However, regardless of what happens, everything will come down to the Whitecaps’ second and final match of the group stage against Tijuana, and they can neither advance nor be eliminated in this match. Does that take some of the pressure off? Who knows, but it can’t hurt.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Wrexham A.F.C., Canadian national team and Olympics chat, and we’re joined once again this week by Harjeet Johal to talk about it all.
The soccer news in Canada this week has been dominated by the women’s national team drone scandal at the Olympics and we delve into that in the first two parts as we work through the timeline of news that came out, the subsequent punishments and reactions, and what the future may hold in store for Canada Soccer, the team, and those involved. Plus we also look back at Canada’s first two games in the defence of their Olympics title.
Turning our attention to the Whitecaps, our feature interview this episode is with midfielder Ali Ahmed. We chat about Ali’s experiences at Copa America with Canada, what he’s learned under new head coach Jesse Marsch, and the Whitecaps season so far.
The Whitecaps were in action against Wrexham at the weekend and we have full postgame coverage from that one as we look at whether the ‘Caps fully capitalised on all the opportunities presented to them with the whole experience, the much anticipated grass pitch, and what it could mean for future matches like this here in Vancouver. Plus we chat with Wrexham head coach Phil Parkinson, and players Eoghan O’Connell, George Evans, and Steven Fletcher about the League One season to come, what they’ve learned from this #WrexCoastTour trip, and their thoughts on Vancouver.
And there’s still time to look ahead to this week’s Leagues Cup matches with Vanni Sartini, Cork band The Frank and Walters wrap up as Album of the Month, we take you back to 1974, and we’ve a Wrexham themed song in Wavelength for you.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.17: Intro – it’s Christmas for Har!
07.20: Canadian drone scandal – the story so far
30.03: CanWNT wins against NZ and France
46.00: FIFA punishment to CanWNT and the fallout
61.15: The media’s role in the accelerated unraveling
71.00: What now for Bev Priestman and Canada Soccer?
88.20: Ali Ahmed interview
112.48: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
118.25: Wrexham v Whitecaps – a success or a wasted opportunity?
142.35: Phil Parkinson talks Wrexham’s League One battle ahead
147.35: Leagues Cup preview and the thoughts of Vanni
157.21: A chat with Wrexham’s Eoghan O’Connell
162.36: A chat with Wrexham’s George Evans
166.37: A chat with Wrexham’s Steven Fletcher
172.00: Wavelength – Ratarsed – Elliott Lee
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian national team, Copa America, and Euro 2024 chat, and we’re joined once again this week by Felipe Vallejo to talk about it all.
It was a two-game home stand for the Whitecaps this week and to quote Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, you win some and you lose some, and I’ve lost the will to lose. That about sums up how I feel about the ‘Caps home form, where they’ve now dropped 16 points so far this season. We look at the main talking points coming out of the win over Kansas City and the loss in the seven-goal thriller to Houston, including the concerning knee injury to their talismanic captain Ryan Gauld.
The MLS transfer window is open. The Whitecaps rumours haven’t been plentiful but the club will definitely be making some additions, but may also be losing some players. We look at the apparent imminent arrival of Colombian defender Edier Ocampo and the possible departures of Fafa Picault and Javain Brown, plus we look at the new MLS roster rules and how they may impact the Whitecaps in this transfer window and beyond.
And there’s still time to talk Canadian Premier League, League1 BC, and the Canadian national teams. Plus Cork band The Frank and Walters continue as Album of the Month, we take you back to 1974, and we’ve an England Euros 2024 song in Wavelength now that they didn’t win it and aren’t quite as insufferable!
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.08: Intro
05.12: Whitecaps win at home to KC
14.20: Gauld injured as Whitecaps downed by Dynamo
45.33: Home form continues to plague Whitecaps
53.32: This Week In Whitecapsland 1974
59.40: New faces imminent but will Fafa and Javain move on?
78.20: The new MLS DP and U22 roster rules and the Whitecaps
92.00: Edier Ocampo to Vancouver transfer rumours
99.40: League1 BC semis set as Whitecaps women add players
107.12: Devin O’Hea joins Pacific and CPL round-up
129.55: Good start for Canada U20s at CONCACAF qualifiers
133.33: Canadian women set to kick off Olympic defence
136.45: Wavelength – Big Shaq – Like Wot
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
It was a game that produced everything – except a win.
In a match that could have swung either way, Cavalry FC and Forge FC drew 1-1 on a hot Sunday afternoon at Spruce Meadows.
While the game only yielded two goals, it nonetheless generated plenty of talking points, including a saved penalty from Tobias Warschewski, a couple of struck crossbars and posts by both teams, and a late sending off for Forge after Daniel Parra-Duran earned his second yellow card.
Despite a late attacking push from Cavalry after Forge went down to 10 men, the Hamiltonian’s defence was able to hold on, and both teams left ATCO Field sharing the spoils.
In the end, it was another entertaining match-up between two of the Canadian Premier League’s heavyweights and another worthy chapter in the story of two perennial rivals.
“I think all the fans and especially us players, we’re always up for this game,” said Cavalry centre back Daan Klomp in the post-game press conference. “We know it’s a good fixture and seems to always be entertaining. I hope you (media) guys liked it today, but like I said before, we were unfortunate to not come away with the win.”
The first half ended scoreless, but exactly how is a head-scratcher, as Forge peppered Cavalry’s net with shot after shot.
The Hammers’ first chance came early, courtesy of a header from Kwasi Poku that sailed just wide of Cavalry’s post.
After that, Cavalry ‘keeper Marco Carducci had to be on his toes in the opening, making a handful of saves in the opening 30 minutes to keep Forge off the board.
Kyle Bekker produced another close chance, but his one-timed effort from outside the box rattled off Carducci’s right-hand post.
Forge’s dominance was reflected in the statistics, as they managed 11 shots (four on target) in the first half.
At the other end of the pitch, Cavalry’s offence was much less impressive, as the hosts only managed four shots in the first 45 minutes – none of which were on target.
But it didn’t stay goalless for long after the second half kicked off.
Warschewski had a chance to put the Cavs on the board just a minute into the second half, after half-time sub Sergio Camargo was brought down in Forge’s 18-yard box, resulting in a Cavalry penalty kick.
But though he’d converted his previous two spot kicks this season, Warschewski’s shot was not enough in the corner and a perfect height for Forge keeper Chris Kalongo to make the save and hold onto it.
The hosts made amends for the missed penalty 10 minutes later, however, when Klomp rose to get his head on the end of a pin-point cross from Camargo to claim his first goal of the season.
However, the home team’s fans had likely barely finished their cheering when Forge equalized thanks to a Cavalry own goal.
A near-post corner kick into the box by Kyle Bekker was knocked in by Tom Field, who was scrambling back to his feet after falling to ground.
Both teams produced plenty of chances in the remaining 30-plus minutes; Klomp had another decent header that went wide, Poku struck the post for Forge with a back-post shot, Klomp made a last-ditch diving block to deny Noah Jensen, and then Cavalry’s Mael Henry hit Forge’s crossbar with an impressive shot from distance.
After a studs-up challenge on Charlie Trafford, Parra-Duran’s afternoon came to an early end in the 82nd minute and the Forge player took his marching orders.
With a man advantage, Cavalry pressed for the winner, but Forge’s defensive lines were able to hold admirably, resulting in both teams claiming a point.
Cavalry’s head coach and general manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. called it an “entertaining” match for the fans, but a tough battle for the players in 32-degree weather.
“It was a crazy game, to be honest,” he said. “I’m sweating and I’m not sure how the boys survived through that. That was very hot for them. Both teams weren’t at full strength but went toe to toe.”
Wheeldon Jr. conceded that Forge were the better side in the first half, but said his decision to put in Camargo and Diego Gutierrez at half-time turned the tide in the hosts’ favour for the remainder of the match.
“I think we finished stronger and thought we were the better side,” he said. “Disappointed not to get the win at the end, but that’s football.”
Wheeldon Jr. saluted the quality of Forge, who were without Tristan Borges, Beni Badibanga, and David Choiniere.
“Let’s not discount they’re a phenomenal side,” he said. “They didn’t like losing here (last time) so they’ve come here and competed. They’re a tough side to beat, that are knocking out an MLS side (in the cup), so you’ve got to give some respect to our opponent as well.
“They made it very tough for us, but I loved the courage and the way we went to play. We threw everything at them but the kitchen sink.”
The result means Cavalry stays in sixth place in the Canadian Premier League table with a 3-3-9 (wins-losses-ties) record. Forge is in third with a 6-4-4 record.
Cavalry’s next match will be on the road against Vancouver FC on July 27, while Forge will take on Halifax Wanderers at Tim Horton’s Field the same day.
The fireworks came early to Vancouver on Saturday night as Vancouver Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo played out a seven-goal thriller at BC Place.
It was the visiting Dynamo that had the explosive start and finish, going two up by half time thanks to goals from Coco Carrasquilla and Griffin Dorsey, before a second half blitz from the Whitecaps saw the home side lead 3-2 after a Fafa Picault brace and a goal from Ranko Veselinovic.
Two fantastic strikes in the last 12 minutes, from Brad Smith and a second from Dorsey, was enough to give Houston all three points, running out 4-3 victors and seeing the Texans move to within one point of Vancouver, who dropped down to 5th in the Western Conference standings with the loss.
Vanni Sartini made three changes to his starting line-up from the team that beat Kansas City midweek, with Luis Martins, Sebastian Berhalter, and Picault all coming in.
The Whitecaps started strongly and had two chances to break the deadlock in the opening five minutes.
Brian White fired a Gauld cutback inches wide in the 4th minute, before Berhalter brought a save out of Steve Clark moments later.
The teams exchanged half chances before Ranko Veselinovic came up with a huge block on an Amine Bassi shot in the box in the 18th minute. Moments later Bassi curled one just past the postage stamp corner, as the Dynamo looked for the breakthrough.
Then came a couple of blows for the Whitecaps in quick succession.
Gauld went down with a knock to his left knee midway through the half and after trying to carry on, indicated to the bench that he was done for the night and will be evaluated.
As he waited to come off, Houston took the lead, when Carrasquilla’s shot took a deflection off Veselinovic and past Takaoka in the Vancouver goal.
Aliyu -> Coco GOOAAALLLL!#Hustlin4More pic.twitter.com/BfXm7TgM4z
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 21, 2024
Things went from bad to worse for the Whitecaps when the visitors doubled their lead in the 36th minute.
Another deflection played a part, as the ball came off Bjorn Inge Utvik and broke to a wide open Dorsey at the edge of the ‘Caps box, which the defender expertly curled past Takaoka into the bottom left corner.
Bend it like Griff!#Hustlin4More pic.twitter.com/ooWCw4mwbH
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 21, 2024
The Whitecaps pushed to reduce the deficit before the break and Picault had a shot turned away by a diving Clark, after some good individual play in the 39th minute. Picault then curled a free kick into the side netting three minutes later.
With the game six minutes into stoppage time, Pedro Vite whizzed a free kick just past the left post.
The ‘Caps couldn’t get the goal they were looking for and the Dynamo went in at the break with a two goal advantage.
It wasn’t to last for too much longer as the Whitecaps finally pulled one back three minutes after the restart.
Ali Ahmed played the ball inside to half time sub Ryan Raposo and his cross was deflected in front of goal for a diving Picault to head home from inches out.
It's a new half! Fafa makes quick work to score his 7th goal this season!
https://t.co/gYBrnh9CxC#VWFC | #VANvHOU pic.twitter.com/qAkoHkYteA
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 21, 2024
It was the Haitian’s third straight game with a goal and his seventh of the season for the Whitecaps.
A perfect start to the half and Vancouver soon found themselves level in the 54th minute.
Once again Picault was involved, crossing for Veselinovic to head home the equaliser.
Ranko towers over to put our equalizer home!!! Fafa with the beautiful assist
https://t.co/gYBrnhaana#VWFC | #VANvHOU pic.twitter.com/Xj8ZVrPiqQ
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 21, 2024
Houston almost got the lead back immediately, but Takaoka saved a header from Sebastian Ferreira, after he and Bassi seemed to put each other off in front of goal.
The Whitecaps responded with a free kick that Picault just failed to connect with at the back post.
Picault wasn’t to be denied his second, however, and he slid in to put away a Sam Adekugbe cross in the 66th minute, and from nowhere the Whitecaps had the lead.
F-F-FIRE MAN! Our boy Fafa finishes Sam’s service to put us ahead
https://t.co/gYBrnh9CxC#VWFC | #VANvHOU pic.twitter.com/45Mmqjt7wR
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 21, 2024
In a game of twists and turns, there was still more to come.
Picault went down in the box under a challenge, but referee Fotis Bazakos waved play on. After a very lengthy stoppage, which was just shy of four minutes, the official was called over for a video review, but stuck with his original decision, deeming not enough clear and obvious evidence to overturn the initial call on the pitch.
Houston then went up the pitch and Smith struck a stunning equaliser in the 78th minute, with a screamer from the edge of the box that flew past Takaoka.
Brad Smith takes it himself!#Hustlin4More pic.twitter.com/BLSpRhcSFL
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 21, 2024
It was now anyone’s game, and in a game of fantastic goals and strikes, there was room for one more.
Houston grabbed the matchwinner in some style, as the ball broke to Dorsey at the edge of the box and he blasted it through everyone and past Takaoka to give the Dynamo back the lead.
DORSEY ROCKET!#Hustlin4More pic.twitter.com/z1q3d6Ob7L
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) July 21, 2024
Seven goals will have excited the crowd and those watching at home, but it was a very disappointing way for the Whitecaps to end their five-game unbeaten run in the league and once again it undid some of the excellent work in picking up seven road points.
It’s a fourth defeat of the season at BC Place, with 16 points dropped at home. The Whitecaps could be out of sight in the West if they could only make their home stadium a fortress. With six of their last 10 league matches in Vancouver, they need to find a way to do that, not that they need to worry about league games now until August 24th when LAFC come to town.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – 4 Houston Dynamo
ATT: 24,114
SCORING SUMMARY:
29’ – HOU – Adalberto Carrasquilla (Ibrahim Aliyu)
36’ – HOU – Griffin Dorsey
48’ – VAN – Fafa Picault
54’ – VAN – Ranko Veselinović (Fafa Picault, Sebastian Berhalter)
66’ – VAN – Fafa Picault (Sam Adekugbe, Alessandro Schöpf)
78’ – HOU – Brad Smith (Sebastian Kowalczyk)
87’ – HOU – Grifin Dorsey
STATS:
Possession: VAN 44.5% – HOU 55.5%
Shots: VAN 15 – HOU 16
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 – HOU 6
Saves: VAN 2 – HOU 3
Fouls: VAN 7 – HOU 16
Offsides: VAN 0 – HOU 2
Corners: VAN 4 – HOU 1
BOOKINGS:
20’ – HOU – Artur
45’+3 – VAN – Andrés Cubas
76’ – HOU – Franco Escobar
90’+3 – HOU – Brad Smith
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Luís Martins (Alessandro Schopf 46’), Ranko Veselinovic, Bjørn Utvik, Sebastian Berhalter (Damir Kreilach 90’); Andrés Cubas (Sam Adekugbe 60’), Pedro Vite (Levonte Johnson 90’), Ali Ahmed; Fafá Picault, Brian White, Ryan Gauld (Ryan Raposo 30’) [Subs Not Used: Belal Halbouni, Ralph-Priso Mbongue, Giuseppe Bovalina, Issac Boehmer]
HOUSTON: Steve Clark; Franco Escobar, Micael, Erik Sviatchenko, Griffin Dorsey (Daniel Steres 94’); Artur, Héctor Herrera, Adalberto Carrasquilla (Latif Blessing 83’); Ibrahim Aliyu (Brad Smith 67’), Ezequiel Ponce (Sebastian Ferreira 46’), Amine Bassi (Sebastian Kowalczyk 67’) [Subs Not Used: Ethan Bartlow, Andrew Tarbell, McKinze Gaines, Jan Gregus]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
HEAD COACH VANNI SARTINI
On halftime changes:
“We changed the way of defending in the second half, adding a midfielder, and trying to be aggressive, and it went perfectly, I would say. We scored three goals, [could] have scored even more. We played better than them [Houston]. And then at the end, I think it was very – let’s call it unfortunate – the first goal that [Houston’s Brad] Smith scored is a fantastic goal. And the last one, I’ve got to rewatch it, but we had nine guys in front of their guys and we concede a goal…but we conceded basically four shots and they scored four goals. Three out of four were outside the box. So, it’s been an unfortunate night, for everything. Not only for these shots, but for everything. I think, again, this was a fantastic effort. I think this game will bring us even closer as a team. I think it was beautiful to see a lot of people come for this special Pride night. I think there’s a lot of positives in the big scheme of things of the season that we can take from tonight.”
On Fafà Picault:
“I think today in the first half that the entire team didn’t do very well defensively. We were always too half and half. We were too aggressive when we shouldn’t be aggressive and then we didn’t go. In the second half, we made it a bit simpler and going with two strikers he did much better. And offensively in the second half, he [Fafà] was helped, I think, by the fact that by starting in a higher position. I think in the first half, he was dropping too much in front of [Houston midfielder Coco] Carrasquilla, while in the second half, he was always high. Having players that could help him from the wide position to get inside, like Ali [Ahmed] was going wide, Sam [Adekugbe] was pushing, that helped him very well and he had a very good game.”
DEFENDER RANKO VESELINOVIC
On the match:
“It was a wild match. I didn’t expect so many goals, honestly, I thought it was going to be a more close game. First half we played bad, they played good, they were fighting, passing between our lines and they’re a good team so they scored two goals. Second half we did good to come back, but it’s a tough game. It’s tough when you’re 3-2 up and concede two goals from those shots. But we have to see what we can do better before Leagues Cup to try to adapt because when you play against good teams, good players are going to punish you for allowing them so much space so, so we need to find a way in the next game against LAFC.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO
HEAD COACH BEN OLSEN
On result:
“It was a very good first half but a poor start to the second half. Vancouver brought a lot of energy and capitalized on service and set pieces. When we went down 3-2, our guys found something, and they were able to show resiliency that I haven’t seen in a while. Vancouver is a tough place to travel to, and it always seems to be high scoring, and to our credit, we are scoring goals right now. The subs came in and did a good job again, which is important with the grind of a long West Coast road trip.”
On the energy after the match:
“Away wins are the best, and the guys are celebrating in the locker room right now. These road matches are hard, and it feels good to win them. We have also been able to find different ways to win recently. There were great portions of the game tonight, but the way we started the second half was poor. At halftime, we talked about what we were going to face from Vancouver from an energy, quality and adjustment standpoint. Many times, teams can’t come back from a 3-2 deficit on the road. It’s a hard thing to do, but we found a way.”
On Ezequiel Ponce’s debut performance:
“Ezequiel (Ponce) had a good night, and his pressing is great. He can see the defensive side which helped us in the first half. We have to focus on building relationships, and the players have to figure out where their runs are to build early service. Ezequiel is a high-quality striker, and he puts himself in great spots and has good habits. It will be nice to get him some shots and looks on target because I know he will do well with them. It was a good first match for him.”
They made it more difficult for themselves than they needed to, but Vancouver Whitecaps extended their unbeaten league run to five matches with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City at BC Place on Wednesday evening.
The Whitecaps were dominant in the first half and went into the break with the lead after Robert Voloder’s 34th minute own goal. The ‘Caps had also seen two goals chopped off for offside, but almost undid all of their good work with a lackadaisical start to the second half that allowed William Agada to fire home a 69th minute equaliser as the visitors were allowed to run rampant.
Finally sparked into life, Vancouver regained the lead seven minutes later when Fafa Picault made it back-to-back games with goal, heading home what proved to the winner for the Whitecaps.
With the games continuing to come thick and fast, Vanni Sartini made three changes to his starting line-up from the side that won in St Louis on Saturday. Ali Ahmed came back from Copa America duty with Canada and went straight into the team, on the left side of the attack in a 3-4-3 formation.
The Whitecaps were dominant in the first half. Their first chance came seven minutes in when Voloder cleared Brian White’s header from a corner off the goalline.
Ryan Gauld had a couple of looks before Ahmed shot weakly at KC keeper Tim Melia from a good position.
Zorhan Bassong almost turned the ball into his own net in the 23rd minute when trying to clear a Ryan Raposo cross, and the Whitecaps finally put the ball in the net four minutes later, after Gauld played in White, but the ‘Caps leading scorer was offside.
Vancouver weren’t to be denied though and did eventually take the lead in the 34th minute.
Alessandro Schopf played the ball inside to White, who in turn played it out to Gauld. The Scot sent it back in for White to tuck it away, but before he could. KC defender Voloder slid in to do it himself.
A goal is a goal. PERIODT.
https://t.co/7KH1nIIxdh #VWFC | #VANvSKC pic.twitter.com/QLoksrUaXE
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 18, 2024
The Whitecaps thought they had a second three minutes before the break when Ahmed played in Gauld. His shot was saved by Melia, with the rebound dispatched into the net by Ahmed, but the Canadian had held onto his pass just that little bit too long and the Scot was offside.
KC came out the hungrier and better looking team to start the second half, led by substitute Erik Thommy, one of three changes made at break by Peter Vermes.
Yohei Takaoka denied the German in the 55th minute before Stephen Afrifa crashed one off the bar for the visitors three minutes after the hour mark. The rebound fell to Daniel Salloi, whose fierce shot from the edge of the box was superbly tipped over by the ‘Caps keeper.
KC were by far the better side in the second half and they got their deserved reward in the 69th minute.
Salloi saw his shot parried away by Takaoka, but the rebound fell to Agada in front of goal, who fired home the equaliser.
Willy Agada buries it pic.twitter.com/KqrrzLUXUT
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2024
Vancouver had seemingly lost all of their attacking threat, but from nowhere, they retook the lead in the 76th minute on a counter attack that saw KC leave the ‘Caps wide open.
Sebastian Berhalter whipped in a fantastic cross from the right and it was met superbly by Picault to head home.
WHAT A BALL! WHAT A HEADER!
https://t.co/7KH1nIHZnJ #VWFC | #VANvSKC pic.twitter.com/r9wOVJNFYC
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 18, 2024
The game them became very open, with both sides bringing the ball forward quickly, and the Whitecaps nearly found a third when Picault tried to play in White but it ran through to Melia before the striker could get onto it.
This time the Whitecaps weren’t giving up the lead and they saw out the remaining minutes for a deserved three points, in what was really a must-win home match against a team outside of the playoff places.
Dropping anything, particularly with how tight the Western Conference is right now, would have undone some of the good work they did on the road in recent weeks.
Instead, they found the way to win and move into the top four places in the West as they push for home advantage in the playoffs. Next up is another game they simply have to take three points from, as Houston come to BC Place on Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 1 Sporting Kansas City
ATT: 23,198
SCORING SUMMARY:
34’ – VAN – Robert Voloder (own goal)
69’ – SKC – William Agada
76’ – VAN – Fafa Picault (Sebastian Berhalter, Andrés Cubas)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 55.1% – SKC 44.9%
Shots: VAN 13 – SKC 17
Shots on Goal: VAN 4 – SKC 7
Saves: VAN 5 – SKC 2
Fouls: VAN 10 – SKC 7
Offsides: VAN 2 – SKC 0
Corners: VAN 4 – SKC 6
BOOKINGS:
87’ – SKC – Robert Voloder
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ryan Raposo (Sebastian Berhalter 68’), Pedro Vite, Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Luis Martins 72’); Ryan Gauld (Giuseppe Bovalina 88’), Brian White (Levonte Johnson 88’), Ali Ahmed (Fafa Picault 68’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Ralph Priso, Damir Kreilach]
KANSAS CITY: Tim Melia; Kayden Pierre (Khiry Shelton 46′), Roberto Castellanos, Robert Voloder, Zorhan Bassong; Nemanja Radoja, Remi Walter; Alenis Vargas (Stephen Afrifa 46′), Alan Pulido (26.Erik Thommy 46′), Daniel Sallói; William Agada [Substitutes not used: Ryan Schewe, Andreu Fontás, Tim Leibold]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
HEAD COACH VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“Well, the first half was amazing, it was like champagne football. The first half is like MLS Cup winners. So, I liked a lot of the first half, we could have scored four goals. Unfortunately, we made a couple of mistakes in front of the [Sporting Kansas City] net and a couple of passes that were a couple of milliseconds too late. It should have been two or 3-0. And that reminds us that if you don’t put the game to bed, the game [can] come back. I‘ve got to be honest, it looked like we wanted them to tie at some point.”
On what it will take to finish strong:
“Playing consecutively games like this, especially [at] home. So, we have 11 games [remaining], seven are home. I think that if we show that we always play like this [at] home, because away sometimes we have to put our humble suit [on] and be less in charge of the games sometimes. If we’re able to be consistent like this, for sure we’re going to finish in the top four. If we keep playing like this. We’re already in the top four with games in hand. So, that’s what we need to do. The thing is – is that it’s hard. It’s hard because there’s still 11 games now, especially after the Leagues Cup, everything counts and everyone comes with the knife between their teeth.”
DEFENDER RANKO VESELINOVIC
On the team’s unbeaten streak and his own good form:
“Like the whole team, I feel more confident when we are higher up the field, I can be more aggressive on the forwards. I think it’s been really solid from all defenders and, I mean, the whole team played good so that’s nice to see. Especially in the first half when we can be there on the halfway line and controlling things, having the ball in our possession, that helps a lot when we can control it and that also boosts your confidence on how the time passes in the game so that’s how we need to continue, especially now Saturday is another tough game [against Houston Dynamo].”
On the keys to the ‘Caps continuing this good form:
“I think the key is scoring goals, that’s for sure. We spoke after that game in Portland where we lost 2-0, when it was a really tough point in the season for us. We had to sit together and talk a lot, and changed a little bit our attitude in games, how we approach them and how we start games. We started to bring our lines a little bit higher up the field, especially on the opponent’s goal kick, and I think that changed a lot when we’re now on the front foot and scoring easier goals.”
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
HEAD COACH PETER VERMES
On the adjustments in the second half…
“We went to a 4-3-3 as opposed to a 4-2-3-1. We changed that and made some adjustments when they had the ball and they were building out of the back. It was a totally different game in the second half for sure.”
Thoughts on the match…
“We’re in the game when it’s 1-1. In this game, we were a little slow with the ball and two times we gave up the ball deep in their end on plays where it was really easy for us. If we would have just laid the ball off or pushed the ball into space for another guy who was running that area, we have a chance to go to goal and actually be very dangerous. It winds up being two actions against us that was very dangerous, which could have been two goals. They had a couple chances — and I’m not talking about the ones that were offside because offside is offside — I’m talking about in the second half there were a couple of chances where they probably should have gotten more out of them. We got a little lucky but, I say again, we were slow with the ball in situations that I think (allowed) them a couple opportunities to nick it and then go to goal quickly on a fast transition. We needed to be better there tonight.”
On the formation change and the halftime substitutes…
“The way we went out in the second half and the responsibilities changed for certain guys, which I think was very important. There’s no doubt that some other guys came on and just did a better job for sure. I think it was hard for us with the two in the middle in the beginning. It was hard for us to get at them and also it put a lot of work for the two central midfielders. I think when we went to three, it was totally different.”
On the midfield play…
“They were playing more like a diamond in the middle and they still had (Ryan) Gauld underneath and of our two central defenders, one of them wasn’t stepping out to Gauld. So if he’d get between the lines, he would turn and go. And then the other two guys went so wide; our two midfielders shouldn’t go wide because that’s not their responsibility. That’s why with three, it was a lot easier because now we have Nemanja (Radoja) in the second half play more like a six. He was able to take care of Gauld and then the two midfielders could take care of their two players that opened up and our two wingers stayed in. We did a much better job in the second half.”
On Daniel Salloi’s chances in the second half…
“I think (Erik) Thommy coming in the game and I think (Stephen) Afrifa coming and playing on the right side was a big help to us. There was just a better level of organization which gave us more possession of the ball, which then allowed some of those guys to get in better spots and get faced up with their opponent. It was definitely two different halves. The second half was much, much better. But just maybe a little disappointing because I think we could have gotten out of here with a point.”
On Saturday’s match-up with St. Louis…
“I think the biggest thing is we have got to rest and we have got to get recovered and we have got to get a couple guys back in the group. Hopefully, some of the guys will be back to help because we need those guys on the field. We need as much energy and as many players as we possibly can for this weekend.”
GOALKEEPER TIM MELIA
On the tale of two halves…
“I just don’t think we were tracking (Ryan) Gauld or (Brian) White very well in the first half. We had a style of play we wanted to play defensively. We just weren’t kind of executing it. They were able to kind of combine fairly easily and get behind us. They got the goal. But I thought when we came out in the second half, we readjusted and we made some adjustments with players and shape. Then we were back in the game and we were fighting and we looked like ourselves. It’s just kind of unfortunate to give away another point-losing goal but I thought our response in the second half was good and something we have got to build on.”
On the second goal conceded…
“I think what happens is when we have the ball and we’re open and then we turn the ball over, in that moment we’re not allocated correctly within our defensive positioning. (Fafa) Picault makes a very long run that we just didn’t track correctly and (Sebastian) Berhalter plays a good ball and he kind of just thumps the header by me. I think it’s one of those where, in that moment, we have to recognize that the 1-1 result on the road is a positive thing and be a little bit more compact. But I think we were just eager to try to accumulate as many points as we can because of the scenario that we’re currently in that we allowed ourselves to just be a little bit too open in that situation and making that play a little bit too easy.”
On Saturday’s match-up with St. Louis…
“Big game. We have this rivalry that’s really kind of in its early stages of development of becoming these very exciting games against St. Louis. It’s two teams that need all the points they can get so I think it’s going to be more interesting. I think right now we’ve had a pretty solid road trip. We would have liked to collect points here, but we didn’t. We get to be at home in front of our fans against our new rival. It’s going to be an exciting game and I think it’s one that every single person is going to want to be up for and everyone’s going to want to be out there on the field fighting for our fans and fighting for our lives in these moments.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian national team, Copa America, and Euro 2024 chat, and we’re joined once again this week by Felipe Vallejo to talk about it all.
Canada exceeded all expectations at Copa America, finishing fourth overall after a string of good performances against top opposition that brings a lot of excitement and optimism for the future under new head coach Jesse Marsch. We look at their rise in this tournament and the matches against Argentina and Uruguay. Plus we chat about the absolute chaos at the tournament after Colombia’s semi-final and before the final. Amazingly a disaster was averted but lessons need to be learned ahead of the World Cup in 2026.
Turning our attention to the Whitecaps, it’s been a good week for them with two road wins, one in the cup and one in the league. We delve into the victories over both Pacific and St Louis, hear from ‘Caps coach Vanni Sartini on the Canadian Championship and his suggestion for a possible future format, and Pacific coach James Merriman muses on the second leg at BC Place next month and how the venue may aid his team, who are still very much in the tie.
All of this plus Cork band The Frank and Walters continue as Album of the Month, and we’ve a Spanish song in Wavelength to commemorate their Euros win and their young wonderkid Lamine Yamal.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.10: Intro – another busy week of football
06.15: Canada’s successful Copa America and what’s been learned
16.19: Uruguay players fighting fans – how was that allowed to happen?
31.30: Canada finish 4th after penalty loss to Uruguay
46.42: Jesse Marsch’s impact on the CMNT and his post tournament comments
56.55: Argentina win back-to-back Copas
64.45: Copa chaos outside stadium ahead of final – insanity
77.50: Whitecaps lead Pacific in Canadian Championship semi-final
86.00: James Merriman on Pacific’s chances in second leg
94.09: Is gap between CPL and MLS closing?
100.45: Vanni Sartini on Canadian Championship and potential future format
113.32: Can we play you every week? – Another Whitecaps win vs St Louis
141.00: Wavelength – Semir – Lamine Yamal
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps wrapped up a grueling spell on the road with a comprehensive 4-1 victory at St Louis City on a hot and humid Saturday evening in Missouri.
Brian White continued his goalscoring streak on league duty, firing the ‘Caps ahead just nine minutes in. It was White’s 6th goal in his last four MLS matches and it set Vancouver on the way to a well-deserved, if at times hard-fought, victory. They had to work for it though and poor defending had let Nokkvi Thorisson restore parity in the 27th minute before White made it seven in four games just before half time.
Ryan Raposo and Fafa Picault added to Vancouver’s tally in the second half, making it five wins in their last eight MLS matches and extending their unbeaten league run to four games and sees them exceed last year’s points total on the road with five matches still remaining.
Vanni Sartini went with a strong line-up, making four changes to the team that won the first leg of their Canadian Championship semi-final at Pacific FC on Wednesday evening, and lining up in a 3-4-3 formation.
With the Whitecaps running out winners in a seven-goal thriller between the two teams at BC Place just two weeks ago, this was always going to be an interesting rematch. The ‘Caps were handed a couple of goals in that game by the visitors. They wouldn’t have been expecting the same favours to be handed out in Missouri, but yet, they were!
White fired Vancouver ahead in the 9th minute after Njabulo Blom inexplicably played the ball back to Gauld. The Scot ran in on goal and played a neat pass inside to White, who made no mistake in firing past Roman Burki from just inside the box.
We’ve seen this movie before White-Gauld are back at it again!
https://t.co/7pALAO0UsF#VWFC | #STLvVAN pic.twitter.com/yHMcNTkBuj
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 14, 2024
The Whitecaps were in complete control but the home side got themselves back level against the run of play in the 27th minute.
A long free kick went over the head of everybody and fell to Thorisson at the back of the ‘Caps box. The Icelandic forward’s first effort was blocked but he hit his second attempt through a crowd of Whitecaps players and through the legs of Yohei Takaoka.
It was a poor goal to lose from a Vancouver perspective and the teams were back level, bringing the home crowd back into the game.
Thórisson finds the equalizer for @stlCITYsc! pic.twitter.com/Dcru0fWCSU
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 14, 2024
Sebastian Berhalter came close to putting Vancouver back ahead, firing wide of the right post after a wonderful one-touch passing move to set things up. St Louis responded with Takaoka making a save to deny the home side.
The Whitecaps retook the lead a minute before half time and once again it was White that did the damage.
Mathias Laborda sent a beautiful ball in from the right which was met brilliantly by Picault. Burki denied the Haitian’s header, but the rebound came to White, who blasted home from close range and the ‘Caps went into the half with the lead.
White’s seventh goal against STL in @MLS play
https://t.co/7pALAO0mD7#VWFC | #STLvVAN pic.twitter.com/PwXzlhyGN5
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 14, 2024
St Louis came out fired up for the second half, taking the game to Vancouver.
Indiana Vassilev fired wide in the 51st minute, with the home side having another couple of half chances before Ranko Veselinovic cleared Eduard Löwen’s shot off the line on the hour mark.
The Whitecaps withstood the pressure and increased their lead in the 63rd minute.
St Louis were unable to clear the ball from their box, with Vancouver unable to get any clear shots off on goal amidst a scramble. The ball eventually fell to Raposo and he fired home from 10 yards out and the ‘Caps led by two.
Raposo smashes home our third of the night!
https://t.co/7pALAO0mD7#VWFC | #STLvVAN pic.twitter.com/1Pnbi58uO5
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 14, 2024
Picault thought he’d made it four for Vancouver in the 80th minute after being played in by Alessandro Schopf, but the goal was called back after a lengthy video review for a handball in the build-up by the Austrian.
The decision kept the home side’s hopes alive and Takaoka had to keep out Tim Parker from close range in the 89th minute.
Picault wasn’t to be denied a goal, however, and two minutes into stoppage time, the winger timed his run to perfection to get onto a Gauld through ball, rounding Burki and slotting home a fourth for the visitors.
Take it yourself, Fafà Picault! pic.twitter.com/A7IceCL3BI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 14, 2024
It was a good victory for Vancouver. Another three points on the road, making it seven points from their three straight away matches in MLS, with a good cup win in there as well.
The road travels may be finished for a short spell but the games continue to come thick and fast for the Whitecaps. They’ll be back in action on Wednesday evening at BC Place when they host Sporting Kansas City, a side showing some signs of life in recent weeks but still languishing down the bottom of the standings.
With the table so tight right now, every single point is crucial for the Whitecaps right now.
FINAL SCORE: St Louis 1 – 4 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 22,500
SCORING SUMMARY:
9’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Gauld)
28’ – STL – Nokkvi Thórisson
44’ – VAN – Brian White (Fafa Picault)
63’ – VAN – Ryan Raposo
90’+2 – VAN – Fafa Picault (Ryan Gauld)
STATS:
Possession: STL 46% – VAN 54%
Shots: STL 14 – VAN 14
Shots on Goal: STL 3 – VAN 9
Saves: STL 5 – VAN 1
Fouls: STL 10 – VAN 10
Offsides: STL 2 – VAN 2
Corners: STL 5 – VAN 5
BOOKINGS:
19’ – STL – Njabulo Blom
45’+7 – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
53’ – STL – Jayden Reid
71’ – STL – Chris Durkin
88’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
90’+6 – VAN – Levonte Johnson
ST LOUIS: Roman Bürki; Tomas Totland, Josh Yaro (Samuel Adeniran 70’), Tim Parker, Jayden Reid; Njabulo Blom (Akil Watts 46’), Chris Durkin; Josh Klein III (Caden Glover 90’+5), Edward Löwen (Hosei Kijima 77’), Indiana Vassilev; Nokkvi Thórisson (40.Michael Wentzel 90’+4) [Substitutes not used: Benjamin Lundt, Jake Nerwinski, Joakim Nilsson]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ryan Raposo (Sam Adekugbe 84’), Sebastian Berhalter (Levonte Johnson 90’+3), Andrés Cubas, Luís Martins (Alessandro Schöpf 67’); 25.Ryan Gauld, Brian White (19.Damir Kreilach 90’+3), Fafa Picault (Ralph Priso 90’+3) [Substitutes Not Used: Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Giuseppe Bovalina, Pedro Vite]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
HEAD COACH VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s dominant performance over St. Louis on the road:
“We’re doing very well. Today, we played really well. I think the win was never in discussion, even when we were 1-1, we were clearly the better team on the field. Then we had the chance to score the second goal and then, you know, they [St. Louis] tried with a lot of intensity to always be there but we were always calm and collected defending and with the ball. Deservedly so, we scored multiple goals and very happy because we did a good job and got another three points on the road. I think we already have more points on the road than at the end of last year. We still have four [road] games, so let’s try to make it a lot more.”
On the high-scoring games with St. Louis across the last two seasons:
“Maybe it’s because they are so aggressive when they try to attack. They play with such a high line that is risky, they can score a lot of goals but also they can concede goals. Also, in four games I think Brian scored seven goals against St. Louis so, I don’t know, maybe he has a particular, I would say, predisposition to score against them.”
FORWARD BRIAN WHITE
On his scoring record against St. Louis:
“Obviously I have a little bit of a good record against them so it’s nice to continue to score goals, but ultimately it’s good to get wins and, you know, it’s two in a row against them that we’ve won so that’s the most important thing right now, is to rack up some wins.”
WINGBACK RYAN RAPOSO
On the home-heavy league schedule ahead and the opportunities it grants the team:
“I think we have a great opportunity here. I think we only have four away matches in league play. We’ve been great on the road this year, we’ve shown what it takes to get three points on the road which is very, very, very tough in this league. Now we need to focus on using the crowd, using the home field advantage to dominate teams like we have in previous years at home. I think we have all the players that we need to make a deep run and ultimately try to win MLS Cup. That’s the goal for me and the guys that I speak to. I don’t think the goal is top four, the goal is to win MLS Cup so whatever gives us the best chance of doing that, we’re all pushing in that direction.”
ST LOUIS CITY
INTERIM HEAD COACH JOHN HACKWORTH
Opening Statement
“First of all, sorry for making you guys wait. We had to have a little come-to-Jesus moment in the locker room there. The second thing is that that performance is embarrassing. It’s not acceptable to our club, not acceptable with the city, not acceptable to the fans who invest so much time, energy, money into us. So we’re embarrassed and we have to own that.”
Where did that begin? The players, you give an early goal, is it just from the very start, is it just not there?
“No, not necessarily. Look, we have some problems, and I can’t sit here right now and tell you exactly what it is. But when you’re playing a good team, and Vancouver is a good team. We know how they are going to try to play against us. If we don’t — if we aren’t able to defend just the general ideas of what an opponent is going to do against us, we don’t have a lot of chance to win an MLS soccer game. I give our team a lot of credit for coming back into the game for getting an equalizer. That’s two weeks in a row we did that, and we’ll try to build on that for sure. But to give up one at the very end of the half, again, on a very, I would say predictable-type ball that should not beat us. And to have the heads go down and the body language; it’s something, again, I don’t want to sit here and tell you that I have all the answers right now because I don’t. But I don’t want to defend things that aren’t real and I want to make sure that I can look at the game film, talk to the players, talk to the staff and try to fix as much as we can in a short amount of time as we head into Seattle.”
The players’ response, presumably they saw what we all saw; it was not good
“Yeah, I think the players are embarrassed, too. But as the interim head coach, I have to take responsibility for that. And we have to evaluate whether it was our tactics, whether it was something that we did or we did things differently, I’d be happy to talk to you about that if you want. But at the end of the day, Vancouver is a team that plays a certain way and we have to be able to at least at a minimum collectively come together as a group and work towards that and that didn’t happen for us.”
Might be more of the same of what you already said, but last week you said you were looking for progress and this match was strikingly similar to the loss last week in Colorado. Any things that you can point to off the top of your head that did feel like progress or is it one of those performances that you have to look at everything?
“Yeah, there’s not a lot you can point at as a positive. There’s not.”
What are the options going forward here?
“We are still a team that’s not at full strength, and I don’t want to make any excuses, but we’ll have more options heading into Seattle because we’ll have a couple players coming back from injury and then we have a summer transfer window that opens, and we’ll have players that we already brought in that will be available for Friday, or for Saturday in Kansas City, and that’s the options. But it starts on the training field. We have to get our mentality right. We have to get the competitive nature of — these guys are good soccer players. There’s no doubt about that, but we have to bring them together, play collectively and then try to go out and show our fans, ourselves, that this kind of performance is not acceptable.”
Was there anything in practice this week that seemed that this might be in the offing?
“Nothing on the field. Nothing on the field. I felt good about the practices. The guys certainly worked hard. Put in a good shift, that kind of thing. But at the same time, we have things wrong that we have to do a better job identifying, and again, I’m going to hold myself accountable for that.”
Defensively, the goals look like so many other goals where guys get loose and there’s no one; Brian White gets his alone, which seems like that probably wasn’t in the game plan.
“Probably not. Probably not.”
So, when you see those same things happening defensively, what does that say?
“It says that we are not a very good team right now, quite candidly. So, we’ve got to, I don’t want to say too many clichés here. We didn’t play well. That’s not acceptable in this building, and we have to go fix it. The only way we can get better is by fixing one thing at a time. We thought we had fixed those through the week. We felt really positive about it. I even felt positive at halftime; that despite giving that up goal late, we could get back into this game. For about ten minutes in the second half, it felt like we could find the equalizer and put it on our terms. That didn’t happen for us. Then the other goals come, and those are not acceptable, and especially the reactions of the group.”
To focus on things individually, Nökkvi Thórisson has been a striker by necessity over the past month or so, but seems like he has shown some progress, especially with the two goals against the Whitecaps. Do you see him as a striker?
“Yeah, I think Nökkvi, I don’t want to say anything positive in this press conference, but there’s not a lot to say. But if you look at Nökkvi, he’s been asked to play out of position and done an admirable job of that and provided us with some goals. So, there are still positives in there. The problem is not necessarily any individuals. It’s more of a collective. We’re not a good team right now and we’ve got to fix that.”
MIDFIELDER EDWARD LOWEN
On why the team struggled tonight:
“I mean, we have to analyze that. I don’t know where — we have to figure it out within the group, what the problem is, why we have performances like this. San Jose, we have an amazing game. Colorado, in many ways, wasn’t that bad of a game. At two-one, we can still do something. Then we ended up losing four-one, which sounds very high and wasn’t deserved. But today the performance was just very bad.”
On whether he felt the team was going to struggle early on in the match:
“I don’t think it was a bad first half. It was not that Vancouver had a lot of chances. They were just, like, circulating the ball the entire time, and we were just running back and forth and back and forth. Our pressing wasn’t good. It wasn’t, yeah, we didn’t wait for the right triggers. We were not — the intensity was not there when we were pressing. But they still didn’t have a lot of chances. We were just caught sleeping a couple of times and that’s why we conceded easy goals.”
On how the team is going to use its upcoming road trip to make progress returning to form:
“Yeah, I think we definitely need to have a sit-down with the guys, and we need to talk about their performance. This today is just not going to work out, and it’s just unacceptable. What we did today is unacceptable. And as I said in Colorado, okay, like we shouldn’t have lost the game four-one. That there was a very high result, but there was at least a desire there. But today was just an unacceptable performance. And I would say now we have two games coming up, and we have to get points. We have to be able to deal with the pressure to get at least three points. And then we have the Leagues Cup coming up, which is a good thing. We have a couple of guys coming in. And then we need to figure this out, and we need to have belief in ourselves again that we are able to turn this around. Yeah, so I think this is then, for us, kind of a reset, and we have to use that.”
MIDFIELDER CHRIS DURKIN
On his feelings about the game against Vancouver:
“I think you know; you could see on the pitch right now it’s a fragmented group. It’s not a group that’s together. And you know, it’s frustrating to me, especially, you know, we’ve talked about, it’s a sellout crowd and to walk into the tunnel with the performance like that is frustrating and embarrassing for the fans. So, we need to do everything possible. You know, words are cheap right now, I think action is the most important so we can talk all we want but it’s the action that counts.”
On the team’s performance tonight:
“Yeah, I think you know, going into the game we knew that Vancouver was good on the counterattack, and you know, can definitely catch you hanging. They did it when we went to Vancouver, that same thing to us. So yeah, I felt like a good momentum, like you said within the first 15 [minutes] of the second half. You know, one doesn’t find the net, but that’s where you just got to keep pushing on. And you know, stay. The hardest thing to do is score and right now the goals are easy against us right now. And you know, we really need to take a big look at that. Yeah, I think you know, we have the quality on the pitch, that’s not a question in my mind, but it’s a team sport. It’s 11 guys out there and how they can best gel together. And right now, we’re not gelling. And, you know, [John] Hackworth can talk about and take accountability and all that but I think it’s the players, the players have to step up and have his back and you know, everybody has to fight for themselves too.”
On where the problem for the team began against Vancouver:
“Just a run of results, and I think when you start to not win over a period of time, you start to have question marks and you know, pointing fingers and that’s the worst thing in this sport is pointing fingers and talking behind people’s backs. All of that it’s you know, it’s like I said, it’s a group of 11 out there and then another group of, you know, five other guys that come onto the field, four or five, so we all have to find a way to sync together again. You know, I believe in the character of the group. I think there’s a lot of really good individuals on the team, a lot of you know, good personalities, but something’s not clicking right now. I think it’s up to not only the leaders in the group, but everybody to rise to the occasion right now because there’s nothing else to do. You know, a lot of guys are out of contract next year. You’re fighting for your life. You’re fighting for your job.”
FORWARD NOKKVI THORISSON
On if the team is falling apart:
“No, I mean, bad performance today, but now it’s time to stick together and problem-solve. I would not say the team is falling apart or anything like that. We got back into the game today, so that’s the positive, but now it’s just a matter of problem solving together and focusing on the positive and bounce back from this.”
On if it was frustrating to score a goal but then have the game go sideways after:
“It’s a team sport, so obviously I’m also a part of the loss, so it’s collective. It starts upfront with me. I’m the first defender and so, yeah, frustrating is the right word.”
With the Secondary Transfer Window opening up on Friday for Canadian clubs, the Whitecaps have a unique opportunity to start to get some players in before their other American-based MLS sides, who have to wait until July 18th to get their players across the line. With injuries and flattened form plaguing some of the ‘Caps’ players, AFTN explores some of the profiles that the Whitecaps need to try to bring in this transfer window to help boost their chances at finishing in those coveted first four spots in the Western Conference table.
Let’s look at these from most important to least important, but still needing to be strengthened.
Position #1: Creative Midfielder
It might seem a bit daft to say that the Whitecaps need a creative midfielder when they already have a player like Ryan Gauld, who has six assists, 12 big chances created, and 56 regular chances created so far this season. But the issue is that Gauld has no back-up right now. Behind him is Ryan Raposo, who has four assists, five big chances created, and 23 regular chances created. Pretty decent for the Canadian, but his consistency isn’t enough on the wing to be a reliant creator. His numbers are also significantly behind Gauld, pointing to the gap between the Scot and the rest of the team.
Beyond assists and chances created, Gauld is one of the few players the Whitecaps have to try to unlock defences. When an opposition team sits deep, the Whitecaps have shown to have difficulty breaking down those stubborn blocks, relying ultimately on a moment of magic from someone, more often than not Gauld. Having another creative midfielder that can do these aspects of the game would not only support Gauld in terms of numbers, but also in terms of relieving him of some of that pressure. At various times, the Whitecaps have been too reliant on their star players to perform, and when players like Gauld or Brian White (who we will speak about in the next section) are not in good form, it stunts the output of the entire team.
Thus, the “Working-Class” MVP needs help. There have been whispers, admittedly downplayed by the club, about one Marc Leonard potentially coming into the fold for the Whitecaps. The Brighton and Northampton midfielder has been a blossoming star in the lower leagues of England, where he registered five goals and six assists in 2023-24. He could fit that bill, but he has not been tested at the level of MLS (which might not be as high to some as others but surely is above middle League One level), thus making it another project player for the future rather than a sure-fire starter that will improve the team now.
Perhaps a player like Mathieu Choiniere could be the answer, after it was revealed he wanted to leave earlier in the season. He is to Montreal what Gauld is to the Whitecaps, so to have two of those kind of players would surely fire the team up to create many more chances. But the issue becomes that of salary cap, compensation, and the desire for Choiniere to move across the country.
Regardless, the position is the most pertinent position to fulfill, given that Gauld is not an infinite resource that the ‘Caps can tap from, as well as the fact that he will be absent at times and then playing extra matches, such as his upcoming All-Star duties.
Position #2: Clinical Forward
It seems harsh to say that the Whitecaps desperately need a forward when Brian White has broken the MLS goalscoring record for the Whitecaps, surpassing the infamous Camilo Sanvezzo. But the truth of the matter is that Brian White, while a good goalscorer, is not the most clinical. In most games, for every three to four chances to score, he will put away one. He obviously sometimes has his moments, like when he scored a ridiculous hat-trick against St. Louis at the end of last month. But in general, White is not a prolific scorer.
Don’t get me wrong, scoring goals is not what it’s all about for a forward in the modern game. In terms of build-up, pressing from the front, and link-up play, White is crucial to the way the Whitecaps play. I’m not saying we get rid of White, he is up there with Gauld in terms of importance for the team, but, if the Whitecaps add some certified competition up front, it could help in many ways. At best, it will push White to be better now that his position up top could be under threat and get the best out of him (as it was when Cordova started to score mid-way through last season). At worst, the team will have someone else that can take over goalscoring duties while White manages to get back to form.
It also doesn’t have to be the case where it is either the new forward or White in the XI. If the Whitecaps can get a goalscoring winger that can play a bit more centrally, then White, Gauld, and that player could make a devastating front three. Gauld brings the creativity, White the link-up play, and the winger the goals. “But we already have some attackers!” you might say, which is true. But they haven’t been cutting the mustard so far this season.
Fafa Picault might be leaving despite a strong start to his Whitecaps career. Picault seemed like a smart signing, but he has begun to fade a bit recently (aside from his assist for White vs Montreal and his late goal against St Louis). The same goes for Damir Kreilach. He seemed promising in that home game against Tigres in the Concacaf Champions Cup, but since then he has been plagued by injuries that have kept him out of the picture. Kreilach is also too similar a profile to White in terms of how they play, so adding another attacker with a different profile, like a more pacey, in-behind attacker, could be useful to bring some versatility to the attack. That could be Levonte Johnson, but he hasn’t shown that killer instinct needed to be a constant threat in the attack at this level.
Overall, the Whitecaps need help in the goal-scoring department. Whether it’s a like-for-like competition for White or simply a different kind of forward, it doesn’t matter. As long as there is someone there that can help the attack, that is all that matters.
Position #3: Direct and Pacey Right Wing-Back
Towards the end of the Secondary Transfer Window of last year, the Whitecaps made a trio of stellar signings of Canadian Men’s National Team players, including midfielder Junior Hoilett, and wingbacks Sam Adekugbe and Richie Laryea. Fast forward almost a year, and only Adekugbe remains, albeit pestered with constant injury issues. While Hoilett’s leaving hadn’t left much of a hole in the team, the loss of Richie Laryea has.
Since switching back to a three-at-the-back midway through the season in 2023, the roles of wingbacks have been crucial to the Whitecaps in both the attack and in the defence. When fit, Adekugbe is up there as one of the best in that left wingback position. With the news that he is likely traveling with the team to St.Louis, hopes are to see him soon return to that form that we were witnessing just a year or so ago. But that still leaves the role of the right wingback.
Sebastian Berhalter, Alessandro Schöpf, and Ryan Raposo have all played on that right side, to varying success. The former two are midfielders, and when the formation shifts into a 4-3-2-1 or a 3-3-1-3 in possession, they are good players given their history being in the middle of the park. But when the game gets stretched and they are forced to play more wide, they sometimes lack the pace or the directness needed to break down the right and attack. And when teams clog up the middle and you need the wide channels to try to break down those blocks, you need those same qualities. That was what Laryea has been so good at for both club and country (as well as winning fouls) and what has been missing from the game of Berhalter and Schöpf. Raposo does have more speed and directness, but he is not one to take on his man and beat his marker.
Whitecaps have, however, made a signing already that could amend this issue. Giuseppe Bovalina is a right-footed wingback that has plenty of energy on the wing and has shown that he is more than willing to attack down his side and try to create something in the final third. The only problem is we have barely seen enough of him to say that he fits the bill that the Whitecaps need. Therefore, if the Whitecaps could find a more experienced wingback with pace and directness, and have Bovalina as the back-up, it could make for a fine pairing.
Other Possible Shouts
The three profiles outlined are the three profiles that the Whitecaps need the most. But that doesn’t mean those are the only ones the ‘Caps could go for. Centre-back could be another area of improvement, especially with Tristan Blackmon injured until Leagues Cup and Ranko Veselinović in some inconsistent form. However, with Bjørn Inge Utvik and Mathías Laborda coming into their own recently, perhaps it is not as essential a position as the others.
Andres Cubas’ absence during the Copa America also demonstrated a dwarf in class for the Whitecaps, especially when defending in transition. The Paraguayan is excellent in breaking down attacks as they are forming and making some crucial tackles when the opposition is on the break, not to mention his superb passing range from deep when on the ball. Berhalter has his own qualities that add to the Whitecaps’ midfield when he is placed as Cubas’ deputy, but he is simply not at the level to do what Cubas does. So perhaps finding a proper back-up for Cubas should be a priority. The only issue with that is that it is very hard to find a player that can do even a fraction of what Cubas can do on the cheap, and who is also happy playing second-fiddle to Cubas.
However, aside from those positions, it seems like there isn’t much more room for improvement for the ‘Caps. That in part goes to show how much this roster has improved over the last few years, with some decent depth pretty much all around. Nevertheless, it is still a roster that can and should be improved, if the Whitecaps are to try to go beyond their past achievements and make a deep run into the play-offs. Which, at this point, with the quality in the team and the progress made under Vanni Sartini, it’s become no longer a pipe dream and now an expectation.
Vancouver Whitecaps got another victory in the Battle of BC, coming away with a narrow first leg lead in their Canadian Championship semi-final showdown with Pacific FC at Starlight Stadium on Wednesday night.
Ryan Gauld’s superb 58th minute header was the difference between the two teams, with both goalkeepers coming up with some important saves to keep their opponents from adding to the scoreboard.
It leaves a tie on a knife-edge, with a tantalising second leg coming up at BC Place in six weeks’ time. The Whitecaps may have the advantage and what could be a crucial away goal, but the Canadian Premier League side will be confident they can cross the Salish Sea and shock their MLS rivals.
Vanni Sartini went with a vert strong line-up for the game, with both Gauld and Brian White starting up front. With the three Canadians rule in effect, they were joined by Levonte Johnson up front, with Ralph Priso sliding into the middle, and Isaac Boehmer starting in goal in a 3-4-3 formation.
Not that they needed any reminding, but Forge’s win over Toronto an hour or so earlier, reiterated just how up for it the CPL sides would be in these two semi-finals. Pacific looked to come out fast in this one, trying to get the early breakthrough and put the ‘Caps immediately on the back foot, while Vancouver knew how important an away goal or two would be for the two-legged tie. A clean sheet to boot would be a perfect night at the office.
The game flowed back and forth in the fast-paced opening exchanges, with both teams having looks on goal without really testing either keeper.
Four minutes later and another Whitecaps corner caused more problems, running through everyone and bouncing around the six yard box before it was cleared.
Vancouver kept the pressure on and Emil Gazdov made his first save of the evening to keep out a Gauld shot.
Johnson had the first real chance to break the deadlock, flicking on a Gauld corner to the near post in the 15th minute, but his effort landed on top of the net.
Pacific forced a corner just past the half hour mark when the ball was played in to Josh Heard at the near post, forcing a coming together with Boehmer, with the ball bouncing off the ‘Caps keeper and out.
Heard had an even better chance in the 42nd minute. The ball came to him in front of goal, but after not taking it first time, he took too many touches to try and get a shot off. With so much Whitecaps traffic then in front of him, it deflected for a corner.
The game finally opened up again in the closing minutes of the first half.
Sebastian Berhalter had a shot blocked in the box in the 44th minute. The rebound fell to Johnson, who could only look on in anguish as his shot was cleared off the Pacific line by Thomas Meilleur-Giguere.
The home side immediately broke and Heard tore forward, only to be brought down by Bjorn Inge Utvik, who picked up a yellow card, with the home side asking for more.
Scoreless at the half, Pacific would have been the far happier side. A 0-0 draw may not be exciting, but it would set them up nicely for the second leg. Going into that game at BC Place with a lead, would be even more ideal.
It was the Whitecaps that had the first chance of the second half in the 49th minute, with White rising to superbly meet a Berhalter cross in from the left, but his header was expertly turned away by Gazdov.
The ‘Caps were looking the more likely team to break the deadlock and it came in the 58th minute.
Andres Cubas was almost dispossessed by Reon Moore just inside the Pacific half but he recovered well to keep the ball for Vancouver. A few moments and passes later and Mathias Laborda whipped a ball in from the right win with pinpoint placement onto the head of Gauld, whose delightful head flick guided the ball past Gazdov and into the far corner, and the Whitecaps had the lead.
GOAL #VWFC strike first in this 2024 TELUS #CanChamp clash as Ryan Gauld catches @PacificFCCPL goalkeeper Emil Gazdov with a great flick-on header
Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/AbosRBeoiD
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 11, 2024
It was the away goal and cushion the ‘Caps craved but they couldn’t just sit back and defend it, and they knew Pacific would start to take the game to them in return.
Pacific sub Ayman Sellouf brought a save out of Boehmer in the 70th minute, before the ‘Caps keeper was called into action four minutes later to deny Steffen Yeates’ shot, after he collected the ball from a corner.
The home side kept the pressure on from the subsequent corner and Cedric Toussant curled one narrowly wide.
Boehmer came up with a big save of Sellouf in the 84th minute, smothering the ball with Pacific players waiting to pounce on any rebound.
That was to be it for Pacific and the ‘Caps saw the game out securing their three main objectives for the evening – a win, an away goal, and a clean sheet. Now they head into the second leg incredibly in six weeks time, with an advantage, albeit one that can be wiped out any second with a Pacific goal.
For Pacific, they are still very much in this tie. Cavalry went to BC Place and shocked the Whitecaps, but it wasn’t enough after giving up two goals in the first leg. The islanders will use that as full motivation that it can be done again, this time successfully for the CPL side.
It’s all set up to be a cracker on August 27th.
FINAL SCORE: Pacific FC 0 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 5,103
SCORING SUMMARY:
58’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (Mathías Laborda)
STATS:
Possession: PAC 39.2% – VAN 60.8%
Shots: PAC 12 – VAN 18
Shots on Goal: PAC 5 – VAN 5
Saves: PAC 3 – VAN 5
Fouls: PAC 10 – VAN 7
Offsides: PAC 0 – VAN 2
Corners: PAC 4 – VAN 6
BOOKINGS:
45’ – VAN – Bjørn Inge Utvik
71’ – VAN – Brian White
82’ – PAC – Cedric Toussaint
PACIFIC: Emil Gazdov; Kunle Dada-Luke, Juan Quintana, Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Eric Lajuenesse; Pierre Lamothe (Aymen Sellouf 67’), Sean Young, Cedric Toussaint; Steffan Yates; Reon Moore (Dario Zanatta 80’), Josh Heard (Georges Mukumbilwa 71’) [Substitutes not used: Sean Melvin, Paul Amedume, Zachary Bahous, Andrei Tircoveanu]
VANCOUVER: Isaac Boehmer; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Sebastian Berhalter, Ralph Priso (Pedro Vite 64’), Andrés Cubas (Jeevan Badwal 88’), Alessandro Schöpf (Giuseppe Bovalina 64’); Ryan Gauld (Damir Kreilach 75’), Brian White, Levonte Johnson (Belal Halbouni 88’) [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Fafa Picault]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“I think it played out the kind of game that we expected. This season in the CPL, Pacific is one of the more solid defensive teams, and they had this attitude today too, playing very compact, very low and they were trying to counter. I think in the first half we were too stubborn in trying to do something that was very difficult, and so at the end of the first half we told the guys that we should have played more balls in behind to threaten more. It paid off almost immediately, to be honest, because we had a great chance with Brian [White] and Emil [Gazdov] made that fantastic save. And then with another ball in the box, we scored the goal. I think we won, deservedly so, but the game was very tight, very intense and it’s always hard to come here and play. I’m satisfied with the effort of tonight.”
On defending the Voyageurs Cup:
“Tonight, the main thing was that we are three games away, now two games away, from winning another trophy. It was imperative tonight to do the job to set us up perfectly for the second leg. We did a good job and that was the main motivation. The other thing is that even if it’s a semifinal, it’s also a derby and every time we come here it’s always a little special. They [Pacific], of course, give 110% instead of 100% so that’s the way we motivate our players. And to be honest, in terms of effort, being concentrated, doing the right things, [it] has been really good and I’m really satisfied with the effort.”
GOALKEEPER ISAAC BOEHMER
On the match:
“It’s all about focus. Every ball we played, we refocused for everything and we showed it in the 90 minutes that we were ready for it. We never thought that it was going to be easy, but we just came, we did what we had to do, and we’re ready for the second leg.”
On returning to Pacific FC where he played on loan:
“It’s nice, I was here three years ago. It was a nice time in my career, we won a championship here. That was special. It’s nice to come here and get my first clean sheet with the team.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian national team, Copa America, and Euro 2024 chat, and we’re joined this week by Felipe Vallejo to talk about it all.
We start on the international stage and the big story of the week as Canada reached the semi-finals of Copa America. We look at the big win against Venezuela, why they have nothing to fear and nothing to lose against Argentina, and discuss which players’ stock has gone up the most with their performances at the tournament.
Keeping the Copa chat going, Felipe tells us about his trip to San Jose to see Colombia take on Brazil, we round up the rest of the action around the tournament, the US media meltdown after crashing out, the bizarre refereeing at the tournament, and get angry at some horrible camera angles.
Moving on to the domestic game, we look at the Whitecaps seven-point week, the latest point gained in Montreal, and the ever-tightening Western Conference standings. Plus we look ahead to the latest BC derby in the Canadian Championship as the Whitecaps head over to the island to take on Pacific in their semi-final first leg.
All of this plus we look at the continued disappointments at Euro 2024, Cork band The Frank and Walters continue as Album of the Month, and we’ve a Dutch Euros song in Wavelength.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.09: Intro – get better soon Marshall
06.50: Canada’s historic march to Copa semis
45.52: Felipe’s Copa road trip
54.39: More Copa America chat
79.00: This Week In Whitecapsland 1974
83.50: Whitecaps draw in Montreal as West tightens up even more
107.50: Pacific vs Whitecaps III – a preview
121.10: Wavelength – Football Poet – Hollandse Glorie
124.50: Euro 2024 continues to disappoint
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We’re back with another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure and forget about the Summer of Love, this is the Summer of Sexy Football, with Euro 2024 and Copa America set to entertain, enthrall, and capture our imaginations over the next month.
Episode 87 is a 45 minute show talking Whitecaps and Canada, as we look ahead to Vancouver in Montreal, their excellent midweek win against Minnesota, and the national team trying to make more history against Venezuela. With audio from Vanni Sartini, Brian White, Ryan Gauld, and Jesse Marsch.
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Vancouver Whitecaps made is back-to-back wins, and six points taken from Western Conference opposition, with an assured 3-1 victory at Minnesota United on Wednesday.
The Whitecaps came out fast and were two up after only 17 minutes, when Brian White continued his goalscoring ways after his hat-trick at the weekend and Matias Laborda headed home a second. Five minutes of madness and almost self-destructions let the Loons back into things, with a poorly marked goal from Bongokuhle Hlongwane, throwing the home side a lifeline.
A 20-yard blast from Sebastian Berhalter restored Vancouver’s two-goal lead and after that there was no looking back for the visitors, who were led from the front by captain Ryan Gauld and his three assists.
Vanni Sartini made only two changes to his starting line-up from the team that saw off St Louis at the weekend, with the fresh legs of Ranko Veselinovic coming in to the back three and Alessandro Schopf coming in to the midfield, as the ‘Caps lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. Minnesota were down to the bare bones with players out injured and away on international duty.
The home side were coming in to this one on a five game winless streak and four straight defeats. It felt like the perfect time to make the trip to Minnesota and the Whitecaps came out fast and strong, opening the scoring in the 4th minute.
On Saturday it was former Whitecap Jake Nerwinski who helped out his former side with a pair of assists, tonight it was the turn of Michael Boxall.
The Kiwi inexplicably attempted to play a pass back to his keeper Alec Smir, who was making his MLS debut. Leaving it short, Gauld gratefully pounced on the opportunity, playing the ball inside to White, who made no mistake from a few yards out.
Started where Brian ended the last match Assisted by Gauld
https://t.co/Ax0G3rcFGe #VWFC | #MINvVAN pic.twitter.com/bD064UkLQy
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 4, 2024
The goal not only gave the ‘Caps an early lead, but it also write White’s name further in the Vancouver history books by becoming the all-time leading MLS scorer for the Whitecaps.
The visitor’s excellent start was to get better in the 17th minute.
Gauld played a corner short to Sebastian Berhalter, who returned it back for the Scot to whip in a pinpoint cross for Laborda to convincingly run between two defenders and head home.
Just like they drew it up Gauld's second assist of the night finds Laborda's head, who smashes it home!
https://t.co/Ax0G3rcFGe #VWFC | #MINvVAN pic.twitter.com/3FV3Mc1MA7
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 4, 2024
The Whitecaps were in dreamland. Two up early and the complete opposite performance from Saturday’s game. But then things continued to play out in reverse as Vancouver tried their best to allow Minnesota back into the game, before eventually doing just that.
Minnesota had upped a gear and some loose play from Yohei Takaoka saw the ball taken off his foot in the 25th minute just to the left of his box. With the goal gaping, the ball was played to Robin Lod in front of goal but his weak shot was easily blocked by Veselinovic.
The home side kept the pressure on and referee Victor Rivas threw them a lifeline when he pointed to the spot moments later for an apparent handball on Bjorn Inge Utvik. No replays seemed to show a definitive angle either way, so the call on the pitch stood and Minnesota had a penalty.
Up stepped Joseph Rosales and his poor penalty was expertly turned away by Takaoka, but Minnesota were to pull one back from the resultant corner when the ball was headed on to Hlongwane in the six yard box and the South African made no mistake in drilling the ball home to reduce the deficit.
BIG STOP @yohei_takaoka41#VWFC | #VANvMIN pic.twitter.com/COul0yOqkl
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 4, 2024
Bongi pulls one back for @MNUFC pic.twitter.com/9n84ImdiDl
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 4, 2024
Poor defensive play by Vancouver and a poor five minute spell in general and they were now in a battle.
Lod had a great chance to put Minnesota back on level terms in the 42nd minute, racing in on goal but firing his shot into the side netting.
The home side had another couple of half chances before the half ended but Vancouver went in with the narrow lead.
It was a lead that was immediately put under pressure to start the second half, with the ‘Caps surviving a couple of close calls. But survive they did and they increased their lead, somewhat against the run of play, on the hour mark.
Once again it was Gauld pulling the strings, grabbing a hat-trick of assists as he played the ball inside for Berhalter to blast home a beauty in off the post from 20 yards out. This was the second time in Gauld’s career that he put up at least a hat-trick of assists performance, with a four assist outing for Dundee United against Partick Thistle back in 2013.
CLUTCH!!! Berhalter finishes first time another set up by Gauld
https://t.co/Ax0G3rcFGe #VWFC | #MINvVAN pic.twitter.com/faLV1C7v0M
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 4, 2024
A trio of subs and seemingly happy with their renewed two goal advantage, Minnesota made all the running.
Takaoka came up with a big save from Hlongwane, after some nice, quick build-up play from the Loons.
After that, Minnesota huffed and puffed in the closing minutes, but Vancouver weren’t really in too much danger due to some good defending and poor finishing and delivery and came away with a big three points.
In the grand scheme of things, this could be a massive result. A six point swing against a Western rival, one that moves them above Minnesota and two points clear of the Loons, who now sink to 8th. It’s a victory that also sees Vancouver move back up to 4th, but in the crazy tightness that this conference is, that sees them nine points off third (albeit with a game in hand) but just four points above the playoff line.
July is a grueling month for the ‘Caps. Eight games in three different competitions and a friendly. Every point is crucial and getting the rest the talismanic Gauld for a little bit towards the end of this one is very welcome. After two unconvincing performances after the international break, it feels that Vancouver have their mojo back. Now they need to milk it for all its worth.
FINAL SCORE: Minnesota United 1 – 3 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 19,684
SCORING SUMMARY:
4’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Gauld)
17’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda (Ryan Gauld, Sebastian Berhalter)
30’ – MIN – Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Hassani Dotson)
60’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter (Ryan Gauld, Alessandro Schöpf)
STATS:
Possession: MIN 55% – VAN 45%
Shots: MIN 17 – VAN 6
Shots on Goal: MIN 4 – VAN 4
Saves: MIN 0 – VAN 2
Fouls: MIN 13 – VAN 13
Offsides: MIN 2 – VAN 2
Corners: MIN 6 – VAN 5
BOOKINGS:
13’ – MIN – Jeong Sang-bin
23’ – MIN – Alejandro Bran
28’ – VAN – Brian White
39’ – MIN – Michael Boxall
45’+4 – VAN – Ryan Gauld
81’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda
90’+6 – MIN – Jordan Adebayo-Smith
MINNESOTA: Alec Smir; Devin Padelford, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall; Joseph Rosales, Alejandro Bran (Franco Fragapane 62’), Hassani Dotson, Caden Clark (D.J. Taylor 62’); Robin Lod, Sang Bin Jeong (Jordan Adebayo-Smith 73’), Bongokuhle Hlongwane [Substitutes not used: Zarek Valentin, Morris Duggan, Moses Nyeman]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Alessandro Schöpf (Giuseppe Bovalina 88’), Pedro Vite (Ralph Priso 62’), Sebastian Berhalter, Luís Martins (Javain Brown 63’); Ryan Gauld (Fafà Picault 75’), Brian White, Levonte Johnson (Ryan Raposo 63’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Joe Bendik, Belal Halbouni, Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the performance:
“Yeah, I agree with you. We’ve been the best team for the entirety of the game and unfortunately, it’s a lesson that we need to learn, when Yohei [Takaoka] made that mistake that we almost concede a goal and we didn’t concede a goal, we went crazy for 10 minutes and we concede a penalty and ever on the corner kick where we conceded the goal, we did two silly mistakes of positioning ourselves that we never do and I think that we went into an emotional crisis like say everything was going perfectly and then Yohei made that mistake. So I told the guys at the end of the first half we need to keep playing, keep playing, we are the better team on the field, we need to take risks, we didn’t have that cause we made the mistake, now we kick the ball and then now we’re there defending. So that’s how we came on in the second half and we deservedly-so scored the third goal. Then, I think we didn’t risk until minute 75 and then at the end I think we were a little tired because we’re a little short in terms of playing two games Saturday-Wednesday, we were unable anymore to press high so we had to defend in the box but we defended very well in the box and we went away with a win so I’m really happy.”
On Gauld’s hat-trick of assists:
“He’s an all-star, it’s our captain, our leader, our player, and the idea was let’s try to keep him on the field 90 minutes and then we’ll see in Montréal. Luckily, we were able to give him a little bit of 20 minutes rest so I’m very happy cause probably he’ll start in Montréal too but don’t tell him cause he thinks he’s going to get a day off.”
ATTACKING MIDFIELDER RYAN GAULD
On the game:
“It was a bit of a wild game. I think we started really good, obviously, we got a two-goal lead and then I think we let them back in it more than taking control of the game. We just had a shaky couple of minutes. The penalty – and then obviously Yohei saves it, and then they score off the corner to completely open the game back up. But I think, second half, we knew that they would have to go for it a little bit and leave the game open and thankfully we’ve managed to grab a third.”
On his performance and MLS All-Star selection getting him attention from around league:
“Obviously, it’s nice to have been called-up for that but speaking of the performance, it’s funny cause you can see, obviously, you look at the stats I got three assists but I don’t actually think I played anywhere near my level, I gave the ball away a lot, I didn’t get on it as much, and I missed easy passes. You can look at the getting three assists and that, but I feel like I could have played better. There’s more than I can do to help the boys.”
FORWARD BRIAN WHITE
On finding form over the last two matches:
“Yeah, I think as a forward anytime you can see the ball hit the back of the net, especially in back-to-back games, I think it’s something you can try to build off of and it helps to build confidence. But like I’ve said before, I always try to go into the game confident, try to get – do what I can to help the team – and yeah, it makes it a little bit easier when you’re scoring goals and people see that kind of contribution on the stats sheet but I think if I can continue to work hard for the team, run in behind, make life difficult for centre backs then we can keep pushing things forward.”
MINNESOTA UNITED
HEAD COACH ERIC RAMSAY
On assessing the match…
“It is a very difficult one to sum in the sense that in the grand scheme of this difficult run that we are on, and the circumstances that surround it, there are big elements of that performance that are looking close to where we were when we were at our best pre-internationals, and the strengths and circumstances, so that’s what makes this is disappointing because where you feel like you really need a turn of luck in your favor and the players need something to cling on to. To an extent they’ve given themselves a platform to find that tonight with the volume of chances they’ve created, but there’s no way of looking at the game other than we’ve given ourselves a really mountain to climb in the opening stages of the game, and I would also say very early on in this because it is very important to do so. [Michael] Boxall has been absolutely top for the course of this year. He’s played injured in the last month or so, he has really put his body on the line, and he’s been a top performer, outstanding since I’ve been here. I think that is a completely isolated instance so I feel for him in that sense because it makes the game difficult, but I would say we showed some real signs of life after that we continued to show some real signs of life as the game went on, and now with us nearing the point in which we have some players returning there is some light at the end of what feels like a very long tunnel then I can live with that.”
On what needs to change to get the team out of this slump…
“To be honest it’s to an extent now as simple as welcoming players back from injuries,welcoming players back from internationals, and getting back to how we felt prior to all thishaving taken place, and that is a very realistic take on this situation. Obviously, we look at this period with real regret and real disappointment that we haven’t picked up points that perhaps we could or should have done. But ultimately there’s a big set of circumstances around that which has made that really difficult and those set of circumstances are about to come to an end and we are about to hit a period where players return, we can freshen things up, we can take some minutes off guys that really have probably taken themselves to a limit and we are approaching the transfer window so there’s a lot of stuff for us to cling as to as a staff as I’ve said or repeated over the course of this little run if we felt that we were absolutely at our limit and the club was pushing on all fronts that we are firing on all cylinders in the perspectives of player availability and right at the limit and these results it would be tough to swallow.
Obviously that isn’t the case for us so I’m always trying to keep that in mind and making sure that I’m balancing how I speak to the players and balancing how I speak to you guys and conversations I have with myself I suppose so it is not an easy situation and we look back tonight and really disappointed with ourselves because that is a winnable game and every statistic you look at will tell you that on the back of that performance so it is a real double edged sword I would say about tonight.”
On his initial coaching points on the set piece concession…
“I thought I would say that’s a theme across the three goals are the goals that you really hope not to give away, and you shouldn’t give away make life incredibly difficult in the set play obviously we’ve given a lot of space in the box away as the ball has been sent back that was supposed to be delivered in that respective of circumstances that is certainly not a good enough and that is what the players will look back and be very self-critical and obviously we will really look at ourselves in the sense that as whether we push that enough and will certainly push the players on it so I would say each of the three goals is so frustrating to see and when you couple that with the chances we’ve missed and not taken that makes it a very frustrating night.”
On the chances the team created and what can be improved to finish the chances…
“That’s a real positive tonight. Objectively that is a step back toward where we were, previous to this little spell we are in now. We typically were a team, definitely at home that created a load of chances, in the way that we were creating chances tonight and doing in a very systematic way. I think you can look two things of course, the quality in which those players are taking those chances and of course we show a lack of composure, lack of cleanness, lack of precision, but you can also put pretty cleanly on the table as well that we are missing our number 9s at the moment. That is largely who you look to in those situations. I am trying to balance the fact that we have to be critical, we have to look at ourselves, we have to push. I have to be critical, but I can’t be too frustrated given our situation, because there is a very quick fix just around the corner in that sense. We will welcome Teemu [Pukki] and Tani [Oluwaseyi] back when the time comes and of course we will push Bongi [Hlongwane] and Sang Bin [Jeong] and the players around those guys to really improve in front of goal. That is our job and I’m sure those players would say that too.”
On his thoughts on the team’s defensive solidity…
“I don’t think we gave away nearly the number of chances that we have done in recent weeks. That I would say is partly to do with how we attacked, how we sustained the attacks, how we played the game, largely in the opposition’s half which has obviously been a problem for ours over the course of the last four or five games. You’ve got to take the game as a whole in that sense. We haven’t given up really good quality chances in any sense today, obviously each of the three goals you look at as being very, very avoidable. So, that again is a step forward. This is why it’s a really difficult one to talk about, a difficult one to feed back to the players because they are relative to where we’ve been in this little period. Some big steps forward today, but ultimately we have lost the game and we should have won the game and there is a lot we can pick up on and be grateful around so it’s a tough one.”
On his thoughts about goalkeeper Alec Smir…
“Alec [Smir] was steady, he wasn’t called upon on many occasions I wouldn’t say. I don’t think he was really tested but certainly looked like a steady presence. I’m not going to level any criticism at him at all in this situation, to come in really difficult circumstances, made his debut in MLS, and the team has largely performed well, relatively solid in front of him. Yeah, solid.”
On if Vancouver’s third goal was a spatial or awareness issue…
“No, that’s not quite the case. Devin’s [Padelford] given the ball away or sort of cleared short of where you want to clear and the balls dropped in a position where we’ve not got players covering the space. It’s probably not quite along those lines but a disappointing goal to give away. I don’t think from that distance you’d expect to give a goal away like that so it’s a combination of us not probably getting really good pressure on the ball and reacting to the ball turning over and then perhaps on another day Alec [Smir] does better but again I’m keen not to criticizing him because he’s had a really steady night.”
On Alejandro Bran playing for Costa Rica yesterday and starting for Minnesota United today…
“That’s the situation we’re in unfortunately. We felt like Alejandro [Bran] with the number of minutes he played last night and the minutes he’s played over the course of the tournament he could come in and give us some fresh legs. We’re obviously at this point in time really desperate for something to cling onto in that sense. I stand by that decision, he had some really good moments in the game, perhaps you’d say at points maybe looked a little bit leggy but that’s expected given the circumstances. It was a choice between Moses [Nyeman] playing consecutive games at a really high level, having really run himself into the ground the other day or welcoming Alejandro back with fresh legs to an extent. Albeit a strange set of circumstances I would certainly make that decision again and Alejandro had some good moments.”
On Joseph Rosales penalty and if the players decided who would take it…
“That’s the players having decided that. I wouldn’t have big problems with Jo [Joseph Rosales] taking the penalty. Obviously you see he is a player with a high-level technical ability, he strikes the ball well with composure and confidence.”
On the transfer window opening soon and wanting to get reinforcements early in the
window…
“Of course. I don’t think anyone would look at it any differently. We really suffered over the course of the last five games or so, and in some senses through a really strange set of circumstances maybe that lots of MLS clubs aren’t living or haven’t lived to this extent. When you take into consideration the absences, the injuries, the suspensions, the transfers out ahead of the window opening, we – everyone at the club is on the same page – would like to do some business relatively quickly in order to give us that sense of reinforcements coming. We want to have good players coming through and I’m sure everyone behind the scenes will be working really hard to make sure that happens.”
GOALKEEPER ALEC SMIR
On the buildup for today…
“It was just exciting to realize this moment would come for me. Just excitement and just trying to prepare in every way I can to be ready for tonight.”
On how he felt throughout the game with adversity early in the game…
“It was a tough start, but I just enjoyed it. I just tried to have a good time, be present, and enjoy the moment. Felt good to be out there.”
On it just being another game…
“In the beginning, obviously a little hectic and a lot going on, and a tough start. I felt great, very comfortable. We’ll have to go back and look at the goals, but I felt good.”
On this experience at Allianz Field compared to the 2022 All-Star Game appearance…
“A little different but this one was really exciting. It’s awesome to play in front of our fans and have that experience at home for my MLS debut, it was amazing.”
On how many games he’ll have to play before the media stop bringing up goalie wars…
“We’ll see. I enjoyed it. It was a great experience and I love that that’s kind of my catch phrase. It’s awesome.”
On plans with his debut jersey or patch…
“We’ll keep the patch, keep the jersey eventually, try to grab a ball and the gloves, maybe. Just try to keep the memento of the night, lots of pictures and videos, it was great.”
On catching up with Sebastian Berhalter…
“He [Sebastian Berhalter] went to UNC [University of North Carolina] where we shared the field for about a year before he left. He’s a great guy. He scored a fantastic goal, so I was giving him a tough time for that. But it was a great goal and good to see him, great guy. He apologized because he knew it was my debut, feels bad. But at the same time, happy for him, it was a great finish.”
DEFENDER MICHAEL BOXALL
On dropping three points…
“It’s just a tough game to reflect on when obviously we came in on a tough spell, a tough period like we have in the moment. We start the game with me just gifting them a goal and that kind of sucks the energy out of the stadium, out of our team, and any momentum you’re trying to get going forward just kind of disappears. Everyone else working hard creating chances, but tonight, that’s 100 percent on me. We’re at the point where we need to be fighting tooth and nail and scrapping every time we can to stay in games. We can’t be just be gifting and doing shitty plays like I did to start the game.”
On his pass that led to Vancouver’s first goal…
“With Alec [Smir] in goal, [I] just kind of missed one that he could hit first time. At this point you don’t need to be overthinking, just do the simple shit right. I feel for Alec because it’s his debut, he’s really done nothing wrong tonight. He works hard at training every day and deserves this opportunity and for me to start off like that… Yeah, I feel for him.”
On changes needed to turn games around…
“Me not doing what I did tonight. You look at so many of the games and for large these games where there’s been a couple games where decisions haven’t gone our way, the rub of the green hasn’t gone our way. Austin [FC] at home, the first 15 minutes or so of the Portland [Timbers] game where we’re sort of fighting and scraping. We need to organize, a few bodies came back from international duty but we just have to keep scraping on both ends. Defensively, do my part and lead and be a bit more ruthless defending our goal. If we’re staying in games for awful longer, then I know the guys up top are going to put one of those chances away. Once we have the lead then we’re in a different ball game. We just keep fighting.”
On the mentality of the team…
“It doesn’t feel like that. After today, all fingers should be pointed at me. I don’t think anyone else really made glaring mistakes that led us to not putting up points tonight. The overall mood is positive even after dropping points so late in Portland. The trainings, everyone has been positive and coming into today’s game. But it just changes in the first five minutes when that first goal goes in.”
On if players are also looking forwards to possible transfers to bring into the team…
“Possibly yeah, I mean, that’s above my pay grade. I’m sure Eric [Ramsay] would like some decision headaches on who he’s putting in the lineup, but that’s above me. If we can get guys healthy and guys from international duty and whoever comes I’m sure. We got the front office doing their job to continually improve the squad. We got to get core, and we obviously got an incredible fan base who through the thin of it the last month or so they’re still being super supportive, and are grateful for the crowd that we get here.”
On his feelings about losing multiple games in a row…
“I haven’t really been counting but it feels like a long time, obviously longer than what we’re used to, particularly some of the home games where it feels like they’re stashed away from you. It’s close but we’re just not quite getting it done. We have to keep working, hopefully a few guys come back and get back on track.”
On what he thinks it’s going to take to finish chances on goal…
“I mean if I saw those chances in any other game, I’m expecting at least two or three of those to go in when you see what my team does at training week in and week out. It would be a completely different mindset if we were giving up goals and then weren’t creating those chances. The fact that we are and we’ve been defensively tight, we can get back to how we were and turn this corner.”
On if it was one of the younger players who had a rough night, what would he say…
“I don’t know, I mean as a young player you’re expected to make mistakes because that’s how you learn but I’m old as shit, I shouldn’t be doing that.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian national team, Copa America, and Euro 2024 chat. Near, far, wherever you are, the football keeps coming and so do the podcasts, and we’re joined by Harjeet Johal this week to talk about it!
The Whitecaps got back to winning ways against St Louis in MLS action on Saturday night. We pick over the good, the bad, and the ugly from a match was an emotional rollercoaster as a tough four-game road spell looms. Plus we look at the likelihood that BC Place is getting grass for the Wrexham friendly, the continuing demise of Canadian media as the Whitecaps seek a new radio deal, and Fafa Picault wants away from the club, or does he?
Turning our attention to the international stage, we chat about Canada’s historic qualification for the knockout rounds at Copa America, round-up some of the rest of the action from the tournament, sadly deal with more online abuse for Canadian players, and hear from head coach Jesse Marsch. Plus are the crowds and ticket prices at Copa a concern for the World Cup here in 2026?
All of this plus we look at the drama and the disappointments at Euro 2024, Cork band The Frank and Walters are our new Album of the Month, and on the day that they depart the Euros, we’ve a Belgium anthem in Wavelength.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.18: Intro
03.43: Whitecaps fight back to see off St Louis
53.40: Does Fafa Picault want away from Vancouver?
61.35: BC Place getting grass pitch for Wrexham game?
69.26: Whitecaps looking for new radio deal as Canadian media crumbles
81.29: This Week In Whitecapsland and the World Cup 1974
86.10: Euro 2024 chat
116.00: Wavelength – Omdat Het Kan & Average Rob – On Met La Patate
121.00: More Euro 2024 chat
130.31: More Canadian players abused online
137.18: Canada’s historic advancement at Copa
153.52: Jesse Marsch audio
158.40: Copa America round-up
164.37: Are Copa crowds and ticket prices a cause for concern for WC 2026?
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps found themselves two down and in turmoil just 12 minutes into their match with visiting St Louis City at BC Place on Saturday evening, but it was to be all White on the night for the home side after a Brian White hat-trick and a 90th minute match-winner Fafa Picault gave the ‘Caps three hugely important points.
A Njabulo Blom banger and an Eduard Löwen penalty had seen St Louis come out flying before giving up four unanswered goals. The visitors had fallen out of the game as an attacking threat for the last hour and Nökkvi Thórisson’s stoppage time goal made the scoreline more respectable than it probably should have been.
Vanni Sartini made five changes to the team that went down to a lacklustre defeat down in Portland last weekend, with two changes to his back three, as the Whitecaps lined up in an attack-minded 3-4-3 formation.
St Louis came into this one a side very much out of form. Even moreso than Vancouver. You wouldn’t have known it with their fast start.
The Whitecaps defence were on the back foot and under pressure early, and after a few scrambles in the box they found themselves behind just seven minutes in when Blom blasted one home from 20 yards out.
Yohei Takaoka was beaten at the near post by a shot he really should have kept out, but it looked like the ‘Caps were going to get a reprieve when referee Mark Allatin was called over for a video review for a possible foul.
After a lengthy overall review, Allatin felt Anthony Markanich hadn’t pushed down Sebastian Berhalter in the box and the goal stood.
Njabulo Blom scores his first goal of the season to give CITY the early lead.
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/fGwvb4rmfR pic.twitter.com/M2WLwIkoff
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2024
A bad start for Vancouver, but worse was to quickly come when Javain Brown was deemed to have blocked a shot with his arm in the 11th minute and the visitor’s had a penalty.
Up stepped Loewen and the St Louis captain drilled the ball into the bottom right corner, just evading the gloves of a diving Takaoka.
Eduard Löwen buries it to double the lead for @stlCITYsc. pic.twitter.com/UlpJCwH3D9
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2024
Two down 12 minutes in, the ‘Caps were in a hole.
They finally got a foothold in the game and should have pulled one back in the 17th minute when Levonte Johnson got onto a Ryan Gauld cross but his shot was superbly turned away by Ben Lundt in the St Louis goal.
Johnson had another chance just before the half hour mark, rising to get onto a Ryan Raposo cross but heading over.
St Louis almost made it three in the 31st minute, but Takaoka denied John Klein from point blank range.
The ‘Caps were given a lifeline in the 37th minute when White got onto a long ball forward and his shot was sent looping into his own net by Jake Nerwinski.
Brian White's shot deflects off the opposing team but still finds the back of the net!
Vancouver cut the visitor's lead in half. pic.twitter.com/yHI4Qlyt7D
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2024
It was White’s 6th goal of the season and Nerwinski’s 7th career Whitecaps assist, his first since 2018!
The Whitecaps took the game to the visitors to start the second half.
Brown crashed a header off a Gauld free kick off the left post in the 52nd minute, with Nerwinski clearing Bjorn Inge Utvik’s header off the line in the subsequent scramble.
Vancouver weren’t to be denied and White brought them level with a sublime back flick goal over the head of Lundt, quickly capitalising on Tomas Totland’s poor control of a dangerous header back from Nerwinski.
Brian White finds the back of the net again and we're all level. pic.twitter.com/hiAX6ViXgS
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2024
St Louis had pretty much fallen out of the game as an attacking threat, so it was no suprise when Vancouver went ahead for the first time on the night in the 61st minute.
And once again it was White that did the damage, rising above everyone to head home a pinpoint Raposo cross.
HATTY!!! Raposo feeds White to put us ahead!
https://t.co/dH2PngtBUN#VWFC | #VANvSTL pic.twitter.com/lWPCQ4uaeD
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 30, 2024
The goal was White’s second hat-trick as a Whitecap, his previous one coming against San Jose in 2021.
Although Vancouver were now running rampant, the game wasn’t put to bed just yet. That was to come in the 90th minute.
Ralph Priso played the ball forward to Luis Martins, who cut it back to Picault. The Haitian international didn’t have the best first touch, but it actually worked in his favour, giving him more room to get off the shot, which he buried with aplomb.
Fafá Picault makes it 4⃣! pic.twitter.com/r4dnk8bvv7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2024
Tails up, Vancouver’s desire to score more left them open at the back and they threw St Louis a lifeline deep into stoppage time.
The visitors tore forward, catching a short-handed Whitecaps out and allowing Thórisson to pull one back, with Takaoka again being beaten at his near post.
Nökkvi Thórisson pulls one back for @stlCITYsc. pic.twitter.com/EWmdNG73H0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 30, 2024
There wasn’t enough time for any more twists in this one and Vancouver saw the game out for a huge three points.
It felt like a must-win game for the Whitecaps, but it was one that only saw them rise up one place in the standings. Two goals down and they had dropped to 10th and out of the playoff places altogether, which is how tight the Western Conference playoff race is right now. Has the ship been steadied? Well with a four-match road spell coming up in league and cup duty, we’ll soon get a better indication.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 4-3 St Louis City
ATT: 24,662
SCORING SUMMARY:
7’ – STL – Njabulo Blom
12’ – STL – Eduard Löwen (penalty kick)
37’ – VAN – Brian White
54’ – VAN – Brian White
61’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Raposo)
90’ – VAN – Fafa Picault (Luís Martins, Ralph Priso)
90’+3 – STL – Nökkvi Thórisson (Indiana Vassilev)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 60.5 %- STL 39.5%
Shots: VAN 14 – STL 10
Shots on Goal: VAN 9 – STL 5
Saves: VAN 2 – STL 4
Fouls: VAN 11 – STL 9
Offsides: VAN 1 – STL 1
Corners: VAN 3 – STL 5
BOOKINGS:
12’ – VAN – Javain Brown
26’ – STL – Anthony Markanich
49’ – STL – Jake Nerwinski
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown (Ranko Veselinović 84’), Mathías Laborda, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ryan Raposo (Fafa Picault 62’), Sebastian Berhalter, Pedro Vite, Luís Martins; Ryan Gauld (Ralph Priso 84’), Brian White, Levonte Johnson (27.Giuseppe Bovalina 72’) [Substitutes not used: Joe Bendik, Isaac Boehmer, Tristan Blackmon, Belal Halbouni, Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau]
ST LOUIS: Ben Lundt; Tomas Totland, Jake Nerwinski, Anthony Markanich (Caden Glover 79’), Akil Watts; Chris Durkin, Njabulo Blom (Hosei Kijima 62’); Indiana Vassilev, Eduard Löwen, John Klein; Nökkvi Thórisson [Substitutes not used:
Christian Olivares; 26.Tim Parker, 33.Tyson Pearce, 80.Brendan McSorely, 99.Jayden Reid
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s ability to come from behind and win the match:
“To be honest, we were two-nothing down, but it wasn’t a comeback of character. It was a comeback of being conscious of being a good team, to keep doing the things that we’re supposed to do. We were always calm and collected with the ball. We got to be honest also, St. Louis were missing some of their best players, so we even helped them at the beginning by scoring those two goals, but we knew that it was a chance for us to be in charge of the game and that’s what we did. We were able to get these three points back that are really important because we are, with two games in hand, potentially fourth. And we go now to play these two important games away, Minnesota and Montréal, a little light-hearted in the sense that instead of we have to win both, we have to do results in both, we want to do results in both but it’s not like the standings look that bad.”
On Brian White’s hat-trick:
“I am very happy for him. I think that everything happened when, after the first goal he scored, even if it was the deflection of Jake, the monkey that was on his shoulder went away. And when the monkey goes away, then you feel that free that even lucky things happen to you, because now you’re that positive and trying to go to score that goal and the second goal is actually like a lucky thing but the third goal is a goal that is a Brian White masterclass, like top of the top of the top. So I hope that it’s going to give him the confidence to smile, because we all love when Brian [White] smiles, and because the importance that he has for this team is astronomical, like I’ve said a million times, it’s not about the goals, it’s about the way that we play and it’s very tied to his quality of this performance and tonight was very, very good at that.”
BRIAN WHITE
On the second goal:
“Yeah, definitely a bit of luck…I was trying to bring the ball with me. Fortunately, it hit off my heel and went over him [St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt]. Take what we can get, right?”
On getting back on the scoresheet:
“No. I think, for me, you have two options, like, it’s really only one option – you just keep going, you keep fighting, you keep trying to improve on the training pitch, you keep trying to get into the good positions, you keep trying to score. That’s the only way out of a bad slump. And just kept going. I had belief for my teammates, the staff, and just kept going, and fortunately I was able to get three tonight.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian national team, Euros 2024, and Copa America chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts, and we’re joined by AFTN writer Felipe Vallejo to talk about it all.
It was a derby day to forget for Vancouver, who hit the self-destruct button in a 2-0 road loss down in Portland. We pick over the bones of that one, delve into the Whitecaps’ current woes as they slide down the standings, and hear the postgame thoughts of Vanni Sartini.
We move on to the international stage and the disappointing travels of Scotland at the 2024 Euros, as they crash out with a whimper. Plus we look at the rest of the tournament so far before turning our attention to Copa America and Canada’s starting loss to Argentina. It’s not been a great footballing week for our teams, but at least Canada were spirited in defeat!
All of this, plus we look at Vancouver FC big weekend loss in CPL action, take you back to 1974, continue our Album of the Month from Heavenly and bring you another Euro 2024 themed song in Wavelength.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.15: Intro – a tribute to Dylon Powley
11.34: Whitecaps self destruct in Portland
44.15: This Week In Whitecapsland and the World Cup 1974
52.28: Vanni Sartini’s thoughts post Portland
59.12: More on the Whitecaps woes
83.42: Scotland’s terrible Euros
100.30: Wavelength – Nick Morgan – No Scotland, No Party
105.24: More Euro 2024 chat
121.21: Copa America round-up
142.55: Vancouver FC and CPL chat
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Portland Timbers extended their unbeaten run to six matches as a 10-man Vancouver Whitecaps hit the self destruct button at Providence Park, going down to a 2-0 defeat and playing most of the second half a man down.
First half goals from Jonathan Rodriguez and Felipe Mora had put the Whitecaps in a deep hole, both coming from defensive misplays. Alessandro Schopf’s sending off eight minutes into the second half made their plight even worse, and although the 10 men managed not to concede any more goals, they also never looked likely to get themselves back into the match and it was a comfortable derby day win for the home side.
Vancouver fell to back-to-back defeats since returning from the international break. Worrying enough, but more so is their descent down the Western Conference standings, where they now sit in ninth position, just hanging on above the playoff line.
After last week’s narrow loss in New England, Vanni Sartini went with some big changes, five in total in his 3-5-2 line-up. White and Damir Kreilach both dropped to the bench with Mathias Laborda slotting into an unfamiliar defensive midfielder role in front of the back three.
Vancouver started lively and had their first chance of the game eight minutes in when Sebastian Berhalter sent a lovely cross in from the right, which Giuseppe Bovalina flashed wide after letting it bounce up awkwardly off the turf.
The ‘Caps were having some early success on that right side with Berhalter and he whipped another good cross into the Timbers box two minutes later, which Fafa Picault met with a diving header, but another unfavourable bounce up couldn’t see him direct his effort on target.
Portland had their best chance so far in the 23rd minute when Mora played a short pass inside to Evander on the edge of the ‘Caps six-yard box, but Javain Brown nipped in with a huge block to avert the danger.
Spurred on by that, the home side forced a couple of saves from Yohei Takaoka at his near post in the subsequent minutes.
Unfortunately for Brown, his good challenge from moments earlier was negated when the Jamaican had an air swipe at a diagonal cross in from Evander and the ball fell perfectly to Rodriguez, who calmly nipped in on goal and tucked it past Takaoka into the far corner.
Jonathan Rodríguez opens the scoring for @TimbersFC!
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/9nBBLm7Hqg pic.twitter.com/QFqGt0dJV7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 23, 2024
It had been a quick counter from the Timbers, who went from just inside their own box to the back of the Whitecaps’ net in just four passes.
The Whitecaps were enjoying some good possession and continuing to cause problems for the Timbers up the right wing, but without the telling crosses in to create real goalscoring opportunities.
Takaoka had to be called into action again in the 37th minute, when he punched away a Santiago Moreno effort from just over 20 yards out.
Vancouver responded with a long range effort of their own from Alessandro Schopf, but he didn’t have the power needed to test James Pantemis.
Portland doubled their lead two minutes before the break. Capitalizing on a poor giveaway from Picault, Moreno threaded the ball through perfectly for Mora to run on to. The Chilean took a touch to make room for himself to blast the ball past Takaoka into the bottom left corner and the Timbers were in total command of this Cascadian derby.
What a finish!
Felipe Mora doubles the @TimbersFC lead! pic.twitter.com/ym9j9ZGi5a
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 23, 2024
The ‘Caps managed to hang on to half time, despite some strong pressure from the home side, and got a chance to regroup and reorganize. That reorganization saw a double sub from Sartini to start the second half with White and Ryan Raposo coming on.
Any boost the Whitecaps hoped to get from the new legs soon came crashing to a halt when Schopf got a second yellow for a stupid pullback in the 53rd minute and the ‘Caps now found themselves two goals down and a man down.
While not wanting to just play for damage limitation, the Whitecaps were struggling to get much attack going, while the Timbers were moving the ball around with ease, utilizing the extra space they now had.
Portland came close to making it three on the hour mark after some quick movement saw Juan Mosquera set up Moreno, but Takaoka came up with the save.
Vancouver’s night went from back to worse when half time sub White had to be replaced after taking an elbow to the side of the head with just under 20 minutes to go. White was down on the turf for a while and left the field bleeding, heading straight to the dressing room after consulting the medical staff on the sideline.
Replaced by Kreilach, the Whitecaps did look more attack minded in the last 15 minutes of the match, without really putting the Timbers defence or Pantemis under too much pressure.
Portland had also been removed as much of an attacking threat and the match fizzled out, leaving the Timbers with three big points that saw them leapfrog over the Whitecaps to sixth in the standings, as Vancouver fell to ninth and looking over their shoulder at the chasing playoff pack.
Vancouver finish the weekend level on points with Seattle, who sit in 10th. With a tough home game coming up, while now missing arguably their best midfield four, followed by a grueling four-game road stretch in league and cup action, the Whitecaps don’t have their troubles to seek. They are simply not looking on a par with the sides in and around them in the table and with no reinforcements able to come in for a few weeks yet, we could be looking at a stretch of matches that could define the team’s season and their manager’s future.
FINAL SCORE: Portland Timbers 2 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 22,471
SCORING SUMMARY:
26’ – POR – Jonathan Rodríguez (Evander, Felipe Mora)
43’ – POR – Felipe Mora (Santiago Moreno)
STATS:
Possession: POR 57.8% – VAN 42.2%
Shots: POR 13 – VAN 7
Shots on Goal: POR 7 – VAN 1
Saves: POR 1 – VAN 5
Fouls: POR 11 – VAN 11
Offsides: POR 1 – VAN 4
Corners: POR 1 – VAN 4
BOOKINGS:
34’ – VAN – Alessandro Schöpf
39’ – VAN – Tristan Blackmon
52’ – VAN – Alessandro Schöpf
60’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
SENDING OFF:
52’ – VAN – Alessandro Schöpf
PORTLAND: James Pantemis; Juan Mosquera, Zac McGraw, Dario Župarić, Claudio Bravo; Diego Chará, David Ayala (Cristhian Paredes 64’); Santiago Moreno (Dairon Asprilla 87’), Evander (Eryk Williamson 87’), Jonathan Rodríguez (Nathan Fogaça 87’); Felipe Mora (Antony 77’) [Substitutes not used: Trey Muse, Eric Miller, Larrys Mabiala]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown (Luís Martins 64’), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Mathías Laborda (Levonte Johnson 77’); Sebastian Berhalter, Pedro Vite, Alessandro Schöpf, Giuseppe Bovalina (Ryan Raposo 46′); Fafa Picault (Brian White 46′) (Damir Kreilach 73’), Ryan Gauld [Substitutes not used: Joe Bendik, Isaac Boehmer, Ralph Priso, Bjørn Inge Utvik]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s performance in the first half:
“I think that we started very well. We were winning the ball high, we were playing the game that you want to play, being very aggressive on the wide side and trying to attack them in behind. We had several chances, those two [early] chances, we were doing well. We had, unfortunately, an easy ball that to clear, unfortunately, Javain [Brown] made a mistake, but that can happen, and we concede the goal and then I didn’t like the next 10 minutes. From the first goal to the end of the first half, I actually really didn’t like it because we kind of became flat. Even though we played well at the beginning, we started to be very, very, I would say even scared. The wide players weren’t pressing that much, the number eights weren’t pressing that much, it was easy for them to get the ball. We were defending well in our final third, but then we weren’t doing anything.”
On takeaway from the match:
“The most important thing is trying to be more confident in ourselves. That’s the word, that’s the big word because after the first goal, the tactical transformation of the team that became a team that was all behind and no one was trying to press, it was something that we need to improve on for sure.”
SEBASTIAN BERHALTER
On the positives from the second half performance:
“I think that, when you look at the effort in the second half, I think it was there from every single guy. Even with ten men, I think we stuck together as a group. You want to win the game, so it can be frustrating but everyone stuck together and that’s a good sign. I know we’re a good group of guys and we’ll be ok.”
PORTLAND TIMBERS
HEAD COACH PHIL NEVILLE
Opening thoughts on the match…
“The second half felt really long and a little bit labored. I said something to [the players] that I’m super super happy with the way that they played everything, but there was a 20-minute period in the first half when I just sat down and just thought ‘this is really good football. This is exactly what I want to see from a Portland Timbers team.’ High press, high aggression, taking the ball, keeping possession of the ball, dynamic in every movement. But that was just the 20 minutes. There was a 15-minute period that started the game and [Vancouver] broke. They had some chances, they counter attacked — which we knew they would. Then there’s the second half where I felt we just turned into a little bit — natural down to 10 men — of individuality, didn’t stick to the game plan. So I always think after wins, I’m looking for perfection. I know I’m not going to get perfection, but if we get just below that, we’re still gonna get excellence. I think that’s the way that we’ve got to keep pushing this group of players. We’re just gonna keep pushing them and I’m happy we took a little leap in the table. Next week we’ve got Minnesota, who are having a fantastic season and I feel as if the team are just beginning to believe. I felt the crowd believe tonight. There’s a good feeling which we want to keep going and there’s a long way to go.”
On if tonight was a convincing, dominant win…
“I think it probably was dominant, but I think the score line wasn’t dominated. If it had been three, four [goals ahead] it would have been dominant and that’s my disappointment. I said to Evander that it’s a game where you probably missed an opportunity to score. Jonathan [Rodríguez] to score two goals. You know, these are games where you’ve got to be really ruthless. That’s what the best teams do. You look at maybe the best team in the Western Conference for the last two or three years, LAFC would have won that by four today. That’s the next step for this team and not just get careless in possession. What we’re learning and they’re beginning to understand me and I’m beginning to understand them and we’re coming together even closer. It was a comfortable victory against a good team and it’s a nice feeling.”
On the importance of the Cascadia rivalry and getting three points against Vancouver…
“I think aside from the MLS three points, I think the Cascadia three points are massive. We’ve not turned up in the previous two [matches] probably. Maybe for 20 minutes up in Vancouver, we did, but against Seattle at home we didn’t turn up and we let the fans down. I know the importance of this game to the supporters. You can see at the end they were celebrating. They really, really love this Cascadia [rivalry]. They tell me that it’s more important than winning MLS. You know what I mean? And I think it’s a really good discussion to have. But I think tonight was a victory for them.”
Cavalry FC and Atlético Ottawa split the spoils on Friday night with a 1-1 draw at Spruce Meadows.
While the hosts got off to a flying start, with Tobias Warschewski knocking in his sixth goal of the season off a second-minute corner kick, the visitors were able to draw level before the end of the first half thanks to a well taken header from captain Alberto Zapater.
Despite both teams boasting their fair number of chances in the second half, neither side was able to find the net a second time, meaning Cavalry and Ottawa produced a 1-1 draw for the second time this season.
“It was a bit of a roller coaster,” said Ottawa’s goalkeeper Nathan Ingham after the match. “We’re super disappointed with how early we conceded. Any time you concede in the second minute, and then you keep it zero for the rest of the game, you’re hitting yourself because (you nearly) did the job to get a clean sheet.”
Cavalry’s goal came so early into the proceedings (108 seconds) that many fans had likely not even taken their seat at ATCO Field before Warscheski got on the end of a ricocheted corner kick at the back post. Despite the tight angle, the German number 9 was able to side-foot the ball into Ingham’s net at the back post.
Nathan Ingham looks back as Tobias Warschewski’s back-post shot rises over his shoulder into Ottawa’s goal. Scott Strasser
“It was a lapse in judgment on a set piece, which was silly,” Ingham said. “We talked about it before the match because we knew set pieces would be something they try to get something off of.
“Transitions and set pieces were what we focused on shutting down and we failed, obviously.”
The early goal gave Cavalry momentum and they played with confidence for the next 15 minutes, keeping the ball mostly in Ottawa’s half. Diego Gutierrez and Shamit Shome were continually winning balls in the midfield against Manny Aparicio and Oliver Bassett, while Cavalry wingers Lleyton Brooks and Warschewski showed plenty of eagerness to chase passes down the flanks.
But Atlético showed why they’ve spent most of the season at the top of the Canadian Premier League table when they drew level in the 39th minute, after winning the ball back deep in Cavalry’s territory.
Left unmarked in the box, Zapater rose high to get his head on a perfectly placed cross from the left from Ruben Del Campo, and his header was aimed perfectly inside of Marco Carducci’s bottom-left corner for the former Zaragoza player’s third goal of the season.
Alberto Zapater celebrates his goal against Cavalry on June 21. Scott Strasser
The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams looking capable of grabbing a winner. Ottawa’s best chance came from Del Campo in the 75th minute, but his shot was blocked by Fraser Aird.
Warschewski could have scored his second of the night, but his 50th-minute shot was parried by Ingham.
“I think (Cavalry) will feel like there were moments they could have won the game, and we feel the same way,” Ingham said. “You could say the same thing about when we met them in Ottawa for the second game of the season.
“I expect more of the same the next time we see them – it’s going to be a battle and it could go either way.”
‘We’re running out of breathing room’
The result keeps Atlético atop the CPL table with a 6-1-4 record and a five-point lead over York United.
But while they’ve still got some breathing room at the top of the standings, Ingham pointed out the team’s recent blip in form, with just five points from their last four matches.
Friday’s result was also a second game in a row without a win for Ottawa, after dropping three points to York the game before.
“We’re running out of breathing room,” he said. “Our form in the last four games hasn’t been very good – two draws, a loss and a win.”
The Ottawa ‘keeper pointed out that, despite their impressive results thus far, Ottawa is still very much in a rebuilding phase as the new-look squad – with 15 new signings this season – continues to gel.
“I feel strongly you haven’t seen our best football, which is no surprise,” he said.
“Fifteen new faces this year, and we’re only 11 games into the season. I’m happy with where we’re at. If you told me at the beginning of the season where we’d be at (right now), I’d be very happy. But that said, if you told me before the last four games how many points we’d get out of it, I’d be very disappointed.”
‘We’re trying to get through a sticky patch’
Cavalry’s representatives in the press conference, meanwhile, appeared less than thrilled with the result.
Head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said it was frustrating to experience yet another draw – remarkably, Cavalry’s eighth of 2024. The defending regular-season champs have a 2-1-8 record and currently sit sixth in the standings.
Wheeldon Jr. cited challenges brought on by the hosts’ injury-ravaged roster, with the likes of Ali Musse, Sergio Camargo, Willy Akio, Bradley Kamdem-Fewo, and Mael Henry unavailable for selection on Friday.
“The reality is we’re kind of spinning our wheels,” he said. “We’re hurting right now in terms of fitness and I think with (Diego Gutierrez and Fraser Aird) coming off, it doesn’t look good.”
While Cavalry is on a 10-match unbeaten run in league play, eight of those games have produced ties – a slate of winless outings that Wheeldon Jr. acknowledged is producing an air of frustration among the Calgary camp.
“We’re trying to get through a sticky patch,” he said. “When you’re playing OK – which is what I think we did – and not losing, it’s a positive. But to be honest, I think we could do better. That for me was not a great performance. It was an OK performance, and that (lies) at my feet as the coach and the coaching staff. Players now have to start chipping in and scoring that second goal.”
‘Let’s lean into them,’ Wheeldon says of youngsters
One consequence of Cavalry’s battered and bruised attacking corps. was an opportunity to give some youngsters playing time on Friday.
In the last 15 minutes, Wheeldon Jr. subbed in 18-year-old Niko Myroniuk and 17-year-old debutant Chanan Chanda, who had just that day been announced as Cavalry’s first “exceptional young talent” signing.
Both youngsters are key members of Cavalry’s U21 team this summer; Chanda currently leads the League 1 Alberta scoring charts, with seven goals to his name.
Chanan Chanda made his CPL debut for Cavalry
And both players demonstrated their hunger throughout their cameos, with Myroniuk in particular drawing some appreciation from the ATCO Field ultras thanks to a couple of deft flicks and passes on the right flank.
Wheeldon Jr. said the eagerness shown by the two teens to impact the match was one of the few positives from a Cavalry perspective.
“These young players play without fear,” he said.
“Young players come in enthusiastic and they lifted the team. Niko added that and I think it was great to see Chanan Chanda. He’s the leading scorer in League 1 Alberta. Let’s lean into them. If you’re going to find out what they’ve got as character, put them in a tight game. They came through with flying colours, so that was a positive.”
Powley remembered
The pre-game festivities included a somber mood on Friday night, with a moment of silence to honour former CPL goalkeeper Dylon Powley. The 27-year-old tragically died in a motorcycle collision on Thursday night in Edmonton.
Powley was a goalkeeper for FC Edmonton and Atlético Ottawa in the early seasons of the CPL, playing 35 games for the two clubs between 2019 and 2021.
He also had ties to Calgary before that, as he was a walk-on member of Wheeldon Jr.’s western conference-winning Foothills FC PDL team in 2016. He also suited up between the sticks for Foothills in 2017.
Dylon Powley in action for Calgary Foothills against TSS Rovers in May 2017
Wheeldon Jr. and Ingham each took a moment during the post-game press conference to reflect on Powley’s impact on the Canadian soccer community.
“I’m devastated for Angela and Craig Powley,” Wheeldon Jr. said.
“Dylon was a wonderful human being. I had the pleasure of watching him play and competing against him and he’s always kept in touch with a lot of our players. I know both sides were heartbroken by the news today and life is precious, so I’d like to send our love and condolences to the Powley family.”
Ingham echoed those sentiments, calling Friday an “emotional day” for both teams.
“Obviously, Dylon spent time here at Foothills and spent time with us in Ottawa as well,” he said. “Anyone who was close to him, I want you to know, there are a lot of people in my life who knew Dylon extremely well and he’s remembered really well.
“If you were friends with him or a family member, you should be really proud of how many people he touched and how many important people in this world, this soccer world, speak highly of him. He’s a big loss, and a lot of people were thinking of him today.”
Dylon Powley in action for Calgary Foothills against TSS Rovers in May 2017
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian national team, Euros 2024, and Copa America chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts, and we’re joined by AFTN writer Felipe Vallejo to talk about it all.
The Whitecaps got back into action after a two week break with a less than inspiring performance in New England, going down to a 3-2 loss. We pick over the bones of that one, discuss the help that the ‘Caps badly need, look at some transfer rumours, and look ahead to this weekend’s match with Portland as the MLS West table tightens up.
Turning our attention to WFC2, we look at their good form of late and bring you two interviews. First up is in-form striker Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau about coming to Vancouver in the MLS draft, his season so far, his hopes for the future, and his somersaulting celebrations. Then we chat with WFC2 head coach Ricardo Clark about his sides good first half of the season, the ethos of the team, and what he’s learned in his first 18 months in charge.
There’s a lot of football on the international stage too and we preview the 2024 Copa America, with Canada set to kick things off against Argentina on Thursday. Can they compete? What would be seen as a good tournament? And we ask Jesse Marsch ow should they approach games against South American opposition. Plus we look at the rest of the groups and chat Euros 2024 after the early action.
All of this, plus we take you back to 1974, continue our Album of the Month from Heavenly and bring you another Euro 2024 themed song in Wavelength.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.14: Intro
06.49: Whitecaps poor in New England loss
33.48: The Whitecaps need help as MLS West tightens up
57.35: Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau interview and discussion
70.57: Ricardo Clark interview and WFC2 discussion
84.31: This Week In Whitecapsland and the World Cup 1974
94.40: Euros 2024 chat
104.35: Copa America preview – does Canada have a chance?
141.35: Wavelength – PG Ciarletta – From Glasgow To Berlin
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure and forget about the Summer of Love, this is the Summer of Sexy Football, with Euro 2024 and Copa America set to entertain, enthrall, and capture our imaginations over the next month.
The upcoming 48th edition of Copa America kicks off on Thursday at 14 stadiums across America and for Canadian fans it doesn’t get any bigger as the country takes on defending champions Argentina in Atlanta. Episode 86 of There’s Still Extra Time takes a look at the Canadian 26-man roster that was revealed today and hears from new CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch ahead of the tournament about the task facing the team and the squad he’s picked.
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New England Revolution found their goalscoring form at the worst possible time for Vancouver Whitecaps, scoring three first half goals to see off their Canadian visitors 3-2 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon.
Noel Buck had fired New England ahead early, with a 20-yard screamer, before Ryan Gauld continued his rich vein of form to bring the Whitecaps level six minutes later. But further goals from Giacomo Vrioni and Esmir Bajraktarevic saw the Revolution go into the half with a 3-1 lead and there was no looking back for the home side after that, who comfortably held on in the second half.
New England could, and should, have added to their goal haul after dominating proceedings after the restart against a visiting Vancouver side that looked a shadow of the road warriors they had been to start the season, and while Gauld’s second of the match, a 25-yard banger deep into stoppage time, reduced the deficit to one, it was too little, too late.
Coming off a two-week break, Vanni Sartini made five changes to the team that took at huge three points of Colorado at BC Place in their last outing, with Ali Ahmed away with Canada and Andres Cubas away with Paraguay at Copa America. The Whitecaps lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Damir Kreilach coming in to lead the line with Brian White and making two changes to his back three.
New England headed into the match with the lowest goals scored tally in MLS, averaging less than one a game, but Sartini expected an under pressure home side to come out hungry and fast, and the Revolution took the game to the visitors from the start, finding the breakthrough just seven minutes in.
Vrioni’s shot from just inside the box was blocked with the rebound falling to Buck, who drilled home a fierce 20-yarder that beat Yohei Takaoka all ends up and flew into the top left corner and the Revs had the early lead.
Noel Buck take a bow son! Absolute banger top bins
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/SNsF3Yqeij pic.twitter.com/24UYdS0QC3
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 15, 2024
New England’s lead lasted just six minutes before Vancouver hit back.
Javain Brown whipped in a lovely cross from the right, perfectly placed for Gauld to stoop and head home the equaliser from just over 12 yards out.
It was the Scot’s 5th goal and 7th goal contribution in his last five league matches, and the Whitecaps were back on level terms.
Vancouver responds in 6 minutes!
Make that five goals in five games for Ryan Gauld
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/SNsF3Yqeij pic.twitter.com/MsxRKHdU2A
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 16, 2024
With their recent form and poor goalscoring record, that goal felt like the ascendancy had swung largely back to the ‘Caps but Caleb Porter’s side picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and retook the lead in the 22nd minute.
Dylan Borrero got the ball in plenty of room and slipped the ball through to Vrioni, who timed his run to perfection, staying onside and tucking the back past Takaoka to make it 2-1 to the Revolution.
We have a goal fest in New England!
Vrioni gives the Revolution the lead again, 2-1! pic.twitter.com/Aa1S23H49h
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 16, 2024
The Whitecaps had a great opportunity to get back on level terms once again in the 35th minute.
Brown once again was causing problems for the New England defence out wide and he got the better of his man to send a low cross into the net post. White got onto it well and tried to poke it home from a few yards out but was denied by a great point blank stop from Revs goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.
It was to prove to be a costly miss, as New England extended their lead with five minutes of the half remaining when Bajraktarevic took a touch inside to make room to get a shot off at the back of the box, with his effort deflecting off the back of Sebastian Berhalter to loop high over Takaoka and into the Whitecaps net.
Oh my, Bajraktarevic! @NERevolution are in dreamland. pic.twitter.com/0HmVQgxqdC
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 16, 2024
That was how things stood at half time, and it was a long road ahead for the Whitecaps in the second half, but they could take some solace from their good away form and some potential game changers on the bench.
Vancouver knew they needed to come out strong in the second half and White had their first look on goal four minutes after the restart, pulling a header wide right.
Borrero saw his fierce strike parried away by Takaoka on the hour mark, with Vrioni curling the rebound past the far post to keep the ‘Caps in the game. Five minutes later and Takaoka was called into action again, acrobatically tipping over a dipping effort from Borrero, as the home side continued to boss the game.
Vancouver sub Giuseppe Bovalina finally brought Ivacic back into the match, with the Revs keeper making a save from the Australian in the 68th minute that he made look much easier than it was. Bovalina had another look on goal in the 79th minute, pulling his effort wide, as the chances for the Whitecaps were becoming few and far between.
Emmanuel Boateng had a shot in the 90th minute that was easily saved by Takaoka and with the game seemingly set to fizzle out in the four minutes of stoppage time, Gauld reduced the deficit from nowhere in the dying embers of the match, blasting home a beauty from 25 yards out.
Ryan Guald from the parking lot WHAT pic.twitter.com/uq23d1GYL8
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 16, 2024
Too little, too late and the Whitecaps got what they deserved from the match, nothing. They lacked any real attacking threat and instead of taking the game to New England in the second half, they felt clueless and impotent for much of the match, and looked dead on their feet come the full time whistle.
Vanni has always said that games against the Eastern teams are like bonus points, but this was a side that should have been ripe for the picking of all three points and at the very least one. It feels like a massive wasted opportunity to get three points on the board and when they’ve already thrown so many away at home, these are the exact kind of games that you look back on come the end of the season and debate how costly the loss was.
With a tough trip to Portland next weekend they are going to have to bounce back quickly because another defensive display like this and they will be ripped apart. The Whitecaps can’t simply keep relying on Gauld to produce and they need to find a way to boss the midfield without Cubas. And that needs to start in seven days’ time.
FINAL SCORE: New England Revolution 3 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 27,078
SCORING SUMMARY:
7’ – NE – Noel Buck
13’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (Javain Brown)
21’ – NE – Giacomo Vrioni (Dylan Borrero)
39’ – NE – Esmir Bajraktarevic
90’+4 – VAN – Ryan Gauld (Ralph Priso)
STATS:
Possession: NE 56.5% – VAN 43.5
Shots: NE 19 – VAN 14
Shots on Goal: NE 7 – VAN 8
Saves: NE 6 – VAN 4
Fouls: NE 12 – VAN 11
Offsides: NE 0 – VAN 0
Corners: NE 3 – VAN 4
BOOKINGS:
29’ – NE – Xavier Arreaga
89’ – VAN – Fafà Picault
90’+2 – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
NEW ENGLAND: Aljaž Ivačič; Nick Lima, Dave Romney, Xavier Arreaga, Dejuan Jones; Noel Buck (Andrew Farrell 71’), Ian Harkes; Esmir Bajraktarevic (Emmanuel Boateng 86’), Carles Gil, Dylan Borrero; Giacomo Vrioni [Substitutes not used: Earl Edwards Jr., Harry Kessler, Jonathan Mensah, Jack Panayotou, Peyton Miller]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ryan Raposo (Giuseppe Bovalina 60’), Pedro Vite (Ralph Priso 90’+2), Sebastian Berhalter, Luís Martins (Levonte Johnson 79’); Ryan Gauld; Brian White, Damir Kreilach (Fafà Picault 46′) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Mathías Laborda, Tristan Blackmon, Belal Halbouni, Jeevan Badwal]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s performance tonight:
“The first half was a game of two phases. We played very well when we had the ball, we had chances to score two or three goals, us too. But it was too easy for them to break us and the way the midfield was shaped, it didn’t pay off, to be honest. It was too easy for them to beat our midfield and arrive there. That being said, they shot four times and scored three goals. It was a little bit of a game that didn’t go in our favour, because again, we had chances in the first half, a lot of chances in the second half. The second half became more of like an ‘emergency’ game because we were down two goals, and so from minute 60 we played very offensively, almost giving up to the middle block, trying to win the ball either very high or very low, with the hope to score a goal, that came unfortunately too late… If we want to be very positive, you say that the divider is only the third goal, that was a deflection, but it’s not true. We can do much better, especially defensively.”
On Ryan Gauld’s brace and performance in this match:
“Ryan [Gauld] did fantastically, first half as a ten behind the two strikers, was finding the spot every single time, was combining, serving assists and having the possibility. Then he had the big chance at the beginning of the second half and unfortunately he hit the defender in the box, and then he scored the [late] goal. I think his effort, I asked him to play three different positions today, starting as a number ten, then played in two tens as Fafa [Picault] came on, was on the right and then, when Giuseppe [Bovalina] came on, we went 4-4-2 and he went left winger, he did it every time with maximum effort.”
On the halfway point of the season:
“I want to see a little bit more. I think we are okay because we are in a playoff position. I don’t think we are in a bad situation, but I think we can do a little more.”
RYAN GAULD
On tonight’s loss:
“It definitely wasn’t the performance we were looking for. It was flat. We didn’t play with any intensity. It’s frustrating to come away with nothing. I don’t think there’s too many positives we can take from that. It was a pretty poor performance overall.”
On the play of New England’s Carlos Gil:
“Gil destroyed us tonight. I think he was the best player on the park by a mile.”
On his own two goal performance:
“I’ve said this before, I would trade any goals I score for three points. While it’s nice to score, I’d much rather have no goals and three points.”
On what the team can work on ahead of next week’s game vs Portland:
“From tonight, there is a lot we can do to improve on, like being more aggressive. I actually think first half we’ve done some things pretty well with the ball, we moved it quite alright, we got into their final third a few times, but I would say that the biggest improvements we need are without the ball. We were too easy to play against tonight. If we’re like that against Portland with guys like Evander and Moreno and Rodriguez, you know, we’ll be in trouble because they’ve got some decent players. When we allow players like that the amount of space we gave them [today], they will really punish us, so we’re going to have to work hard in training to make sure that the front guys from Portland don’t do the same.”
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
HEAD COACH CALEB PORTER
On the Revolution’s three-goal opening half tonight:
“I think we’ve played for spells exactly like that, it’s just the goals came [tonight]. That has been the missing piece, just that precision and that final third execution. I thought it was a dominant performance. It’s too bad the way it ended, because it makes it feel tighter than it was. In my opinion, the way we played the second half, it should have been four or five [to] one, easy. [It] was very comfy in the second half. I thought we controlled the game, but it’s also good to have something to talk about and something for me to be on their backs this week to keep them locked in and hungry. But three wins in a row and we’re playing well. We’re playing extremely well, and I thought we got great performances today. It’s just too bad at the end of the game to give up that late goal, and obviously, I would’ve liked to see at least two or three more goals in that second half, and I thought we should have scored them.”
On New England controlling the match:
“Yeah, I thought we played with a purpose. Obviously, we were able to play out, play through them with patience and purpose and that’s the key – the purpose. There was a purpose on the end of the passing and acceleration, there was penetration, and there was chance creation. We’ve still got to score more though, but I love that we got three goals and I love that we responded after conceding to go 1-1. That shows the mentality is changing and I love that the guys were a little ticked off at the end of the game. We’ve won three in a row and they were kind of mad that they didn’t score more and that they conceded. So, that’s a great mentality. We’re not relieved to win; we’re expecting to win now. We’re not hoping to win, we’re expecting. So, if we play like we did tonight, we can beat anybody. We can beat anybody in this league. Got great performances across the board. A late scratch, Mark[-Anthony Kaye], had to put Noel [Buck] in. I told Noel before the game, ‘It’s not an accident,’ just like it wasn’t an accident Dave Romney got his opportunity, or Ian Harkes or Ema Boateng comes in. Those are things that happened for a reason along this journey. I love to see him [Buck] come in and smash a goal and have a great performance. I thought Ian Harkes, as well, played really well.”
On the three goals from Buck, Bajraktarević, and Vrioni:
“The other thing I told Vrioni before the game is that he’d probably score the winner today, because he’s been working hard, he’s been getting in good spots. The adversity that he’s gone through and the team has gone through, that’s shaped us in a good way. That has made us stronger. It’s brought us together. It’s a part of the process. We know there’s a start of the year, we know where we want to be at the end. Along the way, you don’t know how it’s going to go, but if you’ve been around the block, you know there’s going to be adversity. There’s been a lot more this year than I’ve ever seen, but it’s actually made us better. It’s made us tougher and now that we’ve come through it, we’re mentally and physically stronger, and Giacomo is a great example. For him to finish that goal, excellent goal, good run, good finish. I’m really happy for him.”
On the defensive performance:
“Yeah, I thought the goals from them were a little lucky and unlucky for us. The first one, it’s a cross and I guess you could call it a good header, but I don’t think it’s a great goal. Obviously, the shot from distance, it’s probably a point-zero-zero-zero-zero-one expected goals, probably, on that. I mean, you never see that, it’s crazy, but in the end, we did enough to win. It just reminds us, in this game, you let your guard down, you get punched in the face, and that’s a great reminder for our guys. I also thought there were a couple other crosses where they got a head to things in the box, so those are things I’ll show them this week. I’m going to keep being on their backs. We’re nowhere near where we need to be. We’re still in a hole. We’ve got to keep fighting, and we’re just scratching the surface of the team that we want to be. But I love that we’re growing in confidence and that our execution is getting better and better, and I love that we scored three goals.”
On watching the young talent in the system and 16-year-old Peyton Miller appearing on the MLS matchday roster for the second time:
“Yeah, I’m always watching. I’ve always got my eye on the young guys, for sure. With Peyton [Miller], I loved what I saw out of him in preseason and then he got hurt, unfortunately. He would have played minutes this year. We had to play a ton of guys. Ryan Spaulding played a ton, we moved Nick [Lima] over there at times this year, because DeJuan [Jones] was out for, I think it was six or seven weeks. So, it was too bad because he would have gotten a run of games, because I do, I see him as the number-two left back for us. He needs to work himself back into that spot, but I love his talent. He’s athletic, he’s quick, he gets forward. He’s a converted winger and I think he’s got a really bright future. In the game he got hurt against Orlando in preseason, I said it after the game, I thought he was one of the best players on the field, so he’s got a bright future.”
On the play between Noel Buck and Ian Harkes in the midfield:
“Yeah, the good thing is those two guys [Noel Buck and Ian Harkes] have played together in training every single day. We do a lot of tactical work almost every day. We work in our shape and we work both groups in the shape, so that everybody is ready for exactly this. We’re not just preparing our group that’s going to start, we’re preparing both groups to play and we are developing every guy in our game model, every single day. So, those two guys have played together every single day, and I think you saw there was a really good chemistry there. Because they’ve been prepared, it was seamless for them to step in.”
On the velocity and accuracy of Noel Buck’s goal:
“It’s an unbelievable shot. We talked about [Ryan] Gauld’s [goal], that’s probably a point-zero-one – I don’t know – as well, but unbelievable. He’s got that in him. I saw it last year when I was watching film on him. For whatever reason, early in the year, we weren’t seeing that. I think it’s just taken time for him, like everybody, to find that balance of, ‘Here’s our tactics, but also go and play, man. Go and play. Don’t be a robot and let your instincts take over.’ So, that was him stepping forward and having a go. He does have that in him, and I’d like to see it more.”
On injury updates on Mark-Anthony Kaye, who was a late scratch, and Noel Buck:
“Noel [Buck], I think, is fine. He had a cramp. Obviously, long week for him. He played two games [with England], travel, so maybe that’s a part of it. Mark[-Anthony Kaye], he took a knock in the last game on his knee, or his quad tendon, and he trained but it was partial training. Then he was 100 percent on Friday, but he felt like at the end of the training, he had kind of a sore hamstring. Basically today, we made the decision. We brought him in early and made the decision, he couldn’t go. So, we’re hoping, obviously, that he’s available next week, but we’ll see.”
On his takeaways from the second quarter of the 2024 season:
“We wanted to get 13 points minimum [in] quarter two. We got 12, so we’re a point underneath that. We wanted to get at least four wins and a draw, and we got four wins. I would have loved five wins, but by and large, a marked improvement, because we got one win in the first quarter and we got four in the next. I still think we’re conceding a few too many goals, but we’ve scored more goals, so that’s great. I’d like to see our plus-minus on the goal differential still get whittled down a little bit. But unquestionable, much, much better this quarter than the first. The next one, I’d like to see in the nine games now, because we’ll chunk it with the nine, I’d like to see at least five wins.”
DEFENDER DEJUAN JONES
On the positive takeaways from tonight’s victory:
“I thought we did a great job. Scoring three goals is always great in front of our home crowd, and we played with a lot of confidence tonight. I thought we moved the ball really well, showed a lot of patience on the ball, which was good. We made [Vancouver] work a little bit more and I think it worked out well for us.”
On responding to Vancouver’s first goal with a two-goal rally to close the opening half:
“It was a great response. Obviously, always good to score that early goal, but then they responded with a goal. Our response to stay on the front foot, to not go in a shell, was important. Ultimately, to score to get that two-goal advantage going into halftime, that was big-time for us.”
On New England’s depth and chemistry in the midfield:
“Carles [Gil] is always going to do his thing. Noel [Buck] stepping in… to score that banger after coming back from international duty was really big-time and he gave a great shift tonight. Ian [Harkes] was very good tonight keeping the ball forward, swinging the ball, really giving us a good rhythm of the game. So, really good performance by our midfielders today. Also, [Andrew] Farrell stepped in and did a really good job zipping balls, helping us close out that game.”
MIDFIELDER ESMIR BAJRAKTAREVIC
On the positive takeaways from tonight’s win:
“Yeah, it was definitely one of our best performances of the season. Something to build on, for sure. We still are pretty low on the table, so we want to just keep collecting wins.”
On New England’s attack gaining confidence:
“Yeah, I think just the longer we play together, the more we get connected. Yeah, I think we just grow game by game.”
On he and Noel Buck both scoring:
“I was so happy for [Buck]. He was coming back from an injury, and then, in and out of the lineup. So, I was very happy to see him score. Yeah, he’s a very close friend of mine, so I was very happy to see that.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Northern Super League, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian national team chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
The Whitecaps weren’t in action on the pitch in MLS but it’s been a busy week in Whitecapsland. We chat about the Canadian Championship dates being set, staying 5th in the MLS standings, and the fallout from the Messi debacle continuing as a class action lawsuit is filed against the club and the league. It was also announced that the upper bowl at BC Place is now open for the Wrexham friendly and we chat with the Welsh club’s manager Phil Parkinson and Executive Director Humphrey Ker about their North American tour and the season to come.
Turning our attention to the women’s game we look at the Whitecaps’ draw in the inaugural CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup, chat with Whitecaps Girls Elite head coach Katie Collar, and look at what we know about the Northern Super League so far, as the new women’s league gets set to kick off next year.
All of this plus we look at the Canadian men’s national team’s friendlies against the Netherlands and France, look ahead to Copa America and the Euros, look back at World Cup 1974, round up the weekend’s action in the CPL, and we have our Album of the Month from Heavenly and continue our month of Euro 2024 themed songs in Wavelength.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.25: Intro – TST 7v7, Soccer Aid, L1BC
12.10: Whitecaps News of the Week
32.21: Wrexham’s Phil Parkinson and Humphrey Ker chat
51.35: Katie Collar on Whitecaps’ Women’s Champions Cup draw
61.15: Northern Super League – what we know so far
89.35: Sexy football trophies
95.56: Canadian men’s national team’s three good halves of football
120.35: This Week In Whitecapsland 1974
128.30: From World Cup 1974 to Euros 2024
140.35: Wavelength – The Tartan Specials – Not Just Here For The Bier
145.26: CPL round-up
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
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Stitcher Radio Network.
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The first six weeks of the 2024 League1 BC season are now in the record books and it’s tight at the top of the men’s division, with just one point separating the top three teams.
Unbeaten TSS Rovers lead the way on 11 points from their five matches played, but back-to-back draws has seen the battle at the top tighten up considerably and there’s a lot still to play for with both playoff spots and a Canadian Championship berth on the line. Having tasted that competition twice now, TSS will be hoping to make it back there in 2025.
There’s been 61 goals scored across the 20 matches played so far, with the Rovers leading the way with 14 of those, and Vancouver Whitecaps and Harbourside putting up 11 each. Thirty-three different players have found the back of the net to date (along with one own goal), with 28 different players tallying an assist.
Harbourside’s Billy Baggiopolous leads the race for the Golden Boot with six goals so far this season. TSS’ Devin O’Hea and Unity’s Victory Shumbusho are nipping at his heels with four each, with the Whitecaps’ David Ajagbe and Altitude’s Carson Buschman-Dormand sitting on three.
Another Harbourside player, midfielder Suka Behery, leads the league with three assists, alongside the Whitecaps’ Angelo Zhu, with four players sitting one back on two.
Harbourside’s league-leading Billy Baggiopolous and Suka Behery
Here’s a breakdown of the seven teams at the end of the Week 6 action:
(1ST) TSS ROVERS – 11 POINTS
TSS sit atop the L1BC standings on 11 points, with an unbeaten record of three wins and two draws from their first five matches. As pleasing as this will be for new head coach Brendan Teeling, the Rovers will also rue the four points they’ve dropped from their last two games, having to survive 52 minutes a man down in a 0-0 draw with Burnaby, before coming from two down at home to Unity last weekend to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw.
The Rovers lead the league in scoring with 14 goals, and have the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just three times and Justyn Sandhu keeping three clean sheets.
Seven players have scored for TSS so far this season, with Devin O’Hea leading the way with four of them. It’s hard to believe that the Rovers will have his services for the whole season, with a lot of clubs watching the SFU alumni’s performances with interest. Matteo Polisi and Gurman Sangha have two goals each, with four players sitting on one goal, and the only own goal in the league coming in the Rovers’ favour. Sangha and Polisi lead the team with two assists each, with four other players tallying one.
TSS will still be the favourites to clinch another Canadian Championship berth, but they’re certainly not going to have things all their own way and finish the season with three tough games on the road.
(2ND) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS – 10 POINTS
After taking only one point from their first two matches, the Whitecaps hit a rich vein of form with three straight wins, with their squad bolstered by some returning academy alumni from college. Sitting in second, a point behind TSS, the young ‘Caps have recorded three wins, one draw, and one defeat through their first five matches, with that one loss coming at the hands of the Rovers.
They’ve scored 11 goals, the second highest in the division, and conceded nine, with four of those coming against TSS. Seven players have found the back of the net for the ‘Caps this season, with David Ajagbe leading the way on three. Riley Ferraro and Matteo Samori have two apiece, with four players on one. Angela Zhu leads the team with three assists, Amoni Thomas and Sydney Wathuta have contributed two, with Ajagbe and Ferraro on one.
The Whitecaps have scored in every match so far, but have only kept one clean sheet, that coming in their last game at home to Rivers. With two weeks off, it will be interesting to see how they come back in their 2nd-v-3rd clash with Altitude on Sunday.
(3RD) ALTITUDE – 10 POINTS
The North Shore lads sit third in the table, one point off top spot, as they look to book their first postseason berth. They’ve had a strong start to the season, with three wins, one draw, and two defeats from their first half of the season and have played some very nice football along the way.
Altitude have put up just seven goals and given up 10, to sit on a minus goal differential. Six of those 10 came in a 6-0 shellacking by TSS in week four, but they bounced back with two victories after that to climb the table, before last weekend’s clash at home to Burnaby was rained out. They’ve kept two clean sheets, but have also been kept off the scoreboard three times.
The goals haven’t been plentiful, and only four players have found the back of the net for Altitude so far this season. Carson Buschman-Dormond leads the team with three goals, and he has formed a deadly strike partnership with Athos de Siqueira, who has two goals. Ali Azarminoo and Matthew Marshall are the team’s other goalscorers, while four different players have registered an assist.
How they fare in back-to-back games coming up against the Whitecaps could determine whether the team enjoys playoff football for the first time in club history.
(4TH) UNITY – 8 POINTS
Unity are another of the teams that have reached the halfway point of their season and they sit in the last playoff spot right now, just three points off top spot and with a record of two wins, two draws, and two defeats.
Now based out of Cloverdale after their offseason move from Langley, Unity have scored nine goals, finding the net in all but one game. They’ve also conceded nine, keeping just one clean sheet so far this season.
Five players have found the back of the net for Unity, with Victory Shumbusho leading the way on four. His fourth came last Friday night at Swangard with a stunning bicycle kick against TSS that gave Unity a 2-0 lead, but they couldn’t hold on and had to settle for a point, when a win would have set up a four-way tie at the top.
Patrick Izett has two goals on the season, with three other players sitting on one. Four players, including Shumbusho, have tallied one assist for Unity this year.
(5TH) HARBOURSIDE – 7 POINTS
Harbourside have been a hard team to work out this season. League-leading scorer Billy Baggiopolous forms an amazing partnership with assist leader Suka Behery, but while the goals seem to come freely for the Nanaimo side, they also seem to get conceded quite freely at the other end of the park and that’s what sees them sitting outside of the playoff positions at the halfway point of their season.
They’ve two wins, one draw, and three defeats from their first six matches, scoring 11 goals and conceding 12. They’ve scored in every game bar one, and conceded in every game bar one. Last weekend’s big 3-2 win at Rivers snapped a three-game losing streak and their overall performance there will give them some hope for the second half of the campaign. They will play Unity for the first time this coming Sunday, in what is likely to be a huge match for both teams’ postseason hopes.
Their reliance on Baggiopolous, who leads the team and the lead with six goals, will need to be expanded on. He is one of only three players to score for Harbourside this season, with Behery sitting on two goals alongside Charlie Purcell. Behery leads the team, and the league, with three assists, while goalkeeper Callum Weir has two! Three other players, including Purcell, sit on one assist.
(6TH) RIVERS – 4 POINTS
The Kamloops side always have it tough with so much travel and four of their first six matches have come on the road to start the season. A fifth is coming up this weekend in a massive bottom of the table showdown with Burnaby. If either side loses that match, then they can probably kiss goodbye to their postseason hopes.
Rivers haven’t played badly in their matches so far, but goals have been very hard to come by for them. With one win, one draw, and four defeats on their record, they’re on a three-game losing streak right now and their only win came with a wind-assisted goal in a 1-0 win over Altitude in their season opener. They failed to score in their next four matches, before coming back from two down to level at home to Harbourside last weekend, before giving up the winning goal two minutes later and losing 3-2.
Just three players – Hagon Kim, Ryan Lewis, and Elijah Dos Santos – have scored for Rivers this season, with Tristan Jumeau and Justin Wallace the only players to register assists. Their goalkeepers have certainly been in demand though, with Svyatik Artemenko going to Valour on a short term loan and Jackson Gardner heading back down to Australia after signing with Mandurah City this week.
(7TH) BURNABY – 2 POINTS
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the L1BC season so far is that Burnaby are still looking for their first ever win. The new kids on the block, who I fully expected to be challenging at the other end of the table, have struggled to gel so far and have just two points from two draws and defeats to their name. They have also played the fewer number of games in the league, after last Sunday’s postponement at Altitude, and face the team directly above them at home this weekend, so there’s still a lot of hope that they can start to climb the table soon.
They’ll need to get far better defensively though, having given up 10 goals through their first three matches, before grabbing a point in their first clean sheet of the season, a 0-0 draw with a 10-man TSS side. Goals have also not been in plentiful supply for the Burnaby side, with just six so far. Lachlan Will leads the team with two, while four others have one apiece. One of those is Emiliano Brienza, whose injury in week two of the season hit the team hard. Three players have tallied an assist.
With a bulk of the squad made up of SFU and UBC players, their numbers have been bolstered by some players returning to the lower mainland from NCAA schools. The recent addition of former WFC2 player Simone Masi from a spell in Italy will also certainly help on the defensive side.
The first six weeks of the 2024 League1 BC season are now in the record books and it’s starting to feel a little bit like deja vu in the women’s division with the defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite off to another strong start.
The Whitecaps have continued where they left off last season and have been dominant through their first five matches, sitting unbeaten at the top of the standings with a 100% record. While the Whitecaps are pretty much assured of a playoff spot already, the battle for the other three postseason berths looks set to go down to the wire, with all still to play for over the remaining weeks of the regular season.
There’s been 72 goals scored across the 20 matches played so far, with the Whitecaps leading the way with 24 of those, a third of the total. Forty different players have found the back of the net so far this season, with 35 different players registering assists. Kierra Blundell leads the race for the Golden Boot with seven goals, as she looks to win back-to-back trophies. Her Whitecaps teammate Jeneva Hernandez Grey is two back on five goals, with Altitude’s Jade Mitchell on four. Blundell also leads the league with five assists, with the Whitecaps Emma Yee one back on four.
Here’s a breakdown of the seven teams at the end of the Week 6 action:
(1ST) VANCOUVER WHITECAPS – 15 POINTS
The Whitecaps sit atop of the L1BC standing with a 100% record of five wins from their five matches played. They’ve put up 24 goals on their opponents, giving up just one in the process, and that was an own goal in week one.
Ten different Whitecaps have found the back of the net so far, with Kierra Blundell leading the way and the league on seven. Jeneva Hernandez Grey has five, with Kaylee Hunter on three. Blundell leads the team with five assists, Emma Yee has four, Hernandez Grey two, and six others have one.
Defensively solid, and in the knowledge that they’ll once again be losing around a dozen seniors to the college ranks come July, the Whitecaps have been able to give a number of their youngest players some important minutes to get them used to the league. That included 14-year-old Winnipegger Sam Powell, who played the second half of their win over Rivers last month, keeping a clean sheet in the process.
(2ND) BURNABY – 10 POINTS
Burnaby moved into second place in the standings this past weekend, coming away with a very important 3-1 win over Altitude at a sodden Kinsmen Field on Sunday, leapfrogging over the North Shore side in the process. That victory took then up to double digits, with a record of three wins, one draw, and one defeat from their first five games in their inaugural season in the league. With a core of SFU Redleafs players, Burnaby have scored nine goals and conceded three so far.
Isabella Muzzolini scored a fantastic dipping effort from the edge of the box in that win over Altitude, taking her tally to three for the season. Midfielder Muzzolini leads the team in goals, with her SFU teammate Raegan Mackenzie on two, and three other players on one goal apiece. Four players have registered one assist on the season so far, including Mackenzie.
Burnaby have given the Whitecaps their most contested match of the season to date, going down to a narrow 2-0 defeat, and have to be one of the favourites to pick up one of the three other playoff spots. The new girls on the block have scored in four of their five matches, but have yet to keep a clean sheet. Four of their five matches so far have been at home at Burnaby Lake, with another one coming up this weekend. That will leave a lot of travels for the second half of their season, with trips to Kamloops and Nanaimo set to test them.
(3RD) ALTITUDE – 9 POINTS
Altitude are well-placed to secure their first ever playoff berth in their third season in the league, after a strong start saw them lose just once in their first five matches. Sunday’s defeat to Burnaby, coupled with back-to-back matches next with the Whitecaps will see their top four position under threat, but they have a run-in that will see their postseason fate in their own hands.
The other issue for Altitude right now is that they’ve played the most games in the division and are already one game into the second half of their 12 game season. They have managed to score in every match this year, but have also only managed to keep one clean sheet.
The North Vancouver side have scored nine goals, with Jade Mitchell leading the way with four and captain Avery Tulloch two. Three others have one goal apiece. Five players have contributed assists, with centre back Lauren Grey leading the way with two.
(4TH) UNITY – 8 POINTS
Last year’s beaten finalists, and Inter-Provincial bronze medalists, have had a very mixed start to the season with two wins, two draws, and two defeats from their first six matches. The now Surrey-based side have scored 11 goals, the second highest in the division, but conceded 10. They’ve been blanked once and kept a clean sheet once.
What will please head coach Graham Roxburgh is that seven different players have found the back of the net, with captain Elizabeth Hicks leading by example with two goals. Tristan Corneil has two assists, while three others have one apiece.
Four of Unity’s first six matches have been on the road and they’ll hope to now make home advantage pay in the second half of their season, with a couple of midweek matches thrown in there. It’s hard not to see them in the playoffs come July, but they’ll need to sharpen up a few areas to get there.
(5TH) RIVERS – 6 POINTS
Sitting just outside of the playoff places at the midway point of their season, the Kamloops side are having their best season so far in L1BC. Having clocked up four point in 2022, and just three last year, Rivers now sit on six points with a record of one win, three draws, and two defeats.
Rivers started the season with three straight draws, before back-to-back defeats, but they bounced back with a big 3-0 home win against Harbourside on Saturday to set up what could be an exciting second half of the season for them. That included a run of four straight away games and a lot of travelling. With four of their last six games at home, they’ll hope to capitalise on the tiredness of others heading to Hillside Stadium.
They need to find a way to score more goals, with just seven so far this year and 11 conceded. Taylor Miller and captain Ainsley Grether have two apiece, with three others tallying one. Four players have an assist to their name. Satruday’s win was the first clean sheet of the season, with Rivers blanked twice in their six games so far, both road matches.
(6TH) TSS ROVERS – 4 POINTS
It was a tough start to the season for last year’s semi-finalists as TSS shipped 12 goals in their first two matches. Those games were against two of the stronger sides in the division, the Whitecaps and Unity, but they bounced back with a big win at home to Altitude in week three to steady the ship.
With most of their players now in the squad, after missing some key pieces in the early weeks, it’s looked a much different TSS side in recent games. After their 7-0 shellacking by the Whitecaps in their first game, they’ve managed to score in every game since, putting up six goals through their first five matches and conceding 17. Jenna Baxter and Devon Kavanagh lead the way with two goals apiece, with Megan Sun and Vanessa Tome on one each. Five different played have registered an assist.
The Rovers have played the fewest games in the division, and the recent turnaround in fortunes will have boosted their spirits. They need to stop giving up late goals though after losing to Burnaby to a stoppage time strike with the last kick of the match, and dropping two points to an 87th minute equaliser at home to Unity on Friday night.
(7TH) HARBOURSIDE – 2 POINTS
It’s been a tough first half of the season for the Nanaimo side. They’re currently sitting bottom of the table and are still looking for their first win of the campaign. Two draws have given them just two points from their first six matches and they’re sitting on a -11 goal difference after just five goals for and 16 against.
Only three players have found the back of the net, with Erin Jensen and Jazmine Wilkinson leading the way with two goals apiece. Those two also have an assist to their name this season, as does Taiya Scorey.
Yet to keep a clean sheet, Harbourside have scored in four of their six matches and at least have the long trip east to Kamloops out of the way for another season. They’re not totally out of the playoff picture, but they really need to start racking up the wins starting now.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian national team chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
The Whitecaps head into the international break in good spirits after two wins in four days against Western Conference opposition. We delve into both matches and performances, and look at where the ‘Caps are right now in terms of tactics, personnel, and positioning, at what is effectively the halfway point of the season. Plus we round-up the weekend’s action across MLS.
We also look at the draw for the Canadian Championship semi-finals and the nightmare travel it throws up for the ‘Caps, plus we round up the weekend’s action in the CPL and have a chat with Colorado’s CMNT defender Moise Bombito ahead of Canada’s two upcoming friendlies and Copa America.
All of this plus we have a new Album of the Month from Heavenly and kick off a month of Euro 2024 themed songs in Wavelength.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.15: Intro – Project8, Champions League, Phonzie’s future
14.15: A six point week for the Whitecaps
43.48: This Week In Whitecapsland 1974
49.25: How the Whitecaps look at halfway point of season
72.32: MLS round-up
103.28: Canadian Champ semis set
106.35: Vancouver FC and CPL round-up
120.45: League1 BC chat
128.00: Moise Bombito interview and CanMNT chat
140.35: Wavelength – The Caledonian Dream – Shot At Glory
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
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Stitcher Radio Network.
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps headed into BC Place on Saturday night on the back of a much-needed midweek win on the road, looking to finally find some form at home with a two week international break looming. The ‘Caps had only won two of their previous seven home games this season, dropping 13 points in the process.
As much as their away form has made up for that poor home play, it’s not conducive of being a playoff side, making this matchup with Colorado Rapids all the more massive and although it wasn’t anywhere near a perfect performance, goals at the start and at the end of the second half from Sebastian Berhalter and Damir Kreilach, and two assists from Ryan Gauld, gave Vancouver three big points in a 2-1 victory.
With the Whitecaps playing their ninth game in four weeks, Vanni Sartini continued with his squad rotation, making four changes from the team that started that win in Kansas City on Wednesday. Having gone for a tactical tweak midweek, Sartini kept with the 3-5-2 formation, but with two changes to the back three.
The first chance of the game fell to Colorado eight minutes in.
Mathias Laborda, one of those defensive changes, was dispossessed about 20 yards from goal. The ball came to Kevin Cabral, who sent it in across goal for a cheeky little back sweep attempt by Mihailovic that just ran past the back post.
The Whitecaps got their first chance in the 17th minute when Brian White got onto a long ball forward, poked his foot out, but directed his effort just wide.
Colorado thought they had a penalty in the 34th minute when Cabral ran into Laborda in the box. Referee Michael Venne pointed to the spot but the decision was overturned on video review.
White headed straight at Zack Steffen four minutes later before Pedro Vite crashed one of the top of the bar in the 42nd minute, as the Whitecaps pushed to go in ahead at the break.
The last chance of the half fell to the visitors, when Cabral found himself in front of goal, but was denied by a good leg save from Yohei Takaoka and the teams headed in at the half all square and scoreless.
Sartini made an atracking change at the break, bringing on Fafa Picault for Tristan Blackmon.
The Whitecaps were immediately on the front foot after restart and they opened the scoring within a minute when Berhalter got onto a Gauld cross to the back post and tucked it away past Steffen from a tight angle.
Ryan Gauld drops a dime for Sebastian Berhalter and Vancouver take the lead.
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/eXCKogZQqk pic.twitter.com/RBPpHg4qee
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 2, 2024
It was Berhalter’s first goal of the season, but the Whitecaps’ lead was to last only four minutes.
Mihailovic got the Rapids back on level terms, getting the ball from Omir Fernandez and getting goalside of a stumbling Luis Martins to finish past Takaoka.
Djordje Mihailovic with the instant response to bring Colorado level. pic.twitter.com/CZYafyoEgS
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 2, 2024
It was Mihailovic’s 11th goal contribution in 11 games, and he’s been the straw stirring the Rapids drink of late.
Picault came close to immediately restoring Vancouver’s lead but his low shot to the past post went agonisingly wide.
Gauld then fired a speculative effort just past the right post, with Steffen caught off his line after a poor clearance attempt in the 65th minute.
Moments later another attempted Colorado clearance ricocheted off a teammate and over.
The Rapids had chances from Oliver Larraz and Rafael Navarro just miss before Fernandez curled one off the right post in the 85th minute, which Giuseppe Bovalina reacted quickest to, clearing the danger off the line.
Moise Bombito got onto a Fernandez cross in the 89th minute but Takaoka easily dealt with the header, as the visitors were looking more likely to grab the winner.
But Vancouver had other ideas and grabbed a dramatic late winner a minute into stoppage time.
A Gauld shot didn’t have the power but ran through to Kreilach with his back to goal. The Croatian turned and shot, with Steffen taking most of the power off it, just not enough. It seemed to take an age, but the ball trickled over the line and the Whitecaps were back in the lead and this time it was one they weren’t going to give up.
Damir Kreilach gives the @WhitecapsFC a late lead! pic.twitter.com/435TocuUA7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 2, 2024
Vancouver and Colorado both sat on 22 points coming into this one, with the Whitecaps just one place above the Rapids in 6th place in the Western Conference. The victory, and other results, saw Vancouver move up to 5th as they now head into the two week break eight points back from first and a seven point cushion above the playoff line.
These were two big games for the Whitecaps and a six point haul was just what the team was needing to end their slump and set them up well for the second half of the season. The recent run of form will hopefully have given Sartini and Axel Schuster a full evaluation of what players they have, what areas need to be improved, and where additions need to be made come the opening of the summer transfer window.
For now, everyone can finally get some rest and recuperation, regrouping and returning for the next stage of the campaign to come.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 1 Colorado Rapids
ATT: 22,979
SCORING SUMMARY:
46’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter (Ryan Gauld, Ali Ahmed)
50’ – COL – Djordje Mihailovic (Omir Fernández)
90’+1 – VAN – Damir Kreilach (Ryan Gauld)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 55.2% – COL 44.8%
Shots: VAN 14 – COL 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 – COL 3
Saves: VAN 2 – COL 1
Fouls: VAN 6 – COL 9
Offsides: VAN 1 – COL 1
Corners: VAN 3 – COL 8
BOOKINGS:
9’ – VAN – Tristan Blackmon
20’ – COL – Darren Yapi
45’ – COL – Andreas Maxsø
69’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Mathías Laborda, Tristan Blackmon (Fafà Picault 46′); Ali Ahmed (Giuseppe Bovalina 83’), Sebastian Berhalter, Andrés Cubas, Pedro Vite (Alessandro Schöpf 73’), Luís Martins (Bjørn Inge Utvik 65’); Brian White (19.Damir Kreilach 83’), 25.Ryan Gauld [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ranko Veselinović, Ryan Raposo, Ralph Priso]
COLORADO: Zack Steffen; Keegan Rosenberg, Lalas Abubakar (Moïse Bombito 72’), Andreas Maxsø, Jackson Travis (Sam Vines 60’); Connor Ronan (Oliver Larraz 69’), Cole Bassett; Kévin Cabral (Calvin Harris 60’), Djordje Mihailovic, Omir Fernández; 77.Darren Yapi (Rafael Navarro 69’) [Substitutes not used: Adam Beaudry, Jonathan Lewis, Jasper Löffelsend, Sebastian Anderson]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On winning a tight match, at home:
“The fact that everyone says [we] are doing very well away, but at home not very well, it was a little bit of a monkey [off our back]. I think it’s the first game of the year that we won where it was very contested, so hopefully it’s a turning point.”
On the team’s depth:
“We have a lot of depth, and we have a lot of people who are trying to get into the team. They are pushing the other players to do well. Last year it probably would have been unthinkable to finish the game and there was no Ranko [Veselinovic] neither Tristan [Blackmon], they would play every game, they were uncontested. This year we have the possibility to rotate them and to play other people too. The same with having Guiseppe [Bovalina], Alessandro [Schopf], Pedro [Vite], and even Damir [Kreilach] and came on and scored. It’s really important that everyone sees that they can have a contribution.”
RYAN GAULD
On tonight’s win:
“It was a big win for us. We know we didn’t play our best game tonight, far from it, but after the load of games we’ve had lately, it was nice to end up with three points”.
On seeing out a victory despite not being at their best:
“Its important to be able to do that. You’re not going to be able to be on top of your game very week, and to be able to just kind of grind it out. It wasn’t the most beautiful last 20-25 minutes but to be able to grind it out and all be there for each other was a huge boost for the team.”
DAMIR KREILACH
On returning to the lineup and scoring the winner:
“I’m happy to be back. It’s been, for me personally, a long two and a half weeks. But as I said, so happy to join the team, even to help them off and on the field. But I always say it’s not just about one guy, it’s about all the group and I think we’ve done a great job tonight to get these three points before the international break. At the end of the day, to climb the table, and the three points gives us the confidence to go forward and take on the new challenges that will be in front of us.”
On ending this busy period on a high:
“It means a lot. First of all, because the season is long and any team is going to have ups and downs, and as long as you minimize those ups and downs, you’re going to be in a great spot. And at the end of the day, I think with these two wins with six points in the last two games, I think we got stable. It was so important [to do that] before the international break, and then after that, you know, another tough schedule with two, three away games. Because of that, we have to be ready and we have to, first of all, recharge the batteries and then come back even stronger.”
HEAD COACH CHRIS ARMAS
On Jackson Travis making his first MLS start:
“He had a good preseason. He trains well every day. He’s engaged. He plays with intensity. He’s prideful. He’s performed with the second team all year long in a really good way. It’s been a long stretch in these last two weeks with a lot of games and his everyday behavior, attitude, performances give us a lot of confidence. For Jack [Travis], I’m really proud of him. He went out there and gave everything. We’re going to stick to our club philosophy and play young players, believe in young players, and validate our academy and our second team.”
On the upcoming break in the schedule:
“They’re going to get some days off, for sure. A nice break for them. We’re a team that sprints and runs more than any team out there. There’s a big cognitive load as well on these guys. We’ve thrown a lot at them tactically, physically, emotionally – another night where it’s an emotional game. The boys need a break. So, we’ll give them that break. They’ll take it completely. There’ll be no video. They won’t hear from me for four or five days, which is well deserved and needed. We’re healthy, we have healthy bodies, but we do need to get everyone rejuvenated with two out of our next three games at home. We’re going to come out swinging again and we’re not accepting these results. We think we’re good enough to sway these things. We’re going to learn and I’m going to, with the staff, teach how we can get better and how we help them along because it’s an attentive group, they’re hungry. I see a lot of winning behaviors in our team and we’re going to turn it into wins. backspin.”
CAPTAIN KEEGAN ROSENBERRY
On the match:
“Disappointing result. Another game where we concede late. I think equally disappointing we conceded really, really soon after halftime, after we have a chance to regroup and kind of catch our breath, get our thoughts together. We’re eager to look forward and look at our run of home games that we have coming up to try and make it right.”
On Djordje Mihailovic’s form:
“Very happy for Djordje. I felt like everybody was eager to see him get off to the races and it took him a couple of games to show up on the on the stat sheet even though he does a lot of other things that don’t show up there. I think we need to continue to go out of our way to find him, and to get him into the game, and when he doesn’t look like he’s on, still playing him. These players that impact the game the way they do they are comfortable with the ball with guys around him. I think we can continue to do that more. He’s done really well for himself in the way that he contributes. We could continue to help him even more. I think that’s on us. He’s been really efficient with limited touches sometimes throughout games and still impacting the game the way does. So, very happy for him. Happy he is a part of our group from the moment he got here. Looking forward to more of what he’s given us.”
It wasn’t the most convincing of victories, but the ‘Caps got the job done.
Vancouver Whitecaps headed into this match on a six MLS game winless streak, facing an equally-if-not-worse form Sporting Kansas City side in Kansas City. Thankfully for the ‘Caps, a special Ryan Gauld performance earned them a 2-1 win to relieve some of that pressure on head coach Vanni Sartini, although the underlying numbers still raise some concerns.
COMIN' HOME WITH THE W
Next up, join us at our 70’s Match on June 1 as the ‘Caps take on Colorado Rapids at @BCPlace! https://t.co/YV2Um7yNSg#VWFC x @BMO pic.twitter.com/jOBWbmRZH5
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 30, 2024
Tactical shifts prove fruitful… eventually
In the wake of the Whitecaps’ disappointing loss to an underpowered Inter Miami on Saturday, Sartini mentioned that perhaps a slight tactical change might help pick the players up by keeping it ‘fresh’. That seemed to be the intention behind Sartini’s lineup choices for Wednesday, with the team lining up in a 3-5-2 formation instead of the typical 3-4-3, alongside some personnel swaps. Sebastian Berhalter, Luis Martins, Bjorn Inge Utvik, and Javain Brown found themselves in the starting lineup, looking to prove themselves in a struggling side.
The first 20 or so minutes, however, didn’t really look like the Whitecaps were ‘inspired’ in this tactical change. SKC looked dangerous in transition, and were buoyed by the ‘Caps’ sloppy passing, giving them some really good early opportunities. If it wasn’t for a last-ditch, goal-saving tackle from Berhalter, William Agada would have been clean through to score SKC’s opener. It wasn’t until around the half-hour mark when the Whitecaps finally got a handle on the match, and started stringing some nice passes together.
A clever throw-in set-piece allowed Gauld to snatch the opener – with great help from the Wax Museum that was the SKC defense – giving the ‘Caps some comfort going into the half. The second half then was more like the Whitecaps side that we expected, with more emphasis on using possession efficiently, breaking down SKC when on the ball, being dangerous in transition and defensively sound out of possession.
“We came here and we did a very good performance,” Sartini said after the match. “I would say a Whitecaps trademark performance with a great defensive organization, good transition, and good offensive set-plays.”
And the new introductions played a large part in that, with Berhalter having one of his best all-around performances in the midfield, Brown and Utvik putting in fantastic shifts at the back, and even Martins looking more comfortable over on the left. It still wasn’t a Whitecaps performance that would blow people away, but it at least showed that the ‘Caps still had some bite to them, even if it was against a quite poor side.
FT Thoughts:
– Gauld with a brace, the captain rises
– Tactical shift shows Sartini can adapt and win
– Strong back 3 tonight
– Higher mid pair of Schopf and Berhalter created chances
– Now, the goal is to build on this#VWFC— Nathan Durec (@ndurec) May 30, 2024
Final third worries still persist
As the saying goes: A win is a win. But sometimes, it’s worth noting that a win doesn’t always reflect that everything is going well for a side. The Whitecaps might have been the better side on Wednesday, but they still struggled to really look dangerous in the final third for the majority of the match.
Take the two goals that the Whitecaps created. The first one was off a set-piece in which Ryan Gauld was given all the time in the world to pick up his blocked shot in the box, dribble by some cones disguised as players, and slot it into the back of the net. Against better teams, Gauld wouldn’t get another chance let alone that first one. While the second one was a gift given to the ‘Caps on a silver platter. A poor backpass that played Gauld almost clean through on goal.
Of course, you can only beat what is put in front of you, but this SKC side was one that was in very poor form, and also heavily rotated. They had a forward playing at right-back in Khiry Shelton, in his first start since last September. This was a side there for the taking, but the Whitecaps only managed two shots on target in the entire match – and they scored them.
On one hand, you could say that’s a 100% conversion rate. On the other, you could argue two shots on target against a team like this just isn’t good enough. And most would be inclined to side with the latter point. Simply put, the Whitecaps have not been creating enough high-quality shots in the box.
Surprisingly, they are creating good chances. Since their previous win against the Sounders in mid-April, the Whitecaps have created 11 big chances. That’s just over 1.5 per game. They have also created an xG of 10.91 in that same time-frame, which is 12th best out of all 29 teams.
Their biggest problem is that they can’t put away those good chances. Of the 11 big chances, they have missed six of them. And of the near 11 xG, they have only scored 7.
The Whitecaps were overperforming their xG at the start of the season, so you could say that it’s just evening out. But the lack of killer instinct present in this team right now is still something that needs to be addressed – if not tactically then with new personnel. It does not help when your record top-goalscorer in Brian White has not scored since he broke that record in the draw against the New York Red Bulls over a month ago. Perhaps some extra competition up front could help him, either from a returning Damir Kreilach or even a new face altogether.
Whitecaps with one shot on target and one goal. That's both efficient and pish in equal measure. #VWFC
— AFTN (@aftncanada) May 30, 2024
Colorado an opportunity to prove yourself at home
Out of the six wins that the Whitecaps have earned this season, only two of them have come at home. That shows that the Whitecaps have become a real force on the road, but it also demonstrates that the team is struggling to get the right results in front of their home fans.
The ‘Caps are currently rocking a 2-2-3 record at home, in contrast to their 4-2-2 record on the road. Unfortunately for the ‘Caps and their fans, this lackluster run of form at home has coincided with a record attendance streak at BC Place. Arguments could be made that the ‘Caps struggle to perform when it is in front of big crowds (one need only look to Saturday against Miami), but two solid wins against Portland Timbers and Toronto FC in late-March, early-April show that they can get the job done. So perhaps it is just down to consistency in their mentality, and commitment to the plan.
Regardless of the diagnosis, the Whitecaps need to get better in their own house. Last week put a serious dent in their relationship with their fans, and they need to be able to capitalize on the momentum they have been making to really turn it into a long-term success. That comes with good performances and, arguably more important right now, good results, starting off with Colorado this coming Saturday.
These games at home now matter more than just the three points they could earn. They will decide how much the city will be willing to invest into this club in this post-Miami period, as well as how much patience and understanding their fans can spare before things get askew.
VWFC’s recovery session is underway this morning in Vancouver. A very happy group today following a victory last night.
Caps return home to play #Rapids96 on Saturday. #MLS pic.twitter.com/Gdt1SJQMA1
— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) May 30, 2024
Vancouver Whitecaps steadied the ship somewhat, with a very important three points in a 2-1 win at Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday evening, as their nine matches in 29 days spell is thankfully coming to an end and the players get a very welcome two week break.
A goal in each half from Ryan Gauld did the damage, in a game peppered with poor defensive displays on all three goals. Marinos Tzionis pulled one back for the home side in stoppage time to set up a more nervy final few minutes than it needed to be, but this was exactly the result, if not the performance, that the Whitecaps were badly needing.
Vanni Sartini made five changes to his starting line-up from the side that lost to a very understrength Miami side on Saturday. The ‘Caps coach also went with a change of formation, choosing to go with a 3-5-2 set up. His counterpart Peter Vermes also went heavy with the rotation, making a staggering eight chances, with some unusual personnel choices such as Khiry Shelton at right back in his first start since September last year.
This was a match between two teams very much out of form. Vancouver headed to KC winless in six straight league games, with three draws, three losses and no goals from open play in the last five matches. KC were coming into this on the back of an eight match winless run and five straight defeats. It had all the makings of a disappointing goalless affair, although KC had conceded in every game this season, so there was that hope!
The Whitecaps had the first real chance of the match in the 13th minute when Gauld sent the ball in across goal, coming to Ryan Raposo at the back of the box, but his shot went into the side netting from a tight angle.
Yohei Takaoka had to come up with an excellent instinctive save two minutes later, turning away a Shelton header, who had risen above the Whitecaps defence to get onto a Felipe Hernandez free kick.
The ‘Caps responded with a looping header from Brian White that landed on top of the KC net in the 18th minute.
Hernandez had a shot blocked by Sebastian Berhalter in the 21st minute, with Dany Rosero heading the subsequent corner narrowly wide, before KC’s William Agada saw his header easily saved by Takaoka six minutes later.
With the match looking like heading into half time scoreless, the Whitecaps opened the scoring in the 39th minute, somewhat against the run of play.
Ali Ahmed sent a long throw in from the right into the box. KC failed to clear the danger and the ball broke to Gauld. His first shot was blocked, but he immediately picked up the rebound, found some space, and fired home past John Pulskamp to give Vancouver the lead.
Twinkle toes from Ryan Gauld and @WhitecapsFC take the lead.
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/BHTCANpCkG pic.twitter.com/6LRwwiARxU
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 30, 2024
It was the Whitecaps first shot on goal of the match and their first MLS goal from open play in 564 minutes, since Brian White’s record-setting goal at New York Red Bulls on April 27th.
And that was it for the first half, not a classic, but Vancouver headed in with a much-needed lead as their good road form continued.
Any expectations that the second half was going to open up and be an entertaining affair were very misplaced, with neither side able to carve out any goalscoring opportunities.
In the end, the killer second goal from Vancouver was actually set up by their opponents with eight minutes of the match remaining.
Tim Leibold had the ball in the middle of his own half and with no-one around him, inexplicably played the ball back without looking. Gauld was there to pick off the pass and ran in on goal to tuck it away past Pulskamp to surely put the game to bed.
Ryan Gauld at the double!
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/BHTCANpCkG pic.twitter.com/1RxMCHe7kI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 30, 2024
Whitecaps sub Levonte Johnson was played in on goal but pulled his shot wide, but the flag went up for offside anyway.
KC then went up the pitch and pulled one back in the second minute of stoppage time when Shelton waltzed his way through four Whitecaps players, playing the ball inside to Tzionis, who fired home.
.@SportingKC pull one back and we're set for a tense finish at Children's Mercy Park. pic.twitter.com/jsMIWUYvjK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 30, 2024
That set up a nervy finale, but the Whitecaps easily saw out the remaining time and the good ship Vancouver was finally steadied with an important three points.
It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done. Two shots on target, two goals. That’s efficient, but equally concerning at the lack of productive output.
The Whitecaps have one game to go on this very busy part of the season. Colorado come-a-calling on Saturday. With the ‘Caps home form and the current tightness of the Western Conference standings, this feels like it’s going to be a tough test, but it’s one Vancouver need to take all three points from.
FINAL SCORE: Sporting Kansas City 1 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 17,046
SCORING SUMMARY:
39’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld
82’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld
90’+2 – SKC – Marinos Tzionis (Khiry Shelton)
STATS:
Possession: SKC 61.5% – VAN 38.5%
Shots: SKC 10 – VAN 13
Shots on Goal: SKC 5 – VAN 2
Saves: SKC 0 – VAN 4
Fouls: SKC 9 – VAN 11
Offsides: SKC 2 – VAN 3
Corners: SKC 4 – VAN 4
BOOKINGS:
6’ – VAN – Bjørn Inge Utvik
42’ – SKC – Khiry Shelton
75’ – SKC – Robert Castellanos
KANSAS CITY: John Pulskamp; Khiry Shelton, Robert Castellanos, Dany Rosero, Zorhan Bassong (Tim Leibold 57’); Jacob Davis (Marinos Tzionis 79’), Nemanja Radoja, Felipe Hernández; Alenis Vargas (Johnny Russell 57’), William Agada (Alan Pulido 57’), Stephen Afrifa (Dániel Sallói 46′) [Substitutes not used: Tim Melia, Andreu Fontàs, Robert Voloder, Chris Rindov]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ryan Raposo (Ali Ahmed 70’), Sebastian Berhalter, Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Giuseppe Bovalina 90’), Luís Martins (Mathías Laborda 77’); Brian White (Fafà Picault 70’), Ryan Gauld ( Levonte Johnson 90’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Tristan Blackmon, Damir Kreilach, Pedro Vite]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On recent form and earning an important win:
“[We] could have been a little bit shaken in our convincement, even the players. We came here and we did a very good performance. I would say a Whitecaps trademark performance with great organization defensively, good transition, very good in offensive set plays. To be perfect, some crossing could have been better because we had a lot of opportunities to score even more goals. I’m really happy that we did a fantastic job and we got three points.”
On changes:
“We worked a lot on how we had to defend and press with the midfield, and I think that we did fantastically. The two wingbacks and the two number eights were very good, and having those four guys allowed Andres [Cubas] to be even more aggressive. If we’re able to not get broken immediately, the distance can become compact when they try to play the player in the middle and Andres can go there and be the ball stealer that he is, like the Glove who played for the Seattle Supersonics. That was the best thing. The other thing was to be very intentional when we had the ball and attacking. I think the quality of crossing could have been a little better, but we went to those areas that we want to play the ball and to populate the box.”
RYAN GAULD
On the win:
“You could say that we’ve needed it for a couple of weeks now. Everyone’s buzzing to finally put an end to that bad run we were on. Getting three points away from home is huge for us. Everyone’s buzzing now for Saturday.”
On the switch to play up front:
“I think it let me play closer to Brian [White] further up, and kind of stretch the pitch a little bit, let the boys in the middle get a little bit more space. It think it got to the time where we needed it a little bit freshened up and to change a little tweak here or there, and thankfully it worked out.”
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
HEAD COACH PETER VERMES
Thoughts on the first half:
“I think, other than the goal that they scored, those guys played very well. We created a great amount of chances in that first half. Other than the goal on the throw-in, outside of that the guys were very good. They really were. Sometimes you think something’s going to come. You can feel a goal coming with the number of chances and just the situations we were in around the box and the way we were. We were very good. But some of those guys also ran out of steam, unfortunately, because they’re not playing 90 minutes on a regular basis. But they did a really good job throughout the game, I thought (Robert) Castellanos was very good at central defense. I think, through the run of play, we really didn’t give up all that much to be honest with you. The second goal is a mistake obviously. You saw what happened. But through the run of play, I thought the back four, for not playing together, I thought they did a really good job in a lot of situations. They were good when the ball was being crossed into the box. They cleared a lot of balls. It’s the same thing if you just kind of switch the two situations. Look at how many times we got in their box and how many chances we got. I didn’t see the same on their side. They get the corner and then obviously we made the big mistake.”
Thoughts on the second half:
“Obviously they’re staying back a little bit and they’re packing it in at this moment because they’re winning. At that moment, you have to be a little bit more direct. We needed to be because they were playing more like a 5-4-1 if you will and at times a 5-5-0 the way they were lining up. So you have got to play balls over the top and you have to also play for second balls. It didn’t happen at times. If you look at the goal, we were very direct in that situation. When Khiry (Shelton) got it and just went, it changes the game because you put people under pressure when you go direct.”
On the urgency after going down a goal:
“I would like to have gotten back into the game with them, getting one, two, maybe three (goals). But I don’t think we created enough chances with those guys in the game.”
On turning things around:
“It sounds good, but it still doesn’t change the fact that the first goal shouldn’t happen. It’s a routine play for me. What do you want me to do about the second goal at this point? I can’t do anything. It’s a bad mistake and I’m going to stand behind him because obviously he doesn’t want to make that pass. Maybe he didn’t see or whatever the case is. We’re trying to find a way back in the game. I’m very pleased with the way the first group came out. They had great energy. It’s just a shame they didn’t get a goal.”
On where the team is:
“Not good. I’m not sure I understand the question. We’re last place in our division so we’re not in a good spot. But we also need some guys now. We’re missing midfielders big time. They have got to get healthy and we have got to keep fighting.”
On if he’s seeing signs of a turnaround:
“It’s not like there’s no effort because there’s definitely an effort for sure. And like I said, I think the guys played very well in the first half. We have just got to cut down these mistakes. That’s the biggest thing because I think that we have a good group. I just think we have got to cut down the mistakes and something has got to turn our way. When it does, you usually get on that wave and you start riding it.”
On the weight of the losing streak:
“I would never say that it’s one thing, but I would say everything has an impact at that time. You always lose confidence. A goal goes in and then you’re like (exasperated). I mean, I played on teams like that and I’ve coached teams like that. But, at some point, it’s always the same. You have to get yourself out of that. You have to fight. You have to keep fighting.”
On his message to fans:
“I understand. I get it. We’re not getting results. You can play bad and win and nobody cares. But right now, we’re not getting the results. So I understand the frustration. Believe me, I would say that nobody has it more than me because, at the end of the day, I’m the guy. All I know is I’ll keep coming every day and keep trying to get it better. That’s it.”
On his message to Khiry Shelton:
“I knew he was tired. He hasn’t played a 90-minute match for quite a while but I thought he put a great shift in. I thought he played very well for a guy that has not played that position really at all in his career except for a few spots last year and this year. He did a really good job. I knew he was winded. He was winded, no doubt. I was telling him, ‘Listen, don’t defend. Just get forward now because we have got to get back in the game. If they score another one, it doesn’t matter. We have got to try to tie up.’ Him getting up the field, I knew he was tired but he fought through it. He doesn’t get the credit sometimes that he deserves and he definitely deserves some credit because he played very well tonight.”
On the summer transfer window:
“I think it’s very evident. You guys all know we have a Designated Player spot open. So I’m constantly asking and I’m hoping that we’re going to be able to get something and secure something here in the summertime. That’s the best I can tell you.”
On the front three finding their form:
“In the beginning of the season, I actually thought that we were flying. Johnny (Russell) was injured for a little while there. I think we were trying to, based on the personnel we had available because we had to take (Erik) Thommy out of the midfield and put him at the wing which he did a really good job at, we really wanted Thommy in the middle because we need to play somebody who has some playmaking ability there and Thommy brings that. He also has a little bit of a directness to goal which puts people under pressure. It’s kind of like the goal that we scored tonight in that when Khiry goes direct, it changes things. I don’t know. Is it lack of confidence? Lack of form? Games played when we’ve given up leads and again you lose confidence? Maybe it’s part of that as well. But obviously those guys need to get in form and in relationship to each other because, at the end of the day, they’re the guys that need to do it.”
FORWARD KHIRY SHELTON
On playing right back:
“It was different. I’ve been training there a little bit. It was new. I made some mistakes, but I felt like I did pretty well. On the first goal, I think I could have pushed up and tracked him. I was in between. I’ll take responsibility for that. I’m not happy with the result. We’re in this spot and we’ve got to pull ourselves out of it.”
On how to stop the slide:
“Not falling apart in terms of not putting your arm around the other guy’s shoulder next to you. I think once you lose that, it’s a wrap. But none of the guys have done that so far and we don’t plan on doing that. So we just take it day by day and look forward to the game this weekend. We go tomorrow and hit the books and see where we went wrong. It’s just habits. That’s another thing too. We have got to fix some habits. But once we do that, we’ve been here before so we can turn it around.”
On if this year’s slow start is different from last year:
“No, I feel like it’s the same feeling. We started off a bit better, but we’re at the bottom. Fans aren’t happy. Players, we’re not happy. So it’s the same. I think, with the same group that we had last year, we know and we have to stay together and we pull each other out.”
On playing at fullback:
“It’s different. I enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed it in training. At first, it was hard to kind of play that defensive role, because it’s not attacking all the time. You’re having to be disciplined on the back line and things like that. I enjoyed it.”
DEFENDER JAKE DAVIES
On playing the match as a midfielder:
“Midfield was the first position I played and obviously it’s not new. I didn’t feel uncomfortable, but it was just something that I haven’t done in a while. So it was nice to be back in there and I was just trying to do anything I can to help the team in that position.”
On preparing for Saturday’s match at Minnesota:
“From what I think, it’s just taking one game at a time and not trying to look back in the past and dwelling on what we’ve put ourselves into. It’s just focusing on one game at a time, and now we have Minnesota. Instead of putting our heads down and feeling sorry for ourselves, we should just go to the next game and come in with a lot of energy and focus on that game only, not about how this win can turn around the season. Everyone knows that now. Everyone knows that a win will do that, and a loss will only make it worse. So instead of bringing those thoughts into the game, it’s just going to the game and preparing like it’s just another game and we’re not in a hole. We’re just going to win a game and get a result.”
On whether Sporting can learn from its mid-season turnaround in 2023:
“Yeah, of course. I always try to be careful what I’m saying because this is my second year starting and being a part of this team. From what I’ve learned last year, all it takes is one win to really redefine your team and give your team a lot of confidence to believe that we can turn the season around. It was the same thing last year. We went to Seattle and won, and it’s one of the hardest places to go. Minnesota’s very good this year and we’re going away again. Anything can happen and if we get a result there, yeah, we can say that it might turn the season around. But we’ve got to go after Minnesota and get another result. So it’s just one game at a time. We can take a lot from last year, but again, my belief is just one game at a time and putting all of our energy into that and not anything else besides that.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, and Canadian Premier League chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
It’s not been a great week, with two horrible on-pitch performances and a PR nightmare off it with the no-show of Messi and friends for the match against Miami. We delve into how the whole Messi debacle played out and look at all parties that are being blamed for the non-appearance. How justified is it, where should most of the blame lie, and how have the Whitecaps handled the whole situation?
We also look at the actual game itself, where the ‘Caps failed to rise to the occasion once again in front of a large crowd and are still struggling to create and score from open play. Plus after scraping through to the Canadian Championship semi-finals against Cavalry, we look at what lies in-store and how Vanni Sartini’s postgame comments from both of last week’s matches went from one extreme to the other. How much threat is his job under right now?
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.17: Intro
05.10: The Vancouver Messi debacle – who’s to blame?
39.15: Messi, the Whitecaps, Plan B’s, ticket prices and fan anger
71.15: Understrength Miami pile on Whitecaps’ home woes
107.56: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
115.34: Whitecaps scrape through in Canadian Championship – shameful?
134.50: Vancouver FC go second after derby day win
151.05: Wavelength – Feet-Punk – Diego Maradona
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
It wasn’t the Inter Miami side over 50,000 people had bought tickets to see. Many (the majority?) of those in attendance would have struggled to identify most of the Messi-less visiting side that took to the BC Place on Saturday evening. This wasn’t how things were meant to play out for one of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ marquee matches for their historic 50th anniversary season. But yet, here we were.
The build up to this game saw a lot of anger thrown in all directions – the Whitecaps, Miami, MLS, even Messi himself. It’s hard not to see that the debacle that played out in the 48 hours before kick off has caused irreparable damage to the Whitecaps from a number of the non-regular fans that bought tickets for this match.
All the Whitecaps could now hope to do was to put on a show. A display of the talent they have in their ranks in the hope of making some of those non-regulars come back and cheer on their local side. To send the record-setting crown home happy (happier?) and to leave their 7th home game of the season with all three points. They failed in all aspects and Miami were proved correct in leaving their stars in Florida.
Winning at home was something the Whitecaps had only managed to do twice so far this year from their first six attempts. You can make that seven now after another performance that lacked quality and a clinical finish in front of goal. You don’t need to have a big name to provide that quality. Miami’s Robert Taylor showed that in spades, scoring Miami’s first and setting up the second for Leonardo Campana to tuck away. Ryan Gauld pulled one back for Vancouver from the spot, but despite a frantic late push, the visitors held on fairly comfortably for a 2-1 victory and three important points.
Vanni Sartini once again rang the changes, as expected. Vancouver are in the midst of an eight-game month of May and squad rotation has been key. Ironically, much as Miami did for this game to much anger. The starting 11 Sartini put out is arguably the best he has at his disposal right now. For them to then perform so poorly, is just one of a number of red flags surrounding the team right now.
Miami had the first couple of chances, with Yohei Takaoka punching away a Campana header in the 4th minute, before getting down to a Matias Rojas skipper two minutes later.
Vancouver slowly started to come into the game and had a chance in the 9th minute when Fafa Picault headed a Gauld cross to the back post into the six yard area, but there were no takers.
Takaoka was called into action again in the 15th minute, saving a Jordi Alba shot at his near post.
The game fell into a lull, but it was shaken into life by a fantastic opening goal by Miami.
Alba played in Taylor and the Finnish international cut inside and curled a beauty into the far corner past a full length diving Takaoka.
Robert Taylor cuts back & smashes it home for @InterMiamiCF! pic.twitter.com/y5XtvvkwL0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2024
The Whitecaps looked impotent in attack, putting in another lacklustre performance in front of a big crowd and they finished the half with no shots on target.
With more impetus, at least, to start the second half, Picault headed an Ali Ahmed cross just wide four minutes after the restart.
Those early half hopes were soon extinguished in the 54th minute when Miami doubled their lead.
Campana started and finished a move that saw Taylor show fancy footwork to get past Matthias Laborda and cut the ball back for the Ecuadorian to slot home.
Robert Taylor with the sauce
Leonardo Campana with the finish @InterMiamiCF takes a 2-0 lead in Vancouver! pic.twitter.com/J7pkC1OcWl— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2024
The Whitecaps were thrown a lifeline just past the midway point of the second half when referee Joe Dickerson was called over for a video review. Replays showed Miami defender Tomas Aviles pushing over Picault in the box and the Whitecaps had a penalty.
Gauld stepped up and fired home from the spot and from nowhere, the ‘Caps were back in the game.
Ryan Gauld strikes from the spot.
And we have a game in Vancouver against Inter Miami.
Catch the finish: https://t.co/h5upTF54GR pic.twitter.com/p1Dgd9b1LA
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 26, 2024
Picault broke through on the right in the 75th minute but his ball across the face of the goal had no takers, although the winger had probably been offside.
Picault came even closer himself six minutes later, rising brilliantly to meet a pin perfect Ryan Raposo cross, but his flying header crashed off the right post.
The Whitecaps tried to get something going but the visitors were holding firm as the game went into eight minutes of stoppage time, but despite trying to push there was no way back for Vancouver and it was three more points dropped at home.
This was a horrible performance by the Whitecaps. For Sartini to sit postgame and say it was a good performance, but a disappointing result was extremely concerning. Maybe he’ll feel differently in the cold light of day when he watches the game back, but, for me, they were lacking so much and the quality simply isn’t there in the team right now. Two shots on target in a game like this was shameful, never mind Tuesday night’s performance against Cavalry.
The tactics, formation, and current personnel aren’t working. At least Sartini saying that he understands there need to be changes gives some hope. Whether they can be put into practice going into a tricky game in Kansas City on Wednesday is a whole other matter.
If I’m Vanni right now, I’m worried about where this season is going, both for the team and for him as the coach.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 2 Inter Miami
ATT: 51,035
SCORING SUMMARY:
38’ – MIA – Robert Taylor (Jordi Alba)
54’ – MIA – Leonardo Campana (Robert Taylor)
72’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (penalty kick)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 50.2% – MIA 49.8%
Shots: VAN 17 – MIA 10
Shots on Goal: VAN 2 – MIA 6
Saves: VAN 4 – MIA 1
Fouls: VAN 8 – MIA 14
Offsides: VAN 2 – MIA 1
Corners: VAN 9 – MIA 5
BOOKINGS:
20’ – MIA – Jordi Alba
34’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
48’ – MIA – Yannick Bright
51’ – MIA – Tata Martino (head coach)
60’ – MIA – Marcelo Weigandt
63’ – MIA – Tomás Avilés
73’ – VAN – Alessandro Schöpf
90’ – VAN – Fafà Picault
90’ – MIA – Federico Redondo
SENDING OFFS:
90’+8 – MIA – Gerardo Andres Martino (assistant coach)
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda (Luís Martins 58’), Ranko Veselinović (Ryan Raposo 74’), Tristan Blackmon; Ali Ahmed, Pedro Vite (Giuseppe Bovalina 58’), Andrés Cubas (Levonte Johnson 88’), Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 73’); Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Fafà Picault [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Javain Brown]
MIAMI: Drake Callender; Marcelo Weigandt, Tomás Avilés, Sergii Kryvstov, Jordi Alba; Julian Gressel (Noah Allen 87’), Yannick Bright, Benjamin Cremaschi (Federico Redondo 65’); Matías Rojas (David Ruiz 82’), Leonardo Campana, Robert Taylor (73.Leonardo Frugis Afonso 87’) [Substitutes not used: C.J. dos Santos, Ryan Sailor, Franco Negri, Lawson Sunderland, Ryan Carmicheal]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s performance across both halves:
“I don’t think it’s a disappointing performance. I think it’s a disappointing result, to be honest. It’s a disappointing way that you lose. I think that we tried. We put a lot of effort. We did very good in getting ourselves in the right position. Today, when you guys talk about the final third and [in] the box, that’s the big reason today. We had four transitions in the first half where we had at least numerical parity, sometimes I think even numerical superiority. We arrived in the box, we arrived very close to the goal, and we didn’t even shoot. They had one, and they scored.”
On the crowd:
“Fantastic, the crowd today was amazing. From the [TIFO], it was amazing. There were a lot of people while we were doing warmup, pushing the team. It was fantastic. We are so sorry that we couldn’t at least tie at the end, because they were really helping us and we really thank them. It was special, to be honest.”
ALI AHMED
On the second half performance from his team:
“In the second half we came out way more aggressively, defensively and offensively. I think we were kind of hungry not to lose. I think we fought until the end. Gutted not to get a goal, and not even tie honestly, to not get a win with all the fans here today. I think we wanted to show that we’re a team that can win in Vancouver, so it’s unfortunate that we didn’t do that today.”
On playing in front of tonight’s record breaking crowd:
“It was really beautiful, a beautiful vibe. It was nice to see the pre-game stuff going on and the 50,000 fans coming up, seeing the upper bowl and the lower bowl packed is beautiful. As a footballer, you love to play a match like that, and it would have been super lovely to leave this day with a win with all those fans in attendance. But we’ve got to learn from it.”
INTER MIAMI
HEAD COACH TATA MARTINO (TRANSLATED)
On the win on the road without some of his main star players:
“I feel comforted by the effort the boys made. I think it was a very valuable win… let’s celebrate in a fitting way as it was a very difficult match. We had to run a lot and work hard, but these are three very valuable points for us.”
On if the long travel affected the team’s performance on the night:
“I don’t believe it was a factor… I think we did things better in the first half. Even until the second goal we were better, then there is an opponent who plays, applies pressure and makes changes and becomes stronger offensively, and we were forced to retreat and defend. But I don’t want to attribute the team’s dip in the last 30 minutes to something related to the trip.”
FORWARD LEONARDO CAMPANA
On playing for Inter Miami alongside stars:
“I feel privileged, really happy for everything that’s happening with our team in Miami. I arrived a bit ago and I’ve seen how the team is growing, how we’ve become protagonists, it makes me happy for the owners, for everybody that is part of the team. So, we’re on a good path and we have to keep going.”
MIDFIELDER YANNICK BRIGHT
On his thoughts on the match:
“It was a hard-fought game. I think we did well, we created a lot, we did great finishing our chances, and obviously we were able to battle through the final minutes, to keep [them] there and not let [them] score again.”
On quick turnaround ahead of next match:
A: “This is part of the job. We have to battle through these things, it’s going to be a long flight home but our mindset now is shifted to the next game right away and we can’t stop. Once we got the three points here we had to look at the next game, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
As the fallout continues from yesterday’s news that Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets were not travelling to Vancouver to play in Inter Miami’s match with the Whitecaps on Saturday, fans are continuing to apportion blame for how this debacle has played out. And there a lot of blame to go around.
With the anger and the disappointment far from subsiding 24 hours down the road, a lot of the blame has been laid firmly and squarely at the doors of both Inter Miami and Major League Soccer.
Miami head coach Tata Martino confirmed today that the decision to not bring the players to Vancouver was solely based on giving them rest in the midst of a busy schedule, and the final decision to rest all three only came on Thursday afternoon just before the team were due to fly out of Florida.
While acknowledging the frustrations of Vancouver fans and the late decision to make this public, Martino is adamant that his club have done nothing wrong and that he has every right to put his players’ health first.
“Yesterday we trained, when we finished the training session we met with the technical staff and subsequently I met with the players, and at that moment we determined that they wouldn’t travel,” Martino told media in his prematch press conference on Friday. “Then we immediately traveled and this is the first opportunity that we’ve had to manifest the resolution that we came to. The reasons exclusively have to do with what we have coming this week.
“In the case of Busquets, you have to add that he’s the player with the most minutes played this season for us, so we had to find a moment to stop, so he can have a match to rest, and in his case the most prudent choice would be to rest this one in Vancouver. We understand the frustration of the people, above all else the desire to see our players, and us as the technical staff have to make these decisions that are uncomfortable, that evidently frustrate people, but fundamentally we have to think of our institution, the team, and our players. We made this decision because we believe it’s the appropriate one at this time.”
Martino makes a very strong argument. Miami are in the midst of a spell of four matches within a 15 day period from last weekend to the end of the month. Vancouver have five games in that period and have rotated their squad heavily, with far less travel than Miami. Three of those Miami matches are at home though and two of them are against Eastern Conference rivals. If you are a Miami fan, you are wanting Martino to have his players in the best shape for those games that are against teams battling you for conference positioning.
Miami take on Martino’s former club Atlanta United next Wednesday. Miami are currently sitting first in the East, Atlanta are 12th, a whopping 18 points back from the Florida side. On paper, it’s an easy win for Miami, but Martino clearly doesn’t want to take any chances with conference points on the line and wants to play his strongest side and keep his “big three” stars fresh and rested.
And therein lies one of the biggest issues, and seemingly problems, here. The MLS schedule.
Miami did not play midweek as they were not in the US Open Cup. They now have to travel six hours west to play a game before travelling six hours back to play at home midweek. As far as Martino is concerned, if you want to blame anyone for the no-showing of his star players, that blame falls firmly on the league and their lack of foresight in scheduling matches. A midweek trip to another team out west and the likelihood of Messi and the others making this trip would have increased.
“Normally when these types of trips happen, and I speak also from my experience in Atlanta, they string together matches close to each other so that the trip isn’t as tiring,” Martino added. “In this case, immediately after, we have two matches at home next week. In the evaluation of this we understand that the most prudent choice was that they not participate in this match. They’ll continue training, they trained this morning, and will train again Saturday, and that they be prepared for what is ahead next week.
“Maybe having another away match that could have been in Los Angeles or Kansas, somewhere that is closer. It’s not the same to have traveled to Montreal in a three-hour flight each way to then play against Orlando. In this case it’s 12 hours of flights, and with three hours of time difference. So these are things that we also have to attend. If it would have been in that way then probably the resolution would’ve been another, because we also have to defend our position in the standings and it’s also a matter that I’ve been mentioning particularly since the start of the year, collecting as many points possible while we have all the players available, something that will change starting next week. So, we understand that this is the resolution that’s appropriate for this moment.”
When the news first started to come out on Thursday, many were quick to label the blame on the BC Place turf, but Miami’s players have already played games on turf this season in New England and Martino was quick to dispel this, reiterating again that this is all about resting his players, looking after their health, and poor MLS scheduling.
“Only a few weeks ago we went to Boston, and both Luis [Suarez] and Leo [Messi] have participated in that match,” Martino stressed. “What the league normally does is that when there are matches in which a team has to travel a long distance, the either don’t play a midweek match, or pair up two matches in the same location or a nearby location. In this case, it wasnt the case, but it’s not a complaint, I repeat, this is something that we knew since the start of the season, we knew the schedule perfectly, and once this moment arrived we have had to take this decision.
“I don’t think it’s something strange when many teams in MLS that do exactly the same, but we understand that for us, the players that tomorrow will not be there are players that have revolutionized MLS, especially Leo, but well, we also have the obligation of taking care of the team’s health.”
Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster had wanted to let Whitecaps fans know as soon as he could that Messi and his big name teammates would not be playing on Saturday, and admitted that he had taken the unusual step of contacting an opponent to see if some of their players would be making the trip once rumours first surfaced that they may not be.
“I really want to make very clear, we have learned less than 24 hours before about the rumours that that might be a scenario,” Schuster told media on Friday. “We have immediately reached out to Miami. It is not a thing that professional teams normally to do to share too much information because the whole thing of tomorrow is a sporting competition. So you are holding back information, but the best answer we could get this that they had not made the final decision. They said that there will be training yesterday morning in Miami and after that they will make their final selection.
“And so we really learned an hour maybe two hours before we went out with our message about the definite of the fact and even at that point, it was like okay, we confirm but it’s not anything officially confirmed because it’s not what professional sports team do. But we felt like we needed to go out with this and let people know. I know so many people are traveling or booked other other things around the game so we wanted to share the information as soon as possible.”
MLS operates very differently from football around the rest of the world. In other leagues, whether Messi was travelling to play a game or not would not be expected to be made public, and certainly not shared with an opponent. The expectation for Miami to thus be doing this appears to be something that irks Martino.
“I think that the point is, in which other part of the world do teams have to communicate the absence of their players because the business dictates?,” Martino mused. “So, MLS, in this specific case, it’s very special, and I don’t think that us as the coaching staff there’s much that we can do to improve the situation, I think that no, because one thing is knowing that we have three matches in a week and the other, in the moment in which we’re getting closer to the week and the matches from the previous week in which we played three times.
“It’s about evaluating and talking with the players because we could maybe think something 15 days before but maybe once the moment arrives the players tell us that they’re doing fine, that they want to participate, it doesn’t look like they have to rest or maybe not. They are coming from being out for a long time and they are re-inserting themselves on the team and there’s no need to rest. So it’s very difficult to be able to announce a resolution like this with much time in advance and that’s why we have to wait until the last moment.”
And Martino, like many Whitecaps fans, feels teams like the Whitecaps should then have scenarios in place for such a situation like this and that the ‘Caps should have been better prepared and have brought a lot of the flak they are getting from this onto themselves.
“In that case, I think it’s the teams that are hosting us have to have a plan B in case Leo doesn’t travel,” Martino rightly asserted. “I don’t think it’s our responsibility over this. When we play at home and Leo is unable to play we don’t announce it 20 days in advance, maybe he doesn’t play because of a knock or because of an injury or for whatever reason it may be.
“We didn’t do it when we went to Orlando, he had a knock from Montreal and we didn’t announce it with a lot of time in advance, it was something that we knew was a risk, so we decided he wasn’t going to play. I think that it’s the opposite, the host teams should have some sort of precaution in the case that one of these players don’t travel.”
A lot of Whitecaps fans, and those casual fans that are attending Saturday’s match, fully agree.
While Whitecaps and Vancouver soccer fans reeled at the news that Lionel Messi, along with teammates Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets, weren’t making the six hour flight west to play for Inter Miami in Saturday’s MLS match at BC Place, local Canadian Premier League side Vancouver FC were quick off the mark with a promotional offer to try and console the disappointed fans and get them to come along to cheer on another team that play in pink jerseys.
Vancouver FC take on Pacific FC at Willoughby Stadium in Langley on Saturday afternoon in the first CPL derby of the season, in what is certain to be a highly competitive and feisty affair.
The club are offering all fans with a ticket for the Whitecaps vs Miami match complimentary tickets to check out the derby with Pacific. An offer is also open to existing season ticket holders and people who have already bought single match tickets for the CPL game enabling them to obtain a free additional ticket to bring a guest along to the derby. Full details can be found in the link in the tweet below, with fans just needing to show proof of their Miami ticket to take up the offer.
Missed out on Messi?
Show your Whitecaps vs Inter Miami ticket for FREE entry to our BC Derby match against @Pacificfccpl this Saturday!
Get all the details here
: https://t.co/rcN06ZY7q5#VancouverFC #CanPL pic.twitter.com/jvqMMOPwhx— Vancouver Football Club (@vanfootballclub) May 24, 2024
It’s a fantastic offer and one hopefully a number of fans will take up, although perhaps worth noting that if all 50,000 fans were to do so there would be a bit of a problem!
Attendance at the match was expected to be lower than the norm, with many fans choosing to head to downtown Vancouver early to take in the festivities and catch an early glimpse of the Miami players arriving and warming up.
With Messi and his missing teammates now confirmed to be still in Florida, VFC head coach Afshin Ghotbi is hoping local fans will now still make it a day of football by partaking in an exciting double-header of matches instead, the first of which will be showcasing what local talent is on offer to watch week in, week out, and not just imported superstars.
“We all are trying to help develop this game and I look at tomorrow like Soccer Saturday,” Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi told AFTN on Friday’s pregame media call. “We have an opportunity for all the soccer fans in the British Columbia area to come and see not only our team, but also see the Whitecaps. The games are, I think, timed in a perfect 3pm and 7.30pm. There’s enough time for the Vancouver Whitecaps fans to come and see what what we’re about.
“We have about about 13 players from the BC area. We have another seven that I think play for Pacific. That’s 20 local players that were born and raised here, and developed here, and I feel that it’s a great opportunity to celebrate the game in the lower mainland and in the British Columbia area. And I also believe that what we’ve done as a club is to try to show the people that follow sports and want to learn more about the game and to see how exciting CPL can be.”
For one of those local players, Port Coquitlam’s Kadin Chung, the Messi no-show and the opportunity this now provides Vancouver FC to showcase the talents of the local players, is not lost on everyone at the club.
The hope is to put on an exciting afternoon of soccer, winning over some first timers and adding some new regular fans for the Langley based side.
“I think it’s a perfect opportunity because it’s a derby match,” Chung told AFTN. “It’s a game that’s gonna bring in a lot of emotion, but also this is a game that is gonna showcase a lot of our local talent here. I don’t know the exact number but I think we have around 20 BC born boys between the two squads and that’s something that fans can go out and see and kind of almost look at us and be like, wow, this is where the game is headed here locally.
“Hopefully we can bring that quality that we’ve seen from both clubs so far this season. But yeah, I think it’s gonna be a very exciting match for people who go out and watch like most derby games. I think it’ll be a great moment for the both clubs and also the the new fans coming to watch.”
It’s been a good week for the CPL, with Cavalry and Forge both beating MLS opposition in the Canadian Championship. The league continues to grow and the quality and competitiveness on the pitch continues to improve season upon season.
With many fans feeling aggrieved at perceived price gouging for Whitecaps matches against Miami and the upcoming friendly against Wrexham, Ghotbi hopes his club and the league can capitalise on any discontent and show local fans that a cheaper alternative is available. Albeit not of the same quality at the top level, but not too far off it when you get down to some of the depth around MLS.
“Last week the result of Calvary and result of Forge gives another indication that Canadian players playing in CPL can compete with Major League Soccer teams,” Ghotbi added. “So maybe the names are different, maybe the salaries are different, maybe the infrastructure is different and the logistical supports are different. But there’s tremendous amount of talent in British Columbia.
“I have personal experience in Major League Soccer many, many years ago where we would play a Second Division team in the US Cup and it was very difficult games. Every game was difficult and there were MLS players that they were not that much better than players in the Second Division. It’s maybe the Designated Players that are the differentiators, but the the rest I think is quite close and we need to kind of show that to the fans, that there is a lot of football to see in Canada. The CPL is a fantastic league and a growing league in only its sixth year.”
After Tuesday’s match, the Whitecaps secured their progression to the semi-final of the Canadian Championship. That fact was the only solace anyone had from the game, in which a lively and fearless Cavalry FC side beat the Whitecaps 1-0, outplaying them right off the park in their own backyard.
Job done Onto the semis
Our @TELUS #CanChamp journey continues… Stay tuned on May 29th for more details #VWFC | #VANvCAV pic.twitter.com/ag2F4EGCwK
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 22, 2024
Disjointed start from an untested lineup
It was certainly a shock to see that Cyprian Kachwele, fresh off a good vein of form for WFC2 and having already made his debut, was chosen to be the starting striker against Cavalry. It is not to say that such an appearance from him, given his good form and the injury to Damir Kreilach, was not a welcome surprise, but for him to be given the starting duties alongside Levonte Johnson and Giuseppe Bovalina was perhaps a step too far from head coach Vanni Sartini.
Bovalina, primarily a wingback, made his first start since coming in earlier this month, and, to his credit, he did his best in the lineup. He was energetic, dynamic, and often found acres of space to play in. His biggest issue was that he has not had enough time to fully immerse himself in the playing style of the Whitecaps to get involved enough. Or at least, that is the believed reason, since he was so often bypassed in the attack despite having plenty of space.
He was one of the few bright spots in the match, even with his lack of involvement. The attack floundering was to be expected given how thrown together and green it was. Johnson scored a brace in Calgary against Cavalry in the first leg, but is still not at the level to be the senior member in the attack and lead his line. Kachwele had moments, but, like Bovalina, needed time to understand how to work within this system to be more effective.
The biggest disappointment, though, were the players behind that front line. For the attacks’ woes were not just due to their lack of chemistry and inexperience. They also were not getting good service from the midfield and defence. Pedro Vite was not short of effort, but struggled to really impose himself as a connector in the first half. His frustrations earned him a yellow card and looked poised to earn himself a second had the half-time whistle not blown.
Sebastian Berhalter looked lost at times, with the game just going by him for large swaths of the match. Both central midfielders looked dominated by a physical Cavalry midfield that were used to bullying players much stockier and burlier than those two, making it easy for them despite the gap in technical skill and quality between them. Ali Ahmed was invisible at times, although he did come more alive in the second half and was one of the main threats then. Meanwhile, Martins looked tired after just 35 minutes. It was a good thing, in hindsight, that he was put in the less demanding left centre back role at half time.
Overall, it was a poor half from the Whitecaps, but not the worst that we’ve seen. It was definitely one that was recoverable, even after Ranko Veselinovic’s own goal went in. The expectation was that they were going to wake up and make up for it in the second half. As many saw, that was not to be the case.
HT Thoughts:
– sloppy first half. Midfield in particular
– Poor defending on the own goal
– Interestingly, the young front 3 is not the issue. They've been alright, but service to them is lacking
– Sartini needs to give more than a few players a shake#VWFC— Nathan Durec (@ndurec) May 22, 2024
A languid second half nearly costs the ‘Caps the Cup
“We need to apologize to our fans for our performance. That was shameful in the second half,” admitted a very blunt and frustrated Vanni Sartini in the post match press conference. “The first half, we tried at least, but the second half… when one team tries to win and the other team is very casual, that’s a recipe for the game that happened there.”
Never had many of the media members present seen Sartini so despondent after a match. It is one thing to lose because of a bad call, a bad plan or because the other team was simply better. It is a whole other thing to lose because you did not put the effort in. That was the message that Sartini delivered to the media after the match, and called it “unacceptable” and the “lowest moment of my Whitecaps career”.
On the surface it might seem dramatic, but after looking at the game, it doesn’t seem that far off. The defensive structure that had been so strong this season, barring the LAFC game, looked completely unraveled. Cavalry were finding plenty of space in behind and into the channels, threatening to add more had they a little more composure. The midfield looks even more disconnected, with players like Ahmed, Vite, and Berhalter trying to make up for their poor first start with individual runs, straying from the master plan.
Even the subs didn’t bring much rejoice. Ryan Gauld was the most dangerous man on the pitch for spells in the second half – a compliment for Cavalry to force the Whitecaps to bring on their best player – but even he seemed off the mark with his passes and decisions as the half wore on. Ralph Priso and Ryan Raposo did little to spark new life, as their passing was just too safe and too slow to truly kickstart something dangerous. All the while, Brian White had one of the most brutal graveyard shifts he must have played in all of his career.
The very fact that the Whitecaps didn’t lose the tie and get knocked out was partly thanks to the away goals rule still in effect (one which Sartini wishes to dispel off after Cavalry’s performance today) and partly thanks to a Cavalry side that has been struggling to be efficient in the box all season. On the basis of play, you could easily argue that Cavalry deserved more from their display, having beat an MLS side once again on their home soil.
But as is the case, the Whitecaps managed to progress by the skin of their teeth. With Inter Miami and Messi on the horizon, it is not a performance that they will want to boast about in the build up for it.
Despite advancing on away goals (which he isn't a fan of), Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini didn't hold back after last night's Canadian Championship defeat to @CPLCavalryFC #CanPL #CanChamp #VWFC I @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/vWsgzmV28t
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) May 22, 2024
Huge improvements needed for Miami and semi-finals
After the final whistle had ended, there was only one thought that came to my mind. “The Whitecaps MUST show up on Saturday”. It was not a feeling of hopeful desperation, nor of bitter frustration. It was borne from a feeling of necessity. The Whitecaps simply cannot allow a performance like this to re-occur, nor influence the match against Miami.
“We have to close the page, close the chapter, close the whole book,” exclaimed an exasperated Sartini about last night. “We have to forget the night completely. I don’t know if tomorrow we can have the Men in Black show up, but if we think about tonight, a lot of bad things get into your mind.”
It is understandable that Sartini wants to move past it. Beyond the disappointment and shame that may come with it, there is still so much work to be done ahead of Saturday and not that much time to address it. He needs his players to bounce back from that loss immediately if he is to have any hope of competing against a high-flying Miami.
“We need to be in the right mindset and doing the right thing, because if not, you don’t need the players [in front of you] to be called Messi and Suarez to create problems,” explained Sartini. “Today, if you were called [Lleyton] Brooks, [Sergio] Camargo, [Tobias] Warschewski, they created a lot of problems because they are good players and we weren’t doing the right thing that we had to do.”
But the improvement has to come with a goal beyond Saturday. For the Whitecaps haven’t been in great form since that tie against the Red Bulls at the end of last month. They need to start to fix their serious issues of production in the final third, and re-jolt the defence to perform as they were doing earlier in the season. Not just to get back on track in MLS and rise back up the table, but also for their Canadian Championship hopes.
“Of course [the semi-final] will be in July, but we have a moral duty [now] to play the best semi-final we can play against whoever is going to be in that position, whether it’s a CPL team or a MLS team,” professed Sartini about looking ahead. “Because we need to deserve to be in the semi-final with a performance that we do in the semi-final, because we don’t deserve it on the performance today.”
Come the end of the season, this may simply become a blip in what may be a very good season for Sartini and his Whitecaps. But it is not given that that will be so. The Whitecaps need to put a real shift in on Thursday and Friday at training so that they can not only show up to Saturday ready and revving for Miami – but for the rest of this long and arduous season ahead of them.
The party's starting early this Saturday vs #InterMiamiCF!
Join us at our 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, presented by @TELUS, featuring $5 drinks, delicious food, player signing (on Terry Fox Plaza), live music, & more! #VWFC | #VANvMIA
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 22, 2024
Sometimes when you go to a restaurant you end up having a disappointing and underwhelming starter, but that’s more than compensated for when it comes to an absolutely delicious main course. If Vancouver Whitecaps’ lacklustre performance against Cavalry FC in Tuesday night’s Canadian Championship quarter-final second leg was a disappointing soggy salad, then perhaps the ‘Caps side we see take the pitch against a star studded Inter Miami side on Saturday will be a fillet mignon cooked to perfection with all the trimmings.
We can live in hope, but right now it feels very much just that and not one based in a reality. The Whitecaps are stuttering along just now, struggling to score from open play and lacking creativity and flair. That was evident in abundance at BC Place, as CPL side Cavalry came and took the game to this home side and Vancouver put in a performance head coach Vanni Sartini later described as “shameful”.
Trailing 2-1 in the tie after the first leg in Calgary earlier this month, the Cavs knew they had to score at least two goals on the road if they were to advance. They got the first of those in the 32nd minute, when the Whitecaps’ Ranko Veselinovic turned the ball into his own net, but they couldn’t find the elusive second and were ultimately left disappointed after a 1-0 victory on the night, but a 2-2 aggregate scoreline that saw them bow out of the competition on the away goals rule.
Sartini rang the changes for this one admidst a packed schedule, opting for a young and fringe line-up. Guiseppe Bovalina was handed his first start, as was WFC2 call-up Cyprian Kachwele. In his postgame reflections, Sartini feels he got the line-up wrong for this one.
Cavalry had the first shot on target, with Isaac Boehmer easily getting down to Lleyton Brooks’ low effort 11 minutes in.
The Whitecaps slowly started to come into the game.
Levonte Johnson played in Kachwele in the 13th minute, but his low shot was tipped around the post by a diving Marco Carducci.
Three minutes later and Kachwele was in again as he ran onto a deflection, but Carducci was out quick to smother the danger.
Willie Akio brought a save out of Boehmer on the half hour mark.
Two minutes later and Akio cut in from the left again. This time his ball into the box was deflected by Veselinovic into his own net and Calgary had the lead.
OWN GOAL #VWFC go down 1-0 to @CPLCavalryFC as Willy Akio's cross deflects off Ranko Veselinovic and past the 'keeper
It's 2-2 on aggregate now, but the Whitecaps have the away goals advantage at this point in this 2024 TELUS #CanChamp quarter-final clash pic.twitter.com/Mk5D7AG2Lj
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 22, 2024
Leading on the night, but behind in the tie on away goals, the match was now delicately in the balance.
The rest of the first half was pretty much a non event, but Sartini was worried enough by how the game was playing out that he brought on Ryan Gauld and Brian White for the second half.
The teams continued to cancel each other at the start of the second half, with no clear chances for either side.
The ‘Caps finally had a couple of chances just past the hour mark, with first Bovalina firing narrowly past and then Gauld bringing a save out of Carducci with a shot from the edge of the box.
Carducci was called into action again in the 76th minute, when Ryan Raposo was played in but the Cavalry keeper was quickly off his line to smother the danger.
Two minutes later and Boehmer had to save to deny Jesse Daly, who got the ball with his back to goal, but turned superbly to get off his shot.
But that was to be the closest Cavalry came to coming away with not just a famous victory on the night, but to an overall win in the tie.
The Whitecaps now move on to the semi-finals on the away goals rule, but they feel far from being winners at the end of this one. Cavalry have come to BC Place and beaten Vancouver for the second time in five years. It’s the third match the ‘Caps have lost in the competition to CPL opposition in that time and the Cavs can be very proud of their battling performance over these two legs.
Vancouver need to improve and fast if they want to obtain the threepeat in the competition they so badly crave. For now, they can breathe a huge sigh of relief to still even be in it.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 1 Cavalry FC (2-2 on aggregate – Whitecaps advance on away goals)
ATT: 11,853
SCORING SUMMARY:
32’ – CAV – Ranko Veselinović (own goal)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 56% – CAV 44%
Shots: VAN 15 – CAV 8
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – CAV 4
Saves: VAN 5 – CAV 4
Fouls: VAN 11 – CAV 12
Offsides: VAN 5 – CAV 1
Corners: VAN 9 – CAV 2
BOOKINGS:
8’ – CAV – Jesse Daley
22’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
44’ – CAV – Charlie Trafford
45’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
59’ – CAV – Daan Klomp
60’ – CAV – Sergio Camargo
VANCOUVER: Isaac Boehmer; Mathías Laborda (Ryan Gauld 46′), Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ali Ahmed, Sebastian Berhalter (Alessandro Schöpf 61’), Pedro Vite, Luís Martins; Giuseppe Bovalina (Ralph Priso 77’), Cyprian Kachwele (Brian White 46′), Levonte Johnson (Ryan Raposo 61’) [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Belal Halbouni]
CAVALRY: Marco Carducci; Fraser Aird, Daan Klomp, Callum Montgomery, Bradley Kamdem; Jesse Daley (Lucas Dias 88’), Charlie Trafford (Erik Kobza 88’); Lleyton Brooks (Tobias Warschewski), Sergio Camargo (Diego Gutíerrez 66’), William Akio (Ali Musse 66’), Malcom Shaw [Substitutes not used: Jack Barrett, Tom Field]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
Thoughts on the match:
“We need to apologize to our fans for our performance that was shameful, in the second half. The first half we tried at least. I have to be honest, there are very few things to comment about because when one team tries to win – them [Cavalry FC] – and the other team [Whitecaps FC] is very casual, that’s a recipe for the game that happened here. I don’t want to say we could have score or tied or whatever, but I didn’t like the attitude of the team, and that’s on me. That one hundred percent on me when it’s not just one or two players, but it’s 11 players. They played the last 15 minutes like they didn’t know that if they score another goal we get eliminated and they’re jogging on the field. It means that my message during the week hasn’t passed. When that happened, I have to take full responsibility. I think it was, by far, the lowest point of my career here at the Whitecaps today.”
On the message after the match:
“Forget tonight, completely. Tomorrow, we do something like Men in Black that makes us forget. Because if we think about tonight, a lot of bad things get into your mind… we need to forget today, and focus on what we did well in the last two games in the league in Seattle and Colorado, where we were very disciplined, very intense, and that’s the reason why we made the point in Seattle and deserved much more in Colorado. That’s what we need to do.”
Coach Vanni Sartini speaks to the media following Tuesday’s #CanChamp Quarterfinal Leg 2 match against #CavsFC.
#VWFC | #VANvCAV pic.twitter.com/pMscChb1q5— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 22, 2024
RYAN GAULD
On his team’s performance:
“We’re obviously feeling the same [disappointment]. A poor performance through the whole 90 minutes, the worst we’ve played in a long time. But there’s no point dwelling on it. We’re through to the next round and we have a big game coming up on Saturday, so, we just know we need to be better and work hard the next few days to make sure we don’t get performances like that again.”
On what he wants to see from his team ahead of Saturday:
“I think the big thing is we just need more energy, we need more commitment. We know that the boys in the changing room have the quality and the desire to play but we all need to step up when it’s our time to play. We’re all going to have bad games, like Vanni told us after the game. We’ve lost a lot of games but it’s not acceptable to lose when when the commitment’s not really there, so that’s the frustrating side of it tonight. But we’ve got a strong changing room, all the boys will be ready to bounce back when we get back to training on Thursday.”
CAVALRY FC
HEAD COACH TOMMY WHEELDON JR
Thoughts on winning the game but losing the tie:
“We were playing against a very much different Whitecaps side to what we’ve played before. I think they’re very well organised, they’re tough to break down. We had some terrific moments. I think what I’m feeing right now is proud. The disappointment will probably come through when I watch the game again about how close it could have been. We just need one more goal, one more goal. The reality is we’ve separated by the worldy from Johnston in the first leg. And to do that over two legs against a very good side shows the capability of the club we’ve got.”
On not having that attacking impetus to get that second goal:
“That’s a credit to the team we’re playing against. We’re playing in their back yard. To almost meet them 50/50 in possession shows that we had confidence and bravery to play and I think it just came down to that final act. Boehmer’s made a hell of a save near the end and the lads literally gave everything I could have asked of them. Pressed brilliantly, tried to play through, tried to have combinations, defended when they had breakaways. Yeah, we’ve got $20 million reasons why they’ve done better than us. We’ve done very well.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian national team chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
The Whitecaps’ two games a week schedule saw them come away with nothing in Colorado, in a game in which they should have gotten something, and then with a point in Seattle, in a game in which they didn’t really deserve anything. Football, eh! We pick over the bones of both of those matches, look at what they’ve taught us about the current state of the ‘Caps, round up the latest action across MLS, and look ahead to the circus coming to town this weekend – aka Lionel Messi and his Miami maestros.
Before that Miami game there’s the small matter of the Canadian Championship and a quarter-final second leg clash with Cavalry FC. We chat about that, hear from Cavs’ head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr, and chat about Vancouver FC first away win of the season in the CPL.
Plus there’s a new sheriff in town as Canada Soccer appoint Jesse Marsch as the new Canadian men’s national team coach. Was it the right appointment, what does it mean to the program, and how about that funding of the position by the three Canadian MLS clubs? We chat about all of that and more.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.12: Intro – the business end of various seasons
16.30: Whitecaps pay penalty in Colorado
28.53: Whitecaps’ highway robbery in Seattle!
51.33: The Whitecaps need fixing
63.17: MLS Round-up
82.41: The circus is coming to town – Messi mayhem awaits
92.30: Canadian Championship and US Open Cup chat
102.30: Tommy Wheeldon Jr audio
115.53: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
122.25: Jesse Marsch named new CanMNT head coach
146.08: Vancouver FC get first away win of season
159.15: Wavelength – Number 8 – Phoenix Rising
165.25: Goodbyes and German nonsense
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
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Stitcher Radio Network.
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: Mynor Campos)
Four weeks on from their last meeting, it felt like two very different teams meeting in Seattle as Vancouver Whitecaps headed down the I5 for another clash with the Sounders.
Since that 2-0 Whitecaps victory on April 20th, Vancouver haven’t won a match in MLS and had been kept off the scoreboard in their last three games. Seattle on the other hand had taken seven points, with two victories. And while the Sounders weren’t exactly looking like world beaters, they headed into this Cascadia Cup clash as the more in-form side.
When Jordan Morris fired them ahead nine minutes in, it felt like another tough night was in store for the Whitecaps, but in a match lacking a lot of real quality, the ultimate tale of the game lay in one handball decision not being given at one end and one being awarded at the other.
The latter fell to Vancouver and Ryan Gauld’s stoppage time penalty earned what could be a very valuable point for the visitors when everything shakes out come October.
Vanni Sartini made five changes to the team that started the midweek loss in Colorado, with one eye also on Tuesday’s Canadian Championship second leg against Cavalry.
After a couple of early half chances for both sides, Seattle got the early breakthrough in the 9th minute.
Yohei Takaoka did well to turn away a fierce Obed Vargas from a few yards out, after the ball fell to him when Ryan Raposo blocked a Joao Paulo shot, but the rebound fell to Morris, who easily tucked it away to put the home side up.
Off the rebound! @SoundersFC take the early lead.
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/7yt5AShEiW // #RivalryWeek by @continentaltire pic.twitter.com/KixrG5pSe2
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2024
The Whitecaps had a chance for an immediate response when Brian White rose well to meet a Ryan Gauld corner, but Stefan Frei came up with the save.
The game fell into a far slower pace after the blistering start, and it was hard to work out just what Vancouver’s gameplan was as they didn’t seem to be looking for quick transition plays.
Chances were few and far between but Fafa Picault headed over a Gauld free kick in the 37th minute before White tried a scissor kick in stoppage time, when a simpler attempt felt the far better option.
Seattle made most of the running at the start of the second half, with Vancouver showing very little urgency or attacking threat.
Cristian Roldan rose to meet a corner in the 57th minute, but as the ball flew across the face of the ‘Caps goal, there were no Sounders to tuck the ball away for what would have been a killer second.
Yeimar blasted one over from just outside the box in the 69th minute, in a rare piece of goalmouth action.
The Whitecaps had a chance that came out of nowhere in the 73rd minute when substitute Sebastian Berhalter struck a fierce, low 20-yarder which Frei parried away.
Morris almost grabbed a second for Seattle with 10 minutes remaining when he rose to meet a cross but his header came of Javain Brown and behind for a corner. Replays showed it came of Brown’s elbow, but despite a quick video review, the decision to give a corner was upheld.
Pedro de la Vega then nearly got the Sounders’ second from the subsequent corner, but his header crashed off the crossbar and the danger was cleared.
Just as all Whitecaps hope seemed lost, they were given a lifeline with seconds of normal time remaining when Nouhou threw himself towards Berhalter’s shot with his arm raised in the box. No penalty was given on the field but after a video review, Vancouver had a last gasp penalty and Nouhou was sent off for a second yellow.
Gauld stepped up and expertly dispatched the spot kick five minutes into stoppage time and the ‘Caps had earned the unlikeliest of points.
Ryan Gauld finds the late equalizer from the spot!#RivalryWeek by @continentaltire pic.twitter.com/xZAqLWl47a
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2024
There was still time for one last bit of drama as De la Vega crashed a shot off the near post in the 98th minute, with Takaoka a very lucky man not to have been caught sleeping.
But a point apiece it was to be and the Whitecaps will want to get back in their bus and up the road before they get accused of being Dick Turpin as that was highway robbery!
A very good, if undeserved, point in the end for Vancouver but this was a game that highlighted many of the concerns surrounding the team right now in terms of the lack of creativty, the issues with depth, and the over-reliance on certain players to continue to perform at the top levels week in, week out.
But the point steadies a wobbling Whitecaps ship and ends their goal drought at the 435 minute mark. The effort shown, especially on the defensive side, is certainly a positive to take out of the match, as is keeping the five point gap between themselves and the Sounders, but they will need to be a lot better and a lot more creative if they are to take on Messi and friends next weekend.
FINAL SCORE: Seattle Sounders 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 30,102
SCORING SUMMARY:
9’ – SEA – Jordan Morris
90’+4 – VAN – Ryan Gauld (penalty kick)
STATS:
Possession: SEA 51.9% – VAN 48.1%
Shots: SEA 13 – VAN 8
Shots on Goal: SEA 2 – VAN 5
Saves: SEA 4 – VAN 1
Fouls: SEA 14 – VAN 12
Offsides: SEA 0 – VAN 1
Corners: SEA 5 – VAN 3
BOOKINGS:
36’ – SEA – Obed Vargas
43’ – SEA – João Paulo
77’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda
89’ – SEA – Nouhou
90’+4 – SEA – Nouhou
SENDING OFFS:
90’+4 – SEA – Nouhou
SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Alex Roldan, Yéimar Gomez Andrade, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou; Cristian Roldan, João Paulo (Pedro de la Vega 76’), Obed Vargas, Albert Rusnák (Reed Baker-Whiting 88’), Jordan Morris; Raúl Ruidíaz (Danny Musovski 88’) [Substitutes not used: Andrew Thomas, Paul Rothrock, Jon Bell, Cody Baker, Danny Leyva, Dylan Thomas]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Mathías Laborda, Tristan Blackmon; Alessandro Schöpf (Levonte Johnson 76’), Andrés Cubas (Sebastian Berhalter 54’), Pedro Vite, Ryan Raposo (Ali Ahmed 65’); Fafà Picault, Brian White, Ryan Gauld [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ranko Veselinović, Belal Halbouni, Ralph Priso, Luís Martins, Guiseppe Bovalina]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s performance across both halves:
“I think we did well, to be honest. I think the first half we played well, we conceded a goal in kind of an unlucky way, with their cross and they put a lot of players up and the deflection went in their favour. But, you know, there’s also the other team. Then, I think we played a very good first half, playing better than them and having the chance to tie immediately with Brian [White] with the header, and then pushing, pushing, pushing. We were a little bit too frantic with the ball and in the final third, and that’s the reason we created a lot of threat in my opinion, but not a lot of chances. The second half actually, in terms of quality of play, was a little less. I think we felt that we were a little tired but I’m very proud of the fact that we stayed in the game for the entire duration, we didn’t concede chances… but again we didn’t have many chances. We were a little bit too slow moving the ball from left to right and right to left… but I think that the tie is fair for what we did in the first half, and in the second half the effort made us deserve the tie. But we could have done better, offensively, for sure in the second half.”
What his team need to do better in the attack ahead of a busy schedule next week:
“Two things. The first thing is that I think we were too hasty [today]. A lot of the time we were trying to receive the ball behind the line, and we had space to go at them and we wanted to play that final pass immediately, or the short pass immediately, so that’s the first thing. The second thing is the occupation. Today, I think the wide players, they have to be very wide when we have the ball but when we are in the final third, the opposite side, say we are playing on the right side, the left side player needs to attack. I think we were unable to do that run, probably because we are playing back-to-back-to-back and it’s very demanding to do it every time. But that’s what we need to do better, we need to occupy more the box.”
RYAN GAULD
On the boost his goal and this point will give for the team moving forward:
“It’s been a tough run of games so far the past ten days or so, and we’ve still got quite a few Saturday-Wednesday games left so, it’s important to try and get as many points as we can. Obviously off the back of two poor results and three games without scoring, it’s nice to get a point on the board and get a goal and hopefully we can look forward from here.”
On becoming the first player to register 30+ goals and 30+ assists in the MLS era for Whitecaps:
“It’s nice, obviously. When I came in, I was told to try and bring final product at the end of the pitch and to help with that many goal involvements, is quite a nice feeling. Hopefully I can add quite a few more in the next few years.”
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
BRIAN SCHMETZER
On if he saw the handball that wasn’t called:
“No, I didn’t, I’m 100 yards away from that one. The other one too, I can’t really see it. It looks like, for me, the fact that [Nouhou] blocks the shot, I’m happy with the effort and diffusing a very dangerous situation then [the referee’s] obviously look at it. I haven’t seen it, so I don’t know.”
STEFAN FREI
On how he looks at the game:
“I think we missed a good opportunity to win this game. But I think even [LA Galaxy] missing some key players, they are still a good roster, good team. But I think we need to look at us and try to improve. The reality is we need to be better.”
CRISTIAN ROLDAN
On his overall thoughts of the game:
“I felt like it was a decent performance. I think that we needed to do a better job of closing out the game with the ball, be a little more dangerous when we are up 1-0 instead of conceding possession and conceding crosses. That’s what at the end of the day resulted in the [penalty], a silly foul. We are trying to make up for it. It’s unfortunate but it’s the reality. It’s a 1-1 game, we split the points, and we don’t move in the standings and so it definitely feels like a loss.”
PEDRO DE LA VEGA (TRANSLATED FROM SPANISH)
On if there was any added pressure for his return due to the team’s form:
“We had a good game today. We did a good job in general during the game. Of course, it’s unlucky that we weren’t able to get the result at the end and we didn’t get the win. It was just a last-minute play that happened. I don’t feel that it was extra pressure, it was more just that particular play that happened at the end, it’s not that we felt any additional pressure.”
It was looking good, until it wasn’t.
That was the gist of the match on Wednesday evening, as the Vancouver Whitecaps fell to a 1-0 loss to Colorado Rapids in Commerce City thanks to a handball penalty and a red card. Bjorn Inge Utvik went from hero to unfortunate zero as the Whitecaps went back-to-back road games with zero points and three straight league matches without a goal.
Levonte Johnson impressive in first MLS start
Before the madness that was the end of the first half, there were positive signs from the Whitecaps. After Colorado dominated the early proceedings, the Whitecaps started to heat up with their dangerous attacks in transition. The man that was at the heart of those threatening attacks was Levonte Johnson, who was making his first MLS start of the season.
After an impressive brace against Cavalry FC in the Canadian Championship midweek last week, the 25-year-old Canadian was called to the starting lineup against Colorado. With some heavy rotation after that disastrous 3-0 loss to LAFC this past weekend, as well as one eye on the Cascadia Cup derby this Saturday, it was likely expected for Johnson to start the match.
What was then unexpected was how lively Johnson looked in that first half. He was taking on Keegan Rosenberry one-on-one on multiple occasions, and looked confident to bypass him. The left-winger was often the outlet for the midfield to switch the play, and he drove towards the goal to create chances, including one shot that was deflected wide but looked destined to trouble Zack Steffen, and another that saw Steffen deny a chipped effort from close range.
“I think he did that we expected,” commented Whitecaps Head Coach Vanni Sartini on Johnson’s performance. “We wanted him to be a handful when we were winning the ball, and going one-v-one. He had two chances to score, he was always a threat on the left side and I think he was very, very good.”
With a Whitecaps attack that has been puttering the last few games, fringe players like Levonte Johnson will need to take advantage of these opportunities to not only put in some solid performances – like today – but get some goals on the board so as to kick some of the other attacking players in gear.
39' Big save Steffen! Vancouver goes direct off the free kick. Maxso goes down racing Johnson to the ball. Johnson gets to it. Steffen with a big save off his line.
First time seeing Levonte Johnson live. He's been a live wire.
0-0 | #Rapids96
— Burgundy Wave (@Burgundywave) May 16, 2024
Red card harsh, but ultimately right decision
The half-time break allowed many disgruntled fans to voice their displeasure online as they reacted to Bjorn Inge Utvik’s unfortunate red card. The Norwegian center-half looked to have made a spectacular goal-saving slide in the box to deny Djordje Mihailovic a certain goal. He was congratulated as the hero in the aftermath, but as time wore on with the referee’s delay, he soon found himself to be an unfortunate villain.
The video review showed that Utvik had – unintentionally – handled the ball when he slid to block that shot. His arm did seem to be in a natural position, but due to its block of a certain goal (with Takaoka nowhere near it), the obvious call was to give a penalty.
And while the penalty decision was seemingly accepted by both players, staff, and fans alike, what shocked all three was the referee Alexis Da Silva’s decision to send Utvik off with a straight red. Given the obvious innocence of Utvik with his intentions, which were never to handle the ball in the box to deny that goal, it then felt harsh to give Utvik a red, especially with the recent understanding of avoiding “Double Jeopardy”.
“I gotta be completely honest with you, I had in mind that the rule was that the Double [Jeopardy] was no longer part of the rules,” admitted Sartini after the match. “I thought Bjorn [Inge Utvik] could have taken a yellow card, but I don’t know. I don’t want to say something wrong or, of course, biased.”
While many would agree with him, checking in with the letter of the law, it seems that handballs in the box to deny clear goal scoring opportunities are a special exception to the Double Jeopardy law. According to the IFAB rules, “denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by a handball offense” is deemed a straight red card offense.
It seems harsh even in the rules, but if we are to follow the letter of the law, it was the correct one. Now Sartini and co. will need to figure out their game plan for the match against Seattle with one less defender to be able to rely on.
pic.twitter.com/COFFCHaNPO
— Ken Serné (@Hup_Holland) May 16, 2024
Second half mentality shows ‘Caps aren’t down and out
After going down to 10-men, most managers would transition to a compact, low-block in a 4-4-1 formation and try to hit on the counter. But, as many reading will know, Vanni Sartini isn’t most managers. Sartini chose to keep his original structure in a 3-4-2 formation at the start of the second half, with the only change being on the field with Johnson now occupying the wing-back role and Javain Brown dropping back down into the back three.
It was a bold move, which caused some moments of panic throughout the game, but it kept the Whitecaps in the match. A few times Colorado looked poised to double their advantage, but a last-ditch block or tackle from the defence, or an outstretched save from Yohei Takaoka, kept the Whitecaps within touching distance.
And while the Whitecaps struggled to create many chances – with the only notable one being a Brian White chipped effort that caught Steffen off his line but looped over the goal instead – their determination to not sit back and soak up pressure demonstrated their dedication to fight back. It’s not easy to try to stay organized and yet still fight like you’re on level ground when down a man, but the Whitecaps were able to do so for over 45 minutes.
“I’m very proud of the effort and the commitment [of the team],” explained Sartini to the media after the match. “I’m proud of the quality of defending in the second half, because they didn’t have any easy chances. Of course they had more of the ball, as is normal in 11 vs 10, but that was what the idea was: to stay in the game until the end, and to try to score the tying goal.”
“Unfortunately, we didn’t score but again, we stayed in the game until the end, and that was a very good indication, including the first 45, of what we can do to Seattle next week.”
Boasting back-to-back defeats can be an obvious worry for many fans, especially considering it’s been 345 minutes since they last scored an MLS goal. They will just have to hope that these performances can soon turn into results so that the Whitecaps can stay close to the top of the pack and build on their impressive start that has only just begun to sour.
Final. #VWFC x @BMO pic.twitter.com/owTOMWZqRh
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 16, 2024
(Photo Credit: Colorado Rapids)
Winless in two and scoreless in two, Vancouver Whitecaps headed into Commerce City on Wednesday evening for a key encounter with a Colorado Rapids side level on points with them and exactly the kind of team the ‘Caps need to be beating if they are to be seen as serious top four contenders in the West.
With just two points separating the ‘Caps in 4th to St Louis in 9th, every point is a prisoner for Vancouver right now and Colorado came away with all three with a 1-0 victory.
The decisive moment came from the spot just before half time, with Rafael Navarro firing home after a video review saw Bjorn Inge Utvik penalised for a handball and receiving a red card in the process for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
Colorado could have added to their tally in the second, with Brian White squandering a fantastic opportunity to snatch a dramatic point for the visitors.
With the games coming thick and fast, Vanni Sartini made five changes to his starting line-up, two at the back, two in the middle, and with Levonte Johnson coming in for Fafa Picault on the wing.
As feels the norm these days, it was Vancouver’s opponents who enjoyed the better of the early possession, but the Whitecaps had the first real chance of the game on a quick transition play in the 15th minute.
Ali Ahmed brought the ball forward, playing the ball outside to Johnson. The ‘Caps winger cut inside and his low shot was deflected out for a corner.
Vancouver kept the pressure on and Pedro Vite unleashed a fierce strike from 25 yards out that Colorado keeper Zach Steffen had to punch over.
Ranko Veselinovic had a header from a corner that went over before the Rapids had their best chance of the game so far when Djordje Mihailovic sent a perfect cross into the box but Kevin Cabral got his header all wrong.
Neither side were really able to carve out too many clear cut chances, but a streaking Johnson nearly put the ‘Caps ahead in the 39th minute, showing nice footwork to set up an opportunity, but Steffen came up with a huge save to paw away the deft chip over the Rapids keeper and the game remained scoreless.
The Whitecaps were looking the more likely to break the deadlock and a stretching Brian White couldn’t fully connect with a low Ahmed cross in from the right.
The Rapids went straight up the pitch and Mihailovic looked certain to score from a Cole Bassett cutback, but Bjorn Inge Utvik produced what initially looked like a stunning last ditch challenge to deflect the ball away. Video review, however, felt the ball was deflected away by Utvik’s arm, referee Alexis Da Silva agreed after seeing the replays and the Rapids had a penalty.
Colorado also found themselves with a man advantage as Da Silva sent the Norwegian off for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
After the dust had settled, and now five minutes into first half stoppage time, Navarro sent Yohei Takaoka the wrong way and Colorado had a 1-0 lead heading into the break and Vancouver had a mountain to climb in the altitude.
Rafael Navarro puts the @ColoradoRapids ahead just before the break! pic.twitter.com/TzQdsPXoHb
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 16, 2024
Vancouver tried to make the running at the start of the second half to get themselves back into the match, but that was leaving space at the back and Colorado were taking advantage of it.
Bassett curled one just wide of the postage stamp corner in the 53rd minute, before Omir Fernandez should have doubled the Rapids lead two minutes later, pulling his shot from a perfect Sam Vines set up inches past the left post.
Keegan Rosenberry was next to come close for the home side just before the hour mark, before a flying Takaoka turned over a Calvin Harris effort from the edge of the box in the 64th minute.
It was all Colorado now and Mihailovic flashed one inches past the left post in the 68th minute, but seemingly reinjuring his heel in the process and was forced to go off.
Vines sent a perfect ball across the Whitecaps goal in the 75th minute that somehow evaded everybody in another close call for the ‘Caps but they responded by having their best chance to level things up.
White did well to get onto a long ball forward and with Steffen off his line, the striker’s attempted lob was way too high and flew over, when he really should have done better.
Colorado had a couple more half chances, with Vancouver unable to find a foothold in the game and the Rapids came away with three very important points in the playoff picture.
It was a game that saw the Rapids rise to 4th in the West and the Whitecaps sink to 7th, piling on the pressure for their trip to Seattle at the weekend. At 11-v-11, I think the ‘Caps would have taken something from this game, whether that would be all three points though, I’m unsure. That’s 345 minutes now without a goal and there’s too many players off their game at the moment at the same time.
Although there’s certainly some positives from that first 44 and a half minutes, the play of Ahmed, Vite, and Johnson in particular, somethings needs to shake up this team to get some of that early season spark back. And they need to find it quickly.
FINAL SCORE: Colorado Rapids 1 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 11,190
SCORING SUMMARY:
45’+5 – COL – Rafael Navarro (penalty kick)
STATS:
Possession: COL 54.6% – VAN 45.4%
Shots: COL 17 – VAN 8
Shots on Goal: COL 3 – VAN 2
Saves: COL 2 – VAN 2
Fouls: COL 5 – VAN 10
Offsides: COL 3 – VAN 1
Corners: COL 8 – VAN 6
SENDING OFF:
45’+3 – VAN – Bjørn Inge Utvik
COLORADO: Zack Steffen; Keegan Rosenberry, Moïse Bombito, Andreas Maxsø, Sam Vines; Oliver Larraz (Connor Ronan 62’), Cole Bassett; Kévin Cabral (Calvin Harris 62’), Djordje Mihailovic (Jasper Löffelsend 71’), Omir Fernández (Jonathan Lewis 81’); Rafael Navarro (Darren Yapi 81’) [Substitutes not used: Adam Beaudry, Lalas Abubakar, Sebastian Anderson, Jackson Travis]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown (Fafà Picault 72’), Ranko Veselinović, Bjørn Inge Utvik; Ali Ahmed, Pedro Vite, Andrés Cubas (Cyprian Kachwele 88’), Luís Martins (Ryan Raposo 62’); Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Levonte Johnson (Tristan Blackmon 62’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Mathías Laborda, Alessandro Schöpf, Ralph Priso, Sebastian Berhalter]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s performance in the first half:
“I think it was a very good match, we knew that it was going to be a little bit vertical, they are a very aggressive team, but they also are aggressive when they defend, so they can be beaten in behind. We were able to be really, really good at neutralizing them for 44 minutes and having the possibility every time that we get the ball to go and try to break the first line, try on the weak side and go. Levonte [Johnson] did very well, he had two big chances. We had a couple chances with Pedro [Vite] and I think in the first half, we were the best team.”
On his team’s mentality in the second half after going down to 10 men:
“I think [the second half] says a lot. We really did what we were supposed to do and it’s really hard when you don’t touch the ball too much and you’re also down in the score. You can become very frustrated and try to win the ball, even if it’s impossible to win it, and press in hard when you are ten men. So what we did was really good and it tells you a lot because until the end, everyone was running, until the end everyone was giving 100 percent and it’s a good thing that we did the second half in this way. I’m still a little bummed that we didn’t score the 1-1 at the end that I think we fully deserved, because in the first half we were the best team.”
RANKO VESELINOVIC
On his thoughts on the match overall:
“Tough game. Honestly, the head is hot right now but, I don’t know, we tried everything in the second half, but that situation at the end of the first half really threw us off. We tried to stay in the game, and we did it in the second half but it was hard to make chances and hard to score so it’s a shame. We had some chances in the first half, we didn’t score and had an unlucky situation that cost us points today.”
On how the team can mentally bounce back ahead of Seattle on Saturday:
“I think we will be good, we have had these situations even in previous seasons. We’ve been in worse situations last season and seasons before that, so I think we have experienced players, enough smart guys. We’re going to have meetings in the next two days to talk and say ‘let’s go back to the basics, let’s just try to be super good in the defence and then try to score goals because we haven’t scored in MLS in I think three games. So I think we will be good, we just need to be 100 percent from as soon as we land in Vancouver. Tomorrow morning we have training and we have to start preparing for that game.”
COLORADO RAPIDS
HEAD COACH CHRIS ARMAS
On the match:
“Yeah, look, it was another tough game for us. We came out ahead on the night against a good team, it’s nice to see the boys win in a different way, to manage the game the way they did. After halftime being up a man, I thought it was a mature performance in the second half, which is never easy just because you’re up a man. I saw some good stuff there in the second half and we had a lot of control. Yes, it’s a shutout, which is really important. It’s a victory here for us at home. The fans once again came out. Pride night is so important to our club, to so many of our fans, and to our team. So yes, even extra special on the night. We look forward to a few days from now. We know what’s coming up.”
On Saturday’s matchup against RSL for the Rocky Mountain Cup:
“I wish we were hosting this one. This Rocky Mountain Cup is such an important cup to us as a team and to our fans. It would have been nice if maybe we played one on the road and then one at home, or one home and one on the road. To have the first two on the road, it’s tricky but that’s what it is. The fact that we have the slight edge at the moment is what it is, it’s an edge. We have a lot of work to do to go there and get the trophy. However, I think you can go through an entire season and not really play for a trophy, and now we are 12 games in or so. The fact that we have a chance to bring one home this early in the season, that we’ve put ourselves in that spot, is a really big positive. We know Salt Lake, they’re a really good team. We’ve played them and we’ve gotten a look at them, but they also have managed a busy week. What team do they put out? It’d be hard to predict that and then even prepare in detail without knowing exactly who they’re putting out with two days [to go]. I think the most important thing is that we went there, we had a victory, and the guys have some confidence that we can go there again. To be clear, we will be going after that. It’s important to our fans. After the match tonight, I can’t say how many were chanting “Beat Salt Lake”, so we will go after them with everything that we have. I can promise our fans that.”
On Rafael Navarro’s performance:
“There’s so much more that goes into it for goal scorers like him. I think the club knows that he can score and there’s a lot of trust in him from his teammates as well. We said that we have to get him into spots to do that. If it’s at the penalty spot, that’s one way, but you can see that he’s dangerous in many other moments. He’s worked hard at all the little things in his game, the holdup play, he’s a real worker. To see him get rewarded, as his coach I’m always happy that these guys can – I wasn’t a goal scorer, I scored a few in my time but not too many – but I know that feeling for him, I know it has to feel good.”
COLE BASSETT
On the match:
“Yeah, it’s a weird one. We’re happy with the win, but for me, especially as an attacker, you want to get goals and assists in that game. And yeah, we didn’t get enough in the second half. Personally, a little frustrated that we didn’t score more. I think our progression as a team is, we’ve had a couple of times where teams have gotten red cards this year and we haven’t buried a lot of chances, even though we’ve created a few of them. So, I think that’s the next step as a team. Obviously, we’re happy with getting the win, moving into a tie for second place and then you know, a big game on the weekend.”
On what bringing home the Rocky Mountain Cup would mean to him:
“I think that was technically my first trophy per se, in professional football back in 2020 when we did it at their place, so that’d be special to do it there again. I mean, you have a chance to go there and end it before they have a chance to come here. So, I think if you have an opportunity to win twice in their building that would be pretty sweet, but they’re on a roll right now. They’re a very good team, there’s a reason why they are first in the West. We’ve got a quick recovery and we’re going to have to have a quick match plan, but I know the coaches are already preparing for that and just going to get us prepared so that we have the best chance to win the game.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, and Canadian Premier League chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
The Whitecaps busy month of May continues apace with two games a week. It was a case of win one, lose one this past week as they got a Canadian Championship win over Cavalry FC, but fell to a comprehensive defeat at LAFC in MLS action. We pick over the bones of both matches, look at what’s gone wrong for the ‘Caps and what they need to fix it, and round-up all the Canadian Championship and MLS action, including Messi mania in Montreal and incredible postgame scenes in Toronto.
Turning our attention to the CPL, we round-up the weekend’s action and discuss the league’s decision to move a Vancouver FC home game to Kelowna, which is proving to be a massive own goal for the club among their supporters.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.22: Intro – Champions League, Phonzie
15.00: Whitecaps see off Cavalry threat in Can Champ – for now
30.30: Canadian Championship and why the Canadian pyramid is prohibitive to existing clubs
45.51: Out of sorts Whitecaps fall to LAFC
60.55: What’s wrong with the ‘Caps and how do they fix it?
77.23: MLS West round-up
91.35: Messi mania hits Montreal
105.55: Tempers flare and accusations fly after TFC-NYC
118.50: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
125.32: CPL round-up
147.20: Vancouver FC home game in Kelowna draws fan ire
168.35: Wavelength – Everclear – Volvo Driving Soccer Mom
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: Hazel May/AFTN)
Vancouver Whitecaps’ academy side got their first men’s division win of the new 2024 League1 BC season, coming away with a 3-2 victory in Nanaimo on Saturday afternoon against a battling Harbourside.
As expected, the game started at a high pace, with neither team wishing to give an inch, with barely a shot on goal for the first 19 minutes.
The action picked up, with both sides having looks on goal, but the deadlock was eventually broken a minute into first half stoppage time.
Harbourside keeper Callum Weir had to save a shot from the right side, the loose ball was picked up by an unmarked David Ajagbe for an easy tap in and the Whitecaps went in at the half 1-0 up.
David Ajagbe bangs in Matteo Samori’s rebound to give us the 1-0 lead heading into the half! #VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/mhEBnKPd40
— Whitecaps FC MLS Academy (@WFCAcademy) May 11, 2024
The second half continued in the same fast pace as the first, with Harbourside tying things up in the 68th minute when winger Suka Behery crossed in from the left for Billy Bagiopolous to level the game at 1-1.
Another defensive error by Harbourside allowed substitute Elijah Bean an opportunity to score moments later, but he was denied by Weir, who threw himself at the ball making himself a large target to pull off a spectacular save.
In the 84th minute, in what appeared to be against the run of play, Angelo Zhu played a lovely through ball in to allowed Whitecaps Riley Ferraro to be one-on-one with Weir, this time Weir was unable to block the shot and the Whitecaps restored their lead.
Brilliant through ball by Angelo Zhu and Riley Ferraro makes the finish #VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/YENwbjT57K
— Whitecaps FC MLS Academy (@WFCAcademy) May 12, 2024
Ferraro got his second of the match three minutes into stoppage time and again it came against the run of play. Whitecaps goalkeeper Ben Alexander sent a long goal kick into the Harbourside half and it was expertly flicked on from Sydney Wathuta for Ferraro to race in on goal and finish past Weir.
Brilliant through ball by Angelo Zhu and Riley Ferraro makes the finish #VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/YENwbjT57K
— Whitecaps FC MLS Academy (@WFCAcademy) May 12, 2024
Harbourside didn’t give up and got a late consolation goal by Bagiopolous six minutes into stoppage time, reducing the deficit to one again, but there wasn’t enough time left to pull the game around.
FINAL SCORE: Harbourside FC 2 – 3 Vancouver Whitecaps
HARBOURSIDE: Cal Weir; Joseph Ferris Chiari (Cam Shaw 64’), Fergus Hall, Wyatt Lyon; Ashton Bryant (Jonathan McKenzie 61’), Michael Hepelle (Senay Haile 64’), Ben Creswick (Andres Tovar 74’), Yusuf Osman; Billy Bagiopoulos, Charlie Purcell, Suka Behery [Substitutes not used: Matthew Scott, Matthew Coburn, Tristan Cornwall]
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS ACADEMY: Ben Alexander; Sahai Williams (Elijah Bean 69’), Benjamin Lee, Nikos Clarke-Tosczak; Amoni Thomas (Isaac Charbonneau 86’), Cristiano Da Silva, Markus Rukavina (Riley Ferraro 79’), Angelo Zhu; Amir Ghasemi (Mario Lefevre 69’), David Ajagbe (Sydney Wathuta 45’), Matteo Samori (Aidan Fong 45’) [Substitutes not used: Alex Milosevic]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
HEAD COACH ROBERT ROSITOIU
What was the turning point in the match to give his side the victory:
“The turning point was, to be better on the ball in front of their backline. We lacked some precision balancing against their backline, all credit to their defence who made it very difficult.”
Do you think the goal just before half-time influenced your team?
“For sure. I think it was well deserved. We didn’t want to stop. We came back to push and control the game. We are very proud of our boys.”
HARBOURSIDE
HEAD COACH KEVIN LINDO
Thoughts on the match:
“I’m disappointed. I thought we did more than enough to get something out of the game.”
Did you feel some of the calls didn’t fall in your favour?
“It wasn’t that bad. I don’t think that affected our guys at all. They (Whitecaps) have quality, good resources, and train every day. They’re young and quick and we didn’t impose what we wanted to do for the full 90, and at this level you get punished.”
***Check out the AFTN Flickr account for John and Hazel May’s photos from the match and our other League1 BC photos.
(Photo Credit: John May/AFTN)
Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite kept up their unbeaten start to the 2024 League1 BC women’s division season with another dominant performance in a 5-0 victory over Harbourside FC in Nanaimo on Saturday afternoon.
In what was always scheduled to be a tough match for the Harbourside women, it took less than four minutes for the Whitecaps to open the scoring with an attack down the right wing. The only player to get onto Jaime Perrault’s ball played across the area was Kaylee Hunter, who blasted her shot past Emily Rowbotham in the home goal.
Despite a fairly even midfield game, both the Whitecaps and Hunter doubled their tally in the 23rd minute. Iba Oching chased down a ball up the left wing, playing it inside to Kierra Blundell, who set up Hunter, who took a touch before blasting home from just inside the box.
Kaylee Hunter with the one touch control and finish for her second of the game #VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/KtOA7PnMI1
— Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy (@WFCElite) May 11, 2024
With six minutes left in the half, the Whitecaps went three up.
Harbourside’s keeper played a short pass to her left, but a misscontrol by the defender allowed Jeneva Hernandez-Gray to nip in and snatch the ball away, comfortably sliding the ball into the net.
And that was how things stayed till the half.
Jeneva Hernandez Gray slots one in to make it 3⃣!#VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/oWwDxaKdwi
— Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy (@WFCElite) May 11, 2024
Harbourside started the second half strong, however 10 minutes in the Whitecaps added to their tally.
Blundell had the ball at the edge of the box but a tackle knocked the ball away but straight into the path of Mia Gutteres. With only the keeper to beat she put the ball into the bottom right hand corner, out of reach from a diving Rowbotham.
Mia Guterres slots it into the bottom right corner from outside the box #VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/gTP4UCUDES
— Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy (@WFCElite) May 11, 2024
The Whitecaps went nap on the hour mark.
Noelle Sather power forward up the middle of the park, playing a perfectly weighted pass forward for a nimble Hernandez-Gray to take the ball around Rowbotham and fire home from an acute angle.
Noelle Sather feeds it to Jeneva Hernandez Gray, who nets the sharp angle shot #VWFC | #L1BC pic.twitter.com/cVv7OxFTSQ
— Whitecaps FC Girls Elite Academy (@WFCElite) May 11, 2024
Now on a high, the Whitecaps continued their attacks, but were denied a sixth goal by the hard work and quick hands of Rowbotham.
FINAL SCORE: Harbourside FC 0 – 5 Vancouver Whitecaps
HARBOURSIDE: Emily Rowbotham; Kate Reynolds (Mya Creed 62’), Taiya Scorey, Rebekah Van Dort, Ruby Nichols; Sophie Fingarson, Taylor Kinley (Elle Gignac 46′), Sophie Murphy (Jensa Napier-Ganley 46′); Tanis McKay (Meghan Linegar 72’), Jazmine Wilkinson (Maddy Dawson 69’), Erin Jensen (Ava Alexander 62’) [Substitutes not used: Brooke Ingram]
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS GIRLS ELITE: Sidney Venier (Kylie Sandulak 46′); Jaime Perrault, Tea Mayson, Keira Martin, Iba Oching (Sammy Reimer 46′); Noelle Sather, Jeneva Hernandez Gray (Ashley Roberts 62’), Chloe Taylor; Joy Kimwemwe (Mia Guterres 46′), Kierra Blundell (Abigail Anderson 62’), Kaylee Hunter (Emma Yee 46′) [Substitutes not used: Emily Wong]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
STAND IN HEAD COACH ESTEBAN MORE
You had multiple scorers, is this part of your structure, or do they have free rein?
“We do allow them to have a go. We are lucky to have skillful players who can score whenever needed.”
Did you feel that passing accuracy was the main difference between the two teams?
“It’s something we work on consistently. We knew they would match us one-to-one, but our girls were really good at creating angles and passing opportunities.”
HARBOURSIDE
HEAD COACH BOBBIE TAYLOR
What do you feel are the main takeaways from this game?:
“We knew what we were coming into. They are a team that practices every day, we made them earn everything they had. They were very good with their execution. We did well with our press could have finished a few opportunities.”
Do you think the ability to finish was the main divider?
“Absolutely. We’ve got to be better and that will be a priority on the training field.”
***Check out the AFTN Flickr account for John and Hazel May’s photos from the match and our other League1 BC photos.
Vancouver Whitecaps unbeaten start to the season on the road came to a crashing halt in Los Angeles on Saturday night. A first half double by Cristian Olivera and a hat-trick of assists by Denis Bouanga put the Whitecaps to the sword. Mateusz Bogusz put the final knife in, adding a third just before the hour mark, as an out-of-sorts Vancouver side simply failed to offer anything creatively and made it back-to-back league matches now without a goal.
Vanni Sartini was forced into a change in his midfield, with Sam Adekugbe ruled out after his midweek calf injury and replaced by Ryan Raposo.
The home side started on the front foot and forced a few early saves out of Yohei Takaoka.
The ‘Caps keeper got down well to keep out a deflected Olivera shot in the 6th minute and denied the Uruguayan again with a more straightforward save four minutes later.
Takaoka turned Mateusz Bogusz’s near post effort round the post in the 12th minute before Hugo Lloris was called into action for the first time, turning away a fierce Fafa Picault shot, after Tristan Blackmon’s low pass had run through to the Haitian.
Takaoka was forced to make another save moments later as Timothy Tillman played in Denis Bouanga, but the usual ‘Cap killer didn’t get a lot of power onto his shot.
LA’s pressure finally paid off in the 20th minute when Bouanga sent in a lovely ball from the left for Olivera to tuck away. It looked borderline offside, but with no lines to be drawn, there was no conclusive angle to overturn the on-pitch decision.
Bouanga —> Olivera to give @LAFC the early lead.
#MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/yfXJuvrkB9 pic.twitter.com/NSRe3yS2kw
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 12, 2024
It already felt an uphill task for the Whitecaps to get themselves back into this one, despite their good away form this season.
And that hill became a mountain when Olivera grabbed his second of the game in the 36th minute, finishing off another Bouanga pass across goal from close range.
Bouanga to Olivera AGAIN!
This duo is cooking. pic.twitter.com/FYRaEacwlm
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 12, 2024
LA came close to adding a third deep in first half stoppage time on a quick breakaway. Bogusz was sent clear, rounded Takaoka, and went down in the box. Referee Ted Unkel saw a dive and booked Bogusz.
As the second half got underway, the next goal was crucial as to whether this was going to be a contest or not. The problem the Whitecaps had was that their first half performance didn’t instill much confidence that they could get it, with quality and creativity severely lacking.
Bogusz had the first chance of the half in the 50th minute when the ball came to him in front of goal from a corner, but the Pole didn’t connect properly.
That wasn’t an issue in the 57th minute when Bouanga sent in another dangerous cross from the left, Takaoka couldn’t get to it and it fell to Bogusz, who made no mistake this time.
3-0 LAFC and a hat-trick of assists for Bouanga.
Denis Bouanga's 3rd assist of the night goes to
Mateusz Bogusz.#MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/yfXJuvrkB9 pic.twitter.com/x6AvBUdzXN
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 12, 2024
Both sides huffed and puffed for the remainder of the match, without really threatening to add to their lead or spark a comeback and another tricky day at the office for Vancouver in LA came to an end.
Vancouver never looked at the races in this one and got exactly what they deserved. If anything, they were lucky to come away with just a three goal defeat. Something just isn’t clicking with the team right now. They look very field in the middle of the park and are struggling to create. Although they’re still sitting in 4th place in the standings, they are also just two points off 9th, as the West tightens up considerably. With two two matches coming up this week in Colorado and Seattle, they need to find their spark again, and quickly, to avoid undoing the good work they did to start of their season.
FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles FC 3 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 22,099
STATS:
Possession: LAFC 57.4% – VAN 42.6%
Shots: LAFC 14 – VAN 16
Shots on Goal: LAFC 8 – VAN 4
Saves: LAFC 4 – VAN 5
Fouls: LAFC 17 – VAN 7
Offsides: LAFC 0 – VAN 1
Corners: LAFC 4 – VAN 5
SCORING SUMMARY:
18’ – LAFC – Cristian Olivera (Denis Bouanga)
36’ – LAFC – Cristian Olivera (Denis Bouanga)
57’ – LAFC – Mateusz Bogusz (Denis Bouanga)
BOOKINGS:
21’ – VAN – Brian White
45’+2 – LAFC – Mateusz Bogusz
LOS ANGELES: Hugo Lloris; Sergi Palencia (Eddie Segura 79’), Maxime Chanot, Aaron Long, Omar Campos; Timothy Tillman (Érik Dueñas 68’), Ilie Sánchez (Kei Kamara 79’), Eduard Atuesta; Cristian Olivera (Luis Muller 87’), Mateusz Bogusz (Jesús Murillo 87’), Denis Bouanga [Substitutes not used: Abraham Romero, Tomás Ángel, Nathan Ordaz]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Ryan Raposo (Luís Martins 68’), Alessandro Schöpf (Pedro Vite 62’), Andrés Cubas, Ali Ahmed (Javain Brown 69’); Ryan Gauld, Brian White (Sebastian Berhalter 80’), Fafà Picault (28.Levonte Johnson 62’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ralph Priso, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Giuseppe Bovalina]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s first-half performance:
“We played a bad game and it was, to be honest, our first game under our standards of the season. But we didn’t play very well and deservedly so, we lost. In the first half, I think the first 20 minutes, I don’t know why we were unable to get out with the ball, we were a little bit overwhelmed. We were always playing this long ball even if there was a lot of situations to play in the middle and we were unable to serve our midfielders. So we were playing a lot of longball and we were losing all the battles to the second ball, so they were running at us and they were very dangerous with that and basically the first goal happened in a situation like this.”
On the loss overall:
“It was the kind of day that, when things aren’t going well, everything goes not well, so all the headers went out, the shots went out, the Levonte [Johnson] one-v-one and he loses the one-v-one, so that’s it. But it was, in Italian we say, ‘the frittata was already done’, you know? Like, the egg was already broken because the first half wasn’t good. I think the first half was really bad and unfortunately we lost, so we need to now take this as a learning moment to be better for the future, and luckily, we have a game in three days so we can bounce back immediately without being too much down or being too frustrated because we need to be ready.”
RYAN GAULD
On why his team lost on the night:
“I think we were just beat by the better team on the night. That’s as simple as it gets. We didn’t start off well, they were beating us to every second ball they could. They could have even got a couple more goals in the first half. It was a disappointing performance and I would say it was a good wake-up call for us that things have been going well but we still need to work on a lot of stuff to make sure we’re going to be up there at the end of the year.”
On how the team will look to bounce back:
“When you get beat the way we did tonight, you want to get back out into a game as soon as possible and we’ve got a tough one on Wednesday [against Colorado]. We’ve got the chance to try and turn things around straight away and we don’t have a long week of training to dwell on tonight’s result. We’ve got a game to focus on already on Wednesday and make sure that we’re good to go.”
A goal in each half from Levonte Johnson gave Vancouver Whitecaps a 2-1 advantage over Cavalry FC on a wet and windy Tuesday night in Calgary, in the first leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal.
While Cavalry kept themselves in the tie thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Malcolm Shaw, the result means the Whitecaps are a goal to the good as the two teams prepare to meet again for the second leg at BC Place in two weeks’ time, and with the away goals rule in effect, Cavalry will need to score at least twice to advance.
It marked the Whitecaps’ first regulation-time win in three visits to Spruce Meadows to take on Cavalry in the Canadian Championship. The inaugural meet-up in 2019 produced a goalless draw, while their 2022 match-up ended 1-1, before Vancouver prevailed in a penalty shootout.
“Coming in, we knew it was going to be a tough match,” Johnson told OneSoccer immediately after the game. “We’ve played a lot of games here. This was our first win here on this field.
“Coming in, the weather, the pitch, the rain – we knew it was going to be a tough match, but the guys were up for it and ultimately, we got the win.”
The first half was mostly a midfield battle of attrition, with very little goalmouth action at either end. Cavalry set up with a defence-first approach that nullified Vancouver’s 53 per cent of possession and limited the visitors to just a single shot on target, but what a decisive shot it was.
The cagey nature of the opening 45 minutes was reflected in the first-half statistics, which saw Cavalry produce a 0.06 xG compared to Vancouver’s 0.04.
But even though the match seemed destined to remain scoreless until the break, Johnson took matters into his own hands – or rather, his own feet – with a screamer on the cusp of halftime.
After a long free kick from the Whitecaps’ half was taken quickly and only partially cleared by Cavalry centre back Callum Montgomery, Johnson latched onto the loose ball before unleashing an outside-of-the-foot half-volley from well outside the box that clipped into Marco Carducci’s net off the right-hand post.
GOAL
Right at the stroke of half-time, it's LEVONTE JOHNSON with a thunder-strike to give #VWFC a 1-0 lead over @CPLCavalryFC in this TELUS #CanChamp quarter-final, Leg 1 pic.twitter.com/whsXYI1Cef
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 8, 2024
“Honestly, as soon as it left my foot, I had a good feeling about it,” he told OneSoccer. “I already started running to the corner flag. It was just a good long ball from our centre back. Their centre back headed it down and I was just first on the bounce. I just tried my best to get a clean contact on it.”
The goal from Johnson – who was making his starting debut after primarily appearing as a second-half sub this season – stunned Cavalry and the crowd at ATCO Field, and took the wind out of the hosts’ sails as the two sides headed into the half-time break.
The goal also seemed to spur more action (from both sides) upon the match’s resumption. First, the Whitecaps nearly doubled their lead when Ali Ahmed struck a shot off Carducci’s crossbar.
The hosts weren’t devoid of chances of their own, though, and Cavalry winger Lleyton Brooks came close to tying the match on 60 minutes when he connected his head on a cross from Fraser Aird that Isaac Boehmer saved.
Vancouver doubled their lead in the 80th minute. Once again it was thanks to Johnson, who for the second time on the night capitalized on a long ball forward and a miscued clearance from Montgomery, before slotting the ball calmly into the bottom corner past Carducci.
GOAL #VWFC go up 2-0 over @CPLCavalryFC and it's LEVONTE JOHNSON once more, this time applying a cool, calm and collected finish after picking up a long pass from the backline
Watch TELUS #CanChamp on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/R0bjLgG79K
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 8, 2024
At 2-0 down, Cavalry spent the rest of regulation time chasing the game, and their attacking impetus finally paid off in the 92nd minute, courtesy of two second-half subs.
Midfielder Lucas Dias slipped a well-weighted through ball between Vancouver’s defenders onto the path of Malcolm Shaw, who managed to slide a shot from a tight angle past Boehmer into the Whitecaps’ goal.
GOAL @CPLCavalryFC pull one back late vs. #VWFC as Malcolm Shaw finds an impossible angle to cut the Whitecaps' lead to 2-1
Watch TELUS #CanChamp on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/ICk8IKMTGz
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 8, 2024
Cavalry had a chance to tie the match with a direct free kick two minutes later, but Brooks sent his shot high and wide.
The two teams will meet again for the second leg at BC Place on May 21.
REACTIONS:
Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini
On his team’s performance across both halves:
“I’m going to be honest, in the first half, Levonte [Johnson] scored a fantastic goal but the real result at the end of the first half should have been 0-0. We didn’t have a lot of chances, they didn’t have a lot of chances, it’s a tie. Then because we scored, probably they had to press a little higher, they left a little bit more space and we found more space in-between the lines and in the second half we played better.
“In the second half, we deserved to score the second goal, we could have scored another one. Unfortunately, at the end, we conceded the goal that makes a difference, from 2-0 to 2-1, it’s going to make a difference at BC Place. But we are happy that we get away from here with a win, that we are ahead in the tie, and the next game is home so there’s a lot of things to take away from here that are positives.”
On Levonte Johnson’s brace and performance:
“I’m very happy for him. I’m very happy that he grabbed the opportunity because in the league, for the moment his role, he kind of comes in as a role player. In the last 20 minutes he comes in when we need more strikers, or a faster attacker. But this was his first start of the season. I mean, scoring that banger in the first one, it was a fantastic goal, and then in the second half, switching positions from the wide to play as the number nine, and be a handful against a very physical defence.
“You need to be fearless because these guys are not shy to do a tackle and everything, and I think he was really good and I’m really happy that probably this performance is going to give him the confidence to continue his growth and development, and be an important player for us in the future.”
Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
On Cavalry’s performance:
“The conditions were against us, the wind was in our face a little bit in the first half. I thought our defending for the most part, especially in the first half, was good. We knew once we had the wind in our sails, the game would change a little bit. We were disappointed to be conceding on a long-range effort. We’re better than that. I think we have to manage the game (better).
On Cavalry’s second-half response:
“I challenged the boys at halftime. I said listen, we’re still in this game. Let’s play forward, let’s get at them now and let’s test them. I thought we did, even at 1-0. Obviously we had brooks’ header and a couple other moments like that. We gave them a good test and now we have a game on our hands.”
On the need to score twice at BC Place in the second leg:
“The reality is, we’ve got to score two goals at their place and we’ve done that before. There’s nothing to fear and everything to gain. They’re a terrific side.”
(Cutting Photo Credit: Deni Eagland/Vancouver Sun – May 6th 1974)
And so it began.
Sunday May 5th 1974.
The scene was set. Over 17,000 fans packed into Empire Stadium on a very wet, Sunday afternoon. The rain poured down, but they cared not a jot as they were there to see history being made. Vancouver Whitecaps took to the pitch for the very first time in competitive action, facing fellow North American Soccer League (NASL) new boys, the San Jose Earthquakes.
The build up to the match in the city had been all over the local media. The buzz had been growing. Now the day was here. And while the match may not have ended how the Whitecaps had hoped, a footballing legacy had begun.
Long story short, Vancouver and San Jose played out a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of action, but under the newly introduced tiebreak system in the NASL, the game went to a penalty shootout and the Whitecaps lost 7-6.
I want to give you just a little bit of a flavour of what the press reported the following day, Monday, May 6th.
In the Vancouver Province, Jeff Cross, the storied soccer reporter who covered the Whitecaps for many a year and documented their historic 1979 Soccer Bowl victory, wrote a piece for the Province under the headline – “Hearbreaking start for Whitecaps – Foiled on fateful penalty kicks”.
[Cutting: The Province – Monday May 6th 1974]
Cross wrote, “Vancouver Whitecaps will go through a lot of heartache and frustration in their North American Soccer League career, but none will match the misery of the new NASL team following its debut at Empire Stadium Sunday.
“The young Whitecaps dominated play throughout most of the game, played in the pouring rain before 17,343 fans, but after winding up in a 1-1 tie after the 90 minutes, they lost on the NASL’s newly introduced tiebreak system of penalty kicks.”
Officially going in the history books as a 2-1 San Jose victory, in the actual 90 minute game itself, San Jose had taken the lead just three minutes in, when their Mexican midfielder Manny Hernandez scored with their first shot of the game, firing home a low one from the edge of the box when the ball came to him from a corner.
Neil Ellett drew the Whitecaps level in the 37th minute. Picking up a loose ball, when a defender failed to properly clear Glen Johnson’s corner, he fired home from 22-yards out and Vancouver were level, the Empire fans joyous, and Ellett wrote himself into Vancouver soccer folklore with the Whitecaps first ever goal in the club’s history.
The Whitecaps had dominated the match but just couldn’t get the winning goal in the second half and with it finished all tied up at 1-1, the match headed to a penalty shootout.
The teams were tied at three apiece after each team’s first five penalties. That then increased to 6-6 as the shootout continued. Then San Jose’s Ernie Racine missed one, giving Vancouver a chance to win it on their next penalty. But Brian Budd shot wide, then Mark Demling scored for San Jose to make it 7-6 and the Whitecaps’ Brian Gant pull his kick wide and the game was over.
The Whitecaps had started their existence with a narrow, disappointing, and heartbreaking loss.
Dan Stinson of the Vancouver Sun wrote an opening lede the day after the game that is going to sound a little bit all too familiar to Vancouver sports fans.
[Cutting: Vancouver Sun Monday May 6th 1974]
Dan wrote, “Well it’s like the experts keep saying. Vancouver gets the fans, the opposition the points, victory in defeat old boy, victory in defeat. The Whitecaps got the city back into North American soccer Sunday and in typical Vancouver sporting fashion, it was on a losing note.”
Amongst the 17,343 fans in attendance at Empire Stadium for the historic inaugural match were over 10,000 youth soccer players. As I mentioned in a previous article, Whitecaps owner Herb Capozzi had given all the local youth soccer players in Vancouver the chance to come along and get free tickets. The initial plan was to give out around 15,000 tickets overall, with just about 10,000 actually turning up for the match. Others no doubt were put off attending due to the torrential rain that the game was played in.
In his postgame comments, Whitecaps head coach Jim Easton was frustrated.
“Certainly we did enough to win, but we didn’t and it goes down in the books as a defeat,” Easton mused to media after the match. “Our boys came back in fine style after giving up that goal in the first few minutes and I don’t believe San Jose had a shot on our goal in the entire second half, but the result will be an education for our youngsters. Now they know what pro soccer is all about and what they have to do to win. I was most proud of them for fighting back the way they did, but boy it’s frustrating to lose like that.”
Reading that and looking back the modern day Whitecaps’ 50th anniversary match against Austin at the weekend, it was perhaps fitting that Austin turned up, didn’t really trouble Yohi Takahoka, and the Whitecaps ended up with a draw. Fifty year on, they were frustrated that their possession and play didn’t get the win. The more things change…
At least this one didn’t go to a penalty shootout.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, and Canadian national team chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
Vancouver Whitecaps marked the occasion of the 50th anniversary of their first ever match by almost playing out an exact replica of it this past weekend! In 1974 San Jose came to town, the Whitecaps dominated, the visitors offered little in attack, and it ended as a draw with Vancouver unable to find the winning goal. Sound familiar? It was almost deja vu with Austin on Saturday night, except this time the ‘Caps didn’t lose in a penalty shootout. We pick over the bones of that game, look back at the one from 1974, and look ahead to this week’s Canadian Championship clash against Cavalry. Plus we get the thoughts of both head coaches Vanni Sartini and Tommy Wheeldon Jr ahead of the game.
Talking of the Canadian Championship, we talk about TSS Rovers’ heartbreak, the success of League1 Quebec side CS Saint Laurent, and discuss how the tournament needs to be opened up to more lower league sides and for it not to have everything skewed against them. Plus we talk about the latest news in the search for a new Canadian men’s national team head coach, the increased costs of Vancouver hosting the World Cup here in 2026, and we have a new album of the month, featuring Brooklyn band Habibi.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.15: Intro
06.07: Late heartbreak for TSS at Pacific
18.52: Canadian Championship discussion
41.45: Whitecaps stalemate against Austin
77.00: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
86.46: Cavalry vs Whitecaps – Round 3
116.05: The search for a new CMNT coach heats up
135.35: Vancouver WC hosting costs spiral
144.50: How long will BC Place have a grass pitch?
149.20: Wavelength – Scotland 1974 World Cup Squad – Back Hame
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
It was a packed house at BC Place, as Vancouver Whitecaps hosted Austin FC for their 50th anniversary match. Over 32,000 watched on as the ‘Caps put on a clinic in terms of controlling a game, but struggled to put goals on the board which resulted in a dramatic-turned-disappointing draw for the home side. And despite it being a goalless draw, there was plenty to talk about so here are two.
‘Caps Lacking That Cutting Edge
As soon as that final whistle blew, a collective groan echoed across BC Place. It wasn’t like the Whitecaps had lost this match against Austin, but it did feel like they lost a fantastic opportunity to get three points on the night. Head Coach Vanni Sartini had explained in the last few weeks that his side needed to be more patient when they were attacking and not get carried away. Long-time fans will be familiar with that scenario: the Whitecaps on the front foot but losing their heads in matches and end up losing games that they shouldn’t have lost in years gone by. Sartini was looking for his side to avoid such a fate last night.
On one hand, fans can be proud of just how dominant the Whitecaps were at home. They outshot Austin 23 to four. They limited Austin to an xG of just 0.1. Any other night, with those 50/50 decisions going their way (especially with the referee), the Whitecaps would have washed the floor with Austin to the tune of 2-0 or 3-0. It was not the performance itself that was lacking, as the stats and the eyes in the stadium can reflect their commanding showing. It was that there was a lack of killer instinct, an act of individual brilliance, that would have pulled Whitecaps through their frustrations.
Social media feeds will be full of outcries for that DP attacker that has been wanted – and perhaps needed – for ages now. And while I try to not entertain such drastic comments that lambast what is usually a very effective attack, I cannot help but see this game as a point in their favour. Across the league, you see various teams have those game-changers, those luxury players that can turn a match on their head with just a flick of their proverbial switch. They are players that can ghost for 85 minutes and win a match in merely five. They just seem to always have something in their locker, even if they can’t tap into it at all times.
Looking at the Whitecaps bench, and there was a significant lack of that kind of aura. Levonte Johnson is an energetic and direct option, but misses that experience and clinical nature that you need in games like this. Damir Kreilach missed this game through injury, and may have been able to be that game-changer, but his repertoire so far this season hasn’t given many hopes of him filling that role. That is not to say that the Whitecaps are “all bark, no bite”, since they have shown various times this season that they can be clinical. But the difference between the great teams and the good teams sometimes just comes down to having those “moments players” step up to the plate and deliver. Especially in matches like these. Time will tell if the lack of such a luxury player will come back to haunt them, or merely be an example of how the collective whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.
Stellar Defence Going Under the Radar
Around the 70th minute, the phrase “it’s just one of those games” came to mind. All football fans have seen these kinds of games before: the one where one team dominates but can’t get the ball in the net and as the minutes tick by, they give more and more hope to the opposing side that they can steal the result from right under their noses. That is why the tension was rising in the stadium as the game wore on. But credit to the Whitecaps because they did not let Austin FC have even a sniff at goal for the majority of the game.
“I could have played in goal instead of Yohei [Takaoka] and it wouldn’t have made a difference” described Sartini on how secure the Whitecaps were at the back vs Austin, and it reflects a trend so far for the Whitecaps. The Whitecaps have stepped up in terms of their defensive organisation this year. According to American Soccer Analysis (yes, here come the stats), the Whitecaps have the best xGA (Expected Goals Against) in the league with 10.51 after ten matches. They’re joint-second in Goals Against alongside Minnesota and Houston with 10, and have conceded the 4th least shots in the league as well. Simply put, they are really strong at the back this season, and it’s not really being talked about as much as it should be.
And while we can rave about the back-three and the goalkeeper for their contributions to these numbers, a good defence starts from the front. Ryan Gauld and Brian White do stellar jobs of pressing oppositions’ defenders, like in this match against Austin. Andres Cubas continues to be a quiet-yet-vicious janitor in the midfield, cleaning up attacks and breaking down potentially dangerous plays before they can even begin. Even the wide players like Ahmed, Adekugbe, and Raposo make sure that there are no easy balls inside when the play goes wide. In truth, it is – as expected with a purely zonal defensive team – an entire group effort that has allowed them to step up their defensive game.
Much of the focus of this game will be on the lack of goals on the other end, and as it should be, but we cannot bypass what has been a superb performance from the team when they are out of possession. As the saying goes “goals win you games, but defences win you championships”. Well if the Whitecaps can get the goals part of it sorted, they may very well have a championship defence in the making.
Vancouver Whitecaps kicked off their first ever season on Sunday May 5th 1974. Fifty years on from the eve of that historic first match in the North American Soccer League, the modern day ‘Caps celebrated with a match at BC Place against Austin FC in Major League Soccer action.
A much different team, playing in a different league, and in a stadium that wasn’t even built when the very first Whitecaps team kicked off five decades ago. But the Whitecaps name lives on and so do the memories, with 110 alumni taking in the 2024 Whitecaps match this weekend.
We’ve been chronicling ‘This Week In Whitecapsland 1974′ every week in the podcast and you can see our early articles on the first few months of the Whitecaps’ existence HERE. Our last article saw the Whitecaps appoint their first ever head coach, Jim Easton, but the next couple of months for the Scotsman saw a very slow build of his squad and a lot of off-the-pitch wranglings as the first match approached.
Let’s bring you right up to date with the most important things of note as the Whitecaps got themselves ready for their first ever First Kick:
FEB 20: The Whitecaps invited 28 local amateur players to tryout at Empire Stadium. A number of those players went on to be signed by the Whitecaps for their inaugural season including forward Chris Bennett, defender Sam Lenarduzzi, and goalkeeper Greg Weber.
FEB 25: Rick Ragone was appointed Assistant GM to Denny Veitch, joining the club from Miami Toros. Ragone had spent the past two seasons with the Florida side and had initially joined the ‘Caps for sales and marketing, but this appointment would see him oversee all aspects of soccer operations.
MAR 9: Victoria born Bruce Twamley had agreed to join the Whitecaps on loan after the English season finished. The Ipswich Town defender then went off injured in his side’s match against Wolves on March 9th. Ipswich manager Bobby Robson then relayed the news to Easton that Twamley had broken his ankle and would now not be coming to Vancouver. Twamley eventually came to Vancouver the following year, making 18 appearances and scoring two goals in his only season here.
MAR 11: Whitecaps tickets went on sale to the general public. Ticket prices ranged from $3 upwards. A four for the price of three season ticket offer in the cheapest section of the stadium was $90, offering a $30 saving for the 10 home games.
MAR 14: After losing Twamley, the Whitecaps confirmed two players that were coming over from England, taking their roster to a whopping three players less than two months out from the start of the season. Wolves’ English forward Joe Mayo was one, but in the end he didn’t come over. The other was Reading defender Bobby Lenarduzzi. Lenarduzzi did come of course, making 19 appearances and scoring two goals in that first season. Lenarduzzi went on to become a club legend, playing in all 11 NASL seasons for the Whitecaps, making 288 appearances, scoring 31 goals and tallying 57 assists.
MAR 19: The Whitecaps took their tally of signed players to four with the addition of veteran Scottish Billy Stevenson. The 30-year-old midfielder had a 16-year pro career up to this point, playing for the likes of Rangers and Liverpool. Stevenson went on to make 19 appearances for the Whitecaps in their inaugural season, tallying one assist. He was also on the roster for the 1975 season but made no appearances due to injury.
MAR 21: The Whitecaps made another addition, English defender Roger Minton from Wolves. Minton was another of the English players to then not come over to Vancouver, but he did play one season in the NASL for Washington Diplomats in 1975.
MAR 24: The Whitecaps first ever signed player, forward Glen Johnson, broke his wrist playing for Pegasus in the BC League First Division. It was an injury that saw him miss the start of the season and play on 12 matches that first year. Another potential local signing, winger Sergio Zanatta, also broke his ankle that same weekend playing for Vancouver Italia. Were the Whitecaps cursed?!
MAR 27: The PNE finally approved the Whitecaps request to use Empire Stadium as their home. They rejected the club’s request, however, to widen the pitch by 10 yards and to move it 25 yards north to make for a better soccer experience and bring the action closer to the fans.
[Cutting: The Province 29/3/1974]
The Whitecaps held two more tryout sessions at Empire Stadium as they scouted for local talent, with thirty players training on a rainy Thursday and another batch the following night. Whitecaps head coach Jim Easton had been paying close attention to the local leagues in the search for talent that could make the jump to the pros, telling the Province – “I’ve been watching as many B.C. League games as possible since I came here. I have a few players in mind already, but these open trials are essential. Every once in a while you make a real find.”APR 1: With only six players signed, and two of them injured, the Whitecaps held their third trials in a week for 24 players. The Whitecaps also announced that 15,000 amateur soccer players, including all members of the B.C. Juvenile Soccer Association, had been invited to attend the Whitecaps opening match on May 5th free of charge. A clever tactic by owner Herb Capozzi, who had made a public bet with the other four new teams in Seattle, San Jose, LA, and Boston that Vancouver would have the biggest crowd for their opener!
APR 4: It was revealed that the PNE again turned down a Whitecaps request to change the pitch at Empire Stadium at a board meeting. They also rejected the club’s request for a $2000 reduction in gameday rent for the stadium. Whitecaps GM Denny Veitch responded by saying the club would have “to consider folding our tent. We simply cannot afford to pay the same rental rate (15 percent) as the primary tenant (B.C. Lions)”. Both sides playing some hardball a month out from the start of the season. Veitch said he would be appealing the decisions.
APR 8: The Whitecaps signed their starting goalkeeper, Bermudan international Sam Nusum. The 27-year-old had spent the last two years in the NASL with the now defunct Montreal Olympique and went on to play 17 games for the Whitecaps in 1974, keeping six clean sheets. Nusum only spent one year in Vancouver and played the following season for the New York Cosmos.
APR 9: The Whitecaps were forced to deny a radio report that they had 15 players under contract! Jim Easton confirmed 16 players were taking part at daily training at Empire, but they weren’t all signed yet.
APR 17: Three new Whitecaps were announced taking the team’s roster to nine! Defenders Neil Ellett and Gerry Heaney were joined by forward Brian Gant. Ellet and Gant were Canadians, with Gant also a player for the national team. His contract had to be approved by the CSA before he was allowed to officially join, with Canada Soccer wanting to make sure he would be released for summer training camps. Gant made it clear he wanted to play the whole season with the Whitecaps with no interuptions, and was just an ongoing part of the battle between the Whitecaps and the CSA.
Gant went on to lead the team with 20 appearances that inaugural season, scoring six goals and tallying one assist. He went on to play two more NASL seasons in Vancouver before going on to play another six with Portland Timbers. Ellett made just five appearances in 1974, scoring one goal, but played 19 matches the following season, his second and final one in the NASL. Scotsman Heaney made only four appearances that first season, but stayed on for another year where he made 19 more, adding one assist.
[Cutting: The Province 18/4/1974]
APR 18: And then there was 10! Darryl Samson, a 21-year-old midfielder with UBC, became the latest Whitecap and the sixth B.C. based player to be signed. Samson went on to make five appearances that first season, scoring one goal and tallying two assists. He went on to play three further seasons with Vancouver, finishing his Whitecaps career with 21 appearances, three goals, and two assists.
APR 24: A name that was to become a Canadian and British Columbian footballing legend was signed by the Whitecaps, 22-year-old defender Bruce Wilson. After playing locally with Vancouver Italia, Wilson went on to make 20 appearances for the Whitecaps in their first season, the most on the team alongside the above mentioned Gant, scoring one and grabbing one assist. Playing four seasons in total with the ‘Caps, Wilson made 92 appearances, scoring four goals and tallying 19 assists, before going on to play in the NASL with Chicago Sting, New York Cosmos, and Toronto Blizzard. Wilson went on to captain Canada at the 1986 World Cup before transitioning into coaching, where he led the UVic Vikes for over three decades.
APR 25: The Whitecaps added a second goalkeeper, Greg Weber. The Winnipegger was playing for UBC Thunderbirds and joined the ‘Caps as backup to Sam Nusum. Weber went on to play three times that first year, but went on to play three season in total for the Whitecaps, becoming the starter in 1975, making 21 appearances and keeping six clean sheets.
The Whitecaps held an intra-squad game in the pouring rain. The match finished 1-1 with both goals coming from unsigned players – Victor Kodelja and Chris Bennett.
[Cutting: The Province 26/4/1974]
APR 27: The Whitecaps headed down the I5 to take part in a three team preseason round-robin competition in Seattle against two of the other new boys in the NASL, the Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes. Each team played two 50-minute matches against their opponents, all over the same day. The ‘Caps and the Quakes drew the first match 0-0 before the ‘Caps were right back at it against the Sounders. Vancouver won that match 2-0 with Chris Bennett scoring two minutes in and Victor Kodelja adding a second from the spot late on. San Jose beat Seattle 2-0 in the final game.
APR 29: A trio of players were announced as the latest signings – defender Sam Lenarduzzi and forward Chris Bennett and Brian Budd. The 25-year-old Lenarduzzi had already made 31 appearances for the Canadian national team and went on to play 16 times for the ‘Caps that first season, tallying one assist. Lenarduzzi went on to play five seasons for the Whitecaps, making 98 appearances, scoring two goals, and adding three assists.Bennett had been impressing preseason, but only scored twice in his eight appearances that inaugural season, his only one as a Whitecap. He went on to play in the NASL for Seattle Sounders and Memphis Rogues over three seasons, but he never scored another goal.
The most intriguing of these three signings was Budd, a 23-year-old signing from UBC. Not for his two goals and one assist from his 10 1974 appearances, or his seven goals from 39 appearances over five NASL seasons for the ‘Caps. Budd went on to win both the Canadian TV show Superstars for three years between 1978 (his last season as a Whitecap) and 1980, and the Best of the World edition those three years as well. I used to watch this show as kid in the 70’s and loved it. For those unaware, various sportsmen competed in various sporting events from running to archery to swimming. Budd sadly passed away aged only 56 years old in 2008.
MAY 1: West Brom informed the Whitecaps that they had decided against loaning Joe Mayo and Roger Minton to them for the 1974 season and wanted them to report to preseason training with them instead.
MAY 2: Undeterred by losing two of their English signings, the Whitecaps went out and added two Scots instead – George McLean and Charlie Palmer – alongside Canadian Gary Thompson from local side New Westminster Blues. McLean went on to be the club’s points leader for the 1974 season with five goals and five assists in the former Rangers man’s only season in the NASL. Palmer went on to play two seasons in Vancouver, making 22 overall appearances (15 in 1974), scoring two goals (one each season), and adding four assists, three of those coming in the inaugural season. Thompson only played three games for the Whitecaps in 1974, adding one assist, but went on to play five seasons for the ‘Caps in total, making 27 overall appearances two goals and contributing three assists.
May 2nd also saw the PNE agree to a flat rental fee to the Whitecaps of $20,000 for the season, waiving their percentage claim on gross admissions. The also agreed to widen the pitch by 10 yards, as earlier requested by the ‘Caps.
And the stage was set for the big kick off on May 5th. We’ll cover that special day in the next article.
[Cutting: The Province 4/5/1974]
Over 32,000 in the stands, a special 50th anniversary game with 110 alumni in attendance, what could possibly go wrong? Well, something that didn’t exist 50 years ago, video review, certainly played a part in the evening’s disappointing proceedings, as did Vancouver Whitecaps’ failure to turn their dominance into any goals as they played out a 0-0 stalemate with Austin FC at BC Place on Saturday night in front of a record-setting crowd for the club in their MLS era.
The Whitecaps had 62% possession, outshot the visitors 23 to 4, and Yohei Takaoka could have brought a book with him to read in the second half, but Vancouver couldn’t convert any of that into goals, or at least none that counted. Gauld had the ball in the net in the 19th minute, but a video review saw it chopped off for a dubious Picault handball in the build-up. VAR frustrated Vancouver again in first half injury time when Picault went down in the box and despite the referee being called over for a clear and obvious error, he stuck to his guns and no penalty was awarded.
The Whitecaps huffed and puffed plenty in the second half, but Brad Stuver stood tall in the Austin goal, and while a point going into this one against one of the most in-form teams in MLS might have been considered a good result, the nature of the visitor’s performance saw this very much as two points dropped rather than one gained.
Vanni Sartini made four changes to the starting line-up from the team that battled to a point in New York last weekend, with Bjorn Inge Utvik, Alessandro Schopf, Andres Cubas, and Fafa Picault all coming in.
The first chance of the match fell to Austin 10 minutes in, with Takaoka turning away a Diego Rubio shot to his near post. It was the only save he needed to make all game.
Fafa Picault saw his header tipped over the bar by Brad Stuver in the 15th minute as the ‘Caps turned up the pressure and minutes later Ali Ahmed nearly got onto a cross to the back post, but the ball just eluded him.
The Whitecaps thought they had opened the scoring in the 19th minute after some great interplay between Sam Adekugbe and Ryan Gauld. Gauld cut out a pass at the halfway line and played the ball inside to Gauld. The Scot played it back out to Adekugbe then ran into the box to flick on the subsequent cross. The ball ricocheted off Picault and an Austin defender, coming back to Gauld who fired a low one past Stuver.
But the BC Place celebrations were cut short when video review felt the ball had come off Picault’s hand. Referee Marcos DeOliveira II (is the first one better? can we get him next time?) went over to look at replays and felt there was enough in what he saw to chop the goal off.
It didn't count on the field, but it still counts in our hearts #VWFC | #VANvATX pic.twitter.com/HJ0CEJzixO
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 5, 2024
Picault got onto a corner in the 33rd minute, but his deflected shot was easily held by Stuver.
The Whitecaps were dominating play, with Austin showing very little attacking threat after their early forays forward.
Gauld saw a low 20-yarder tipped around the post by Stuver in the 36th minute then Adekugbe fired a shot over moments later. Unfortunately for the Canadian international, the shot, and the challenge into him as he took it, saw him go off with what initially looked like an aggravation of his knee injury, but was subsequently reported as his left calf.
With the game deep in stoppage time, Picault was bundled over in the box by ALex Ring. The Whitecaps felt it was a penalty, but there was no call on the pitch. The VAR official felt the same, calling the referee over for review. Unfortunately for the ‘Caps, the referee stuck to his initial guns and a second VAR decision went against Picault.
I am struggling big time to see how that's not a penalty on Alex Ring.
— Andrew Wiebe (@andrew_wiebe) May 5, 2024
There was still more drama to come before the teams headed down the tunnel, with Sebastian Driussi seemingly taking umbrage at something said from the Whitecaps bench and running over to get into it and start a stramash that earned the Austin DP a booking.
The second half started as the first one finished, with the Whitecaps on the front foot.
Stuver produced a fantastic double save to first deny Ryan Raposo with a one-handed stop and then Schopf with his leg in the 53rd minute. The flag subsequently went up on Raposo but it was two quality saves from one of the best keepers in all of MLS.
Picault came close to finally putting the Whitecaps ahead in the 58th minute when he got onto the end of a pin-perfect Raposo cross but his diving header went into the side netting.
Gauld had a curler that missed to the left after some nice interplay with Brian White in the 78th minute, but it was starting to feel that this was not going to be Vancouver’s night.
Utvik got his head to a curling Gauld cross in the 83rd minute but Stuver was quickly on the scene to palm the chance away.
With no more chances, the game fizzled out to a disappointing draw.
To have that much dominance without scoring and getting the win is concerning. As is another big crowd going home disappointed. The lack of squad depth was also highlighted in this one. When you looked at the bench, the amount of actual game changers at Vanni’s disposal was few and far between.
Vanni mentioned postgame that every point is crucial and while that is very true in a tight MLS Western Conference, the continued dropping of points at home is just putting pressure on the team to keep performing as they have been on the road. Is that sustainable? Well I guess we’ll find out with three straight away matches coming up in league play and four in total when you factor in the Canadian Championship.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 0 Austin FC
ATT: 32,465
STATS:
Possession: VAN 62.2% – ATX 37.8%
Shots: VAN 23 – ATX 4
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – ATX 1
Saves: VAN 7 – ATX 1
Fouls: VAN 5 – ATX 10
Offsides: VAN 1 – ATX 1
Corners: VAN 10 – ATX 2
BOOKINGS:
45’+8 – ATX – Guilherme Biro
45’+8 – VAN – Fafà Picault
46′ – ATX – Sebastián Driussi
46’ – VAN – Brian White
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Bjørn Inge Utvik, Ranko Veselinović (Levonte Johnson 81’), Tristan Blackmon; Sam Adekugbe (Ryan Raposo 43’), Alessandro Schöpf (Pedro Vite 65’), Andrés Cubas, Ali Ahmed; Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Fafà Picault [Substitutes not used:
Isaac Boehmer, Mathías Laborda, Ralph Priso, Luís Martins, Sebastian Berhalter, Javain Brown]
AUSTIN: Brad Stuver; Jon Gallagher, Julio Cascante, Brendan Hines-Ike, Guilherme Biro; Alexander Ring, Jhojan Valencia (Žan Kolmanič 83’); Jáder Obrian (Owen Wolff 63’), Sebastián Driussi, Emiliano Rigoni (Ethan Finley 83’); Diego Rubio (Gyasi Zardes 75’)
[Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland, Matt Hedges, Leo Väisänen, Hector Jimenez, CJ Fodrey]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On whether the team needed to take more risks:
“I don’t think so because we had a lot of chances to score, and the Whitecaps of 2023 lose this game. Or the Whitecaps of three weeks ago against the Galaxy lose this game. I’m very proud of the fact that we kept the structure and we didn’t go crazy… We always kept our composure and the structure and we didn’t allow them [Austin] to have any dangerous moments against us. I told the guys, the second half I could have played in goal.”
On the atmosphere and club record crowd:
“It was beautiful. People behind my bench were offering me beer. What more could you say? It’s 32,000, it’s the record. Fortunately, it’s going to last only for two weeks, because it’ll be more than 50,000 [for the Inter Miami CF match]. Of course, everyone wanted to win, but no one left this stadium disappointed for the effort, disappointed for the quality of the team, disappointed of the show we put on. I think that in terms of commitment, in terms of way of playing, we actually honoured the 200 alumni that were here today, and the reason that we are here today. I’m just frustrated because we didn’t win, but again, if we continue to do it like this, guys, in the long run…don’t go on vacation in November, because you have to work.”
RYAN GAULD
On his team’s performance tonight:
“A good performance, there’s not actually been that many games since I’ve been here that we’ve controlled a game like that. So from that side of it, it was a positive. We’ve just been missing the goal really, and on another night we could have won by three or four if we put our chances away. But we’re disappointed with the result. We would have loved to send everyone home happy. It was a great support tonight and just unfortunately we couldn’t get it done.”
On what the team needed on a game like tonight:
“I think we just need to take our chances, as simple as that. I’ve had the one on the edge that Brian laid off, and I had to score. We’ve had another couple really good chances. I think that our struggles in the past is when a team played with a low block, we really struggled to create anything and open them up. But I think at least tonight you see we had three of four really good chances, and it starts with myself, I have to score that. In a certain way, we work on those a lot in training, those kind of finishes so I think it’s just as simple as taking our chances.”
It was five years ago on this date that Cavalry FC “weathered the storm” to beat then-named York9 FC 2-1 in the club’s inaugural Canadian Premier League match at Spruce Meadows.
It was the first of dozens of Cavalry matches that I have since photographed and recapped for AFTN in the last five years. To mark the occasion, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and present my top five favourite moments from covering Cavalry FC in the last five years:
5. Myer Bevan’s goal against the Whitecaps in the 2022 Canadian Championship
Considering his goal-scoring exploits in 2023, not everyone probably remembers that in his first season for Cavalry, New Zealand striker Myer Bevan did not play particularly well – something he admitted the following year, when he’d go on to lead the team in scoring.
But even though his 2022 campaign was only a shade above mediocre, a moment of magic from Bevan produced one of my favourite photos that I’ve captured for AFTN.
When Cavalry was hosting Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship on May 26, he rocketed a second-half strike from 25 yards out that sailed into the top-right corner of Cody Cropper’s net. The stunning strike broke the deadlock and put Cavalry on course to upset the visitors from Vancouver, though the Whitecaps were able to level late through Eric Godoy, forcing extra time.
Ultimately, Cavalry fans’ hearts were broken after the Whitecaps prevailed in the ensuing penalty shootout. But I can still recall Bevan’s shot, which I had a perfect angle to capture with my camera from my vantage point to the left of the Whitecaps goal. And I can still remember the roar of the crowd after it hit the net.
.4. Running rampant over Forge in 2023
Cavalry’s matches against Forge are almost always close encounters. Most games between the two seem to end 1-0, or 2-1, or 1-1 – you get the idea.
But one match between the two that wasn’t close at all was when Cavalry beat the Hamiltonians 3-0 at Spruce Meadows on Aug. 4 last year. It was a dominant display by Cavalry – probably the best I’ve ever seen them play – as they scored three unanswered goals in the second half, all while shutting out Forge to give the 4,000+ home fans plenty to cheer about.
Cavalry’s 3-0 victory, accomplished under the ATCO Field floodlights, was a statement win that showed the team was on course to finish the regular season in first place. In fact, thanks to the win, Cavalry leapfrogged over Forge into first place in the CPL table – a position they’d hold onto for pretty much the rest of the campaign.
Making matters even more impressive was that coming into the match, Forge had enjoyed an unbeaten streak lasting a month, including three wins and a draw. They’d allowed just one goal in those four matches while finding the net nine times. That positive momentum all came unravelling against a ruthless Cavalry under the Spruce Meadows floodlights.
.3. Beating FC Edmonton 3-1 and lifting the Wildrose Cup in 2019
Coming into the inaugural season, Cavalry and Edmonton were expected to be bitter rivals. After all, the “Battle of Alberta” is already a famous rivalry in both the NHL and the CFL.
Of course, Cavalry’s true rivals turned out to be Forge, and the Calgarians’ showdowns against their provincial counterparts were pretty one-sided in 2019. While they had a few close encounters, Cavalry beat FC Edmonton in four of their five “Al Classico” meetings in 2019 and only conceded a single goal in those games.
In the final Al Classico of the season (which was also their last regular-season game of 2019) Cavalry ran rampant over FC Edmonton at Spruce Meadows, compiling a 3-1 victory thanks to second-half goals from Sergio Camargo, Jordan Brown and José Escalante. Easton Ongaro scored a consolation goal late to spoil the Cavs’ clean sheet.
Some fans may recall this was the match where Escalante famously celebrated his penalty goal by pulling the corner flag out and pretending to ride it along the touchline like a horse. It seemed the Honduran was really starting to embrace the Stampede spirit.
Shooting this game from the corner flag beneath Section 200, I had a great view of all three of Cavalry’s goals, as well as Escalante’s iconic celebration.
Capping off a fun afternoon was the lifting of the Wildrose Cup – the fan-created trophy that was to be gifted to the winner of the overall Al Classico series – after the match.
Speaking of trophies being lifted…
.2. Lifting the CPL shield in 2023
It took five seasons, but Cavalry fans finally got to watch their team lift a trophy in 2023.
While the club had finished first in the CPL’s regular season title in 2019, they didn’t get a physical trophy to show for it. The wait to lift some silverware lasted four years until October 7, 2023.
After coasting to a 3-0 victory over visiting Pacific FC, captain Marco Carducci and his teammates lifted the newly christened CPL Shield at Spruce Meadows. The celebration took place on a makeshift stage hastily set up at the centre line of ATCO Field after the match. The Cavs players and staff celebrated raucously as confetti rained down and bottles were shaken and popped, spraying champagne across the stage.
I’d estimate the majority of the 4,000+ fans stayed at the stadium to applaud the players as they passed the shield among themselves, taking turns hoisting it overhead. There was even a mini pitch invasion, as dozens of kids ran onto the field to celebrate with the players.
It was a joyous ceremony, and the unbridled emotions of Cavalry’s players and coaching staff showed what it meant to finally lift a trophy.
.1. Beating the Whitecaps in 2019
Coming into the inaugural season, there was a lot of speculation and debate surrounding the quality of the CPL, compared to other professional North American soccer leagues. Those questions were finally answered when the fledgling league’s teams took on MLS opposition in the 2019 Canadian Championship.
After overcoming Pacific and Forge in the first two rounds, Cavalry produced the tournament’s biggest David-versus-Goliath moment when they upset Vancouver Whitecaps in the quarterfinals. Dominick Zator’s winning header in the second leg at BC Place was more than a goal; it was a statement that silenced those who questioned the CPL’s quality.
Cavalry was far and away the CPL’s strongest team in 2019 (at least up until the championship final against Forge) and their inspiring cup run in the Canadian Championship proved they weren’t just strong in the league.
Their win over the Whitecaps was a landmark achievement that showed the CPL meant business. While I wasn’t at BC Place to witness it in person, it was still a pretty cool sight to behold.
(Photo Credit: Hazel May)
It was a match fitting of a historic inaugural game, as League1 BC new boys Burnaby FC played out a six-goal thriller with the visiting Harbourside FC at Burnaby Lake on Sunday afternoon in men’s division action.
From kick-off, the first 10 minutes were extremely frantic, with Burnaby having the majority of the attacking play.
But it was Harbourside that opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with Billy Bagiopolous converting on a breakaway.
The Nanaimo side’s lead wasn’t to last long when Emiliano Brienza leveled the score five minutes later from the penalty spot, after being bundled over in the box. Harbourside, obviously rattled by the penalty, still hadn’t got back into the game, when Lachlan Will put Burnaby 2-1 a minute later.
Despite now being down, Harbourside finally managed to settle and pulled the game level before the half through a superb Suka Behery strike.
The second half started with less intensity than the first, with Harbourside having the majority of the possession.
And Harbourside retook the lead in the 54th minute when Bagiopolous bagged his second of the game, scoring a clean goal after an inch perfect cross from Behery from the left wing.
It looked as if Harbourside finally had control of the game, until Burnaby made a series of substitutions in minutes 78 and 79. Two minutes later, the fresh impetus saw Will tie the score up at 3-3 after a breakaway goal.
Neither side could find the winner and the teams had to settle for a point apiece.
Postgame, Harbourside head coach Kevin Lindo said he was glad to get the game against Burnaby FC out of the way early in the season, as he felt that they would only get stronger throughout the season. He also stated that he thought 3-3 was a fair result.
Burnaby FC head coach Todd May: “I’m always disappointed when we don’t win, having said that, we have only come together for four training sessions, and we are missing eight unavailable players. We have a fantastic group of boys with a lot of talent, so I’m looking forward to building this project into a league powerhouse.”
FINAL SCORE: Burnaby FC 3 – 3 Harbourside FC
BURNABY: Evan Ince, Ty Pound, Hamish Ogden, Nic Apostal (Cole Toupin 46′) (Justin George 82′), Emiliano Brienza (Ryan Torresan 84′), Emile Saimovici, Lachlan Will, Aaron Colbourne (R Yassin 78′), Kyle Dent (Arjun Mann 79′), Tristan Torresan, Brandon Torresan [Subs Not Used: Jake McCall, Kiarash Ahmadpour]
HARBOURSIDE: Cal Weir, Yusuf Osman, Wyatt Lyon, Cam Shaw (Daniel Macaskill 56′), Fergus Hall, Suka Behery (Hatim El Azhari 88′), Ben Creswick (Andres Tovar 76′), Billy Bagiopolous, Michael Hepelle (Senay Haile 46′), Charlie Purcell, Tristan Cornwall [Subs Not Used: Matthew Scott McConnach, Jonathan McKenzie, Matthew Coburn]
We have two photo galleries from the match below and over on our Flickr page. The first is from Tom Ewasiuk (@Residual Image) and the second from Hazel May (@HMM) and John May (@shoots). Click to view them:
(Photo Credit: Hazel May)
The new girls on the block, Burnaby FC, kicked off their inaugural League1 BC season with an impressive 3-1 victory over the visiting Harbourside FC at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex on Sunday.
For the first 30 minutes, neither team was able to settle the ball and make any tangible attack, Burnaby appeared to have some control in midfield, but the ever-present Rebekah Van Dort, forceful at left-back, was able to deny any meaningful attacks by the home side.
Harbourside continued to dominate the Burnaby half, continually going forward, but unable to trouble Burnaby goalkeeper Sarah Loewen.
Harbourside came closest to an opener when Erin Jensen put her shot into the side netting in the 30th minute.
However, it was Burnaby FC that scored first when Isabella Muzzolini chipped Emily Rowbottom in the 43rd minute, with the goal coming totally against the run of play.
Just before half-time Harbourside’s Sabrina Anderson fell to the floor whilst in possession, with a suspected Achilles injury. Burnaby took advantage of the situation to get a second, with Raegan Mackenzie scoring to give them a 2-0 lead at the half, not knowing the full extent of the injury.
To Burnaby’s credit they allowed Harbourside’s Erin Jensen to score an unchallenged goal at the start of the second-half to make it 2-1 and reduce it back down to a one goal game.
The second half continued in much the same vein as the first, with Harbourside making the most of the attacks.
Muzzolini scored her second goal of the game, and Burnaby’s third, in the 67th minute, chipping high over Emily Rowbottom in the Harbourside goal.
Despite dominating the play, Harbourside were unable to penetrate a heavily defended Burnaby backline, and the new kids on the block came away with a big three points in a 3-1 victory in their first match in League1 BC.
FINAL SCORE: Burnaby FC 3 – 1 Harbourside FC
BURNABY: Sarah Loewen, Kajal Parmar (46′ Kate Cartier), Emily Smith, Alyssa Clark, Isabella Muzzolini (86′ Cassia Crozier), Raegan Mackenzie, Kirsten Koellmel, Hayley Bazille, Kaiden Sherwood (70′ Shanya Dhindsa), Sabryna Bailey (45’+22 Katie Richardson), Olivia Sheppard [Subs Not Used: Kate Smith, Isabella Santoianni, Karina Bagi]
HARBOURSIDE: Emily Rowbottom, Sophie Murphy (67′ Jade Dillabough), Shea Battie (78′ Maddy Dawson), Rebekah Van Dort, Taiya Scorey, Carli Rey, Ruby Nicholls, Mary Nicholls, Erin Jensen, Sabrina Anderson (45′ Kate Reynolds), Tannis McKay (67′ Ella Gignac) [Subs Not Used: Kaiden Thorpe, Mya Creed]
We have two photo galleries from the match below and over on our Flickr page. The first is from Hazel May (@HMM) and John May (@shoots) and the second from Tom Ewasiuk (Residual Image). Click to view them:
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, and League1 BC chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
The Whitecaps continued their road warriors form at the weekend with a hard-fought draw at New York Red Bulls, in a match that saw Brian White set a MLS scoring record for the ‘Caps. We chat about the main talking points coming out of that one and round-up the weekend’s action in the MLS West.
The Whitecaps announced last week that they’ll be playing a glamour Hollywood friendly against Wrexham this summer. We chat about the various layers to the match, including it being put on by a third party, the high ticket prices, the exposure the ‘Caps will get from it, the backlash from some fans, and CEO Axel Schuster tells us how it all came about and why the Whitecaps are part of it all. Is it worth it? Is football an entertainment product and should be priced accordingly? We chat about all of that and also hear from Vanni Sartini on the game.
The 2024 League1 BC season got up and running on Sunday, with the Whitecaps defending both the men’s and the women’s titles. Our feature interview this episode is with Whitecaps Girls Elite head coach Katie Collar. We chat with Katie about the successes of the team these past two years, the season ahead, building for the launch of the Project 8 team next year, and the exciting announcement that the Whitecaps will be Canada’s representatives in the inaugural CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup. Plus Axel Schuster explains what that will mean for the acceleration of the ‘Caps new professional women’s team.
All of that plus we hear from TSS Rovers head coach Brendan Teeling ahead of his side’s Canadian Championship clash with Pacific this week and feature the final song from our Album of the Month from Diesel Park West.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.15: Intro – tabletop games, CPL, Provincial Cup
12.15: Red Bulls v Whitecaps match analysis
35.35: MLS West round-up
56.50: Wrexham AFC travelling roadshow coming to Vancouver
114.22: Katie Collar interview and L1BC chat
151.25: This Week in Whitecapsland 1974
165.00: Brendan Teeling on TSS v Pacific
170.10: Wavelength – Declan Swans – Always Sunny In Wrexham
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The script couldn’t have been written any better. New Jersey boy Brian White returns home, returns to the club he came through the ranks of, and scores a record-setting goal for his new club. And for a while, it looked like White’s 15th minute opener was going to be good enough to give Vancouver Whitecaps all three points against New York Red Bulls, but in the end it earned a point after Lewis Morgan’s 56th minute leveler set up an exciting finish to the match.
Neither side could find the winner, with New York pushing hard for the go ahead goal before Noah Eile’s 74th minute sending off and Vancouver after it, and a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw felt like a fair result in the end, keeping Vancouver’s unbeaten away record intact in their first big road trip of the season.
With the talismanic Andres Cubas suspended for yellow card accumulation, Vanni Sartini made three changes to the side that started last week’s win in Seattle. Two of those came in the midfield with Sebastian Berhalter and Ryan Raposo coming in, with Matias Laborda coming back into the back three.
As we’ve seen in many of the Whitecaps matches this season, it was their opponents who started on the front foot and Yohei Takaoka was forced into a double save two minutes in to deny Red Bulls’ leading scorer Morgan.
New York were having the better of the play but Vancouver started to get a foothold in the game and opened the scoring in the 15th minute.
Ryan Gauld played the ball inside to Pedro Vite on the edge of the box. The Ecuadorian in turn played it out to Raposo who cut it back to White in the six yard box and the ‘Caps striker took it beautifully with a neat backfoot finish to not only give Vancouver the lead, but take the striker to the all-time goalscoring record for the Whitecaps in the MLS era, moving him onto 44 goals across all competitions.
This one's special
Brian White scores his 44th goal back in his hometown, New Jersey, and against his former club.
https://t.co/gsor3Ab0tA#VWFC | #RBNYvVAN pic.twitter.com/9Julfn3sSa
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 27, 2024
New York huffed and puffed but Vancouver were handling their lead fairly comfortably. They should have added to it on the half hour mark when Gauld brilliantly played in White but the striker took too long and the home keeper Carlos Coronel smothered the danger.
The Red Bulls wanted a penalty minutes later when the ball seemed to come off Ranko Veselinovic’s elbow after a bounce up, but nothing was forthcoming.
The last chance of the first half fell to the Whitecaps, who won a free kick on the edge of the box when Gauld was barged over, but it was wasted by Sebastian Berhalters blasting it into the wall and the danger was cleared.
As with the first half, it was the home side to had the early pressure after the restart and they got their reward in the 56th minute.
Emil Forsberg sent in a dangerous corner from the left which Takaoka could only parry away. The ball fell perfectly to Morgan, who dove to superbly head home and we were all tied up.
LEWIS USES HIS HEAD. #RedRunsDeep | @Audi pic.twitter.com/dDk7tnzQNN
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) April 28, 2024
White looked set to fire the ‘Caps back into the lead on the hour mark as he was played in, but as he was poised to shoot, Daniel Edelman slid in with a fantastic to knock the ball behind.
New York then took over and looked the more likely team to add to the scoreboard forcing Takaoka into a string of saves.
The first came in the 68th minute when he held onto an Eile header off a Forsberg free kick. A minute later he turned away a fierce Morgan strike, before the ‘Caps keeper saved an Elias Manoel shot from the edge of the box in the 74th minute.
Then the game changed.
The ‘Caps sent a ball forward for White to chase down. New York defender Eile inexplicably turned the ball away with his hand to deny the ‘Caps striker at the edge of the box, getting a straight red card and sending the home side down to ten men for the last quarter of an hour.
Berhalter once again sent the subsequent free kick into the wall, but the Whitecaps started to turn up the heat.
Ali Ahmed forced a save from Coronel in the 81st minute, with the New York keeper just getting to the rebound before the Canadian midfielder.
Tristan Blackmon header off a corner in the 88th minute, which Coronel easily held, but that was to be it for either side, who both pushed hard in the closing moments but couldn’t find the decisive breakthrough.
A very good away point for the Whitecaps in their first long road trip of the season, keeping their undefeated record away from home intact and showing well in various stages of the match against very tough opposition. They’ll certainly be pleased with the result and how they played, but there will likely be a disappointment in not being able to get more than four shots on target, especially against ten men for the latter part of the match.
There’s a return home now against a resurgent Austin FC side next weekend and with BC Place proving very much up and down for the ‘Caps this season in terms of results, this will be another good test of their playoff credentials.
FINAL SCORE: New York Red Bulls 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT:
SCORING SUMMARY:
15’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Raposo, Pedro Vite)
56’ – RBNY – Lewis Morgan (Emil Forsberg)
STATS:
Possession: RBNY 59.3 – VAN 40.7
Shots: RBNY 16 – VAN 12
Shots on Goal: RBNY 9 – VAN 4
Saves: RBNY 3 – VAN 8
Fouls: RBNY 10 – VAN 9
Offsides: RBNY 0 – VAN 1
Corners: RBNY 6 – VAN 5
BOOKINGS:
22’ – VAN – Sam Adekugbe
34’ – RBNY – Dante Vanzeir
43’ – RBNY – Wilkeman Carmona
45’+3 – VAN – Ryan Raposo
58’ – RBNY – Daniel Edelman
71’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda
90’+1 – RBNY – Dylan Nealis
SENDING OFF:
74’ – RBNY – Noah Elie
NEW YORK: Carlos Coronel; Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis, Noah Elie, John Tolkin (Kyle Duncan 79’); Dennis Gjengaar (Cameron Harper 66’), Daniel Edelman, Wilkeman Carmona (Frankie Amaya 66’), Emil Forsberg (Cory Burke 90’); Dante Vanzeir (Elias Manoel 66’), Lewis Morgan
[Substitutes not used: Ryan Meara, Julian Hall, Aiden O’Connor, Bento Estrela]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda (Fafà Picault 79’), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Ryan Raposo (Ralph Priso 61’), Pedro Vite, Sebastian Berhalter (Damir Kreilach 87’), Ali Ahmed; Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Sam Adekugbe (Javain Brown 61’) [Substitutes not used:
Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Luís Martins, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Levonte Johnson]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
Good point to come away with on your first long road trip of the year against a very good side. Are you content with a point or do you feel you could maybe have pushed on and grabbed all three in the end?
“I think at the end, a point is kind of fair. Maybe a little more for us because we had two big chances with Brian (White) and the one when they got the red card. I consider it a big chance because if not Ryan (Gauld) is in front of the goal. But we don’t have to forget that the first 15 minutes they pushed a lot and they were kind of overwhelming us and Yohei (Takaoka) was amazing with double save. Then, at the same time, we scored the goal probably in their best moment. I think that at the end, the tie is not a bad result, coming here and leaving with a tie. Also, I think it’s kind of fair, to be honest because you know, both teams, when you play against them is always like this, like they’re so intense with a lot of numbers. They try to overwhelm you with winning the second ball and they put you under pressure, but at the same time every time that you break the first pressure you can score a goal. It could have finished three, three but finished one, one. We were very tired at the end, then they went with 10 men in front of their goal, so it was really hard to score but it’s okay.”
A lot of positives to take out of it, especially on the defensive side. And as you mentioned there, Yohei coming up with a few big saves, is it a bit of disappointment you couldn’t really manage to get more than four shots on target?
“Yeah, but again, more than the shots on targets, we had two big chances. One with Brian where the shot was deflected out, but it was in front goal and one with Mathías (Laborda) on a corner that the shot has been blocked. At the end, we had the big, big, big chances. So it’s not that you need 10 shots on goal to score but we had at least three chances in front of the goal, where we could have done maybe a little better. But again, it’s really hard to play here guys. When we were 11 v 11, it’s like every moment looks like the last minute of the game. Boom, boom, boom and we need to be very concentrated, they’re a very intense team with a very distinct style of play. Kudos to them too.
BRIAN WHITE
Congrats on the goal. Are you glad we don’t have to talk about it anymore after tonight?
“No, it’s great to get that goa. Obviously, to come away with a point is huge on the road, at a tough team like Red Bulls. You know, it’s just nice to contribute to a good team performance.”
You said you were going to celebrate with a with a group hug, you guys did a group hug. But it didn’t even have a smile on your face. What was that about?
“Just coming back, seeing a lot of old faces. They showed me a lot of love, especially with the video before the game. I still have a lot of love for this club, this state, this city, the people that are still here. It just felt like the right thing to do and especially with all the love that they’ve shown me. I wish the club’s and the people here nothing but the best going forward.”
NEW YORK RED BULLS
HEAD COACH SANDRO SCHWARZ
Thoughts on the performance:
“Today, after 20 minutes was not good in the first half, and this is what we have to analyze and we have to improve very quick. In some moments to have this consequence to play forward, to play forward very quick, and some moments to have more deep runs to create more situations in the box, in the opponent’s box.”
EMIL FORSBERG
Thoughts on the performance:
“I think we were the better team overall. We kept the ball and we kept creating chances. We came out, playing a fantastic second half, scored a goal and then we get a red card. Of course it changed the game. I mean, it’s hard. We wanted to win today and I think we were on a good path but sometimes mistakes happen. We have to keep looking forward. Keep evolving. It’s irritating because I think we could have won today and we didn’t.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Championship, and League1 BC chat. The football keeps coming and so do the podcasts!
The Whitecaps head off to New York this weekend to try and maintain their 100% start to the season on the road against the Red Bulls in MLS action. We preview the match, get Vanni Sartini’s thoughts on the task ahead, and hear from the man that could have the happiest of homecomings, Whitecaps striker Brian White. The Whitecaps also added a new player this week, Australian right back/wingback Guiseppe Bovalina. We look at what the Aussie offers the ‘Caps and Sporting Director Axel Schuster shares his thoughts on the signing and the Whitecaps’ scouting strategy.
The ‘Caps now know their Canadian Championship opponent, as another battle with CPL side Cavalry await them next month. We look at how that came about with Vancouver FC’s loss in Calgary, hear the early thoughts from head coaches Vanni Sartini and Toomy Wheeldon Jr about the upcoming match, and Zach has tales from his 28-hour road trip to take in the Cavs-VFC game.
The new League1 BC season gets underway this weekend. We preview the first slate of matches and sit down for an in-depth chat with Burnaby FC men’s head coach Todd May about his club’s inaugural season and his coaching journey so far.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.10: Intro
06.20: Red Bulls v Whitecaps match preview
22.39: Vanni Sartini on the NYRB match
29.30: Brian White’s homecoming to remember?
39.30: Whitecaps to face Cavalry in Canadian Championship as VFC lose
48.20: Afshin Ghotbi on Cavalry ball choice
63.51: Tales of a Calgary road trip
71.55: The Gaffers – Vanni Sartini and Tommy Wheeldon Jr
74.30: Guiseppe Bovalina joins Vancouver
90.55: Todd May interview + Burnaby FC and L1BC chat
117.00: Wavelength – J.O.B. Orchestra and Chorus – Go Cosmos Go
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure.
Episode 85 is an hour long show around the Canadian Championship, which kicked off Tuesday, and the Canadian Premier League, featuring audio from Afshin Ghotbi, Tommy Wheeldon Jr, Patrice Gheisar, Phillip Dos Santos, Rocco Romeo, and Tobias Warschewski.
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Another dance with the Whitecaps is in store for Cavalry FC, who progressed to the quarter-finals of the Canadian Championship on Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory over visiting Vancouver FC at Spruce Meadows.
Tobias Warschewski scored the lone goal of the first-round cup match when he headed the ball just inside Callum Irving’s right-hand post in the 65th minute. The German’s header came just five minutes after Cavalry went down a man following a red card to midfielder Shamit Shome.
“I’m excited to score my first goal, even at home,” said Warschewski, who joined Cavalry this season after previously playing for FC Edmonton in 2021 and 2022.
“I think right now, we need to keep going and go from game to game.”
Cavalry entered Tuesday’s match – their first at home in 2024 – still seeking a first win of the calendar year. The Calgarians fell 2-1 in their Canadian Premier League season-opener to Forge FC, before rescuing a point late in a 1-1 draw with Atlético Ottawa at TD Field last weekend.
Before that, Cavalry lost their two CONCACAF Champions Cup matches in February to MLS side Orlando City.
Vancouver, on the other hand, came into Tuesday’s battle unbeaten in the CPL, after a pair of home wins over Halifax Wanderers and Valour FC to start the 2024 season.
Playing with the same starting 11 that featured in both of those victories, the visitors’ confidence was on display in the first half. Vancouver took the match to Cavalry in the opening 20 minutes, pinning the hosts on their heels.
While Vancouver showed promise in the early stages of the proceedings, Cavalry came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the 25th minute, when Ali Musse was sprung on a breakaway on a Cavalry counter-attack, following a through pass from Lucas Dias.
But Musse scuffed the shot, which was blocked by VFC ‘keeper Callum Irving.
Vancouver responded immediately with Marco Carducci diving at the feet of Moses Dyer to deny the Kiwi striker.
Musse nearly made amends just after the half-hour mark, when he cut in to beat Paris Gee on the right wing and then curled in a shot with his left foot. But the ball whistled past Irving’s far post.
Cavalry’s night seemed to take a turn for the worse 15 minutes into the second half, when Shome was shown red for a late tackle in midfield on Vasco Fry.
But despite the loss of Shome, Cavalry’s second-half subs, including Lleyton Brooks, Diego Gutierrez, and Sergio Camargo, showed plenty of eagerness on the ball.
That attacking energy paid dividends when Warschewski earned his goal. After his shot was initially blocked, the ball fell to Gutierrez. He shifted the ball out to the right, and Fraser Aird crossed it into the box.
While former Cavalry player David Norman Jr. initially got his head to the ball, it fell perfectly for Warschewski to nod home at the far post to earn his first goal in a Cavalry kit.
While he was happy to register his first “Tor” for Cavalry, Warschewski gave kudos to his teammates for “giving everything” to win the match.
“That’s what is so special about the team,” he said. “Everybody is on one page and it felt like we got even closer together. Every single one of us gave everything in every tackle and every situation and every battle.”
Vancouver still had their chances after going down, however. Most notably, Dyer struck a shot from distance that Carducci comfortably saved in the 74th minute. Then, Jose Navarro had a chance following a VFC corner in the 89th minute that Carducci had to parry away from danger.
“They’re deep,” said Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. of Vancouver’s competitive start to 2024. “Like Ottawa, they made some really good off-season signings.
“They’ve got terrific footballers, a nice shape to them and they’re tough to break down as well. They’ve only conceded two goals in three games and they’re playing an attractive brand of football. I think they’re going to have a good go this season.”
Whitecaps up next
Thanks to their win, Cavalry will now prepare to face Vancouver Whitecaps in the second round of the cup, marking the third time they’ve taken on the MLS side in the Canadian Championship.
Cavalry lost in a penalty shootout the last time the two teams faced each other in 2022, following a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Before that, the Calgarians famously overcame the ‘Caps in the 2019 edition of the tournament.
Differing from their previous encounters with Cavalry, the Whitecaps will enter this year’s Canadian Championship in red-hot form, as Vanni Sartini’s side currently sit second in MLS’ Western Conference with a 5-1-2 record.
“I’ve enjoyed watching some of their games,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Vanni and his staff are doing a good job with them and we’re playing them in good form. We’ve got to improve what we do. I know it’s coming up pretty soon, so I think we’ll put this game to bed. We’re excited for the opportunity to play them again.”
The match-up will be a two-legged affair, with Cavalry hosting the first leg at Spruce Meadows on Tuesday May 7.
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Vancouver FC, Canadian Premier League, and general football chat after what’s been a great week for the lower mainland clubs here in BC.
The Whitecaps bounced back from their disappointing home loss against LA to come away with a very confident and comfortably derby day victory in Seattle. We break down that match and the highs coming out of it for Vancouver and the lows for Seattle. We also hear some postgame thoughts from both head coaches, Vanni Sartini and Brian Schmetzer, look at the first team debut of Jay Herdman, as we talk to proud papa John Herdman about his son’s rise, and round-up the weekend’s action in the MLS West.
We’ve two feature interviews for you this week. First up is former Whitecap and new Vancouver FC defender Matteo Campagna, as we chat about his time with the ‘Caps in MLS and his new career path and challenge in the CPL. We also sit down with CPL commissioner Mark Noonan to chat about the successes, challenges, and the future of the league with its sixth season now underway.
Plus TSS Rovers are back in the Canadian Championship and we get the thoughts of TSS boss Brendan Teeling and Pacific coach James Merriman ahead of their Voyageurs Cup rematch next week. All of that and there’s still time for some old man shouting at the clouds chat about the FA Cup and VAR!
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.15: Intro – the content dilemma
09.55: FA Cup dramas, disappointments and the evil that is VAR
22.10: TSS Rovers back in the Canadian Championship
35.00: Whitecaps’ derby day delight in Seattle
62.54: The Gaffers – Vanni Sartini and Brian Schmetzer
72.55: More SEAvVAN chat
78.00: MLS West round-up
86.32: Jay Herdman makes his first team debut
94.20: Matteo Campagna interview
116.33: This week in 1974
127.15: Mark Noonan interview
144.10: Wavelength – The Believers – While The Sky Is Blue
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
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Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps are back on top of the MLS Western Conference, and still Kings of Cascadia, after a dominant display down the I5 in a 2-0 victory against a Seattle Sounders side that lost their composure, lost their defensive sensibilities, and ultimately lost three points.
Jackson Ragen’s red card towards the end of the first half put Seattle in a hole. Second half goals from Ryan Gauld and Brian White, on the back of forcing defensive turnovers, buried them deeper, before Alex Roldan’s horrific challenge on Ali Ahmed sealed their fate.
It was an assured and composed performance from Vancouver. A big confidence boosting three points coming on the back of last week’s home defeat against the Galaxy and one which maintains their 100% record on the road this season.
Looking for their first win in Seattle since 2016, the ‘Caps made three changes to the starting line-up with Bjorn Inge Utvik, Sam Adekugbe, and Pedro Vite all coming in for Matias Laborda, Fafa Picault, and Ryan Raposo.
Yohei Takaoka was called into action five minutes in when he had to get down to a Cristian Roldan shot that deflected goalwards off the ankle of Tristan Blackmon.
The Whitecaps slowly started to come into the game and forced their first save in the 11th minute when Stefan Frei parried away a Vite effort and rebound fell favourably to Nouhou, who cleared the danger.
That was to be the only shot on target in a first half where goalmouth action was at a premium.
Albert Rusnak flashed a shot wide left for Seattle in the 23rd minute before Vancouver responded with a quick breakaway that saw Adekugbe and White not on the same page, as the Canadian’s cutback went behind the advancing American striker.
The first big turning point of the game came in the 38th minute. Ragen went through the back of Gauld, leaving the Scot on the deck as the referee played advantage. As the Whitecaps attack came to nothing, referee Ramy Touchan stopped play, much to the anger of the Sounders players. The stoppage allowed a video review of the tackle, with replays showing Ragen’s studs went down the back of Gauld’s leg. Touchan was called over to the monitor and after a lengthy review of the various angles, sent Regan off.
I do have some sympathy for Ragen here. It wasn’t a malicious challenge, just clumsy, and the length of the video review adds to Seattle feelings of it not being clear and obvious. That said, there was a clear angle that showed the studs going into the back of Gauld, who has six stud marks on his leg as a souvenir, so I don’t know why it took so long, and whether you agree with the new rules or not, by the letter of the current laws, that is a red card offence.
As half time came, both teams had a chance to regroup, but once the second half started there was only going to be one clear winner, and that was Vancouver.
The ‘Caps played the patience game, not wanting to over commit and leave themselves susceptible to a quick counter.
Alessandro Schopf fired over in the 56th minute as Vancouver started to turn the screw, and they got the breakthrough two minutes later after some fantastic high pressing forced a defensive turnover.
Seattle had been living dangerously at the back and were being constantly closed down quickly by Vancouver. They finally buckled under the pressure when Nouhou’s pass out of the box was blocked by Andres Cubas, who in turn played the ball out wide to Sam Adekugbe. His cross into the middle of the box found a wide open Gauld 12 yards out and he buried the ball past Frei to open the scoring.
Ryan Gauld gives Vancouver the lead on the road!
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/TJdHM0h5h2 pic.twitter.com/gZJBBoatid
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 21, 2024
Finding the breakthrough was always going to be the hardest part for the ‘Caps, but once they had it they looked very comfortable and unlikely to give it up.
They needed a second to really put the game to bed and make life a little more comfortable. They had to wait until the 71st minute to get it and once again it came after the ‘Caps forced a defensive turnover.
This time is was Damir Kreilach who pressured the Sounders defence, forcing Xavier Arreaga to his right and straight into White, who nicked the ball off his foot, running in on goal to fire past Frei and double the Whitecaps’ lead.
"I'll take that!" – Brian White, probably.
He creates his own luck to give Vancouver the 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/LoTMrnUu8u
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 21, 2024
That was pretty much game over at that point but the Sounders night went from bad to worse when Alex Roldan was sent off for a horrendous studs into the leg challenge on Ahmed in the 74th minute. Clearly borne out of frustration, it’ll be surprising if he doesn’t get at least another game tagged onto his suspension.
Kreilach nearly added a third for Vancouver in the 79th minute, but Frei produced a superb save to deny the Croatian then dived at the feet of White who was going for the rebound.
The Sounders had a chance to pull one back deep into stoppage time, but Takaoka came up big from Josh Atencio to keep his third clean sheet of the season.
It was an excellent win for the Whitecaps, one which I’ll temper getting too carried away with (not like me I know) due to how awful the Sounders were on the night. What was particularly pleasing was the team bounced back well from last week’s defeat, stuck to their gameplan, which they veered away from before, and their effective high press was on full display.
Back on top of the West, for now, the road warriors are marching on. Can we maybe play every game away from BC Place now?
FINAL SCORE: Seattle Sounders 0 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 30,550
SCORING SUMMARY:
58’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (Sam Adekugbe, Andrés Cubas)
71’ – VAN – Brian White
STATS:
Possession: SEA 38.8% – VAN 61.2%
Shots: SEA 9 – VAN 9
Shots on Goal: SEA 2 – VAN 4
Saves: SEA 2 – VAN 2
Fouls: SEA 8 – VAN 12
Offsides: SEA 2 – VAN 2
Corners: SEA 6 – VAN 3
BOOKINGS:
45’+6 – VAN – Ranko Veselinović
70’ – SEA – Danny Musovski
79’ – VAN – Brian White
85’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
SENDING OFFS:
43’ – SEA – Jackson Ragen
75’ – SEA – Alex Roldan
SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Alex Roldan, Yéimar Gomez Andrade, Jacksen Ragen, Nouhou; Obed Vargas, João Paulo (Josh Atencio 63’); Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák (Danny Musovski 63’), Jordan Morris (Cody Baker 82’); Raúl Ruidíaz (Xavier Arreaga 45’+1) [Substitutes not used:
Andrew Thomas, Jonathan Bell, Léo Chú, Danny Leyva, Dylan Teves]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Bjørn Inge Utvik, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 73’), Andrés Cubas, Pedro Vite (Ryan Raposo 74’), Ali Ahmed (Javain Brown 81’); Sam Adekugbe (Damir Kreilach 63’), Brian White, Ryan Gauld (Jay Herdman 81’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Mathías Laborda, Ralph Priso, Levonte Johnson]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On his team’s first win over Seattle since 2016:
“It’s special. I was still living in Italy in March 2016! So it was a long, long time ago. It’s special also because we didn’t come here [to Seattle] to steal a victory, we fully deserved it.”
On his team’s overall performance:
“First half, we were in charge of the game, being the team that played better, and because we were playing better we received a lot of fouls and that’s the reason why they got two red cards. And of course, it helped that we played with numerical advantage, but I have to say that it’s very tricky when they get a red card at the end of the first half. In fact, if you remember, they had a play at the end of the first half where we risked something on the free kick. So I told the guys to be extremely, extremely, extremely, extremely, focused in the second half, and to do basically something that was counter-intuitive: that is, keep possession a lot and have a lot of patience when we have the ball, and being extremely aggressive when we don’t have the ball, and that’s the reason why we scored the two goals. Being aggressive when we didn’t have the ball, we won twice the ball up high so, I’m really happy.”
On his team’s mentality after a great start to the season:
“Very good, very strong mentality because we’re a very good group, we have top guys, and I think we are confident enough that the setback [from last week] is not going to make us crazy and say ‘okay, what do we do, we have to change everything now’. We just kept the bar steady for the entire week, working on the things that we were supposed to do better and coming here, we were aware that it would be very difficult, but we were ready to be, again, the team that was in charge of the game. And I think it’s a testament of the fact that this team is becoming more mature. The team is becoming more aware that we are a good team, but at the same time, we need to keep being humble, because the only way to keep making points, keep making good performances is having this humility of a small team with the quality and mentality of a big team.”
RYAN GAULD
On winning in Seattle for the first time since 2016:
“It’s a good feeling. We know from experience, all the boys here, it’s a tough place to come. So it’s a good feeling for us.”
On how the team played:
“The red card kind of made Seattle back off a little bit. But even before that, we were looking good on the ball, we still created a couple of openings. We started well, but obviously the red card kind of changed the game a little bit and made them drop off. The pressure a couple of times from Andres [Cubas] and Brian [White] to get the chances and then put them in the back of the net.”
On playing up a man as an advantage:
“I think as long as we don’t rush things. I thought tonight was the best that we’ve been all year moving the ball side to side, keeping the ball, not forcing the issue. Eventually things will open up, albeit we didn’t create that much from our own play, it was more defending well high up. The key thing was just being patient.”
BRIAN WHITE
On tying the ‘Caps all-time MLS era scoring record in all competitions:
“Its a nice feeling, obviously. The first and foremost thing is the three points away from home, that was the main objective, the main focus. But, to contribute to that win and tie that record, that’s a big honour. It’s something that will motivate me to score more goals and pass the record.”
On the win in Seattle and the next match at Lumen Field in a month:
“It’s been a long time since we’ve won here, so we wanted to put our best foot forward and do everything we can to get three points. Obviously it was an interesting game with the red cards, the intensity, but it was a huge three points and I think we come back in less than a month, so it’s going to be another intense game. I think they’re going to have a little bit to prove in that sense, so it’s going to be tough and we have to be ready for that, but right now we’ll cherish this moment and move on to the Red Bulls [next week].”
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
BRIAN SCHMETZER
On his team’s reaction after the first red card:
“Jordan [Morris] has a chance in the 50th minute. A couple of moments, but I dunno. What I didn’t like was we were savvy, we were trying to figure out ways to be better… but we talked at half time about long throw ins into the box and just little things to try and change the game, but what I didn’t like was there didn’t seem to be as much determination as there should have been.
“Somebody asked me the question when Joao Paolo got fouled in Dallas, and Stefan Frei gets clobbered, and a couple of other guys get clobbered, and we’re not upset about it. And it’s something that we need to try and change. Guys need to be upset when things happen. Not in the wrong way, because I’m sure someone’s going to ask me about Alex Roldan and that was stupid. That’s not smart. So somewhere we need to have a little bit more emotion… I think the guys tried, they didn’t give up, but it certainly wasn’t a smart performance.”
How do you balance discipline in challenging the players after self-inflicted wounds?
“It’s going to be hard because we have potentially 9 games in 27 days. It’s going to be hard. Normally you would take guys who do not smart things and sit them down and put someone else on. Then if that guys plays well the supposed starter has to think, well geez, I better start playing better. But we’re not going to have that as we’ll need to have everyone available and rotate the squad with all of the games that are coming up, so it’s a little challenging. The message, I’m trying to send it, is that stuff’s not going to happen again. I’ve been through some spells as a coach where your team plays a little bit undisciplined. We’re going to work on that. Some of those things are going to change. But how do you do it? That’s always the trick.”
On his decision to substitute Raúl Ruidíaz on the first half:
“Well, Raúl [Ruidíaz] certainly has been very good so far this year. He put a lot of effort into the game. My decision to keep Jordan Morris on the field is, when you lose a man, a lot of times your opponent gains an advantage and they push you back, and Jordan has speed that, in transition, maybe can help you in certain moments of the game. So, it has nothing to do with Raúl, he’s going to play the next game, and, you know, and he has been very good to us.”
STEFAN FREI
On balancing the mental aspect of the game:
“I think when things are not working for you, you can either sit there and mope and find excuses or try to find another level. The easiest way to do that is to show up and work extra hard. Try to give it your all in everything that you do. I can’t tell you we did this wrong and therefore we lost. But the way we can get out of it is trying to do your best. And that starts on Tuesday, actually it starts now by trying to get away from [the game] and mentally recovering. But come Tuesday when you step on the field, when you get in the gym, when you do your recovery, when you do your hydration, your nutrition, can you do everything to the best of your ability? I believe that if we do, we have a really good locker room, we have really good players. And those talents will shine. And if they don’t, you can hold your hand up high and say we gave it our best. That’s how I look at it and that’s how I will try to pull the team to look at it as a captain, and I will try to motivate players to look at it that way. And hopefully we can grow as individuals and as a team on the practice field so we can have better results on weekends.”
CRISTIAN ROLDAN
On making sure the season doesn’t get away from the team:
“This next month is going to be the most important month of the season. It could go one way or the other in a way. We’re going to need bodies, we are going to need our depth. We are going to have to rely on every single player on the roster, we got to play a little smarter. I don’t think we’ve made great decisions in the first part of the season. We have to turn the page to the next chapter and dig deep. These are things that are hard to talk about, because I think we’ve had such a good attitude in training, we had a pretty good preseason. I felt like we were going to have a really good season but this is the part of the season where we get to see what we are made of, what players emerge and who becomes a leader. And who follows that leader. So, this is a really important part of our season to dig deep.”
If you wanted footballing drama, last weekend’s BC Provincial A Cup quarter-finals pretty much had it all.
Two of the ties were settled on penalties after dramatic late equalisers, with a splattering of red cards thrown in to boot, while the defending champions march on and a league champion staked a claim at lifting their first provincial title.
Before we get into how the quarter-final action played out, here’s a summary of all of last weekend’s results at a glance, in bracket order:
Vancouver United Hibernian (VMSL) 2 – 2 Langley United (FVSL) [VUFC won 4-2 on penalties]
Abbotsford United (FVSL) 2 – 0 Columbus FC (VMSL)
—
Coquitlam Metro-Ford Wolves (VMSL) 1 – 1 Croatia SC (VMSL) [CMF won 4-1 on penalties]
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) 2 – 0 Bays United (VISL)
The quarter-final action kicked off on Friday night at Charles Best Field in Coquitlam, with Metro Ford Wolves playing host to Croatia SC in an all-VMSL encounter.
Metro Ford had knocked out VISL champions Vic West in the Round of 16 to earn home advantage now through to the final. But could they make full use of it? They knew they were in for a battle against their VMSL rivals, who had finished two places and two points above them in the Premier Division standings, and fell behind nine minutes in when Emile Saimovici ran through on goal and finished to the far corner to give Croatia an early lead.
Croatia had the better of the first half play and could have gone in at the half with more than a one goal advantage. They seemed content with what they had, forcing Coquitlam to take the game to them after the restart and Metro Ford laid siege to the Metro Ford box after the restart, hitting the woodwork three times but without finding a breakthrough.
As the game headed into stoppage time and with minutes fast running out for the home side, a fairly innocuous Coquitlam foul led to some pushing, a melee breaking out, and punches thrown. The end result was one Metro Ford and two Croatian players being sent off.
Up a man, the home side gave one last push, winning a corner in the 99th minute. As the ball came in, it was flicked on into the six yard area, off the head of Metro Ford goalkeeper Dillan Fogliatio, and into the net for the most dramatic of late equalisers, sending the game to penalties.
Coquitlam were clinical from the spot, burying all four of their penalties, while Croatia saw one saved and one blasted over, and the home side moved on with a 4-1 spot kick victory.
You can see our highlights of the game below and over on our YouTube channel (subscribe!!):
Saturday saw two, more straightforward, quarter-finals!
First up were the defending champs, BB5 United CCB, who played host to the last remaining island side, Bays United, at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, coming away with a 2-0 victory.
Bays came and put up a solid defensive display, not wanting to get blown out like their 11-0 shellacking by BB5 in last year’s competition. The trouble was they weren’t really able to muster much offensive play till late on in the match and it felt like only a matter of when, and not if, the VMSL champions opened the scoring.
In the end both goals came in first half stoppage time, with Mihai Hodut firing home the opener two minutes into it, beating the Bays keeper at his near post. Connor MacMillan scored from six yards out three minutes later, after starting and finishing a brilliant 13-pass move, and that was that.
You can see our highlights of the game below and over on our YouTube channel:
The first two quarter-finals now set up a very tasty all-VMSL semi-final clash in Coquitlam on Friday night in the bottom half of the bracket.
FVSL champions Abbotsford United stormed on in the top half with a convincing 2-0 home win over VMSL side Columbus FC on Saturday evening. Abbotsford led 1-0 at the half through Connor Hildebrant’s 8th minute opener, with the wee man rising superbly to head home. Connor O’Neill doubled Abby’s lead in the 57th minute and they could have won by more in the end.
They will now head up to UBC on Sunday for another very tasty semi-final, taking on VMSL Imperial Cup champions VUFC Hibernian.
VUFC saw off a spirited fightback by FVSL side Langley United to advance on penalties.
Brody Thomas put Langley ahead in the 15th minute before VUFC tied things up through Asvin Chauhan five minutes later. Hibernian went into the break with the lead when Eric Kim scored a minute before the interval. A minute after the restart, they made it 3-1 through Patrick Braun, but Langley reduced the deficit to one in the 50th minute through Pedro Paz Duarte.
Thomas then grabbed his second of the match 10 minutes from time to tie things up at three apiece and the game headed to penalties, with VUFC advancing 4-2 on spot kicks.
A lot of fantastic action over the weekend in the A Cup, all of which sets up the following interesting semi-final ties this weekend:
FRIDAY APRIL 19TH:
Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves (VMSL) vs BB5 United CCB (VMSL)
Charles Best Field, Coquitlam – 8.00pm kick off
SUNDAY APRIL 21ST:
Vancouver United Hibernian (VMSL) vs Abbotsford United (FVSL)
UBC South Turf, Vancouver – 3.45pm kick off
Today is a year to the day of TSS Rovers’ huge Canadian Championship win over Canadian Premier League side Valour. Now, one year later, with the memories of that night still remaining strong in the minds of all TSS supporters, Canada Soccer announced that the club are heading back to the competition, setting up a revenge match against the team that eventually knocked them out last year, Pacific FC.
Victoria Highlanders had earned this year’s League1 BC berth in the competition with their last gasp come-from-behind win over TSS in the final match of the 2023 regular season, clinching the title in the most dramatic of circumstances. Unfortunately that wasn’t to be the end of the drama, with the Highlanders sadly announcing earlier this month that they would be ceasing operations of their men’s and women’s League1 BC teams, thus withdrawing from this year’s Canadian Championship.
As L1BC runners-up, TSS Rovers were expected to get that spot, giving them another chance to repeat last year’s heroics. It may have taken Canada Soccer nearly two weeks to finally make the decision, and less than two weeks before the match is to be played, but TSS will now face off against CPL side Pacific FC at Starlight Stadium in Langford on Wednesday May 1st.
TSS’ first match of the new League1 BC season was set to be a game at the Highlanders on Saturday April 27th. With that game now off the table, the Rovers have a bye week, meaning TSS’ first competitive match of the season will be that game with Pacific. A baptism of fire, not just for the players, but for new TSS head coach Brendan Teeling, who was promoted from assistant coach in the offseason and will take charge of the team for the first time in Langford.
“For me, it’s a massive game, a massive moment for me in my career as well,” Teeling told AFTN. “The boys are buzzing. Obviously not the circumstances we wanted with Highlanders dropping out. It’s just one of those things unfortunately. For them, it’s a negative. For us, it’s a positive. We get to go back into that competition and hopefully challenge Pacific and give them a test on their home turf.”
TSS’ Canadian Championship run last season captured the imaginations of football fans across Canada, becoming the first semi-pro side to knock out a professional club in the tournament’s history when they beat Valour 3-1 at Swangard Stadium.
They followed that up with a hard-fought, but ultimately losing effort, in a 2-0 quarter-final loss at Pacific.
TSS went toe-to-toe with the CPL side for most of the match, falling behind to a controversial penalty midway through the second half. A call which still rankles those involved and revenge is certainly on the minds of the Rovers players in their upcoming rematch.
“It’s very exciting for the group and we’ve been training now for a couple of weeks,” Rovers forward Matteo Polisi told us. “The group looks good, we’re connected, there’s good energy and we’re going into the game confident. We’re not going for an experience, we’re going there to win. This group, we’ve got experience now. We’ve tasted this tournament, so coming into this game, we can lean on that experience. We can lean on our mistakes, what went wrong in that game against Pacific last year.
“It was unfortunate to lose on a PK that was questionable, let’s just say, and this year we’ve learned our lesson. We can’t be making those mistakes later on in the game. If they’re going to beat us, let’s see them show their quality. Let’s see them score a 40-yard goal. Let’s see them break us down with some unbelievable play. We don’t want to just give them a soft goal. If they’re going to beat us, let’s see them beat us.”
Last year’s win over Valour was also the Rovers’ first competitive game of the year. This time they’ll be facing a Pacific side with three matches already under their belt, some established chemistry, and with a better level of match fitness than their League1 opponents. A tough task, but one which the Rovers players are relishing.
“Obviously I wish we could play more games before Pacific,” TSS defender Danylo Smychenko admits. “But to be honest, mentally, physically, I think we’re ready. The adrenalin will obviously be crazy, so I think we can pull it off. If we’ve done it once, we can do it again.”
Long-time Rover Connor MacMillan has no doubts that the team will be ready not just for the Pacific game, but what the bigger picture.
“We had an idea that we might be back in, so we’ve all been training with that in mind,” Rovers forward Connor MacMillan told AFTN. “So we’re pretty fit right now and we’ve been preparing in case that game was going to be on, so it’s not something that we had no idea about. Considering how last year went, we’re a little bit salty about how the penalty kick was given, so there’s a lot of revenge that we’re trying to look for here.
“We think we have a team that will have a really good game against them and our goal isn’t just to beat them, it’s to see how far we can go in the whole Canadian Championship. We’re pumped, and the best part is we have a lot of the guys we had last year, so that just makes it all that more exciting because we have that whole core that felt the same thing last year when we lost that game after beating Winnipeg.”
We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Vancouver FC, and Canadian Premier League chat.
The Whitecaps came crashing back down to earth with a bang and a 3-1 loss to LA Galaxy on Saturday. Deflating and frustrating, we pick over the bones of this one, look at where it all went wrong, and remind ourselves that it’s just one game out of 34. Plus we round up the weekend’s action around the MLS West, look ahead to the Seattle derby next weekend, and chat about how the new roster rules coming into effect this summer may impact the ‘Caps.
Turning our attention to the CPL, the new season kicked off this weekend and we look at all the action, focusing on Vancouver FC, who top the table after a big 4-1 win over Valour. Plus we hear some postgame thoughts from both head coaches, Afshin Ghotbi and Phillip Dos Santos, and sit down for a feature interview with VFC captain Callum Irving about the club’s offseason rebuild and the exciting season that lies ahead. Plus there’s still time to look at the sad demise of Victoria Highlanders.
This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.14: Intro – what a week
07.10: Whitecaps lose top spot with LA loss
41.15: MLS West round-up
60.16: Vancouver FC top CPL after Week 1
86.00: The Gaffers – PDS and Ghoti’s postgame thoughts
100.35: Vancouver FC gameday experience
111.02: This week in 1974
120.00: Callum Irving interview
149.32: Wavelength – My Brother Woody – 50p Head
158.50: The demise of Victoria Highlanders
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps were sent crashing back down to earth at BC Place on Saturday night. A week after a dominant display against Toronto that saw them on top of the world and on top of the West, the ‘Caps felt like an away team at home again as the visiting LA Galaxy put them to the sword in a 3-1 victory that left you feeling a bit of anger and disappointment at how Vancouver approached this one and frustrated at the amount of squandered chances the team wasted, with Brian White the main offender.
White did bring the Whitecaps level with a 77th minute header that cancelled out Dejan Joveljic’s opener for LA 20 minutes earlier, but the American could already have had a hat-trick by that point, wasting chance after chance to put Vancouver ahead and those misses were to cost Vancouver badly.
The ‘Caps allowed the Galaxy to dominate the first half play, with their possession stats sitting at 21% at one point. LA didn’t do much with all that possession, but they certainly made the most of it in the second half, taking the lead before Vancouver finally woke up. When the Whitecaps tied things up, you felt they then had the momentum to push on and take all three points but the game was over for them within five minutes of drawing level with first Joseph Paintsil and then Diego Fagundez punished poor defensive play and allowing LA to leave with all three points.
Vanni Sartini was forced to make one change to the starting line-up from the team that dismantled Toronto as week ago, with Tristan Blackmon returning to the backline for the injured Bjorn Inge Utvik.
LA started the more aggressive, dominating the play and forcing the first real save of the game when Yohei Takaoka had to dive to turn away a Gabriel Pec strike in the 9th minute.
The ‘Caps, who were already struggling to get any offensive threat going, were dealt a blow when Fafa Picault was forced out of the game with an injury 15 minutes in, replaced by Pedro Vite. How much this affected Vancouver’s performance we’ll never know, but they certainly lost an offensive spark and no-one stepped up to fill that void.
Being outpossessed 76-24% 25 minutes into the match, Vancouver finally had their first real look on goal in the 28th minute when White was sprung with a long ball forward, ran in on goal, but pulled his shot just past the far post when he really had to score.
White was set up again in the 33rd minute when a cross in from Ryan Raposo was met perfectly by the striker but his header threatened the corner flag more than the net.
Paintsil brought a save out of Takaoka in the 37th minute with a shot across goal and Gaston Brugman flashed one narrowly wide in the last minute of the half, but the teams went in level at the half.
LA started the second half as they finished the first and Pec crashed a header off the bar from a Riqui Puig cross in the 49th minute, with Brugman pulling the rebound wide.
They responded and had a great chance to take the lead in the 55th minute when White was played in, racing in on goal once again, only to be denied by the outstretched leg of John McCarthy. A great stop, and hindsight’s a great thing, but the chip over the advancing keeper looked the way to go, but White had to make a split second decision. Unfortunately for Vancouver, he made the wrong one.
It was to prove a costly miss as LA immediately broke up the field and opened the scoring.
Riqui Puig tore forward and with a couple of options played the ball out wide for Pec. The Brazilian’s shot was turned away by Takaoka, but the rebound fell to a wide open Joveljic, who made no mistake from a few yards out.
Dejan Joveljic finds the breakthrough for the @LAGalaxy!
#MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/0894tk1nml pic.twitter.com/AlFYkiQLKK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2024
Spurred into life, the ‘Caps almost hit back on the hour mark when White pounced on a poor passback, looked to have rounded the advancing McCarthy, but the Galaxy keeper recovered superbly to throw himself at the ball and turn it away for a corner. It was another fantastic play by the Galaxy goalkeeper but White’s hesitation when he should have got a shot off allowed it to happen.
Vancouver kept the pressure on and Alessandro Schopf forced McCarthy into a diving save, with the rebound falling favourably for the Galaxy and it was cleared for another corner.
The ‘Caps kept pushing, with the Galaxy defence bending but not breaking. They were eventually breached in the 77th minute and it was the Brian/Ryan connection that did the damage once again, this time with White rising to head home a Gauld corner.
.@WhitecapsFC find their equalizer off the corner! pic.twitter.com/rm3b3TMOso
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2024
It was no less than the Whitecaps deserved but it was also frustrating as to where this attacking play had been in the first half and how many chances it took for White to finally find the back of the net.
Adding to that frustration was the short lived parity, for within five minutes of tying things up, the ‘Caps found themselves two goals behind as the Galaxy struck twice on quick counters, with some clinical finishing.
Paintsil restored LA’s lead in the 80th minute when he timed his run to perfection to stay onside and get onto a perfectly weighted Riqui Puig through ball to slot past Takaoka and silence what had been a celebratory BC Place crowd.
What a response!
Puig finds Paintsil to put the @LAGalaxy ahead once again! pic.twitter.com/n566KdIvH7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2024
The crowd were silenced further less than two minutes later.
This time Paintsil turned provider, hitting the byeline before cutting it back to Fagundez to score the visitors’ third and put the game to bed.
Puig Paintsil Fagundez@LAGalaxy extend their lead! pic.twitter.com/nFwOWmS6MX
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 14, 2024
The ‘Caps looked shellshocked but they regrouped and tried to force something late, with the best chance being a Damir Kreilach header in the 89th minute that McCarthy tipped away.
The ‘Caps kept pushing into stoppage time with McCarthy denying them again, this time from a Gauld shot, before Kreilach summed up Vancouver’s night in front of goal, pulling a cross wide left with the net gaping.
A disappointing end to the Whitecaps’ four-game home stand. That’s eight points Vancouver have now dropped at home in their five games at BC Place. As good as this team is, that is not conducive to being a top four side, never mind title contenders. We’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly from the team in those five games, with a lot of it on display against the Galaxy.
There wasn’t a huge gulf in quality between the teams. Vancouver showed in their spell of dominance in the second half what an exciting team they can be and their attacking threat. It’s just when they’re off, they look a whole different prospect. Sartini feels it was all down to losing their defensive structure and moving away from their gameplan because they got too excited when they scored. There’s truth in that, as unexciting as it was to watch them just soak up the pressure at home in the first half, but the match did show that the addition of another creative midfielder and finding a proven goalscorer to at least challenge White for the starting number 9 spot, should be priorities and what is needed for this team to take the next big step.
With a trip down the I5 next up, we need to see the exciting Whitecaps back, doing to the Sounders what the Galaxy did to the ‘Caps in the first half and taking the game to them. I worry we may see more of what we did tonight and they’ll be punished for it. We’ll soon find out.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 3 LA Galaxy
ATT: 25,026
SCORING SUMMARY:
57’ – LAG – Dejan Joveljić
77’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Gauld)
80’ – LAG – Joseph Paintsil (Riqui Puig)
82’ – LAG – Diego Fagúndez (Joseph Paintsil, Riqui Puig)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 41.9% – LAG 58.1%
Shots: VAN 18 – LAG 12
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – LAG 5
Saves: VAN 2 – LAG 6
Fouls: VAN 8 – LAG 8
Offsides: VAN 0 – LAG 1
Corners: VAN 10 – LAG 7
CAUTIONS:
20’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
25’ – LAG – Miki Yamane
45’+2 – VAN – Ranko Veselinović
54’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
85’ – VAN – Brian White
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović (Levonte Johnson 84’), Tristan Blackmon; Ryan Raposo (Sam Adekugbe 45’), Andrés Cubas (Damir Kreilach 85’), Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 84’), Ali Ahmed; Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Fafà Picault (Pedro Vite 16’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ralph Priso, Luis Martins, Javain Brown]
LOS ANGELES: John McCarthy; Miki Yamane (Mauricio Cuevas 86’), Maya Yoshida, Martín Cáceres, Julian Aude; Marky Delgado (Daniel Aguirre 86’), Gastón Brugman (Edwin Cerrillo 74’), Riqui Puig; Gabriel Pec (Diego Fagúndez 74’), Dejan Joveljić (Miguel Berry 78’), Joseph Paintsil [Substitutes not used: Novak Micovic, John Nelson, Jonathan Pérez, Gino Vivi]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the game and his team’s performance:
“The game was hard, but good, against a very good team and they showed that they’re a really good team. But we showed that we are a really good team too. And I am really, really, really, really, really hurt by the way that we lost. By the way we conceded the second, I think it’s the massive learning opportunity for that, if we get away from the our principles, from our way of playing, our defensive structure, it’s over.”
On the defensive structure and mentality in the first 80 minutes of the match:
“What we did very well today against a team that in the first half was extremely good at building up, so breaking our first pressure, we were very good and very organized to drop and then having the players in front of them. And we had a first half where they had 80% possession, but the two biggest chances were our chances. The only chance that they had was a shot from distance that Yohei saved the goal. On the first goal, I think we’re very unlucky. I know that sounds like, ‘ehh, unlucky’ but we could have scored in front of the net, we’re in front of the net and we could have scored, and for the transition we were well positioned. Ali [Ahmed] kind of made a little mistake, and they’re a top team so we concede on the transition, okay, no problem. We said that we would concede, but then we kept playing really well, defending really well, being very, very structured, keeping the structure, and we arrive after two, three great chances to score the goal.”
On losing in the last 20 minutes of the game:
“We’ve been not mature enough. We score a goal, 80 minutes. We show that we can arrive in the box and score at any moment, we just need to defend well and keep our structure. We have to do the things we are supposed to do, we have to mark the space and not roam around and press and man mark and concede that second goal. That is totally my fault because when the team doesn’t do what they’re supposed to do, it’s my fault at the end and we need to work at it. But it’s a knife to my heart, it really is because it’s the worst way to lose, because it’s all our fault. We need to know it’s all our fault. Because if we are, two, three minutes just a little bit more patient, and we defend well, we win. Not draw, we win, and I’m so pissed about it because of that.”
RYAN GAULD
Thoughts on the match:
“I think as we grew into the game, we opened up a little bit, and they’ve got a lot of quality on the counter. The first goal was just a really good counter attack from them and then I think it was the third one as well was a good counter. I think just as we grew into the game, it opened up and that gave their good players a lot more space to create stuff.”
On fighting back:
“I would say the boys we’ve got, we’re not going to give up. We’re all aware in the first half, we didn’t have a lot of the ball, we didn’t really do that great in the first half of the night. We knew we needed to come out and be better in the second half. I think up until the goal, we were better and then after [Brian White’s] goal as well, we kind of took more control. I would say it’s just down to the group that we’ve got, we’re not going to give up until it’s over. Unfortunately we conceded two not long after scoring, and that kind of killed it off.”
On halftime adjustments:
“It was just a couple of little tweaks that we could have made to allow us to be a little more aggressive and pressing. We knew, and then Vanni reinforced it, that we just need to be better with the ball. We had maybe one or two spells in the first half where we actually kept it and moved it a little bit, and we got a little bit of joy, a couple of half chances, but we didn’t do enough of it. In the second half we did see more of the ball, unfortunately everything just opened up and they beat us on the counter.”
BRIAN WHITE
On the chances:
“There were a couple of chances, especially early. The one ball Ryan played over the top. Goals change games, and I wasn’t able to put the first couple chances in the back of the net, but that’s sometimes how things go. You’ve just got to keep going, keep fighting and be ready for any chance that comes and believe that they’re going to go in. And fortunately we got one to equalize it, but we weren’t able to take the lead. Obviously, like I said before, if I was able to put some of those chances away earlier it would have changed the game a bit and we would come in here with three points, but it is what it is. You know we learn from these moments and we move forward.”
On the result:
“I think you take every loss, every time that you drop points, you take it on a chin and move forward. It’s a long season, our seventh game, plenty of games left. There’s a lot of points on the table for us to stay high up in the table and make a good season out of it and hopefully we can do something memorable. But we dropped three points, we learn from our mistakes and move forward.”
The 2024 BC Provincial A Cup kicked off last weekend with some fantastic action and a plethora of goals, showcasing the top level of amateur soccer in our province. With two spots up for grabs at this year’s Challenge Trophy, which will be held in Surrey in October, this year’s competition has a little bit more added spice to it.
Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) clubs have dominated the competition for over a decade, with Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) side Gorge FC the last non-VMSL side to lift the historic trophy way back in 2010. Will this be the year to end their dominance? It’s perhaps hard to see it but Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) champions Abbotsford United, who went undefeated during their league season, will certainly fancy their chances of doing so.
Five of the six VMSL sides advanced to this weekend’s quarter-finals, with two FVSL and just one VISL teams still in the mix to lift this year’s trophy.
Before we get into how the Round of 16 action played out, here’s a summary of all of last weekend’s results at a glance, in bracket order:
Vancouver United Hibernian (VMSL) Forfeit over FC Tigers Vancouver (FVSL)
Langley United (FVSL) 2 – 1 Port Moody (VMSL)
Abbotsford United (FVSL) 3 – 0 Lakehill (VISL)
Columbus FC (VMSL) 5 – 0 Gorge (VISL)
—
Vic West (FVSL) 1 – 2 Coquitlam Metro-Ford Wolves (VMSL)
Columbus FC (FVSL) 1 – 2 Croatia SC (VMSL)
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) 6 – 1 Comox Valley United (FVSL)
Bays United (VISL) 5 – 3 Ares AFA (FVSL)
The A Cup action was meant to kick off with two matches on Friday night, but FVSL side FC Tigers Vancouver forfeited their match against VMSL Imperial Cup champs VUFC Hibernian due to a lack of eligible registered players. It’s not been a good couple of years in the competition for Tigers, coming after they were kicked out of the 2023 cup for fielding an ineligible player.
The match that did go ahead saw FVSL Pakenham Cup champions Langley United beat Port Moody SC of the VMSL 2-1 at Willoughby.
Saturday’s action kicked off with third-placed VMSL side Columbus FC going nap over VISL runners-up Gorge FC at Burnaby Lake, in a 5-0 scoreline that didn’t fully tell the story of how the game played out.
Gorge started the stronger and created a couple of early chances before Alan Camacho’s hustle on the edge of the Gorge box won the ball, and saw the striker head to goal before slotting home the opener. The teams exchanged chances for the rest of the even half but the Vancouver side headed into the break with the narrow lead, with all still to play for.
But things escalated quickly at the start of the second half.
Gorge thought they’d been given a lifeline in the opening minutes as the referee pointed to the spot following a challenge, but the linesmen indicated the tackle was outside of the box and the islanders had to settle for a free kick which they didn’t take advantage of. Columbus went up the pitch and doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Matteo Polisi ran onto a lovely chip over the defence from Camacho to finish with a nice chip of his own over the Gorge keeper.
After that there was no looking back for Columbus. Matthew Chow hit a brace, with a stunning 25 yarder into the postage stamp corner in the 54th minute and slotting home number four with 20 minutes remaining. John Brendan McKeown put the icing on the cake for Columbus with a nice finish in the 86th minute.
You can see our highlights of the match below and over on our YouTube channel.
It wasn’t a happy trip over to the mainland for another VISL side, Comox Valley United, who went down to a 6-1 defeat to VMSL champions BB5 United CCB at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey.
Devin O’Hea grabbed two goals for BB5, with Danylo Smychenko, Farivar Torabi, Albert Kang, and Yigal Bruk also getting on the scoresheet for the Surrey side, who are going for a fourth straight provincial title.
FVSL champions came away with a 3-0 win at home to the visiting Lakehill FC from the island, and after giving up just eight goals over the league season they are going to be a hard team to break down as they go for their first ever provincial title after coming oh so close in 2017.
A Sam McDonald hat-trick, the third coming from the spot late on, saw Bays United become the only VISL side to make the quarter-finals, after a barnburning 5-3 win over FVSL visitors Ares AFA in the last of Saturday’s action.
The biggest shock of the round came in Victoria on Sunday as VISL champions Vic West were knocked out by VMSL side Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves by a 2-1 scoreline.
Kyle Jones had given the visitors a 27th minute lead from a fantastic free kick before Paddy Nelson sent the teams in level at the half with a 44th minute volley. With all to play for in the second half, the goal that decided it came in the 65th minute from Metro Ford, making it a very nice journey home for the Coquitlam lads.
The last action of the weekend came on at Burnaby Lake on Sunday evening as Columbus FC’s FVSL side hosted Croatia SC from the VMSL, in one of the most entertaining matches of the round.
Columbus came out strong and took an 18th minute lead when Ryan Torresan headed home a corner, but their lead was to last just six minutes when a wide open Edris Najm finished off a perfect Emile Saimovici cross. Saimovici then superbly headed Croatia into the lead in the 29th minute and it was a lead they weren’t to give up, despite Columbus throwing everything at them in the second half.
Michael Hennessey crashed one off the post late on for the FVSL side, but they just couldn’t find the equaliser and Croatia moved on.
You can see our highlights of the match below and over on our YouTube channel.
A lot of fantastic action over the weekend in the A Cup, all of which sets up the following interesting quarter-final ties this weekend:
FRIDAY APRIL 12TH:
Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves (VMSL) vs Croatia SC (VMSL)
Charles Best Field, Coquitlam – 8.00pm kick off
SATURDAY APRIL 13TH:
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) vs Bays United (FVSL)
Newton Athletic Park Stadium, Surrey – 4.00pm kick off
Abbotsford United (FVSL) vs Columbus FC (VMSL)
MRC Sports Complex Field 3, Abbotsford – 6.00pm kick off
SUNDAY APRIL 14TH:
Vancouver United Hibernian (VMSL) vs Langley United (FVSL)
Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver – 4.15pm kick off
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We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps chat. The ‘Caps are at the halfway point of the MLS season, sitting two points above the playoff line and playing a more easy on the eye brand of football than last season. They’ve scored more goals, conceded less, but they need to be more clinical…
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We have now reached the midway point of the 2023 MLS season, and the Vancouver Whitecaps have had, arguably, an above-average season so far compared to previous few. The Whitecaps find themselves in 6th place and inside the play-off spots, having already faced some tough teams. But when you stack it up to other teams…
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This Wednesday night the Whitecaps have the chance to do something they have never done in their history: win the Canadian Championship in back-to-back years. It would be the first time anyone has done so since Toronto FC won three in a row from 2016 to 2018.
Their opponents? CF Montreal, who the ‘Caps have faced in the Canadian Championship final twice before, with Montreal winning in 2013 and Vancouver taking their first trophy in 2015. The ‘Caps have a historically dreadful record in the finals, losing in seven of the previous nine occasions that they’ve made it this far in the competition. But with home field advantage and a string of strong results in the competition, they should have plenty of belief.
Vanni Sartini has a perfect 6-0 record as a manager in the competition, with the ‘Caps outscoring their opponents 13-4 and winning two penalty shootouts (including last year’s final). This is the first time they’ve faced Montreal in this tournament at all since 2018, when Vancouver beat them 2-1 on aggregate in a two-legged semi-final.
Now, the biggest question for the ‘Caps is who will be the third Canadian in the starting lineup? Ali Ahmed’s injury looms large over this final as the ‘Caps only have two healthy Canadians who receive regular minutes (Russell Teibert and Ryan Raposo) but they must start at least three.
The options are as follows: Thomas Hasal or Isaac Boehmer in goal, Karifa Yao or Matteo Campagna at the back, or Levonte Johnson up front should the ‘Caps sign him to another short-term agreement (which as of Monday night, they haven’t). Also signed to the first-team roster are Max Anchor and Kamron Habibullah, but neither of them have been regulars in the matchday squad for the first team this season.
Yao could be an option to step in, as entrusting a cup final to a young, inexperienced goalie would be a risk especially when Yohei Takaoka has been a reliable presence at the back this season. Johnson could be an option if he’s part of the squad once again as he did score against York United in the quarter-finals, and if Sartini wants to focus on defensive stability, putting Johnson in the lineup would be a way to keep the rest of the first-choice defenders in.
The other question is the overall squad rotation, as the ‘Caps put out basically a first-choice XI against SKC on the weekend while Montreal rotated their lineup a little more for their match in Philadelphia. Tristan Blackmon has gone the full 90 in five straight matches, Ryan Gauld has done so in three straight, and both Julian Gressel and Pedro Vite have started four times in the last two weeks.
Given that all four of them have been important players this season, and it’s all hands on deck time in the final, you’d think they’ll be out there once again. Hopefully, their legs can hold up and put forth the performance they need to in order to get the win.
If the ‘Caps take the trophy it won’t be the first time they’ve beaten Montreal at home this season, as they destroyed them 5-0 at BC Place back at the start of April. This Montreal side is not the same as they were then, however, as they’ve crept a little up the Eastern Conference standings since their dreadful start to the year and currently sit in 10th.
They’re on a bit of a recent slump, picking up just four points from their last five matches, but four were on the road and all but one of those against teams currently in playoff positions. Montreal is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league at just 15 goals in 16 MLS matches, but they’ve only been shutout twice in their last 10.
On the other side, the Whitecaps haven’t been shutout since their back-to-back scoreless draws against Austin and Colorado in late April, and they don’t have a shutout loss in MLS play this season (we don’t have to talk about the CONCACAF Champions League). They’ve shown they can put in goals at home this year, and will lift some silverware if they’re able to do it once more.
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat. As the feast of footballing action continues across the country, we’ll be talking Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, the Canadian Championship, and the Canadian Premier League in this episode.
The Whitecaps had two home MLS matches in the space of four days, taking four points but providing two very different talking points coming out of them. We delve into both the history-making win over Houston and the refereeing drama that surrounded the draw with Sporting Kansas City, two games which highlight that there is still a bit of work needing to be done if the ‘Caps want to be considered serious postseason contenders.
We also look ahead to the Canadian Championship final with Montreal on Wednesday, delve into the latest loss for Vancouver FC in the BC derby with Pacific FC, and chat about some of the other dramatic games around the world this past week as leagues and cups wrap up for the summer break over in Europe.
Plus Irish band Therapy? make their debut as our >Artists of the Month.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.35: Intro – playoffs and finals frenzy
15.50: Whitecaps make history with Houston win
32.17: VAR dominates in ‘Caps draw with KC
69.15: Whitecaps going for back-to-back Voyageurs Cups
85.28: Vancouver FC lose latest BC derby
108.25: Wavelength – Glasnevin – Albert Kidd
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps needed a last gasp Ryan Gauld penalty to salvage a point against Sporting Kansas City at BC Place on Saturday night, cancelling out a superb Alan Pulido that have given the visitors a 20th minute lead. But it will be video review that will dominate a lot of the postgame chatter after several big talking points in the match.
Vanni Sartini made two changes to the team that came away with the big win over Houston midweek, with Sergio Cordova tasked to lead the line in what was, arguably on paper, the ‘Caps strongest starting XI.
The main talking point of the opening spell of the game came in 7th minute when Robert Castellanos received a yellow card for a foul on Cordova. Referee Lukasz Szpala was called over for a video review and a possible red for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, which he rightly agreed was not the case. Why that was in doubt wasn’t to be the last baffling decision from the officials on the night.
Sporting KC were looking the better side and they got the breakthrough in the 20th minute.
The visitors won a corner on the right, which Erik Thommy sent in to the near post for Pulido to meet and the Mexican rose superbly to loop a header over Yohei Takaoka to the far post and it was 1-0.
Alan Pulido off the corner!
Watch live for free on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/DJ8PHVJrsn pic.twitter.com/Ay89zVwLt1
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 4, 2023
KC’s lead looked like it lasted less than four minutes when Ryan Gauld rifled a long ranger home with the aid of a deflection. The linesman put his flag up for offside on Tristan Blackmon, who was nowhere near the play or interfering with KC goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh, but not video review was instigated and the goal was waved off, with an offside Blackmon deemed to have been interfering with defender Castellanos’ ability to get out to block the chance.
The decision seemed to knock the wind out of the Whitecaps for a spell but they rallied and finished the half strong, with the best chance coming from Cordova deep into stoppage time as his goalbound header was superbly turned away by McIntosh.
It was a slow start to the second half from both teams, but the Whitecaps can within the width of the left post to getting back on level terms on the hour mark.
Andres Cubas stripped Pulido off the ball, playing it forward to Gauld. The Scot played a neat touch outside to Brian White, who hit his shot well but could only look on in anguish as it crashed off the woodwork.
The Whitecaps were making all the running, with White looking lively but the final balls and clear cut chances were just lacking. KC meanwhile seemed content to settle for their one goal lead as the match felt like it was just plodding along.
The Whitecaps finally got the breakthrough their play deserved in the 88th minute, but it was also not without refereeing input.
Deiber Caicedo was sent crashing to the deck from a tackle by Robert Volodor. Referee Szpala initially pointed for a corner, to the disbelief of Caicedo and the anger of the Whitecaps bench, which saw Sartini pick up a yellow card. Szpala was called over though to review the play and once he saw the clear contact he pointed to the spot and Vancouver had their first penalty of the year, which Gauld blasted home to tie things up.
Ryan Gauld finds the laaaate equalizer for @WhitecapsFC! pic.twitter.com/VEkOnH7BrK
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 4, 2023
The drama wasn’t over, however. KC’s Daniel Salloi sent a fantastic ball to the back post towards Gadi Kinda two minutes into stoppage time. The Israeli international pulled his header wide when he looked certain to score, but he appeared to be have been pushed in the back by Luis Martins, but no review was forthcoming and the Whitecaps breathed a sigh of relief.
The ‘Caps had the last chance of the game in the dying seconds when Simon Becher cut out a poor clearance from McIntosh. Unable to get a clear shot, he played a neat pass outside to Gauld who sent a dipper to Caicedo at the back post but the Colombian couldn’t keep his shot down and it flew over.
A share of the points will both please and disappoint both teams the way the game ebbed and flowed and either could have taken all three in the end. The Whitecaps came into the weekend 6th in the West and that’s where they finish it.
Any points dropped at home will always feel disappointing, especially against a team you will likely be battling for a playoff spot, but KC have been one of the in-form teams in the league of late and have just taken seven points from seven days. Both teams showed some signs of fatigue from the heavy schedule and for the Whitecaps they need to shake that off very quickly as they prepare for Wednesday’s Canadian Championship final with Montreal. A win, and everything else will soon be forgotten.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 1 Sporting Kansas City
ATT: 13,739
SCORING SUMMARY:
20’ – SKC – Alan Pulido (Erik Thommy)
88’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (penalty kick)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 54.8% – SKC 45.2%
Shots: VAN 11 – SKC 12
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 – SKC 2
Saves: VAN 1 – SKC 2
Fouls: VAN 11 – SKC 7
Offsides: VAN 6 – SKC 0
Corners: VAN 4 – SKC 5
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda (Alessandro Schöpf 66’), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins; Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas (Déiber Caicedo 76’), Pedro Vite (Sebastian Berhalter 89’); Ryan Gauld, Brian White; Sergio Córdova (Simon Becher 76’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Javain Brown, Ryan Raposo, Russell Teibert, Matteo Campagna]
KANSAS CITY: Kendall McIntosh; Jake Davis, Robert Castellanos, Andreu Fontàs (Robert Voloder 46′), Logan Ndenbe (Tim Leibold 42’); Rémi Walter, Nemanja Radoja, Erik Thommy (Roger Espinoza 89’); Marinos Tzionis (Khiry Shelton 71’), Alan Pulido (Gadi Kinda 71’), Dániel Sallói [Substitutes not used: John Pulskamp,, Felipe Hernández, Cam Duke, Stephen Afrifa]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“First half we didn’t do very well. I think we were too slow moving the ball, and that helped them. We didn’t attack the space behind, to defend with no problem. They scored a very good goal on a set play. It was hard to try to score again. Second half I think we did very well, I think there’s not too much difference to be honest, between the second half that we played against Houston and the second half that we played today. The only thing was that with Houston we scored every shot, today we didn’t. I’m very satisfied. I think we deserved the point, I think we deserved even more to be honest. I think we played more than them, but losing would have been very unfair. Again if Déiber [Caicedo] scored the last goal at the end it would have been fantastic. But again, I think that we’re a little bit frustrated because we could have won. At the same time I think that these are points that are important at the end to get into the playoffs. Because at the beginning of the season a game like this we would have lost, last year a game like this I think we would have lost.”
His message to fans for the upcoming Canadian Championship Final on Wednesday:
“The fans will respond on Wednesday, I know. Without the fans we are nothing, that’s pretty simple. Without our supporters, without our fans, it’s a big missing piece. Of course, sometimes there’s more people, sometimes there’s less people, every time that we play here we feel that we have the support of the people. I know that Wednesday is a very important game. I know that the club is doing a lot of promotion. We can win a trophy again, we can do something that this club never did before winning a trophy back-to-back, let’s make history. Everyone here is complaining that the Canucks are not winning, the Lions are not winning. If we can win, come and be here to help us and be sure that everyone in Canada… if we win Wednesday, there’s no question that for the last two years, we’ve been the best team in Canada and I think it’s a pretty good bragging right. We want to say to everyone, to Toronto, Montréal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Victoria, every city in Canada that there’s no city better than Vancouver. We want to be proud to have our flag and support of our club for the final.”
BRIAN WHITE
On the match:
“I think we’re disappointed to not get the win at home. It was a frustrating game. At the end of the day we came out with a point. So we’ve got to take it in and move on to the championship game we have coming up on Wednesday.”
On the upcoming Canadian Championship Final:
“It’s a cup final, it’s important to our fans and to our club. We’ll do everything we can to win that trophy at home again.”
RYAN GAULD
On the match:
“A little bit frustrating, we gave away a little bit of a soft goal. Then second half we had a lot of possession, so I think the boys are frustrated to come away with just a point. But you know being one down and showing the fight and the character to come back and get a point, it’s always a positive.”
On it would mean to win the Canadian Championship again:
“It’s a big game for the club, for the fans. As players we all want to win trophies. Knowing the feeling of it, that we all got from winning it last year, we definitely want to experience that again and it’ll give us another go at the Champions League next year.”
MLS POOL REPORTER QUESTIONS TO REFEREE LUKASZ SZPALA
What was the explanation for declaring the goal in the 24th minute to be offside?
“The decision on the field was offside due to interfering with an opponent. Vancouver attacker #6 was in offside position and made contact with the SKC defender at the moment the shot was taken. After checking, VAR confirmed the on-field decision.”
What was the reasoning for VAR to ask the referee to checking the pitch monitor for the potential red card in the seventh minute? Why did the original call stand?
“In the opinion of the VAR, the foul committed by SKC #19 denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity. After on-field review, the referee did not feel all the criteria for DOGSO were met, so he maintained his original decision to show a yellow card for stopping a promising attack.”
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
PETER VERMES
Thoughts on the match:
“I think tonight we deserved three points based on the way we battled. I always say when you have these three games in seven days and when you have to go on the road for the third one, it’s always the most difficult game just because of the accumulation of everything. I think the guys battled. They really didn’t give much away. And the fact that we scored and then we had a great chance after they scored the penalty when Gadi (Kinda) had the diving header, but unfortunately he didn’t score. I feel like we deserved three points, but it’s a great point for us on the road. (Vancouver is) a team that plays with a lot of energy usually at home. I thought today in the first half we had a lot of energy. At the end, the guys are disappointed because they didn’t get three but it’s still a good point and we keep adding points as we go.”
On the penalty decision:
“I did not see it. For all intents and purposes, I’m assuming that it’s a penalty. I just don’t know. I don’t know if he hit the ball or not. But at the end of the day, I’m assuming it was. It’s just one of those things. All I would say is that sometimes in the heat of the battle you’re a little bit emotional and you go for it whereas sometimes that’s where you have got to really know where you are. You have got to smell the situation and you have got to deal with that a little differently. You have to stay on your feet and make the guy beat you because we were defending pretty well to that point.”
On the status of Logan Ndenbe:
“A couple of guys just felt a little fatigued muscular wise. Some guys were cramping and stuff like that. So it was just best to get those guys off and give the other guys a run. Because like I said, based on the couple weeks before where we had the five games in 14 days and then coming into this stretch, it’s been accumulation of a lot of load on the guys. So we needed to use a lot of different bodies.”
On rotating the roster:
“When you have to play the third game in a three-game stretch like this in seven days and you have to play it on the road, it’s a tough one and this was from that perspective. It was very tough. We obviously played on Sunday and Wednesday and then now today, and having travel all the way up here, so that was a difficult proposition, I think, in a lot of respects. But the guys battled hard. They stayed focused and concentrated. They were throwing everything at us in the second half. They were pumping balls all the time over the top. That’s all they wanted to do. But we did a really good job of defending the majority of those balls. The guy that came on, they executed on their role and responsibility within the game.”
On picking up seven points in seven days:
“Over the last like six or seven games, we’ve been pretty darn good and we’ve been getting points and we’re going to keep working towards it.”
On the key to picking up a point in Vancouver:
“I won’t say exactly what they are, but we stayed away from some things that they capitalize on teams when they come in here where they turn them over in certain parts of the field and they wind up getting on the attack very quickly in transition. And they usually score goals on those situations. I think that we were actually very intelligent executing and not losing balls in those places, which effectively took that advantage away from them. And then the other is that I think that we knew in the second half that they were going to be pumping a lot of balls down the middle. It’s one thing to win the first ball, but it’s really the second ball that you have got to win. And if we didn’t win it, we at least had our back line and we also had our midfield already behind the ball, which really helped us a lot.”
On the goal from Alan Pulido:
“I think he got over a hump on the five-game stretch. I think this week was heavy as well. I think it’s going to be good that we get back to some one-game-a-week type situation here for the next few weeks, which will help him immensely. It’ll help a lot of guys just to kind of get back into the rhythm and get some training under their belt. But he’s muscled through it and he’s getting closer and closer to himself, but he’s not there yet. He’s still got some time.”
ALAN PULIDO
On scoring on his MLS debut in Vancouver in 2020 and scoring tonight in Vancouver:
“Yes, I spoke with (Andreu) Fontas and the other players that my first goal as here in Vancouver. We played and won in this stadium and I think it’s in the same goal. So I am very happy and I am proud because I work very hard. Of course, the team has had a lot of matches, but it’s a good result for us.”
On the team’s turnaround:
“Yes, everybody has confidence about themselves now. We play better. We play to support other players. This is a couple of the things and we changed in the mind also. We know we are a very good team with the ball. We try to play better every match. We are so happy. Of course, the sentiment in this match is different because we wanted to win, but also it’s a very good result for us. This stadium is not easy because it’s turf and we played okay.”
On getting three results in seven days:
“We know who we are. This is most important. The confidence for everybody has come back. I am so happy and I am proud about the team because it’s not easy when you lose a lot of matches and you don’t have very good results in the past. Now, I think the matches are better. We play better with the ball. Everybody supports other players and yourself also. I am very good and I am happy because the team has come back.”
We’re just about at the halfway mark of the MLS regular season and the Whitecaps sit with an even 5-5-5 record. That balanced record will fall one way or the other against SKC, with the ‘Caps coming off what Vanni Sartini labeled their “worst performance of the season” against Houston in which the club broke their own record for most goals in an MLS match.
I know, there seems to be some mixed signals there. But the ‘Caps record-breaking performance was certainly helped by the Dynamo falling to pieces in the second half and the hosts cleaning up scraps at the end of the match. It improved their home record to 5-1-2, and the ‘Caps now have 15 home wins since the beginning of last year, second-most in all of MLS behind only LAFC (18).
The backline was in shambles in the first half against Houston, as the Dynamo really should have scored more than two goals but some luck and strong play from Yohei Takaoka kept the ‘Caps in it. Bringing in Ranko Veselinović in place of Javain Brown at halftime did seem to calm things down, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Sartini went with that back four of Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Mathias Laborda, and Luis Martins against SKC.
Of course, squad rotation could come into play as all eyes are on the Canadian Championship final on Wednesday. Blackmon, Laborda, Julian Gressel, and Alessandro Schöpf have all started three matches in a row in quick succession, and Sartini has to balance trying to take advantage of this important homestand with making sure he can put out the best possible lineup against Montreal.
This means that players like Sebastian Berhalter, Simon Becher or Déiber Caicedo could end up with a bigger role on Saturday to spell a bit of rest for others. The ‘Caps certainly aren’t going to “punt” any match (not that they can afford to anyway given their position in the standings) but I feel like the fanbase would agree that the chance to win silverware midweek is more of a priority than this random regular season match against not the highest tier of opposition.
Now, that opposition has actually been gaining a bit of steam in recent weeks, as SKC have shaken off an absolutely dreadful start to the season where they took just three points from their first 11 matches. They’re now 4-1-1 over the last month including back-to-back home wins over Portland and Dallas coming into this weekend.
SKC have been quite the bogey team for the ‘Caps, as Vancouver has a paltry 2-8-1 record against them over the last five years. Those two wins were both at home, however, including a 1-0 victory the last time SKC came to BC Place last April. Ryan Raposo scored the lone goal that match, his first in MLS play.
The Whitecaps can jump as high as 4th in the West with a win, which would be a good achievement at basically midway through the season. With the Leagues Cup break coming around the corner, getting into a groove before that point would be quite useful. Continuing to take care of business at home is a great way to get that going.
While derby days certainly are matches that bring thrills and spills, even the staunchest of supporters from both sides could not have predicted quite a match like the one we got Friday night. Nine goals, split six to three for Pacific, put this match as the highest-scoring CPL match in league history, on a night of broken records and record firsts. While it was one for the neutrals, Vancouver FC fans will be disappointed after a fighting performance capitulated in the last third of the match. It will be another tough lesson for this young team to learn and bounce back from.
Nightmare Start, Resilient Response
While there were many words spoken between the players and fans alike before this match about how the story was going to be different, it did not begin well for the Eagles as Amir Didic scored off a set-piece in the opening three minutes. It was a poor goal to concede from a defensive perspective, and one that set the pace for the match.
But to Vancouver’s credit, they responded exactly as Afshin Ghotbi would have wanted, getting back onto the front foot and equalizing not four minutes later through Minjae Kwak. Pacific then took the reins once more and scored their second in the 24th minute thanks to a wondergoal by captain Josh Heard, as he found the mark from way outside the box, curling it perfectly past his former teammate in Callum Irving.
But once again, Vancouver dug deep and stayed in the game all the way up until added time in the first half, where their resilience paid off once more and got their second equalizer of the match through youngster TJ Tahid.
While the defensive display was not up to par, Ghotbi can be proud of his team’s ability to comeback twice from going down, especially considering how young his squad is. At half, it looked like it could go either way. However, things quick unraveled in the last third of the match for Vancouver.
Emotions Run High & Lack Of Experience Rears It’s Ugly Head
From the off, the emotions of the derby were apparent in various players. Ibrahim Bakare and TJ Tahid got in some hard tackles on Pacific players, and we had a scrum between various players inside 15 minutes. The battle between Josh Heard and Bakare kept going until the former’s wondergoal, but the tension was building all over the pitch.
It was then perhaps why Vancouver suddenly switched off in the latter parts of the second half, as Pacific caught them in defensive transitions on multiple occasions. Bakare himself had a performance to forget as he seemed to lack concentration in key moments. One of his biggest issues, and the biggest game-changer in the second half, was the introduction of Ayman Sellouf, who came off the bench and got a goal, and assist, and won the penalty for the fifth. It was apparent that the depth in quality from Pacific was one of the biggest difference between the two sides, as Sellouf and Easton Ongaro killed the game off.
The other was the mental strength and focus, as Vancouver quickly unraveled after the third goal. You could tell from players’ faces that the frustration of going behind for a third time to a rival was playing on their minds, and Pacific soon became too comfortable. That comfort was embodied by the last Kekuta Manneh goal, in which Pacific were basically playing keep-away from Vancouver in their own 18-yard box before Scooter laced it in off the crossbar.
Ghotbi will be hoping that his team can get these ugly results out of the way early and instill the lessons from them as soon as possible so that his young team can grow stronger from these results.
TJ Tahid The Silver Lining
One of the best moments of the match from a Vancouver point of view was the crowning moment for 16-year-old TJ Tahid. The Maple-Ridge native started his second straight game, and once again showed his incredible maturity and temperament on the pitch to be able to play against consummate professionals like Josh Heard and Manny Aparicio. From the start, he was physical, dynamic, focused, and disciplined. He did well for the most part in his defensive duties, putting pressure on Heard and Lajeunesse on his side and staying in line with the defender behind him in Bakare.
His goal was also a work of art in itself, as he got the ball on the left side of the Pacific box, and had to carve out space for himself and shot past a sea of bodies to get that goal in, which he did spectacularly. It was a goal worthy of the record for youngest ever scorer in the CPL, and one he will likely remember for the rest of his professional career and beyond.
TJ is quickly becoming a fan favourite, and also becoming quite a “starboy” for Vancouver FC. His work-rate and determination is second to none, and will go a long way for his development as a superstar, which would not be surprising given his fast start. It might not be long before we see TJ in some different colours across the pond, and with many more fans screaming his name
The first month of the 2023 League1 BC season is done and dusted and it’s been an interesting start to the league’s second season in the women’s division, with three powerhouse teams seemingly running away with the top of the table while the other five battle for what looks to be the one remaining postseason berth available.
Unbeaten Nautsa’mawt and Unity top the table, banging in plenty of goals along the way, while last year’s inaugural champions, the Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite, are very much in the mix and have a game in hand on the top two and still four matches to play against them.
The unbalanced start to the season has seen five teams play five games over the month, while two have played six, and new girls on the block Harbourside FC have already reached the halfway point of their regular season with seven games already under their belts.
With the top four teams making the postseason playoff, positioning has never been more crucial in the league’s short history. Here’s how the table is looking at the end of May:
Here’s a team by team breakdown of how the first month of action has played out:
(Please note that some of the goalscorers noted on the league website are incorrect, so may not match what we have listed here. We have meticulously gone through every game noting scorers and assists as we feel it is vitally important to have these correct for the players.)
(1ST) NAUTSA’MAWT FC
Leading the way in the standings are a rampant Nautsa’mawt side, keen to avenge last year’s championship game defeat against the Whitecaps when they were branded as Varsity FC.
The UBC based side remain unbeaten after their first six matches, recording two wins against Harbourside as well as victories over TSS, Rivers, and the Highlanders. Their only points dropped came on Victoria day in the entertaining 2-2 draw with the also undefeated Unity.
The team have racked up a staggering league-leading 30 goals in their first six matches while conceding just seven, joint second best in the league. Showing how strong the depth of the side is, 15 different players have found themselves on the scoresheet for Nautsa’mawt so far this season, with last year’s leading scorer Katalin Tolnai continuing to lead the way with nine goals and Jenna Baxter next with four.
12 different players have also contributed assists, with Emma Hooton, Jade Taylor-Ryan, Olivia Ahern, Baxter, and Tolnai leading the way with two each.
(2ND) UNITY FC
Nipping at Nautsa’mawt’s heels are the also unbeaten Unity, who currently sit two points behind the league leaders with a record of four wins and two draws.
Both teams have only conceded seven goals so far this season, but Unity haven’t been putting up quite the big numbers as Nautsa’mawt in terms of goalscoring, averaging just three a game instead of five with 18 goals!
Seina Kashima leads the scoring for Unity with four goals, while Sophie Crowther and Bryana Buttar have three apiece. Eight other players have found the back of the net for Unity so far this season.
(Photo Credit: @WFCElite/Twitter)
(3RD) WHITECAPS GIRLS ELITE
Inaugural League1 BC champions the Whitecaps ended their membership of the unbeaten club when they went down to a 2-1 defeat at home to TSS on Saturday. They currently sit third in the standings but have a game in hand on the top two and haven’t played either of them yet.
They also boast the second best goalscoring record in the league with 19 goals scored and the best goals against record with just five conceded.
11 different players have scored for the Whitecaps so far, with Anna Hauer and Mya Archibald leading the way with three each, while Ava Jackson and Kierra Blundell have two apiece. Blundell also leads the team with four assists, while last year’s championship game hero Jeneva Hernandez-Gray has two.
(4TH) ALTITUDE FC
Altitude’s women’s team has certainly had a much better start to the season than their men counterparts and currently sit in the fourth and final playoff spot in the standings after their first five matches with a record of three wins and two defeats for their nine points.
The team started the season well with a 2-1 opening day victory in Kamloops against Rivers. A 2-1 home loss to Unity and a 5-1 beating at the Whitecaps followed, which belied their performance, but they have bounced back well from those defeats and have won their last two matches at home – 3-0 against Rivers and 1-0 this past Sunday against Harbourside.
Seven players have found the back of the net for Altitude so far this season, with German midfielder Charlotte Ring leading the way with two goals and an assist. The Hughes-Goyette sisters, Allie and Aurora, have one goal each, as do Avery Tulloch, Billie Shostak, Holly Tarves, and Lulie MacFarlane.
It’s hard to see any of the top three not being in the end of regular season playoff picture, so it’s a case of the other five sides battling it out for that one remaining spot. Right now, it’s Altitude’s to lose, with the back-to-back matches against TSS coming up this month likely to prove crucial as to whether they stay there by the end of July.
(5TH) TSS ROVERS
Missing a slew of college players to start the season, it’s been a tough go of it so far for Chelsey Hanneson’s side. With just one point to show from their first four matches, thanks to a 1-1 draw against Harbourside in their home opener, TSS finally got their first win of the new season on Saturday, coming from behind to beat the Whitecaps 2-1.
That was their first road game of the year and they’ll need to find a way to win away from home with six of their last seven matches being away from Swangard Stadium due to renovations at the venue. They should still be battling for that fourth playoff spot come the end of the season and if they can take nine points from their next three matches, one against Rivers this weekend then a home and away series with Altitude, they should be in pole position to do so.
TSS have been kept off the scoresheet twice in their first five matches, while failing to register a clean sheet themselves. Goals have also been a struggle to come by, with just five to their name from five different scorers – Madi Elcombe, Nikki Virk, Jessica Merk, Delana Friesen, and Kyara Armenta.
(6TH) HARBOURSIDE
The new girls on the block are already halfway through their inaugural season having crammed seven matches into their first month, and although they are sitting just two places back of the playoff places, with a five point gap and games running out, it feels like the Nanaimo side will basically need to win out the second half of their season to be even in with a chances of making the postseason.
An away win at TSS and a home draw in the first L1BC Island derby against Highlanders is all the points they have to show for their efforts just now, with defeats by Unity, Altitude, and the Whitecaps on their record as well as two back-to-back maulings by a rampant Nautsa’mawt side that saw them go down 7-1 at UBC and then 8-0 the following afternoon back in Nanaimo.
The standout performer for Harbourside has been Emma Skalik. The UVic Vikes midfielder leads the team with three goals and one assist, with Ava Alexander, Jazmine Wilkinson, Maddy Dawson, and Shea Battie all adding one goal each.
(7TH) VICTORIA HIGHLANDERS
The Highlanders women have had a much different start to their male counterparts, failing to register a single win so far this season. Ironically they have scored one more goal than the men (5), but have conceded 10.
What the team can perhaps take positives from is that they have drawn three of their first five games (against TSS, Harbourside, and Unity), losing to only the Whitecaps in their season opener and Nautsa’mawt this past Sunday, two of the division’s strongest sides. If they can make home advantage pay, with four of their last six games in Victoria, then they could yet make a late push for that fourth playoff place.
Like the men, all of the Highlanders goals have come from different players with Mara McCleary, Paige Payne, Meagan Faulkner, Kjera Hayman, and Taiya Scorey all finding the back of the net. Faulkner also leads the team with two assists.
(8TH) RIVERS FC
It’s been a very tough start to the season for Rivers, who sit pointless at the foot of the table, with their playoff hopes looking like a distant memory already just five games in.
Two losses to Altitude and one each to the Whitecaps, Nautsa’mawt, and Unity makes the rest of the season look a tall order and with all the travel they have to endure, one which I’m sure will also test them mentally.
They’ve conceded 25 goals so far, the joint most in the league alongside Harbourside, who have played two more games. They have been scoring, notching six so far from five different scorers, with Esi Lufo leading the way with two goals.
The first month of the 2023 League1 BC season is done and dusted and it’s been quite the start to the league’s second season in the men’s division, with just three points separating the top seven teams after an exciting start to the new campaign. Victoria Highlanders lead the way with 10 points from their…
The wait for their first ever win in Vancouver goes on for Houston Dynamo. The Whitecaps spanked them with six of the best at BC Place on Wednesday evening in a crazy game full of crisp finishes, defensive calamities, and even a red card as the ‘Caps ran out 6-2 victors.
An incredible opening period saw four goals, two apiece, coming in the first 18 minutes, aided by some abject defending from both teams. Pedro Vite had given the Whitecaps the lead after just 15 seconds before goals from Corey Baird and Amine Bassi had the visitors in the lead by the 16 minute mark. Julian Gressel restored parity two minutes later and that was how it stayed until 10 seconds into the second half when Brian White added a fourth for the home side.
Gressel grabbed his second before Nelson Quiñónes saw a straight red for the visitors after lashing out at Mathias Laborda. The Whitecaps then turned the screw and a pair of late goals from Sebastian Berhalter and Ryan Gauld saw Vancouver hit the Texans for six and move up to sixth in the MLS Western Conference standings.
Vanni Sartini made four changes to the team that were the masters of their own downfall in St Louis at the weekend. Two of those came defensively, with Yohei Takaoka returning between the sticks and Laborda coming in to play centreback in a 4-3-2-1 formation once again. If the hope was that these changes would help prevent further horrific defending from the Whitecaps, well that plan soon derailed.
It all started so well, as the Whitecaps took the lead with their first attack of the match, grabbing their fastest ever MLS goal and the lead just 15 seconds in.
Gauld sent the ball high in towards the box looking for White. The Dynamo defenders didn’t deal with it well allowing White to knock the ball outside to Vite, who lashed the ball home for his third goal in four matches.
Pedro Vito in the first :20 seconds for #VWFC.
Watch live on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/pFJOF7door pic.twitter.com/pjFT6RTFAg
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
Just the start the Whitecaps needed but then the wheels quickly came off and their propensity for gifting the opposition goals came back to the fore.
Houston got themselves back on level terms in the 8th minute when Baird volleyed home a cross to the back of the box from six yards out. Officially, Adalberto Carrasquilla got the assist, but in reality the goal was helped all the way by Javain Brown, who completely missed connecting with the ball with a diving header as he tried to clear, allowing it to run through to Baird to finish.
Corey Baird at the back post. #HoldItDown
Just inside the opening eight minutes and it's 1-1. pic.twitter.com/D2RQSJlbV7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
Eight minutes later and Houston had the lead.
Daniel Steres sent a perfectly weighted ball forward and as Bassi brought it down beautifully to finish with aplomb and the Dynamo had a shock lead.
The ball from Steres
The control and finish from Bassi#HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/cxoXVz6haM— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) June 1, 2023
It had been quite the turnaround but the visitor’s lead only lasted two minutes before the Whitecaps got back on level terms in the 18th minute.
Luis Martins sent in a great cross from the left which was flicked on to Gressel at the back post and the German hit home to make it 2-2 and game very much back on.
2-2 and it's not even the 20th minute.
This time Julian Gressel fires @WhitecapsFC back level at the back-post. #VWFC pic.twitter.com/KxUOjcbL3M
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
Both sides had chances to break the deadlock for the rest of the half, with Houston coming the closest in the 23rd minute when Carrasquilla crashed one off the post. Neither team could find the breakthrough and the teams went in level.
It was another half of appalling defending by the Whitecaps and Sartini made the tactical change at the break of pulling of Brown and bringing on Ranko Veselinovic.
If the first half started with a quick bang, the second half said hold my drink and the Whitecaps were back in the lead just 10 seconds into it.
The kick off came to Martins, who sent a long ball forward to White, who in turn chested it down to Gauld. Looking to emulate their first half heroics, the Scot crashed one off the right post from 20 yards out. The rebound fell kindly to White, who had the easy job of sweeping the ball home into the empty net and it was 3-2 Vancouver from out of nowhere just 10 seconds after the restart.
:10 seconds into the second half Brian White makes it 3-2. #VWFC
A goal inside the first minute of each half tonight for the hosts. pic.twitter.com/kDjgKOZ7i7
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
This time their defence held firm and they added to their lead a minute before the hour mark.
Gauld powered forward and his deflected shot was parried away by Clark. The rebound fell perfectly for Gressel, who volleyed home for his second of the night and the Whitecaps led 4-2 and finally had some breathing space.
A Julian Gressel brace, and #VWFC double their lead. pic.twitter.com/qQHRl3sUJL
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
The Dynamo’s night went from bad to worse in the 69th minute when Quiñónes was sent off for hitting out at Laborda after he kicked the ball away to prevent a quick thrown in being taken. The Uruguayan went down very easily but it was stupid from Quiñónes to make the referee make the decision.
The Whitecaps went for the jugular and went nap in the 88th minute when a poor Dynamo defensive clearance fell to Berhalter on the edge of the box and the American chested the ball down before lashing it into the postage stamp corner for his first ever MLS goal.
Sebastian Berhalter strikes it so sweetly for .
His first MLS goal puts the icing on the cake tonight for #VWFC. pic.twitter.com/xSNd43qLHW
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
The ‘Caps weren’t finished though and they made it six in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Berhalter was provider this time after receiving a nice ball inside from Deiber Caicedo. Hitting the byeline, he cut it back for Gauld to sweep home his first goal of the year, and this time no-one was taking it away from him!
That's 6⃣ for @WhitecapsFC.
Ryan Gauld gets in on the party in stoppage-time. pic.twitter.com/rB4C2u7JCi
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 1, 2023
And that was that. A very strange match. One which Sartini said afterwards was the team’s worst performance of the season and at times it certainly was. It was a poor first half performance but a dominant second half one.
It was a match that saw the Whitecaps set a new club record with six goals scored in an MLS match and was the third time this season, across all competitions, that the ‘Caps have scored five or more goals at BC Place, and the first time that they have done so three times in one season.
All of those were positives, but there’s no getting away from some of that defending in the first half. The team need to sort that out and quickly. As good as they were in the second half, it’s those continued defensive lapses that will prevent the team from being playoff contenders to just also rans. The good news is there’s a lot of time to get that fixed and they’re getting the points on the board now.
Next up is a much improved Sporting Kansas City at BC Place on Saturday evening and another home game they have to take all three points from.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 6 – 2 Houston Dynamo
ATT: 13,222
SCORING SUMMARY:
1’ – VAN – Pedro Vite (Brian White)
8’ – HOU – Corey Baird (Coco Carrasquilla, Amine Bassi)
16’ – HOU – Amine Bassi (Daniel Steres)
18’ – VAN – Julian Gressel (Ryan Gauld, Luís Martins)
46’ – VAN – Brian White
59’ – VAN – Julian Gressel
88’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
90’+5’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (Sebastian Berhalter, Déiber Caicedo)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 47% – HOU 53%
Shots: VAN 16 – HOU 13
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – HOU 7
Saves: VAN 5 – HOU 1
Fouls: VAN 12 – HOU 7
Offsides: VAN 3 – HOU 1
Corners: VAN 3 – HOU 2
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown (Ranko Veselinović 46′), Mathías Laborda, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins; Julian Gressel (Russell Teibert 72’), Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 63’); Pedro Vite (Déiber Caicedo 78’), Ryan Gauld; Brian White (Sergio Córdova 72’) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Karifa Yao, Ryan Raposo, Simon Becher]
HOUSTON: Steve Clark; Franco Escobar, Daniel Steres (Erik Sviatchenko 79’), Ethan Bartlow, Micael dos Santos; Hector Herrera (Ivan Franco 89’), Artur (Luis Caicedo 79’), Coco Carrasquilla; Corey Baird (Nelson Quinones 63’), Ibrahim Aliyu (Thor Ulfarsson 63’), Amine Bassi [Substitutes not used: Andrew Tarbell, Sebastian Ferreira, Chase Gasper, Brooklyn Raines]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the win:
“I think it was our worst performance of the season to be honest. The first half was, I want to say a word that is not a bad word, but it’s really, really, really hard not to say because I think we were terrible. The first half we were like completely terrible. Houston should have been up at least by two goals. The second half actually we played very well. You see the difference when we play the well and we do what we’re supposed to do, instead of everyone trying to do everything by themselves. So that’s two completely different pictures. So guys, don’t get misguided by the results, because I’m the first one who defends the team, who says that we play well even when we lose but today we’ve been very, very, very lucky.”
On the play to start the second half:
“One winning the kickoff and one scoring on our routine. And guys, please, write it down and underline and highlight it. [The second half kickoff goal] was prepared by my assistant coach Michael D’Agostino. So I’m very happy about that.”
On getting contributions from the bench:
“It’s one of the things that I’m most proud of, when someone comes off the bench and is one of the protagonists of the game, because it means that first of all, everyone is involved in what we do in training and everyone knows what to do. The second thing, everyone is ready to go every time. I think Ranko [Veselinovic] and Sebastian [Berhalter] today, Sebastian especially, were very good. Déiber [Caicedo] too, Sergio [Cordova] when they came on, Rusty [Teibert] too. I think it’s really rare when someone comes in and is not active in the game. So I’m very happy about it.”
BRIAN WHITE
On the win:
“It was a weird game, the first half wasn’t very good from our standpoint in terms of defensive pressure and structure. But I think we made the right adjustments in the second half and got a good half in the second, obviously scoring four goals.”
On the first and second half of the game:
“Realistically, we had a bad first half and a really good second half and it’s important to acknowledge the mistakes that we’re making in the first half because other teams can punish us and we’d be out of the game in the first half. So it’s important to analyze the mistakes we made in that area obviously, like you said stay level headed because you know we play against a good team on Saturday against Kansas City and so we have to be prepared for that.”
SEBASTIAN BERHALTER
On scoring his first career goal:
“It was good, I kind of just got the ball on the top of the box. As soon as I took that touch off my chest I just saw it and I let it fly. Then from there, the goal and to see all my teammates, you know it’s all to them, so I’m super happy.”
On the six goals scored in tonight’s match:
“Yeah it’s great, I think everyone played a role. You see that everyone did their job and when we do that I think goals can come from anywhere. So yeah, it was good.”
The Whitecaps’ topsy turvy 2023 continued last week as they followed up their big win on the road at Pacific FC by throwing away points in St. Louis with some bad defensive miscues. After a match that caused Vanni Sartini to absolutely unload on the officials afterwards and multiple ‘Caps players receiving fines for mass…
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat. As the feast of footballing action continues across the country, we’ll be talking Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, the Canadian Championship, and the Canadian Premier League in this episode.
The Whitecaps busy schedule continues with another pair of games in a four day period. We look back at the highs of their Canadian Championship win over Pacific FC on Wednesday, chat about the scary Ali Ahmed injury, and look ahead to the final against Montreal, where the ‘Caps have a great chance to win their first back-to-back Voyageurs Cups. But then we look at the low that was their league loss in St Louis, the terrible mistakes that cost them dear, and delve into Vanni Sartini’s postgame refereeing rant, with audio from the man himself.
We also round-up the latest action around MLS and the CPL, and talk about the early concerns we have about Vancouver FC’s attendance, which already appears to be dwindling every match.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.32: Intro – exciting ends to seasons in Europe
15.42: Whitecaps’ Canadian Championship joy and anguish
39.50: Dodgy defending sees ‘Caps fall in St Louis
70.37: Vanni rants about refereeing
83.50: MLS round-up
94.05: Vancouver FC crowd concerns
108.13: CPL round-up
117.35: Wavelength – Sir Robert Orange Peel – Old Safe Hands
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver FC have had a tough time so far at home in Langley. Winless in three, and only scoring one goal in those three games is not the best of starts for this young side, especially when you are trying to impress and connect with your local community. To their credit, the performance against Valour was valiant, but toothless once more. And to be there in the play-offs by the end of the season, Vancouver needs to make Willoughby Community Park a fortress, and quick.
Inauspicious Start Almost Leads to Goals
With injuries still for Kadin Chung and Gabriel Bitar, head coach Afshin Ghotbi provided another tactical change for this match against Valour. VFC seemed to play in a 4-4-1-1 with Nima and Elliot Simmons as the double pivot, Gael Sandoval as the 10, and, surprisingly, Mouhamadou Kane as striker. Kane has been a bit of a utility player for Ghotbi, after playing at centre-back and centre-mid already for the team. Meanwhile, in defence, Kwak played on the left and Ibrahim Bakare on the right side of Rocco Romeo and Peel Martinez.
Vancouver struggled to take control of the match from the start, with Valour’s press forcing them to concede a majority of possession. It felt like Vancouver couldn’t get control in the midfield with only two players in the middle against Valour’s three. However, that didn’t deter this Vancouver side, as they broke through the wings quickly and set up a couple of great chances.
Shaan Hundal had a great opportunity saved by Rayane Yesli, before Kane himself almost got a goal by having a cross deflect of his face and into the net. By the end of the first half, Vancouver had an xG of 0.93 to Valour’s 0.77. They just couldn’t convert those chances into goals.
Few Tactical Tweaks Too Many?
In the second half, Ghotbi surprised us all once more as he decided to throw caution to the wind and play Ibrahim Bakaré, who has played as right-back or centre-back all season, as a forward. This pushed Kwak back at right back with the substitute Tyler Crawford at left-back. As quizzical
a change as it was, it proved to not be as effective as Ghotbi likely would have wanted it to be.
Kwak, already on a yellow card, now had to deal with the ever-dangerous Pacifique Niyongabire, who switched to his side cleverly as Kwak now had to think twice before going in on him. This resulted in Kwak having a tough time defending Niyongabire, who got past him a few times in that second half, and required Rocco to help him out as well. Meanwhile, Bakaré struggled to affect the game in the attack, only being able to progress the ball a handful of times.
With players consistently being put out of positions and into new positions, it is not surprising that some fans are getting frustrated at the lack of consistency, since in the case of some players like Kane, we never know where he is going to play. Perhaps it is a case of putting round pegs in square holes due to the injuries to crucial players, but that then falls on how Vancouver recruited, because you know that injuries come and you need to have back-up plans that don’t rely on teaching whole new positions to players.
TJ Tahid Looks Like A Special Player
One bright spot for Vancouver was the first start for young starlet TJ Tahid. The 16-year-old Maple Ridge native began the match with the team, and quickly showed his defensive ability and tireless workrate. He made five tackles, eight recoveries and won 50% of his defensive duels. When sent down his left side, he was rapid, and went toe to toe with players that were 10+ years his senior.
Having a player like TJ shows that belief in youth can pay off greatly. He is already a gem in this squad, and has the world as his oyster in terms of his potential. Already possessing an intelligent football brain, now it’s about cultivating his ability and honing his talent so that he can
become the next best thing in the CPL.
(Photo Credit: @stlCITYsc/Twitter)
Vancouver Whitecaps were the masters of their own downfall in St Louis on Saturday night as three defensive howlers saw the home team run out easy winners in what was otherwise an evenly contested match-up. It was an evening to forget for ‘Caps keeper Thomas Hasal, who was caught out by an Eduard Lowen free kick for the opener, has a miscommunication with Tristan Blackmon that led to an own goal for the second, and spilled a free kick that was eventually fired home by 18-year-old Miggy Perez for a late third.
All the Whitecaps had to show for their efforts was a Brian White header seven minutes from time that gave them some hope of a late comeback but it all came to nothing.
As the Whitecaps heavy schedule of matches continued, Vanni Sartini expectedly rang the changes, making eight from the team that started the midweek Canadian Championship semi-final win at Pacific, with Hasal getting his first league start of the year in goal and local lad Simon Becher getting the nod to lead the line.
St Louis came out strong with Jared Stroud firing wide in the 6th minute and Niko Gioacchini forcing a save from Hasal three minutes later.
It felt like a goal was imminent and it came in the 10th minute when Lowen curled a free kick deep into the back post, and getting more on it than he probably planned, the ball carried over the outstretched Hasal and into the postage stamp corner to give the home side the lead.
From deeeeep.
Eduard Löwen's free kick sails all the way in and @stlCITYsc take the lead. #AllForCITY pic.twitter.com/Lf0ghhagnt
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 28, 2023
Unfortunate for Vancouver, but you have to ask questions about Hasal coming off his line to meet the cross and either misjudging the flight or failing to get to it, as the reaction of the ‘Caps defenders would also seem to back up.
The Whitecaps finally settled and started to come into the game and dictate the play. Meanwhile the home side’s pair of former Whitecaps, Jake Nerwinski and Tim Parker, picked up a pair of yellow cards within a minute of each other, putting some pressure on half of the St Louis defence with three quarters of the game left to play.
The half was just fizzling out with little of note when St Louis doubled their lead out of absolutely nothing in the 45th minute and once again it was a Whitecaps error that handed them a goal.
Lowen sent a long ball forward which only found Tristan Blackmon on the edge of the box, but defensive confusion and a seeming lack of communication saw the centre back head the ball back towards goal while Hasal had come off his line, seemingly reading the path of the cross, and the ball flew into the empty net.
A huge risk for any defender to head the ball back on goal without looking to see where his goalie is. Was there any communication or just missed communication? Either way, there’s a lot of blame to go around.
Löwen Assist? (not in the stats but in our hearts)
Watch with #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV: https://t.co/VqJh1z9rBu pic.twitter.com/LjUt7CEkMZ
— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) May 28, 2023
Two goals down now certainly changed Sartini’s half time team talk, but the ‘Caps had one final chance to get that deficit back down to one in stoppage time when Julian Gressel sent a beautifully timed long ball for Becher to run onto, but the young striker just couldn’t seem to get the ball out of the ground to get a shot off and Roman Burki was out quickly to disrupt the danger.
Both teams came out strong to start the second half and Becher had another great chance for the Whitecaps in the 54th minute, getting onto another long ball forward but unable to get a shot on target.
Neither team were really creating much in terms of goalscoring opportunities, as the game began to get quite chippy, but the Whitecaps had a great chance to pull one back in the 76th minute when Ranko Veselinovic flicked on a header but White just couldn’t run in with the needed touch at the back post.
It seemed like it was going to be one of those nights but the ‘Caps suddenly game themselves lifeline in the 83rd minute when Gressel sent in another fantastic cross from the right, onto the head of White, who knocked it past Burki and set up a potential exciting final few minutes.
VWFC cut the lead in half.
Julian Gressel finds the head of Brian White in the final 10 minutes. pic.twitter.com/5JZbdU7iB8
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 28, 2023
The excitement was sadly all saved for the home side and they added a third four minutes into stoppage time, and once again it came from poor goalkeeping.
Lowen fired in a free kick, which Hasal saved but spilled. Tomas Ostrak pounced on the rebound and played it inside to Perez and the young homegrown capped off a momentous couple of days, that included graduating from high school, to blast the ball high into the Vancouver net and seal the deal and the three points for St Louis.
Graduate on Thursday
FIRST MLS GOAL ON SATURDAY pic.twitter.com/VcYXc9h3LU— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) May 28, 2023
Another disappointing away result for the Whitecaps, who are fast approaching one full year without a league win on the road. This was a match with little to choose between the two teams and a draw would have been a fair result. Instead three defensive howlers cost the ‘Caps dear, sending St Louis temporarily to the top of the table and sending Vancouver down to 8th.
If the ‘Caps are to make any serious inroads in the postseason, they need to find a way to rid this road hoodoo. Cutting out the defensive errors would certainly be a start.
FINAL SCORE: St Louis City 3 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 22,423
SCORING SUMMARY:
10’ – STL – Eduard Löwen
45′ – STL – Tristan Blackmon (own goal)
83′ – VAN – Brian White (Julian Gressel)
90+4′ – STL – Miguel Perez
STATS:
Possession: STL 38.4% – VAN 61.6%
Shots: STL 15 – VAN 12
Shots on Goal: STL 6 – VAN 2
Saves: STL 1 – VAN 4
Fouls: STL 11 – VAN 12
Offsides: STL 2 – VAN 3
Corners: STL 7 – VAN 5
ST LOUIS: Roman Bürki; Jake Nerwinski (John Nelson 63′), Lucas Bartlett, Tim Parker, Kyle Hiebert; Njabulo Blom, Eduard Löwen; Jared Stroud (Tomás Ostrák 72′), Indiana Vassilev (Jonathan Bell 90+2′), Célio Pompeu (Miguel Perez 72′); Nicholas Gioacchini (Aziel Jackson 90+3′) [Substitutes not used: Ben Lundt, Joshua Yaro, Akil Watts, Isak Jensen]
VANCOUVER: Thomas Hasal; Javain Brown (Sergio Córdova 65′), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins; Julian Gressel, Sebastian Berhalter (Déiber Caicedo 57′), Alessandro Schöpf (Levonte Johnson 85′); Pedro Vite (Andrés Cubas 65′), Ryan Gauld; Simon Becher (Brian White 57′) [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Mathías Laborda, Ryan Raposo]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the result:
“We don’t need to make the silly mistakes that gave them two goals. We gave them two goals and we need to be better. We need to be more prepared. We need to know that we come here and there’s 22,000 fans that are against us because we’re a better team than them. That’s pretty simple. That’s without question, we showed during the game, we played better than them, but at the end the result is 3-1 so we don’t need to make those silly mistakes.”
On the upcoming home stretch:
“First of all, we need to win all the games at home like we’re doing so we need to continue doing this. Unfortunately, we put ourselves under pressure, losing away. Winning helps, winning brings the mentality on and that’s how we will try to go there, be positive, not being shy on telling us the mistakes that we did, but also conscious that, again, today is not a bad performance to be honest, we need to be better in some moments of the game, especially this game today. At the end of the first half, they had basically zero shots, because the goal is not a goal, zero shots and we lose 2-0 and it cannot happen.”
RYAN GAULD
On the result:
“I think over the course of the game we played pretty well, we created a few chances, we gifted them their goals and apart from that, they never broke us down really, especially second half, we had a lot of the ball. It’s the kind of game that will look back on, we’ll be disappointed, we’ll be wondering for a while how we didn’t leave with at least a point. Fair play to them, they’re doing well, I think they’re up near the top of the league now, so fair play to them, but it was definitely a winnable game.”
On the upcoming home stretch:
“We’re all coming out of this game frustrated with how it’s ended. But at the same time, I think all the boys are aware that we played well and if we keep playing like that, we’re going to get some good results and especially at home, that’s where we’ve been getting the majority of our points so everyone will be looking forward to it and I think it’s a good thing as well, we don’t have to wait seven or eight days until the next game. It’s coming like Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, so when you lose the way we did tonight, you just want to be playing again as soon as possible to try and do things right.”
For the first time ever, the Whitecaps are in Missouri to take on the latest of the never-ending line of MLS expansion teams, St. Louis City! The squad from the self-dubbed “soccer capital” have been a surprise package so far this year as they are up near the top of the Western Conference, and will provide a stern road test.
Now, the ‘Caps have not been great at facing road tests this season! They’ve collected just six points from their six matches away from home this season, and have won just four of their last 40(!) dating back to the beginning of 2021.
Over the last three seasons, just 27% of the ‘Caps points have come on the road. Why is there such a chasm between their home and road performances? Well, the easiest answer is that it’s simply quite difficult to win on the road in MLS. Last season, half the league had three or fewer wins on the road. FC Dallas finished 3rd in the West despite only picking up four road wins all year!
Of course, the other issue is that the ‘Caps have not been able to impose themselves on the run of play nearly as effectively as they have at times at home, especially so far this season. There have been times in 2023 where we’ve seen the ‘Caps downright revel in possession of the ball at BC Place, but when they’re outside of that familiar turf it seems like they can do nothing but chase the play.
Might Vanni Sartini want to load up a little more in the middle of the park to try and combat this? The 3-4-2-1 that was flashed last weekend against the Sounders held up quite well and could be an option once again. Julian Gressel could slot in nicely for the injured Ali Ahmed at right wingback, although Sartini seems quite committed to him playing centrally this season.
Otherwise, the biggest question is who comes out for Ranko Veselinović at the back. The Serbian has rarely ever been a healthy scratch over the last couple seasons, but the trio of Tristan Blackmon, Mathias Laborda, and Javain Brown have all played well recently, with Laborda shining more at centre-back than he did out on the flank.
That is where the three-at-the-back formation could come into play, with Veselinović slotting in between Blackmon and Laborda. Brown could then be pushed out to the wingback slot if Sartini prefers Gressel to play centrally, providing more defensive stability and giving either Luis Martins or Ryan Raposo greater freedom to push forward on the left.
Up front, the question of who should start at striker remains an open one, with no one really solidifying themselves as a clearcut number one option. Sergio Córdova has been stuck playing in one of the two quasi number 10 roles rather than leading the line, which hasn’t worked out well so far.
If Sartini wants to start both him and Brian White up front it might make more sense to tweak the formation slightly so it’s just Ryan Gauld behind two strikers in a 1-2 setup rather than putting one of the two big forwards in behind to maintain the 2-1 structure that has been fairly rigid all season. Simon Becher, meanwhile, is playing just a few hours away from his hometown and will have a number of family and friends in the stands so hopefully he’ll see some amount of run time on the pitch.
Looking at the hosts, we are likely to see a couple familiar faces along the St. Louis backline. First, this is Jake Nerwinski’s first match against his former club! After making over 150 appearances for Vancouver, Nerwinski has started every match in MLS play so far for the expansion side. Tim Parker has also found a new home in St. Louis, and in fact scored the club’s first-ever goal back in February.
St. Louis have a record of 4-2 at home this season and are coming off a 4-0 home win over Sporting Kansas City that they managed despite having just 33% possession. They hold the ball the least of anyone in MLS at just 44% on the season, preferring to press opponents and be opportunistic when they do get their chances. They are likely to be without leading scorer João Klauss, as the Brazilian forward (who has five goals and two assists in nine matches) has missed some time with a quad injury.
A win this weekend could see the Whitecaps climb as high as 5th in the West, while a loss could see them drop below the playoff line once again. The middle of the conference remains quite congested at this stage of the season and the ‘Caps have to try and keep pace with their neighbours if they’re to fully shake off their slower start to the campaign.
A scary injury to Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ali Ahmed overshadowed a comfortable 3-0 victory for the defending champions at Starlight Stadium in Langford on Wednesday evening in their Canadian Championship semi-final against CPL side Pacific FC.
Goals from Julian Gressel and Ahmed had given the Whitecaps a two goal lead by the 17th minute as they sought to avenge their demons in defeat two years ago on the island in the same competition. Two minutes later and any joy was soon diminished following a 17 minute stoppage for an injury to Ahmed that saw the young ‘Caps standout carted off on a stretcher and taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion after a number of evaluations.
A third goal from Simon Becher late in the second half sealed the Whitecaps’ win, but all thoughts were with their injured teammate rather than celebrating the chance to make it back to back victories in the competition in a final with CF Montreal coming up next month.
Vanni Sartini made five changes to the team that started the win over Seattle on Saturday, reverting to a four at the back and a 4-3-2-1 formation.
As expected it was a fast paced start from both teams, with the Whitecaps having the best chance in the early going six minutes in when a lofted ball fell to Brian White on the edge of the six yard box and his shot was well saved and turned away by Emil Gazdov.
Alessandro Schopf was next to try his luck for the visitors, hitting a dipping 20 yarder just over in the 10th minute after picking up the ball from a cleared corner.
The game sparked into life in the 14th minute as the action roared from one side of the pitch to the other.
As Pacific pressed, a cross came to Ayman Sellouf at the back of the box and his volley was turned away by Yohei Takaoka, The Whitecaps broke quickly from the rebound and Schopf tore forward, playing the ball outside to Gressel who fired a fierce low one past Gazdov and into the far corner to give the defending champions the lead.
GOAL #VWFC STRIKE FIRST
Julian Gressel rounds off a wonderful counter-attack vs. #CanPL side @PacificFCCPL as the 'Caps stave off a flurry of attacks before punishing in return
https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/oY6bo5qL1T
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 25, 2023
Already a marked difference from the last meeting between the two teams that saw Vancouver play catch up for much of the game, things got even better for the Whitecaps in the 17th minute when Pacific couldn’t fully clear another corner, a header falling straight to Ahmed, who volleyed home the ‘Caps second from 12 yards out.
GOAL #VWFC GO UP 2-0
Ali Ahmed stuns his #CanPL opponents in this #CanChamp clash with a sweet volley shortly after his team opened the scoring
https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/Klk3DjGI55
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 25, 2023
All the Whitecaps joy was suddenly brought to a halt in the 18th minute when Ahmed went crashing to the crowd after a heavy challenge. The young midfielder was knocked out cold at one point and needed medical attention on the pitch for 17 minutes before being transported away from the stadium in an ambulance.
Understandably there was a subdued atmosphere in the stadium following the injury, but as the game continued Sean Young saw an effort blocked in the ‘Caps box as the home side pushed to get back into the game.
Manny Aparicio had a shot saved by Takaoka in the 43rd minute and with the game heading into 17 minutes of time added on at the end of the half, Aidan Daniels saw his looping header tipped onto the bar by Takaoka and the danger was cleared.
That was the last real goalmouth action for the half. Both teams needed to regroup in different ways at the break, Pacific to get back into the match and Vancouver for getting into a better headspace after the Ahmed injury.
Both teams came out fast again the start the half, but it was Pacific who were the looking the more dangerous.
Aparicio flashed a ball across goal in the 51st minute but there was no-one running in to tuck it away and moments later Sellouf curled one wide.
The action then dipped but Aparicio nearly brought the Starlight crowd to their feet again in the 67th minute with a 20 yarder, which was turned away by a full stretch Takaoka.
Any hopes of a Pacific comeback were ended in the 78th minute. Just on the pitch, Becher broke up a play and as the ‘Cpas brought it forward, the ball was slipped inside to the striker who finished through the legs of Gazdov and Vancouver led by three.
GOAL #VWFC take a 3-0 lead over #PacificFC as Simon Becher rounds out another strong forward drive
https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/ihK7ai4RHy
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 25, 2023
With a celebration dedicated to his friend Ahmed, it was the perfect player to get the next goal in this one.
The game petered out and the Whitecaps subdued celebrations at the final whistle said it all really.
The victory sees Vancouver have the chance to lift back to back Voyageurs Cups as they take on CF Montreal in the final at BC Place next month.
Those thoughts can wait for now, with everyone more thinking about the health of Ali Ahmed. The good news announced by the Whitecaps after the match is that it is a concussion is still serious, but far better than some of the worrying thoughts going through people’s minds when the incident first happened.
With the worry easing, the team can now enjoy their moment as they look to win their first ever back-to-back championships.
FINAL SCORE: Pacific FC 0 – 3 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 5,221
SCORING SUMMARY:
14′ – VAN – Julian Gressel (Alessandro Schöpf)
17′ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
78′ – VAN – Simon Becher (Pedro Vite)
STATS:
Possession: PAC 35.6% – VAN 64.4%
Shots: PAC 16 – VAN 10
Shots on Goal: PAC 3 – VAN 5
Saves: PAC 2 – VAN 3
Fouls: PAC 10 – VAN 16
Offsides: PAC 1 – VAN 0
Corners: PAC 7 – VAN 5
PACIFIC: Emil Gazdov; Kunle Dada-Luke, Amer Didic, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Georges Mukumbilwa; Sean Young (Steffen Yeates 78′), Cédric Toussaint (Kekuta Manneh 55′), Manny Aparicio; Josh Heard (Pierre Lamothe 77′), Djenairo Daniels (Easton Ongaro 62′), Ayman Sellouf (Adonijah Reid 62′) [Substitutes not used: Kieran Baskett, Eric Lajeunesse]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Ryan Raposo (Luís Martins 64′), Mathías Laborda, Tristan Blackmon, Ali Ahmed (Javain Brown 35′); Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Russell Teibert (Déiber Caicedo 76′); Sergio Córdova, Alessandro Schöpf (Pedro Vite 64′); Brian White (Simon Becher 76′) [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Ryan Gauld]
For the first time since that fateful summer’s day in 2021, the Whitecaps have the chance to take on their island neighbours Pacific FC. Once again, the ‘Caps head to Starlight Stadium, as they look to punch their ticket in the Canadian Championship final for the second straight season.
The first match between these two sides was a 4-3 victory for the men in purple, which was the second time in a row that the ‘Caps had failed to beat a CPL side and served as the final match of the short-lived Marc Dos Santos era.
Now, it’s Vanni Sartini at the helm, and the ‘Caps may have shaken their CPL boogeyman by taking down four sides from the league in succession over the past two tournaments. We very nearly saw these two teams face off in last year’s semifinal, but Pacific fell to York on penalties. This year, after the ‘Caps dispatched York and Pacific narrowly ended the fairy tale run of semi-pro side TSS Rovers, it’s game on once again.
So, how will the ‘Caps line up on Wednesday? Now that it’s the semi-finals, and the chance to defend their title at home is nearly within their grasp, you figure the club has to well and truly go all out for it. At the same time, this is their 6th match in 19 days and the fixtures keep on coming – if they make it to the final the ‘Caps will have their stretch from early May to mid-June clock in at 11 matches in 36 days!
The fact that the ‘Caps must start at least three Canadians does make guessing the lineup a little easier. Assuming that Sartini wants to keep Yohei Takaoka in goal, then the logical Canadians to start are Ali Ahmed, Russell Teibert, and Ryan Raposo. Karifa Yao could also slide in at the back especially if Ranko Veselinović is still away from the team, but he’s not looked too convincing in his minutes so far this year.
The wildcard option is Levonte Johnson, who scored against York in the quarter-finals and is signed to another short-term contract for this match. I think it’s much more likely he’s used in the spark plug role off the bench once again, but given the fits the ‘Caps have had at the striker position this season he’s someone to keep an eye on.
Speaking of the strikers, I do feel that this match could be a great opportunity to give Sergio Córdova the start. Brian White is coming off a tiring shift against the Sounders on the weekend, and Córdova is still looking to get his feet under him in Vancouver. Trying to find him some chemistry with the likes of Ahmed, Ryan Gauld, and Julian Gressel is a must if the ‘Caps are to get the most out of their DP forward.
Looking at the hosts, Pacific currently sit 2nd in the CPL standings with a record of 3-1-2. They are 4-1-1 at home in all competitions, including victories in the Canadian Championship over Cavalry FC and TSS Rovers.
Manny Aparicio, who scored one of the four Pacific goals against the ‘Caps in 2021, remains a threat for the islanders. Midfielder Sean Young is having a potential breakout season with two goals and two assists already in 2023, while former ‘Caps trialist Amer Didic patrols the backline and is a threat on set pieces.
After their CONCACAF Champions League campaign fell by the wayside, this competition is the second chance for the Whitecaps to compete for some silverware. If they can follow up their solid road performance in the quarter-finals the ‘Caps will put some demons to bed Wednesday night. If they can’t, well they’ll certainly hear it from the Pacific faithful.
There are moments in football that feel surreal. Not just that 96th minute goal that takes you to the final, but the smaller, more personal moments. The moments that can be compared to walking on air. When your boots grow wings, and every movement is sharp. The sound of the ball rolling through the grass, and cleats breaking through the dirt. Time slows just enough for you to see, hear, and feel every rich second. Nothing escapes you when you’re in the zone.
The zone is a state of mind. And nothing beats it. When you’re in the zone the possibilities are endless and achieving them feels effortless. Your lungs don’t burn and your muscles don’t ache from the exertion. The most intense game of your life can feel like a walk in the park. You don’t
overcomplicate and overthink every play, your body falls into an easy and familiar rhythm.
This state is what I chase every time I play. Connecting flawlessly with every ball, moving effortlessly across the pitch, running without any resistance – a feeling of bliss like no other. The crowd fades away, the only sound is your own breath and heart beating steadily in your chest.
And maybe the occasional shout from a teammate. You find homeostasis no matter how hot, cold, windy or rainy. The moment is perfect. And when your cleat finds the ball it’s like destiny.
This level of attention is also what it means to ‘get stuck in’. When your mind and body are tuned into the frequency of the game – the flow, the speed, the style. When you ‘get stuck in’ – you’re in the game. You’re always in the right place at the right time. Your mind and feet become one entity. As a midfielder, this feels especially important. The midfield is a dance – a tango. It’s fast and always changing. If you don’t find the rhythm, you’ll fall behind and make a fool of yourself (similar to dancing). Being able to hear the music and keep up with the steps are the deciding factor of whether or not you can be effective in a match.
Not every moment of every game feels this good. Gee, sometimes I go weeks without reaching the zone. And it’s been some time since I’ve felt this level of magic. It can make football feel a little bland, as if it’s lost some vibrance. It’s not gone but you can’t seem to reach the high of
feeling unstoppable.
It’s no one’s fault when the zone doesn’t feel accessible. It can be as simple as the system your club is playing doesn’t suit your needs as a player. You might be playing out of position, or not finding the same rhythm on game day. Maybe the speed is too slow or too fast for your liking and no matter how much you try to get stuck in, the feeling just never comes. This doesn’t mean you can’t perform and put on a good show, but it can mean your own satisfaction is left unattended.
This is a sacrifice I’m willing to make as I strive for more. I won’t always be comfortable and my own style won’t always align with those of the clubs I play for. This doesn’t mean I can’t expand my skill set and make myself an invaluable member of any team I find myself a part of. And if I’m being honest, that’s what makes the great players stand apart, isn’t it?
As I continue working towards the next game, my next chance, I want to remember to keep playing for myself. In spite of the noise, can I find my composure – my zone? Can I seize any moment I’m given and prove to myself first (and then to everyone watching), what I’m capable of? I’ll keep focusing on myself and my own fulfillment, knowing full well that the football gods are working their magic. Once I find my zone, everything else will fall into place.
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat. As the feast of footballing action continues across the country, we’ll be talking Vancouver Whitecpas, Major League Soccer, and the FIFA World Cup in this episode.
Vancouver Whitecaps got back to winning ways on Saturday evening with a well deserved derby win over Seattle Sounders at BC Place, after their midweek loss in Dallas. We look back at both of those matches and the main talking points coming out of them around the team and individual players. Plus we delve into the Whitecaps and MLS salaries that were released this week and ponder the good, the bad, and the ugly amongst them.
Our feature interview this week is with WFC2 forward Levonte Johnson who is having a great season in MLS Next Pro and has already been called up and scored with the first team in the Canadian championship. Plus we talk the Whitecaps Girls cup success in Zurich, the FIFA U20 World Cup, and the awfulness that is the newly revealed logo for the 2026 World Cup here in North America.
All of this plus music from Ash, Grian Chatten, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, and P. Way.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.30: Intro
09.30: Whitecaps derby day delight
47.36: Whitecaps player chat
58.12: Levonte Johnson interview
67.40: Whitecaps Girls win FIFA Youth Cup in Zurich
73.05: Whitecaps and MLS salaries analysis
114.20: 2026 World Cup logo revealed and it’s awful!
125.13: FIFA U20 World Cup chat
128.05: Wavelength – P. Way – Copa Mundial
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
After the smoke cleared, Cavalry finally emerged victorious.
In what was easily their best game yet of the season, Cavalry FC overcame Atlético Ottawa 2-0 on Sunday at Spruce Meadows, to claim their first win of the Canadian Premier League campaign after five consecutive draws.
Sergio Camargo and Daan Klomp scored for the Calgarians, (one in each half) while goalkeeper Marco Carducci registered his first clean sheet of 2023 to see out the win, only needing to parry one shot on target from the visitors.
“We wanted to change the narrative,” said Camargo during the post-game press conference. “These ties have been building up and there’s been a lot of discussion whether the Cavs are the same as we have been before.
“We knew in the locker room that we’re building towards something… and now, we don’t care what [the narrative] is out there. We know in the locker room what we’re striving for and working toward.”
Cavalry’s win over Atlético – a club the Calgarians have historically struggled against since 2020 – means they are one of just two CPL sides still unbeaten this year, alongside Forge FC.
The win also jumps Cavalry (1-0-5) three spots up the table to third place behind Forge (3-0-3) and Pacific FC (3-1-2).
Camargo said Saturday’s win over Ottawa, and a full 90-minute performance, has been what the squad has been working toward.
“We’ve had glimpses in the past games, we just haven’t been able to play a full 90 minutes together, whether it be a lack of concentration defensively or no killer instinct in the final third,” he said. “But we had a complete game today that we knew we were able to do, and it was so special to do it here in front of this crowd.”
After probing for the first 20 minutes, Cavalry broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. A free kick cross from the left from Fraser Aird was cleared to the top of the box. Camargo struck the ball low as he was falling down, and it managed to find its way into Ottawa’s net through a forest of players.
“Ottawa is always very organized – we knew what we were up against,” Camargo said. “I think our dynamic movement in the midfield today – Musse, Fraser, Jose, Myer, everyone in the midfield – [helped us]. We knew we had to get moving and cause problems for them. We had to try to shift them as quickly as possible to create chances.”
Having recently come back from injury, Camargo said it felt good to score his first goal of 2023 – especially considering he’d skied another chance over the bar five minutes earlier, after he’d dribbled his way into Ottawa’s box.
“My teammates were great – I was the hardest on myself after that miss,” he said. “They were saying ‘Forget it and move on,’ but I needed to make it up and I was lucky to get another opportunity five minutes after.
Though giving up a lead has been an issue all season long thus far, this time, Cavalry’s 1-0 lead held until half-time.
Early into the second half, the hosts figured they’d doubled their lead when Jose Escalante fired home a volley in the 53rd minute. But the well-struck goal was called back because Myer Bevan, who was in an offside position, was considered to have impeded Ottawa’s goalkeeper Sean Melvin from making an attempted save.
Not letting the minor setback faze them, Cavalry earned their insurance goal in the 67th minute, and once again it started with a set piece from Aird. His free kick from the left was floated into the box and headed across goal by Musse. The ball fell perfectly for Klomp to knock in from close range.
Ottawa finally seemed to wake up toward the end of the match as they sought to score a goal that would get them back into the contest. While Atlético managed to keep more sustained pressure in Cavalry’s half in the final 20 minutes, they weren’t able to generate any serious chances on net, and Carducci was able to corral any cross or pass that came into his box.
When the dust settled and the final whistle sounded, the statistics showed Cavalry fully deserved the win. The hosts outshot Ottawa 9-7, generated 67 entries into Atlético’s defensive third, controlled 64 per cent of possession, out-crossed Ottawa 15-11, and generated an XG of 1.29 compared to Ottawa’s 0.41.
“I’m just proud of the players,” Cavalry’s head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said in the post-game presser. “We kept talking over and over about the good things they’ve been doing. I think we’ve had some unlucky goals, bobbles, bounces, circumstances…
“I believe in this group. It’s a talented group. You’ve seen it today against a very tough Ottawa team there. They’ve come off the back of a 5-0 away defeat [last week in Vancouver], feeling confident.
“I felt that today, that was one of the best performances we’ve had at ATCO Field. So that’s the team we have. We still have players to come back in like Joe Mason, Shamit Shome, Callum Montgomery. We’re only going to get stronger. We said we want to start turning ties into wins.”
All in all, Camargo agreed the win was a monkey off Cavalry’s back, and a great way to end a lengthy run of consecutive draws.
“It’s that narrative that the Cavs can’t hold a lead,” he said. “We did, and we knew we could do it. It was just a matter of time before putting a full 90 together. Today is special for that reason.”
Vancouver Whitecaps finally returned home after a three game spell on the road and the home cooking certainly agreed with them as they turned in an assured performance to see off Seattle Sounders 2-0 at BC Place on Saturday evening.
It was a fairly even first half, with the deadlock finally broken a minute before the break when Pedro Vite poked the ball home. A Stefan Frei own goal double the Whitecaps lead two minutes before the hour mark, and there was no looking back for Vancouver after that as they comfortably saw out the match and could easily have added one or two more to their tally.
Vanni Sartini made five changes to the Vancouver starting line-up from the side that went down to defeat in Dallas on Wednesday, opting for a 3-4-2-1 for the first time this season.
Seattle started the fastest and on the front foot, with Yeimar directing a header wide right three minutes in.
Both sides were enjoying possession but not really threatening too much in the final third, but the Whitecaps finally got a decent look on goal in the 27th minute when Sebastian Berhalter played a near one-two with Gauld and the Scot flashed a fierce shot just past the left post.
It was a choppy first half, broken up by a number of fouls, with neither side in the ascendancy, and it looked set to head into half time all square and scoreless until a moment of tenacity from Vite broke the deadlock in the 44th minute.
Vite brought the ball down in the box and it looked like it had got away from him but a split second of hesitation between Sounders defender Alex Roldan and goalkeeper Frei allowed the Ecuadorian to put pressure on them and poke the ball home from a few yards out.
Pedro Vite with goals in back-to-back games, and @WhitecapsFC strike first vs. Seattle. pic.twitter.com/fP6Rv0fsEi
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 21, 2023
It was the first shot on target for either side and ultimately what separated the teams at the break.
Seattle again started the half the strongest, but again without testing Yohei Takaoka.
Matthias Laborda and Gauld came close to doubling the Whitecaps’ lead in the 57th minute but moments later they got their second when Frei fumbled a Gauld shot and the ball squirmed under his body and over the line. Officially an own goal by the keeper and not Gauld’s first of the season, but he was happy nonetheless!
58’ | GGAAAUULLLDDEN GOAL!!!#VWFC 2-0 #Sounders
Watch live on #MLSSeasonPass on the @appletv app https://t.co/7AIASBoA1X
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 21, 2023
Berhalter should have made it three in the 73rd minute when Gauld set him up but his shot was lacking power and Frei made the easy save.
There were a few more half chances for the Whitecaps to add to their tally but in the end they had to settle for just the two from a very calm and assured performance and a well deserved victory on the overall balance of play.
The result was just what the Whitecaps needed after a pair of league defeats in Portland and Dallas in the past week. With points away from home, especially from wins, becoming harder and harder to come by, the ‘Caps need to make the most of these home games and this win over Seattle will go a long way to return any confidence that may have been knocked the past couple of games, but most importantly keeps them above the playoff line.
They still need to find a way to win on the road in MLS play, as they approach a full year without such a victory, but that can wait till another day as next up is a Canadian Championship semi-final in Langford on Wednesday against CPL side Pacific FC.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 0 Seattle Sounders
ATT: 19,108
SCORING SUMMARY:
44’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
58’ – VAN – Stefan Frei (own goal)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 44.9% – SEA 55.1%
Shots: VAN 17 – SEA 8
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – SEA 1
Saves: VAN 1 – SEA 4
Fouls: VAN 16 – SEA 11
Offsides: VAN 0 – SEA 2
Corners: VAN 6 – SEA 9
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Mathías Laborda, Tristan Blackmon; Ali Ahmed (Alessandro Schöpf 64’), Sebastian Berhalter, Andrés Cubas (Karifa Yao 90’+1’), Luís Martins; Ryan Gauld (Simon Becher 83’), Pedro Vite (Julian Gressel 64’); Brian White (Sergio Córdova 83’) [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Déiber Caicedo, Ryan Raposo, Russell Teibert]
SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Alex Roldan (Reed Baker-Whiting 64’), Yeimar, Xavier Arreaga, Nouhou Tolo (Cody Baker 46′); Joshua Atencio (João Paulo 80’), Albert Rusnák; Jordan Morris (Héber 64’), Nicolás Lodeiro, Léo Chú (Dylan Teves 46′); Fredy Montero [Substitutes not used:
Stefan Cleveland, Jackson Ragen, Paul Rothrock]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the win:
“As you said it, fantastic performance, fantastic victory. We smashed the best team in the western conference,with LAFC. It reminded us how good we are when we are doing the things we are supposed to do. I think the two goals is even generous for them, because we could have had even more. I’m very happy because we played really, really, really well.”
On the starting formation moving to three at the back:
“We changed the system this game mainly because we didn’t have [Alessandro] Schöpf and Julian [Gressel] starting. Without them playing as a number eight, we wanted to have like maybe more security at the back and Sebastian [Berhalter] when we defend this is more of a double six with Andrés [Cubas]. I chose the system because it was putting the players there more like being myself and servicing the players rather than the service of the team this time. We knew that we had these two possibilities. Sometimes we play the back three, sometimes we play the back four. It was the first time that we started [with it], we’ve actually finished with the back three in a lot of games. Then at the end we actually made the switch to the back four in the second half when Julian [Gressel] and Alessandro [Schöpf] came in. We played very well even with that system. So I think the performance was really good and by everyone. It’s really hard to single out someone, maybe Luís Martins was like Paulo Maldini today, he was very good. Everyone played very well.”
RYAN GAULD
On the win:
“I think it’s come at a good time. After two bad results and not great performances, it’s come at a good time. So we can take a lot of positives from the performance both defensively and attacking wise. The boys will be confident moving forward.”
On facing Pacific FC in the Canadian Championship on Wednesday:
“Well whoever was here in 2021 knows it’s going to be a really tough game, with bad memories of that game that we want to put right. It’s a tight pitch against a team that are going to be really up for it. I think they’ve started the CPL really well. So they’re going to be confident coming into it as well. But it’s again a game we’re going to have to be at our best if we want to beat them. They came out flying against us a couple of years ago and they got the better of us for the full 90 minutes. So we know what to expect. We’re going to have to make sure we don’t make the same errors that we made a couple of years ago.”
From the moment it started out in the Canadian Premier League, Vancouver FC wanted to set itself apart from the other teams by putting a huge emphasis on youth. With only two players over the age of 25, it is both a gamble and a statement, but one that everyone seems to be behind on.
Nevertheless, no-one expected that such a philosophy would allow the opportunity for a 16-year-old local kid to take the stage in a CPL match. But that was exactly what happened when Taryck “TJ” Tahid came on for Vancouver in their inaugural home-opener against Cavalry earlier this month. The moment he was announced the day before, many onlookers, such as myself, were intrigued by the decision. Is 16 years old a bit too young to be able to throw them into a match? But seeing his confidence and composure in his brief cameo, we began to understand why it was that he was given the opportunity to shine.
The record-breaker for youngest player to feature in the league gave a performance that matched that of professional players who are 5-10 years his senior. His performance was even applauded by his coach, who complimented his mentality, stating that he could “play in front of 100,000 fans in the World Cup and [still] play the way he did”. Quite the plaudits for a youngster who is still in high school.
Now, a couple weeks later, I sat down with TJ to talk about his stellar debut and his journey to it, as well as his upbringing and his dreams. With a long career ahead of him, and the sky as his limit, it might not be long before TJ becomes more well-known across the country, and perhaps across the pond.
(Photo Credit: Beau Chevalier/Vancouver FC)
From Watching Arsenal to Trialling in Europe
TJ grew up in a Ghanian-Canadian household in Maple Ridge, BC. It was a house whose love of football was founded in the English Premier League team of Arsenal. TJ’s father in particular was the one who ensured that TJ would continue that love of the game, both by helping him watch and play it.
“Every weekend, my dad would wake me up early in the morning so we could go watch the Arsenal game,” Tahid told AFTN. “Then after the game, we would go the backyard to do some training, like passing and shooting”.
One particular teaching that stuck with TJ was the idolization of one of Arsenal’s greatest in Thierry Henry, a player that “every generation teaches their kids about”. But there was one other player who caught TJ’s eyes when he was young.
“I watched many hours of Thierry Henry growing up, but in my time, Alexis Sanchez was my favourite player. I wore 17 because of him and tried to do everything he did on the pitch”.
It might then not surprise you that TJ started out his football development as a winger/forward. But according to TJ, it was not necessarily because of his influences, but rather his own physical advantages.
“I’ve always been the fastest and strongest in my age group… so for being a winger that definitely helps”.
And while his speed and strengths were definitely some prime assets for his game, it was his own football intelligence that allowed him to stand out and even prompted him to move into the midfield.
“Compared to other players, I saw that my technical abilities allowed me to play in the middle as that playmaker,” he said. “Having played as a winger and forward, [it gave me] that intelligence to know where, when and how to pass to the forwards”.
With a switch into the midfield, TJ’s career started to fast track as he started to get more and more opportunities to learn and grow, even including some trials in Europe and in the MLS. TJ attended some trial sessions for big teams like Villarreal in Spain and FC Midtjylland in Denmark, an experience he thinks has helped him immensely
“Going to different countries and playing with and against different kinds of players, it helps build up that football intelligence,” TJ feels. “You get to learn from [these] different kind of players and their skills. I feel like going around the world, playing against all those guys, really helped with my experience.”
It is then no wonder that he has been able to adapt to the league so quickly, after spending much of his football life travelling across the world to improve his game.
Stepping up to the big leagues came naturally
Now, at 16, TJ has become the modern version of a football player, in that he has developed his game not to just thrive in one position, but in many. A self-described “versatile player”, this mould is becoming more and more popular and important at the higher level, something that will definitely boost his popularity as his career progresses.
And perhaps there was then no better team for him to join that of Afshin Ghotbi’s Vancouver FC, as we have seen that Ghotbi is not afraid to experiment and move players around to adapt to certain situations. Maybe this was then why Ghotbi was so eager to get TJ into the squad, and onto the pitch.
On his new coach, TJ tells it as it is: “He just keeps it real. He has a good vibe to him, he knows how to read and handle the room. He has really helped me to exceed in my tactical, technical, physical and even mental part of my game”.
It is that last part that has impressed me the most, as there have been plenty of stories of players being thrust into the spotlight way too young and it damaging their football trajectory, but for TJ, it looks to be a different story
“I am a person that knows that I need to stay grounded. I [luckily] have all these people around me, like my coaches, that help me by telling me to ‘be humble’, and ‘don’t get ahead of yourself’”.
Such was TJ’s own self-discipline and confidence that when he got to the team, many of his teammates didn’t even know that he was 16. “They just treated me like everyone else”.
Another factor that favours TJ in his journey is that he has been able to get such an opportunity as to play for a professional side, just outside his hometown. Many players in the past have had to leave everything behind to go and pursue their dreams, but for TJ, he can continue to have the same support group that have helped him all this way, something he thinks can help many players that will come after him.
“It’s amazing because it also helps the club, having all these people [who’ve supported me] to come and watch the games,” TJ told us. “It’s also another pathway for the other kids in the Lower Mainland to grow and become pro”.
Work hard now to dream big later
Now as the league’s youngest pro, having already made his few couple appearances for the club, TJ is focused on what’s ahead.
“My goal is to help the team as much as possible, whether I play or not. When I’m on the field, I want to give it 100% and help all the other guys around me”
And while his future for now is with Vancouver FC, TJ, like any other young player, is dreaming big. He hopes to don on the red and white colours of his childhood team over across the Atlantic.
“My goal is to play for Arsenal, and I hope to see myself play in Europe in the next few years, whether its in England, UK or anywhere else in Europe.”
Chances may come for him sooner rather than later, not just for his club life but his national team career, as he is eligible to play for the Canada’s U17 team that just qualified for the U17 World Cup. It is an opportunity that has yet to be discussed, but one that he is more than open to.
But for now, TJ is in a wonderful spot for his career. Surrounded by a loving family that continues to support him, and playing for a team that embodies the right philosophy for his development, TJ has the world as his oyster.
And it might not be long before other local kids will be woken up early to go see him play on the TV, and spur them on to go achieve something greater.
(Photo: @FCDallas/Twitter)
Vancouver Whitecaps road woes continued in Texas on Wednesday evening, giving up the lead to a Jesus Ferreira double as FC Dallas took all the points in a 2-1 victory.
The Whitecaps haven’t won away from home since they beat Dallas 2-0 on June 18 last year. That’s 11 long months of away agonies. Only four players that started that game started this one, with four of that team no longer even in Vancouver. But the 2023 travelling party couldn’t replicate that road success, despite going ahead midway through the first half after Pedro Vite pounced on a Dallas defensive blunder.
Dallas didn’t look any great shakes themselves but had enough in their tank to grab all the points as Ferreira struck in the 37th and 54th minutes.
The third away match in eight days saw Vanni Sartini try and freshen things up with three changes to the starting line-up from the team that lost i Portland at the weekend.
Dallas edged the opening exchanges and had a couple of looks at goal, without testing Yohei Takaoka too much, although the Japanese keeper did produce a full length save to deny Ferreira in the 15th minute.
Vancouver took the lead in the 23rd minute after a massive helping hand from Dallas keeper Maarten Paes.
The Dutch keeper tried to play the ball out to his defender under pressure but only succeeded in passing it to Vite, who gladly accepted the gift to fire home into the empty net and give the ‘Caps the lead.
Pedro Vite capitalizes to put #VWFC on the board in Dallas.
Watch live on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/KJ7mltnAM0 pic.twitter.com/Al32vm9o5f
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2023
Neither team were looking dominant but Dallas turned it up a notch after falling behind and Mathias Laborda got an important foot on the ball in the six yard box to knock the danger away after a scramble in the 35th minute.
Two minutes later, however, and Dallas were level.
Jáder Obrian showed great tenacity 20 yards from goal, danced his way past a couple of Whitecaps and played a great ball forward to Ferreira in the box, who took a heavy first touch but had enough time and space to recover and volley home the equaliser.
Jesús Ferreira's at it again.
His 7th of the year pulls @FCDallas level. #DTID pic.twitter.com/wSepgl27qa
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 18, 2023
That was really it for the first half action and the teams went in level.
Dallas came out on the front foot to start the second half and almost capitalised on a deflection two minutes in but they didn’t have to wait too long to find that breakthrough.
It came in the 54th minute when Tsiki Ntsabeleng played in the Ferreira after blocking a pass and then dispossessing Ranko Veselinovic. The striker took a touch inside before drilling the ball past Takaoka to put the Texans ahead for the first time on the night.
Slicin' and dicin'
Jesús Ferreira gets his brace. pic.twitter.com/ETaJYIUufJ
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) May 18, 2023
Laborda brought a great save out of Paes two minutes past the hour mark, as the visitors pushed to get back on level terms.
Whitecaps sub Simon Becher nearly made another major impact off the bench when he rose well to get onto a Laborda cross but Paes denied him to keep the home side’s lead.
But Dallas saw out the game with ease, despite Sartini’s attacking substitutions.
It was another road performance that only had brief glimpses of what this team can produce. A defensive slip may have given Vancouver the lead, but one of their own then cost them the chance to prevent heading home from Texas empty handed.
The defeat sees Dallas open up a seven point gap on Vancouver, as the Whitecaps’ slow slide down the standings. They now sit in the ninth and final playoff position in the West at the conclusion of this match. With a tough home game coming up against a tough Seattle side on Saturday, they could very well finish the weekend below the playoff line with their recent eight match unbeaten run and shutout streak fading memories.
FINAL SCORE: FC Dallas 2 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 15,890
SCORING SUMMARY:
23’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
37’ – DAL – Jesús Ferreira (Jáder Obrian)
54’ – DAL – Jesús Ferreira (Tsiki Ntsabeleng)
STATS:
Possession: DAL 51.5% – VAN 48.5%
Shots: DAL 15 – VAN 7
Shots on Goal: DAL 3 – VAN 4
Saves: DAL 3 – VAN 1
Fouls: DAL 9 – VAN 12
Offsides: DAL 2 – VAN 3
Corners: DAL 5 – VAN 2
DALLAS: Maarten Paes; Ema Twumasi, Nkosi Tafari, José Martínez, Marco Farfan; Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Sebastien Ibeagha 70) , Facundo Quignon, Edwin Cerrillo; Jáder Obrian, Jesús Ferreira (Sam Junqua 82’), Alan Velasco (Bernard Kamungo 66’) [Substitutes not used: Jimmy Maurer, Jesús Jiménez, José Mulato, Amet Korça, Herbert Endeley, Nolan Norris]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović (Déiber Caicedo 79’), Ryan Raposo (Luís Martins 67’); Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf; Pedro Vite, Sergio Córdova (Simon Becher 67’); Brian White [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Karifa Yao, Sebastian Berhalter, Ali Ahmed, J.C. Ngando, Russell Teibert]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“It was, I think, a tale of two halves. They played better the first half, we played better the second half. I think it was probably an honest tie game. Unfortunately we conceded a bad mistake on the second goal, we have to be honest they made a bad mistake for our first goal. But in the first half we weren’t able to organize the pressure very well, we did it much better in the second half and in fact in the second half we won the ball much higher. We had a lot of chances to be honest, with Simon [Becher], with Brian [White], Mathías [Laborda], the penalty because it was a penalty for us. Unfortunately, both the referee and the VAR didn’t see it. Yeah, it’s very frustrating because last week we lost and we deserved to lose. This week we didn’t deserve to lose.”
What he told his players for the upcoming match against Seattle:
“We need to be better. We need to play better in the sense of we need to start the game better, we didn’t start the game well but we need to play like we played the second half, being the best team on the field, trying to play in between lines, trying to play wide for the crosses for our striker creating chances. That’s the only medicine we have in order to win Seattle and win on Wednesday in the semifinal.”
ALESSANDRO SCHÖPF
On the match:
“I think the first half we were staying a little too low. Of course we got in front 1-0, but I think, first half Dallas was the better team than us. But anyways, when you are 1-0 up, away from home, you have to defend your goal like lions and I think that was a little bit missing also in the first goal, okay second goal was a mistake, but for me, a little bit two easy goals that we conceded.”
On looking forward to the match against Seattle:
“We need to go on like we played in the second half. To go directly in the next game like the style we played in the second half and not starting playing like that from the minute 45 on. So I think we played well in the second half and that’s the style we want to do it and not only one half so we need to do it for 90 minutes. That’s the main point what we need to change of course, but of course away games are also a lot different than home games. I think home games you dominate the game more than away so that also would be really good to get points on the road. It’s really unlucky that we lost the last two away games. I think we need to start also to get points away. That’s our main target.”
FC DALLAS
NICO ESTEVEZ
On the win against Vancouver:
“Vancouver is a well instructed team with very good players, and they play a style that can make any team play slow and sloppy, which caused us the mistake even though we were playing better. But I am very proud of the team and the way the team responded.
On coming back:
“It is important for us to know that we can also score second. It is important to have a good mentality when being down because at the end of the day it is about the way we respond and execute.”
JESUS FERREIRA
On today’s game and the season:
“I’m just setting personal goals for myself and trying to better myself for the team. I’m finding that rhythm I had again, getting into pockets and spaces in the box. My teammates are trusting me to be the guy to score goals, and I’m happy we did a good job today. We knew how important it would be to get these three points at home, and now we have to turn around, recover and focus on Houston.”
On expectations for the season:
“The team is just focused on what we can do and control. We’re a team where everyone has the same goal. At the end of the day we’re a team trying to win games, make the playoffs, and win the MLS Cup. We all know that when someone is down we have to support them and continue on and push the next person. The level tonight was there, the guys were hungry and we showed that we’re here to get points. The guys suffered at the end of the game, but the important thing was that we managed to get the three points at home.”
TSIKI NTSABELENG
On the win:
“The win means a lot to us. We’ve been talking about it since the Austin game, staying consistent because we haven’t beaten them in a long time to bring the happy days out.”
On playing further forward:
“I’ve played further forward most of my career, playing deeper in the field was newer to me. I’m feeling comfortable and confident that I can perform at a high level.”
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat. As the feast of footballing action continues across the country, we’ll be talking Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, the Canadian Championship, and the FIFA U20 World Cup in this episode.
Vancouver Whitecaps MLS unbeaten run came to an unceremonious end in Portland on Saturday night. We chat about the main talking points coming out of the match, the areas of concern with the team right now, the busy schedule, and round up the weekend’s action in the MLS Western Conference and the CPL. Plus we look back at the ‘Caps Canadian Championship win over York United, along with the other eventful three quarter-finals.
We’ve two interviews for you this episode. Will Cromack joins us for his last chat as TSS Rovers head coach to look back at the team’s Canadian Championship adventure, how far the team has come, and how the game at this level needs to develop and grow moving forward.
We also chat with WFC2 midfielder Jay Herdmanas he heads off to Argentina to play for New Zealand in the FIFA U20 World Cup about the excitement of playing the hosts, how the opportunity came about, what he learned from being in Qatar with his dad, and his future hopes and plans.
All of this plus music from Ash, Conquer Divide, Käärijä, and Tropical Horses.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.31: Intro
03.47: Whitecaps fall to Timbers
27.45: MLS round-up
38.30: Canadian Championship chat
86.10: Will Cromack interview and TSS chat
113.45: Canadian Premier League round-up
133.05: Jay Herdman interview and U20 World Cup chat
141.18: Wavelength – Tropical Horses – Sunday Soccer Fuck Your Mother
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat. As the feast of footballing action continues across the country, we’ll be talking MLS, CPL, and the Canadian Championship in this episode.
Vancouver Whitecaps extended their unbeaten MLS run to eight games at the weekend with a crucial win over Minnesota United. We look back at the main talking points coming out of the match, talk attendances again, round-up the weekend’s action in the MLS West, and Sporting Director Axel Schuster addresses the Diego Lainez transfer rumours with Har.
Turning our attention to the CPL, we look at the historic match in Langley on Sunday as Vancouver FC played their first home game in their new stadium. We delve into the controversial game against Cavalry and give a first hand account of what the initial stadium and supporter experience was like. We also chat with VFC co-owner Rob Friend about the long journey to get this team off the ground, the difficulty in attracting more local players to the side, continuing to build upon a strong start off the pitch, the sustainability of the league, and more.
It’s also a week of Canadian Championship action. We preview the only two quarter-finals that matter and look ahead to the big one, the BC derby between Pacific FC and TSS Rovers. We hear the thoughts of Pacific head coach James Merriman and we chat with TSS head honcho Will Cromack. Is another cupset on the cards? Plus while we’re loving cup football and the lower leagues, we chat about MLS Commissioner Don Garber seemingly dissing those things south of the border.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.29: Intro
06.50: Whitecaps extend unbeaten run to eight with win over Minnesota
25.35: MLS round-up
35.25: Whitecaps crowd woes
38.00: Axel Schuster addresses the Diego Lainez rumours
44.25: Vancouver FC’s first home supporter and stadium experience
70.33: Vancouver v Cavalry game analysis
84.37: Rob Friend interview and discussion
111.10: Canadian Championship chat
124.15: Will Cromack interview
131.52: Don Garber disses lower leagues
138.25: Wavelength – Funky Red Pandas – KarlHeinz Rummenigge
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
It was a historic occasion at Willoughby Community Park on Sunday as Vancouver FC’s new stadium was unveiled and open to fans for the first ever time against Cavalry FC. And while the result ended in a stalemate, there was enough dramatics to go around in this one, as a controversial red card, a fluke goal, and a record-breaking teen made this match one to remember.
Vancouver Resilient After Ridiculous Red Card
The match did not go as many Vancouver fans would have wanted it to go on such a special occasion. For inside 30 minutes, Rocco Romeo, who went up to challenge a loose ball against Myer Bevan, saw red from the referee. At first glance, it didn’t seem like there was much in that challenge. Sure, Romeo probably went a bit to rough in on the jump, and likely deserved a yellow for his troubles, but it seemed like a red card was way too reactionary from the man in the middle. Even on the replay, it still looked like it didn’t warrant anymore than a caution, but without VAR in play, the decision stood.
And you could be forgiven if you were Afshin Ghotbi and you decided to go park the bus and play five at the back with 10 men, but credit to the Iranian coach for wanting to stick to his game plan. Vancouver shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3 and a 4-3-2 at times. They kept their defensive structure, moving Ibrahim Bakare at centre-back and Kadin Chung at right back, and never really looked like they were getting overwhelmed.
The goal they conceded was uncharacteristic, as it came off a poor clearance, but for the majority of the match, they kept Cavalry quiet. Ibrahim Bakare, playing on his 21st birthday, was immense after the red card, and deservedly got the Man of the Match. He was playing with such confidence and exuberance, he even made a dizzying run down the middle of the pitch past four or five defenders, epitomizing his quality on the pitch.
Overall, Afshin can be proud of his team’s efforts, as they didn’t back down when faced with a monumental challenge, and rose to the occasion after going down a goal and a man.
History-Maker TJ Tahid: One to Watch
Going into this season, it was clear that Vancouver had a philosophy that was based on developing and playing with youth. But even with that philosophy in mind, I’m sure no one was expecting that Afshin Ghotbi would throw on a 16 year old player, making his debut as the youngest ever to play in the CPL, with 10 minutes to go and only 10 men. But once again, Ghotbi showed his wisdom and faith in the team’s younger players by bringing him on and the Burnaby teen slotted into the team seamlessly.
Cool as a cucumber, he went in and challenged players that were nearly twice his age, connected the play well, was intelligent in his runs and passes, and overall made a very tidy cameo. After the match, he was all smiles as he explained how incredible it was to feature in such a massive game.
“It was amazing, especially being at my home,” Tahid told reporters. “With the fans, my friends, and family, everyone’s here to watch. It’s beautiful.”
To be able to field such a young player, you need to have complete faith in him and Ghotbi drew on the fact that he has coached young players before, and he knows when it’s time to field them.
“I believe in youth,” Ghotbi stated. “I believe that age doesn’t play [a big role]. TJ, he has a temperament of a 25 year old, he has no fears. You could put him into a stadium with 100,000 fans in the World Cup and he would perform just the same.”
High praise from a man who has been all over the world and seen hundreds of young players in his 40 year career. Do not then be surprised if the name TJ Tahid becomes more well-known in the coming years.
Cavalry Toothless Despite Advantage
Cavalry had the full intention of going into the match to ruin the party, and the stage looked set up for it as well after Romeo’s early red card. But the Calgarians did not make much of their man advantage in Langley, taking 18 shots but only mustering three on target. One of those was the goal, while two of them were in the last five minutes of added time.
Perhaps some of it can be due to Vancouver’s determination to not break or bend, but much of it is on how this Cavalry side played. It seemed like the Cavs were too eager in how they attacked Vancouver. At times it looked like they were played a 4-2-4 in possession, which allowed Vancouver to match or overwhelm the midfield with their 2/3 man midfield.
Ali Musse was a ghost on the pitch, hugging the sidelines and never really getting all that involved. They had some success on the left wing, but the service wasn’t fantastic and when they did get the ball in, the forwards weren’t clinical enough to get shots on target. Even with 10 men, it looked like Vancouver were pretty comfortable in their defence.
It improved in the second half a bit with the introduction of Fraser Aird at right back. It seemed like that sub brought more bite on the right, that allowed Cavalry to have a couple really good chances at the end that were brilliantly met by Callum Irving, but in the end, it just feels like Cavalry are missing that extra spark of quality to put a team to the sword and see out a result. Overall, it was a missed opportunity for the visitors, who are still winless in all competitions so far in 2023.
* You can see all of AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk’s photos from the game over on our Flickr page and in the slideshow below: *
It’s a momentous day in the lower mainland as Vancouver FC play their first ever home match in the CPL. Cavalry FC are coming to town and to get you ready for the match we bring you audio from owner Rob Friend, head coach Afshin Ghotbi, and goalkeeper and captain Callum Irving in a special 53 minute AFTN extra episode. Plus we hear some thoughts from the man looking to be spoiler on the day, Cavs head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
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Streaks are made to be broken, and while Yohei Takaoka’s new club record 433 minutes without giving up a goal was unceremoniously ended by Minnesota United’s Michael Boxall, Vancouver Whitecaps extended their unbeaten MLS run to eight matches with a hard-fought 3-2 victory at BC Place on Saturday evening.
A Brian White brace and a goal for Simon Becher within 29 seconds of stepping onto the pitch saw the ‘Caps get over the line, although Jeong Sang-Bin’s 65th minute goal and a string of late chances for the visitors made things a lot closer for comfort than the Whitecaps would have liked.
Vanni Sartini moved away from the Christmas tree formation for this one, tinkering just slightly to send the team out in a 4-3-1-2 shape, with just one change from last week’s draw with Colorado as Alessandro Schopf returned from injury to replace Ali Ahmed in the midfield.
The Whitecaps were on the front foot from the start and carved out the first real chances seven minutes in when Julian Gressell played the ball across the visitor’s goal but just beyond the reach of Pedro Vite to tuck it away.
The breakthrough came in the 17th minute after some fantastic pressing play by Andres Cubas saw Wil Trapp turn the ball over. The Paraguayan pounced on the loose ball and played a perfectly weighted pass forward for White to run on to. The ‘Caps striker left his Minnesota defender Miguel Tapias trailing, bore down on goal, and coolly slotted the ball home under the onrushing Dayne St Clair to give Vancouver a deserved lead.
Brian White slots it home to open the scoring for @WhitecapsFC! pic.twitter.com/FQozmU5iUg
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
It was the first Whitecaps goal in 213 MLS minutes and almost immediately after, Takaoka surpassed the club’s MLS clean sheet record when the clock ticked past the 18th minute.
But the Whitecaps wanted more, continuing to take the game to Minnesota.
A Julian Gressel cross-come-shot was parried away by St Clair in the 20th minute and the ‘Caps kept pressing, but from nothing really, Minnesota got themselves back on level terms in the 33rd minute, as Takaoka’s shutout streak was abruptly ended at the 433 minute mark.
The ‘Caps keeper failed to collect the ball from Sang-Bin’s corner, dropping the ball under the attention of Robin Lod. As the ball bounced around in the six yard box, Kiwi international Boxall was there to poke the ball home like a dagger into his former side’s heart and tie things up.
Game on!@MNUFC find their equalizer off the corner kick. pic.twitter.com/2YJAmT45AH
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
The Whitecaps should have gone in to the break with the lead when the ball came to White in front of goal in the 45th minute from a great cross in from Gressell, but the striker’s first time effort was kept out by the leg of a diving St Clair. Credit to the keeper on the big save but White had to keep it away from shooting straight at the keeper.
Moments later St Clair came out to deny White with another leg save. As the ‘Caps kept the pressure on from the loose ball, Ryan Gauld whipped the ball in to Vite, but he could only direct his header well wide.
A promising, if ultimately unproductive end to the first half, but the Whitecaps kept their pedal to the metal after the restart and were rewarded with a second goal for White in the 52nd minute.
As Minnesota failed to clear the danger from a corner, Ranko Veselinovic got his head on the ball to knock it forward to White, who finished off his cock/thigh (subject to debate!) from close range, getting a clattering from St Clair for his troubles, but looking on as the ball trundled over the line to put Vancouver ahead once again.
.@WhitecapsFC retake the lead early in the second half! pic.twitter.com/CfAD91QeWu
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
Delight was to quickly turn to despair for White, who was suffering the ill-effects from the St Clair clattering and had to be subbed off. Becher was the man to replace him and talk about making an immediate impact as 29 seconds after stepping onto the pitch, the young striker was bulging the net with Vancouver’s third.
Cubas forced another Minnesota turnover, pressuring Lod into a sloppy backpass that was intercepted by Gauld. The Scotsman then played a perfect pass outside for Becher to drill home and give Vancouver a 3-1 lead with 56 minutes gone.
Simon Becher makes it 3-1 in favor of @WhitecapsFC! pic.twitter.com/Vy0PbVRQL0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
But if the ‘Caps thought they could breathe a bit easier, the Loons had other ideas and pulled one back in the 65th minute.
Lod played a delightful through ball to Sang Bin, who somehow managed to find himself wide open on the edge of the box, and the South Korean forward made no mistake in firing past Takaoka to give the visitor’s some hope.
The set up.
The finish! @MNUFC pull one back. pic.twitter.com/zLJSwnUrwQ— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 7, 2023
The goal sparked the visitors into life and they sensed they could get back onto level terms, and they should have.
Minnesota sub Mender Garcia had a couple of chances to get that goal, first of all unable to dig the ball out of the turf to finish off a cross and then bringing a save out of Takaoka in the space of a minute.
Minnesota nearly grabbed a dramatic 95th minute equaliser when Sang-Bin curled one inches wide of the postage stamp corner, but Vancouver breathed a collective sigh of relief and held on for a big three points in a match Sartini had described as a “must win”.
It was a deserved, and much needed, win for the Whitecaps and one that moves them up to 7th in the Western Conference standings. They’ll certainly be hoping that White’s injury isn’t too severe with a heavy schedule of matches coming up. If it isn’t and they can get White and Becher fully firing and converting more of the chances that they are creating, they could get some key points on the board before the tough summer months kick in.
Next up though is the Canadian Championship and a long trip east to take on CPL side York United on Wednesday. The defending champs will certainly want to start that campaign off in style.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – 2 Minnesota United
ATT: 14,047
SCORING SUMMARY:
17’ – VAN – Brian White (Andrés Cubas)
33’ – MIN – Michael Boxall
52’ – VAN – Brian White (Ranko Veselinović)
56’ – VAN – Simon Becher (Ryan Gauld)
65’ – MIN – Sang Bin Jeong (Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Robin Lod)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 47% – MIN 53%
Shots: VAN 17 – MIN 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – MIN 5
Saves: VAN 3 – MIN 3
Fouls: VAN 8 – MIN 9
Offsides: VAN 1 – MIN 0
Corners: VAN 8 – MIN 5
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins (Ryan Raposo 78’); Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Russell Teibert 64’); Pedro Vite; Brian White (Simon Becher 55’), Ryan Gauld (Mathías Laborda 78’) [Substitutes not used:
Thomas Hasal, Déiber Caicedo, Sergio Córdova, Sebastian Berhalter, Ali Ahmed]
MINNESOTA: Dayne St.Clair; D.J. Taylor, Michael Boxall, Miguel Tapias, Kemar Lawrence; Wil Trapp (Hassani Dotson 78’), Robin Lod; Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Ménder García 66’), Sang Bin Jeong, Franco Fragapane (Brent Kallman 66’); Luis Amarilla (Joseph Rosales 29’) [Substitutes not used: Clint Irwin, Eric Dick, Zarek Valentin, Cameron Dunbar]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the performance:
“We are very good but we are growing a lot. We have never been a team who has to manage a lot of leads, and we need to be better at that. We scored, ok let’s keep our business intact, let’s keep the ball a little more and go on.”
On managing the game:
“I think in the first half we were too excited. We didn’t manage the game like we managed in the previous games, by keeping the ball in possession more. We wanted to go at them every time. That brought us a lot of chances, but also it’s a huge amount of energy and you could see that at the end we weren’t brilliant like we normally are.”
On his squad’s depth:
“I think that Simon [Becher] is an extremely good weapon to the team, especially when the game goes forward and sometimes even when starting the game. So yeah it’s a good thing to do, we had Déiber [Caicedo] and Sergio [Córdova] on the bench today. So you guys, again I’m saying this like a broken record, this year is going to be special, because we have a very good team.”
On facing York United in the Canadian Championship next week:
“It’s a big challenge, because we have to travel across the country and travel for five hours. York is a good team. On the other fact that the situation that they unfortunately are [in], I think it’s going to give them an extra motivation to play against an MLS team, to try to make something special even from a difficult situation they are in. To be honest, last year when we played in the semi final against them, they were extremely organized defensively. So I think it’s going to be really hard. Of course, I think we are going to have more of the ball than them we’re going to probably be on the front foot more than them. But I don’t think it’s going to be easy. We need to be very careful, because in this game everything can go on the wrong side and then it’s going be a disaster, so let’s go to the next one.”
BRIAN WHITE
On his goals:
“For the first one, I just got it, started running, Andrés [Cubas] played a good ball in. The second one, I saw Ranko was going to go for that header so I just tried to stay alive in the box and I was able to get a thigh on it and knock it in. It was important to get three points at home. It’s a big thing for us after a lot of ties, so it’s pretty good to finally get three points.”
On the attacking depth:
“We’ve got good players in good positions, there’s always going to be competition to play. That’s what brings out the best in players and it’s good to have three healthy forwards and see how many goals we can get, it’s a good thing to get a healthy goal competition.”
ALESSANDRO SCHÖPF
On the win:
“I think it was very good. It was a good game from us, especially the first half. I think we had like three or four big chances to score. We only scored one but if you see all the 90 minutes it was a very good game.”
On his first start since coming back from injury:
“Yeah I felt good, I was out for four weeks, I still need to improve a little bit my match fitness. It’s totally different to only train and play 65, almost 70 minutes. So yeah of course, but it will come with training with every game I get now. First start was good, I hope to do even better on the next games.”
Sunday will be a historical day for Vancouver FC, as it will inaugurate its new stadium for all of Langley and the Lower Mainland to see. The momentous occasion will mark the true beginning of the club, as it will cement its place as the Lower Mainland’s home team in the CPL. But fanfare and history will have to be put on pause as soon as the first whistle blows, because Calgary’s-own Cavalry FC are there with the intention of ruining the occasion.
History Beckons in Langley
Although Vancouver FC have already played three matches in the CPL this season, and have scored a handful of goals, this upcoming home-opener will spark that feeling of novelty and significance all over again for the fans, coaches, and players of Vancouver FC.
Langley, who has had a rich history of soccer in regional leagues dating back to the 1960’s, finally has a team that they can all get behind in the CPL. And while the name initially sparked controversy due to where the club decided to call its home, it feels like Vancouver FC, having played pre-season games across the region and having printed the communities’ names across their jersey, has done enough to show that it’s representing all of the Lower Mainland.
For Rob Friend, ex-Canadian Men’s National Team player and owner of Vancouver FC, it all started with connecting with the soccer community in Langley.
“Community is number one [for us],” Friend told media on Friday. “And so how we access that community is through grassroot clubs. There is a lot of big clubs in this region, from Langley United, to Coastal to Surrey FC. We identified those clubs and asked ourselves ‘how do we work with them?’, and ‘how do we be accessible [to them]?
“Grassroots and community, those are the pillars we are founded on”.
Sunday will then provide the chance for the community to show their support for this new-found club, and cheer the team on as they try to embody what all that rich soccer history has culminated to.
“Right Now, We Are Below My Expectations”
When the final squad was announced before the beginning of the CPL season, quite a few fans and onlookers were a little apprehensive about Vancouver’s chances due to the lack of experience in such a young squad. However, three games into the season, Vancouver has shown that it can compete right up there with the big boys as they have gotten four points out of a possible nine.
Considering all three matches were away games, the start of the season was a sort of baptism of fire for the club, but they seem to have gone beyond expectations with their performances so far.
That is, if you are anyone but Afshin Ghotbi.
To the vastly experienced Iranian coach, he believes his team could have achieved more so far.
“I have a lot of experience in my job, I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and to be honest, I think we are below my expectations,” Ghotbi told media Friday. “I feel like there was something we could have taken out of all three games, and if we were a little bit more focused in front of the ball, and had taken our chances, we could have gotten all three victories.”
That strive for perfection is sure to drive his team to greater heights, but you could be forgiven to think that he is being a little harsh on his team. These results have put Vancouver third in the table when many were expecting them to hang near the bottom at the start.
Nevertheless, Afshin has clear expectations for what how he wants his team to play, what he wants this team to achieve, and where he wants the levels of this team to be ahead of this match against Cavalry. The question is can his players reach these lofty heights?
They’ve Come To Spoil The Party
While there is bound to be many celebrations, activities and memories being built in the stadium before the match, there is one group of people there whose sole purpose is to spoil the festivities.
But for club captain and number one keeper Callum Irving, he is prepared for that.
“We know that they’re going to be a tough team to beat on Sunday, and we know that they’re going to try to fully ruin our day,” Irving noted. “That’s just professional soccer for you”.
Cavalry come in hungry to break their winless streak of three games, especially after they have surrendered the lead four times across the three games. The Calgary based team has looked dangerous in attack, especially with the likes of Ali Musse, Myer Bevan, Joe Mason, and Mikael Cantave.
Musse in particular has been lighting it up down that right side for Cavalry, highlighted by that special assist that he crafted for Myer Bevan against Valour last weekend. And the forward line in general has looked relentless in their forward press, causing problems for backlines and goalkeepers aplenty.
But Ghotbi isn’t too overly concerned about Cavalry, instead focusing on his own trust in his team.
“I have so much belief and trust in my team since day one that we can handle anything that teams can throw at us,” Ghotbi feels. “Our players have shown that they can handle the pressure and handle the different types of football teams.”
Ghotbi insists that his team are prepared for what Cavalry are going to throw them, especially as one of the league’s most aggressive and physical sides, but realizes the same can likely be said for his team’s opponents.
“There are no secrets in the game [anymore], everybody sees everybody play, everyone has the technology to code every moment and look at opponents in a diligent way. [But] we’ve done our homework… and we believe we can match the physicality of any team we face”.
Come Sunday evening, this game will live long in the memory of those who will take part in the match, be them fans, staff or players. It will officially demarcate the beginning of a new legacy in Langley, and for all of the Lower Mainland. The home fans will simply hope that history will remember them as the victor.
After back-to-back scoreless draws the Whitecaps are clinging to a wildcard spot in the Western Conference as we move past the quarter-mark of the season. They are one of only three teams in the West with fewer than three losses, but the current inability to consistently get over the hump in matches has left the ‘Caps tied for 8th in the conference standings.
To be clear, not losing is a good thing! But when you hear the phrase “seven-match unbeaten run in MLS play”, you picture a little more than 11 points out of it. While the defence has been quite solid (now sitting at 410 minutes without conceding a goal), the offence has continued to not be able to get off the ground.
Advance metrics point to an amount of unluckiness for the ‘Caps, as FBref has them at third in the entire Western Conference in expected goals, which they have mightily underperformed. Brian White, for his part, is top three in the entire league in terms of expected goals underperformance.
Of course, goals are not scored on paper, but it does indicate that the ‘Caps are (usually) at least getting some chances when they play, they just haven’t been able to finish them. It makes selecting lineups a bit more difficult for Vanni Sartini, as he has to decide whether he feels the lack of goals in recent weeks has to do more with the overall process or with individual fortune in front of goal.
Sartini might have another option at his disposal quite soon, as Sergio Córdova is back in training after weeks on the sideline. The big striker was brought in precisely to solve the issues the ‘Caps are currently facing and will certainly get his shot once again to stake full claim to the #9 position when he is fit enough to do so.
At the back, Yohei Takaoka definitely deserves a shoutout. He saved a point by stopping Colorado’s penalty last weekend and has been named to the MLS Team of the Matchday two straight weeks. The ‘Caps current shutout streak is the fifth-longest such regular season streak in MLS in the last ten seasons, and if they make it to the 18th minute on Saturday night without conceding they’ll break the club’s MLS shutout streak record.
In the early stages of the season, I was quite skeptical of Tristan Blackmon being made a centre-back permanently in a back four, but I have to admit that he’s been quite solid in the role alongside Ranko Veselinović. The issue is that the ‘Caps have not been able to get consistent production from their fullbacks which has led to them being rotated through somewhat to begin this year.
Javain Brown started all but one match in April, but after a poor showing against the Rapids he could end up replaced by either Mathias Laborda or Ryan Raposo. The same goes for Luis Martins, with Ali Ahmed sliding to left back a real option with Alessandro Schöpf healthy once again.
This is a rematch from over a month ago, when the ‘Caps went into Minnesota in late March and stole a point off a 98th minute equalizer from Simon Becher. The lineup the Loons put out in that match was not representative of their full strength as they had half their regular starting lineup away on international duty.
Since these two teams last played each other, Minnesota has been on a bit of a slide down the standings, only picking up four points in their last five matches. That includes losing 2-1 in Chicago and 1-0 to Seattle in their last two trips away from home. The Loons are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the West but also one of the stingiest defensively, making them quite a similar profile to the team the ‘Caps just saw in Colorado. They’ve also averaged just 40% possession on the road this season.
Sartini has called this match a “must-win” for Vancouver. If the Whitecaps end up in a similar position to last weekend where Minnesota sets up shop and dares them to break them down, then we could maybe be in for another long night. Or maybe this will be the one where the floodgates open.
(Photo Credit: Scott Strasser/AFTN)
Four games into the 2023 season, Cavalry FC’s performances to date have been a double-edged sword.
On one side of the blade, an obvious positive is that the Calgarians are still unbeaten over 90 minutes. Even on the road against two of the CPL’s perennially strong clubs, Cavalry showed they will be tough to beat this season.
On the other side, Tommy Wheeldon Jr.’s side is still seeking their first win of the Canadian Premier League campaign. Then there’s the fact Cavalry’s Canadian Championship run is already over at the first hurdle, courtesy of their elimination via penalty kicks to Pacific FC.
In the league, Cavalry’s three points from three fixtures puts the team in sixth spot at the moment, tied for points with York United but below the Ontarians on goal difference. Cavalry is one of just three CPL clubs still seeking their first win of the league campaign, alongside HFX Wanderers and Atlético Ottawa.
Sixth place is a position that, 25 games from now, would land Cavalry outside of the CPL playoffs. That’s an unenviable situation the club has never been in throughout the league’s four-year run, and I’m sure they’ll be desperate to climb the table and resume their status as a CPL heavyweight as soon as possible.
Here’s a list of four takeaways I’ve noticed from Cavalry’s four matches to date:
(Photo Credit: Scott Strasser/AFTN)
1. The chemistry is not there – yet
Much like the 2021 roster, Cavalry is going through a significant rebuild at the moment. Eleven players from last year’s squad are no longer with the club, whether it’s due to their contract expiring, their loan period ending (Karifa Yao and Jean-Aniel Assi), or retirement (Mason Trafford).
These 11 players have been replaced by 10 newcomers, many of whom will be playing their first CPL season this year. While new faces like Shamit Shome, Jesse Daley, Bradley Kamdem, and Callum Montgomery bring impressive pedigree and resumes, it’s obviously going to take time for them to get used to the CPL and be properly blooded into their new team.
The same goes for Cavalry’s younger signings and U SPORTS picks like Eryk Kobza and Nikolas Myroniuk, who it seems will be called upon at least semi-regularly this season.
Cavalry’s lack of chemistry this season was most apparent in the second half of the game against Valour, when they struggled to string more than a handful of passes together and spent much of the game’s final minutes pinned in their own half. This lack of ability to keep possession was in stark contrast to Cavalry home games of previous seasons, when the team tended to dominate possession whenever they played at Spruce Meadows.
In the press conference after the game, I asked Tommy what the main focus would be in training this week, and his answer was pretty blunt: “Pass the ball around.”
(He did elaborate a little bit, at least).
“We should have been better,” he said. “We had chances. We were very average in possession today, which was disappointing because I thought last week, we had to grind and this week, we wanted to enjoy it.
“It was one of those that we didn’t do what we planned and worked on, and that’s what’s disappointing for me as a coach. I know this group is a very talented group, but they’ve got to show it.”
I agree with Tommy that player-for-player, this year’s Cavalry roster is clearly talented – perhaps more so than any other season. But it’s going to take time before they’re all on the same page with each other the way the players in 2019 or even 2022 were.
The chemistry is coming, though. Look no further than Cavalry’s goal against Valour last Sunday, which came down to some quick three-way understanding between Fraser Aird, Ali Musse, and Myer Bevan. Aird had the wherewithal to take his throw-in quickly, and after some skilled dribbling to get to the byline, Musse was able to pick out Bevan perfectly for a close-range tap-in – and the New Zealand striker knew exactly where to be.
Once Cavalry’s players have all properly meshed, fans should expect to see more fluid play like that – hopefully sooner rather than later.
(Photo Credit: Scott Strasser/AFTN)
2. The team lacks some “old heads”
I didn’t realize until after the Valour game how young Cavalry’s roster is this season. According to Transfermarkt, the average age of the team’s squad this year is 24.7. It might be the club’s youngest ever average roster.
There are only two Cavalry players in their 30s this season – Ben Fisk and Charlie Trafford, who are both 30. And Fisk hasn’t played yet this season, as he’s currently been unavailable due to injury.
In previous campaigns, Cavalry’s main veterans were Mason Trafford and Nik Ledgerwood. Both brought extensive resumes and provided that grizzled experience that teams at all levels can benefit from.
That’s not to say having a ‘2’ in front of your age automatically means you’re not experienced and that having a ‘3’ does. Some of Cavalry’s 20-somethings have been in the CPL and with the club since day one, such as the leadership team of Sergio Camargo, Marco Carducci, and José Escalante. Cavalry’s youngsters will have to lean on the wise words of this trio.
Where I think the lack of veteran experience has been apparent thus far is the team’s inability to see out games where they’ve taken the lead. In all three of their CPL matches, Cavalry held the lead, only for the game to ultimately end in a draw. I couldn’t help but feel that having someone like Trafford or Ledgerwood on the pitch to remind the younger players of what to do in those situations might have rendered a different result. That game management to date has been lacking.
Putting faith in youth is not necessarily a bad thing. Tommy Wheeldon Jr. has done so before to great success – recall his 2016 Foothills squad that made it all the way to the PDL final. I don’t want to come across as an Alan Hansen, I just think having a player or two who brings that “been there, done that” mentality can be beneficial.
3. Myer Bevan and Ali Musse have come to play
These two have been, in my opinion, by far Cavalry’s most impressive players to date. Myer Bevan has notably already equaled half of the goals total he achieved in all of the 2022 campaign, when he scored six in 14 outings.
In addition to his goals, Bevan is providing tireless effort up front. All game last Sunday, he was hungrily pressing Valour’s goalkeeper Rayane Yesli whenever the ‘keeper had the ball at his feet. More times than not, Bevan’s tenacity to hunt the ball down caused Yesli to hoof it out of bounds.
Wheeldon Jr. praised Bevan after both the Valour game and in last Friday’s press conference, adding the striker is repaying the faith the club showed in him by offering a two-year contract extension and the coveted “number 9” on his jersey. Like many strikers, Bevan seems to be the type that thrives when he has the full confidence of his coach.
Another Cavalry player I’ve been mightily impressed by this year is Ali Musse. He’s always been capable of producing moments of magic, whether it’s a direct free kick, a goal from outside the box, or by going on a mazy dribble past three or four defenders. But where fans have been frustrated with Musse in the past was his consistency and, at times, his defensive work rate.
Musse’s attacking performances thus far have been consistently strong. Particularly against Forge and Valour, he looked confident on the ball, and always capable of making something happen from nothing.
(Photo Credit: Scott Strasser/AFTN)
4. The fan support seems promising
Cavalry’s home-opener saw approximately 4,500 fans pack the stands at ATCO Field last weekend, setting a club record for the team’s best home attendance for a CPL match.
The impressive attendance on Sunday was understandable, considering Calgary was experiencing its warmest day of the year, with temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius. But nonetheless, I think the club and Spruce Meadows have done a good job of public outreach, and are starting to see these efforts pay off.
Concerns were raised in the off-season when Spruce Meadows announced they would no longer be offering matchday shuttle service to the venue from the Somerset-Bridlewood LRT station and back. Despite the loss of that service, I’m predicting Cavalry will still see an improvement from their 2022 attendance, when the team averaged around 3,400 spectators per home game.
My evidence of this is mostly anecdotal, admittedly. But it seems that after four years, the word about Cavalry has finally reached the public masses. I’ve heard multiple FM radio stations (even Airdrie’s!) mention or talk about the team, or offer free tickets as a contest prize. I’ve seen members of community Facebook groups in the town of Cochrane chat excitedly about the team and how fun their games are to attend.
Cavalry’s pre-season outreach this year included hosting clinics at Genesis Centre in northeast Calgary and even as far as Red Deer.
The club also has developed partnerships with several of Calgary’s youth soccer clubs. Hell, half the roster seems to be coaching youth soccer this season, whether for Foothills, Villains, Chinook, McKenzie United, or other local clubs.
It’s clear Cavalry and Spruce Meadows have done a good job promoting the team, and I’m expecting (and hoping) those efforts continue to pay dividends at the turnstiles this spring and summer.
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat for what was a veritable feast of footballing action across the country, as we talk MLS, CPL, League1 BC, and football books in this episode with lots of great chat, interviews, and audio.
The Whitecaps extended their unbeaten league run with a goalless draw against Colorado on Saturday. We pick over the bones of that one and dissect the positives and negatives around the team right now. They’ve turned it around defensively, but can they get the goals flowing or is further help required? Plus we look at some other talking points around MLS.
Our feature interview is with author Farhan Devji whose biography of Canadian superstar Alphonso Davies came out today. We chat to Farhan about Phonzie’s rise, his early life in Africa, his time at the Whitecaps, the move to Bayern Munich, and more.
Plus we round up the action across the opening weekend in League1 BC, hear from TSS Rovers head coaches Darren Russcher and Chelsey Hannesson, chat CPL, hear from Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi after his side’s latest point, and look ahead to the club’s first ever home game in Langley this Sunday.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.30: Intro
06.45: Whitecaps extend unbeaten MLS run to seven
28.13: MLS chat
36.25: Farhan Devji interview about his Alphonso Davies book
69.30: League1 BC chat
83.45: CPL chat with Afshin Ghotbi
117.15: Vancouver FC’s home opener is finally here
124.15: Wavelength – The Choice – Sunday Soccer
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credits: Scott Strasser/AFTN)
A second-half equalizer from Valour FC spoiled the party during Cavalry FC’s 2023 home-opener on April 30 at Spruce Meadows.
While the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the first half thanks to a goal from Myer Bevan, Valour equalized 10 minutes after the restart, when CPL newcomer Kian Williams roofed a shot over Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci from close range.
Valour took a stranglehold over the game after that goal, and finished the match on the front foot. In the end however, neither club was able to add to their total, and the match ended 1-1.
A third consecutive draw means Cavalry are still unbeaten this season, but also still chasing their first win of 2023. Their previous outings saw the Calgarians draw Forge FC 1-1 in Hamilton and Pacific FC 1-1 in Langford.
But while those two points would have felt hard-fought and earned, Sunday’s sunny outing at Spruce Meadows certainly felt like two points dropped.
“The first thing is, we’re disappointed to come out with a draw,” said Carducci during the post-game press conference. “We started the season off on the road and felt we earned two points there, whereas I feel we lost those points today.
“That’s the feeling we have. Credit to Valour for staying in the game and challenging us when we weren’t able to get that footing in the second half. Obviously, they scored. But like I said, we’re disappointed.”
As they’ve done so often at Spruce Meadows in previous seasons, Cavalry started the match on the front foot, as they sought to entertain the 4,000-plus fans who ventured out to ATCO Field on Sunday.
Striker Myer Bevan in particular was a spark plug for Cavalry’s offence, tirelessly hounding Valour goalkeeper Rayane Yesli every time he received the ball in the first half. More often than not, the New Zealander’s pressure was enough to force Yesli to either cough up possession or launch the ball out of bounds.
Bevan was rewarded for his efforts on 38 minutes, when he notched his third goal of the 2023 CPL season. A quick throw-in from Fraser Aird on the right-side touch line was corralled by Ali Musse, who took on his man, got to the byline, and laid the ball off perfectly for Cavalry’s number 9 to stab home from the top of Valour’s six-yard box.
Despite heading into the half-time break with a 1-0 advantage, Cavalry failed to maintain momentum as the second 45 minutes got underway. Valour, perhaps sensing some timidity from the hosts, began to take control of the game.
Valour’s pressure and comfort in possession paid off in the 56th minute, with Williams scoring his first CPL goal since joining the Winnipeg club from Iceland’s Knattspyrnudeild Keflavík.
On that play, right back Andy Baquero launched a ball into the box from the right, which eventually landed at the feet of striker Anthony Novak. The former Cavalry forward’s shot was deflected toward an unmarked Williams, who settled the ball before rifling it into the roof of Carducci’s goal from close range to level the score.
Valour controlled the bulk of possession and chances from that point forward, though Musse did come close to winning it for Cavalry late with a curling left-footed effort that Yesli was able to dive for and palm away spectacularly.
In the end, a share of the spoils was perhaps the fairest result for what had clearly been a game of two halves. Shots ended 10-9 in Cavalry’s favour, but Valour entered Cavalry’s defensive third 73 times, compared to 46 times by Cavalry.
Asked if Valour had spoiled the otherwise celebratory occasion of Cavalry’s first home match since last October, head coach/general manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. denied that, suggesting his side simply should have played better.
“That’s the brutal honesty,” he said. “We should have been better. We had chances. We were very average in possession today, which was disappointing because I thought last week, we had to grind and this week, we wanted to enjoy it.
“It was one of those that we didn’t do what we planned and worked on, and that’s what’s disappointing for me as a coach. I know this group is a very talented group, but they’ve got to show it.”
Considering their inability to keep the ball for long spells in the second half, Wheeldon Jr. added possession will clearly be a focus of Cavalry’s next training sessions as they prepare for their next match.
“I think we’ve got a full week of training, and I think that’s what we have to do,” he said. “We have to keep playing, keep getting the ball out, and keep developing chemistry.”
Cavalry will have a week to regroup before their season resumes on the road against CPL newcomers Vancouver FC on May 5. That match in Langley will be Vancouver’s home-opener, as Afshin Ghotbi’s side has played every game thus far on the road.
“It’ll be an exciting one for sure,” said Carducci. “Obviously, [it’s their] home-opener and we know they’ll be up for it. But I think as much as we’re disappointed [with today’s result], there’s positivity in that we know we can be better.
“I think you look at this game, there were moments where we let ourselves down – not the other way around. That’s a driving force for us to say we can be better and do more. It’s back to work this week.”
It was a night for both goalkeepers to stand tall at BC Place on Saturday evening, with both producing some key saves and leaving with clean sheets as Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids battled it out to a 0-0 draw in MLS action, extending the two teams; unbeaten streaks in the process.
Vancouver’s Yohei Takaoka brilliantly saved Diego Rubio’s 79th minute penalty to preserve the point, while Colorado’s William Yarbrough had five saves on the night, with a couple of spectacular ones in the process, to almost single handedly deny the ‘Caps who had 21 shots, but could only manage five of them on target.
Depending on your glass half empty, glass half full approach to life will determine how you view the Whitecaps and Rapids extended unbeaten run. The ‘Caps are now unbeaten in seven and have not conceded a goal in 410 MLS minutes, but only two of those matches have produced wins. Colorado are in a similar boat, with just one win in their six match unbeaten run. It enough to keep Vancouver’s heads just above the playoff line and Colorado’s below it, but these one point matches need to be turned into three point ones if they are to make a proper push for the postseason.
With everyone fit and at his disposal apart from Sergio Cordova, it was a nice position for Vanni Sartini to be in going into this game, especially coming off a week of rest as well. He made one change from the team that drew in Austin, with Pedro Vite coming back into the line-up for Simon Becher, allowing Brian White to move back up top in the lone striker role in a 4-3-2-1 formation.
And it was a lively start for the Whitecaps, who took the game to their visitors forcing a couple of early corners.
It was the Rapids who had the best of the early chances to open the scoring in the 17th minute, with Takaoka saving a shot from Keegan Roseberry and then Tristan Blackmon coming up with a big block to stop a shot on the rebound.
The Whitecaps responded immediately with a chance of their own as Yarbrough came up with a superb stop to deny White.
The ‘Caps were enjoying the better of the play and Julian Gressel sent a dangerous ball to the back post that was just too far ahead for Vite running in.
Neither team could find the breakthrough, with the Whitecaps doing the majority of the pressing and the Rapids happy to show their rugged defensive play to keep them at bay.
The Whitecaps started the second half much like the first, with Yarbrough producing another good save to keep out a Javain Brown shot just over two minutes after the restart.
Brown had another chance two minutes later, rising well to meet a pinpoint Gressel corner but directing his header narrowly past the right post.
Danny Wilson had the ball in the net for Colorado in the 56th minute, but referee Tori Penso had quickly blown it off for a foul by Lalas Abubakar on Takaoka.
Ali Ahmed was next to be denied by Yarbrough in the 65th minute, with the Colorado keeper smothering the danger, and two minutes later he came up with an even more impressive stop, tipping over a fierce dipping Luis Martins effort.
White had a chance in the 71st minute as the ball came to him at the back of the six yard box, but Yarbrough was there again to deny the Whitecaps.
While the Whitecaps were dominating possession and the shot count, their last of execution in front of goal again proved to be a concern and it nearly turned into a nightmare for them when the Rapids were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute when Jonathan Lewis got the better of Brown on the byeline and the Jamaican clumsily brought him down in the box.
Up stepped Rubio, only to be denied by Takaoka, who dived to his left to save the kick and keep the teams all tied up.
79’ | HUGE stop by Yohei Takaoka to keep us even!! Fighting for that clean sheet @yohei_takaoka41#VWFC 0-0 #Rapids96
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 30, 2023
With very little of note to round off the rest of the game, the Whitecaps had to settle for dropping two points at home. It could have been worse, but it should have been better. The positiveness of the defensive displays is offset by the lack of clinical finishing in front of goal at the end other. Back to back 0-0 draws maybe isn’t going to draw the fans through the gates in their hordes, it was another poor attendance on a glorious night for watching football, but it does at least get them a point on the board and keeps them in the playoff picture.
It’s a perilously hanging picture, though and with Minnesota United coming to town next week, they have to make sure they bang the nail in a little bit further and the ball into the back of the net.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 0 Colorado Rapids
ATT: 14,103
STATS:
Possession: VAN 61.6% – COL 38.4%
Shots: VAN 21 – COL 7
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – COL 2
Saves: VAN 2 – COL 5
Fouls: VAN 11 – COL 9
Offsides: VAN 1 – COL 0
Corners: VAN 13 – COL 1
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins (Ryan Raposo 82); Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Ali Ahmed (Simon Becher 70); Pedro Vite (Déiber Caicedo 82), Ryan Gauld; Brian White [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Mathías Laborda, Alessandro Schöpf, Karifa Yao, Sebastian Berhalter, Russell Teibert]
COLORADO: William Yarbrough; Lalas Abubakar, Andreas Maxsø, Danny Wilson; Keegan Rosenberry, Connor Ronan, Sam Nicholson (Jonathan Lewis 46), Steven Beitashour (Anthony Markanich 55); Max (Ralph Priso-Mbongue 89), Diego Rubio (Danny Leyva 89); Michael Barrios (Darren Yapi 70) [Substitutes not used: Marko Ilić, Sebastian Anderson, Michael Edwards, Kévin Cabral]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match
“I would say there’s a lot of thoughts, because I think you’re totally right. I think we were the best team, the team that attacked more. We had a lot of chances. But then at the end they had a very big chance with the penalty. So I told the guys to not put their head down, every point counts and if we keep playing like this we will win a lot of games. Unfortunately today I think [William] Yarbrough made three fantastic saves. The last one in the last minutes, I don’t understand how it didn’t go in. I think we had at least six, seven chances clear, and we didn’t score. We need to be better in the final third, not even in the final third because we’ve been good in the final third. We need to be better at capitalizing the chances, it’s been a little bit of the music this season. But it’s better this music than the music of not even having the chances. We need to focus maybe on the last chord of the music. Performance wise I think I’m satisfied, I’m happy.”
On drawing at home:
“I’m a little bit concerned on the draws here. When we draw in Austin, when we draw in Los Angeles, it’s okay. In this league, going away and taking a point it’s a good thing. So in order to be sure to be in the playoffs to be like fifth, sixth place, we need to do two points average here at home and one point away. So in this way we have [at least] 51 points and we are like fifth or sixth place. Okay, we’re a little bit behind at home because we had eight points in five games. If we win next game it’s 11 in six so we’re almost en route. We need to score goals. We played 10 games now and we’ve conceded only seven goals and the first four were in the two games. So in the last seven games we conceded three goals. And it’s not because we defend, it’s because we attack much more than the other team. We need just to capitalize more chances and we’ll start from Minnesota.”
YOHEI TAKAOKA
On his penalty save:
“That penalty save, I watched the player to see which side he kicks. I checked on the wrist, Youssef [Dahha] he gave me information, which is why I can make the save.”
On the shutout streak:
“I’m really happy about that. But I’m not defending. Everyone is working hard, so that’s why I can make the clean sheet, so I want to say thank you to all of [my teammates].”
TRISTAN BLACKMON
On the match:
“It’s another shutout for us, that’s the biggest thing. You have a bunch of individual performances that come together and obviously that translates to the clean sheet. So it’s not just me, it’s the backline, everybody plays a part. Obviously there is stuff to work on individually, but I’m happy with the performance and looking forward to getting more games with the break that we had.”
On maintaining focus against Colorado:
“I think we did a good job, throughout the games earlier this year we might have let things get away from us. I think we’re showing maturity in that aspect. Kudos to the guys being focused and locked in and trying to be locked in every single moment of the game. I think we did a pretty good job of that tonight.”
COLORADO RAPIDS
ROBIN FRASER
On the match:
“I was really proud of the effort of the group. Vancouver asked a lot of interesting questions in the way they play. I thought our guys adapted quite well and really fought, and big thing on the road is you want to make sure you give yourself a chance to win games. I thought through the work rate that we did, we gave ourselves a good chance. So, in the end, tie on the road is not the worst thing but we’re disappointed because we thought we did enough to win the game.”
On William Yarbrough’s leadership:
“That’s the exact comment. What does that exude to people around them. Center backs and goalkeepers have to be calm because when all hell breaks loose, they freak out then the rest of the team can freak out. If they are calm, it helps keep the team calm. Since Will’s [Yarbrough] gotten here, he has proven himself to be an absolute class goalkeeper and class teammate. He’s as important in the locker room as he is on the field. And he’s in a tremendous run of form at the moment. And you see the saves, and you see the saves he’s made all year, and I think it’s a pretty astute question to ask about not him as a goalkeeper, but about him as a leader. And what he has done since he has been here has been nothing short of sensational in terms of how he is in the locker room and how he is on the pitch.”
WILLIAM YARBROUGH
On the match:
“Tough game. I mean, Vancouver’s coming from a streak of six games unbeaten. We knew it was going to be tough—the conditions of the field, turf. We knew we were in for a challenge. And it goes to show you that we’re on the right path when you come out of this game. You know, it’s a little bit of a bitter feeling, thinking that you should have come away with three points. Point on the road isn’t bad. We’re still adding up points. We wanted three, but playing away from home, taking a point, I’m happy with it. But like I said, it shows you that we’re on the right track when you’re not content completely with not getting the three points when you know you had a chance to.”
On setting a new club record for most clean sheets all-time:
“Thanks for your comment, but it’s not something that’s in the back of my mind or was. You have to give credit to every player that plays for those clean sheets. It’s credit to the players who aren’t here and contributed to those clean sheets, to the players who are here now. And like you saw today, I mean, guys diving headfirst into balls, tackles, 50/50 balls, winning them, and you guys have to give credit to the entire team and also the players who contributed to these clean sheets who aren’t here anymore, because it’s a team effort. A clean sheet is 100 percent a team effort. Although I do immensely appreciate your comment, I think we have to give credit to the team as a whole for this new record.”
(Photo Credit: Pacific FC/Sheldon Mack)
Pick your cliché.
Home sweet home… Home is where the heart is… There’s no place like home.
Whichever you go with, it’s how Cavalry FC’s players, staff, and fans will be feeling when they make their long-awaited return to Spruce Meadows this Sunday for the club’s 2023 Canadian Premier League (CPL) home-opener against Valour FC.
After three consecutive games on the road – rendering two draws and a penalty-shootout loss in the Canadian Championship – Cavalry will hope having their own fans behind them will spur the club to their first competitive victory of the 2023 season.
Head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. seemed to be channelling Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz on Friday, during the pregame press conference.
“There’s no place like home, as Dorothy once said,” the fifth-year bench boss of Cavalry FC told the media. “We’ve always had a good home record, largely because it’s a phenomenal pitch, it’s a great stadium that our owners have invested into, and the fans just bring the noise.
“We can give the guys all the tactics they want, but the psychology of playing at home is immense, so we’re delighted to be back here.”
Sunday’s sunny outing will mark the first time Cavalry has played at Spruce Meadows since Oct. 15, 2022, when they tied Forge FC 1-1 in the first leg of their two-legged playoff semi-final. (Forge triumphed 2-1 in the ensuing fixture in Hamilton to book their berth in the championship final, which they subsequently won against Atlético Ottawa).
As pointed out on the CPL website, Cavalry boasts the best home record of all eight teams in the league dating back to the inaugural 2019 season. The Cavs have compiled a 26-6-6 record when playing on ATCO Field over the last four years, which bodes well for Saturday’s contest against Valour.
Speaking of their opponent, Cavalry will likely be keen to play the Winnipeggers, who are possibly still reeling from their against-all-odds cup-set defeat to League 1 BC club TSS Rovers in the first round of the Canadian Championship. While Valour is currently top of the CPL table with a 1-0-1 record, their elimination to TSS showed some defensive frailties that Cavalry will look to exploit on Sunday.
Cavalry has tended to have the upper hand over Valour over the years, and their overall series against the Manitoba club has been quite one-sided since 2019. Since the CPL’s inaugural campaign, Cavalry has compiled a 9-2-3 record against Valour. That might tip the scales psychologically in the Calgarians’ favour.
However, Wheeldon Jr. seemed in no mood to take Phil dos Santos’ side lightly, as evidenced by his positive remarks about Valour’s league performances to date in Friday’s presser.
“They’re good – we saw it last year when they were in the hunt [for a playoff spot],” he said. “Phil dos Santos has done a good job; he’s a very good coach, they play an exciting, attacking brand of football, they’ve recruited well, and it’s no surprise they’re going to be in the mix.
“We’ve certainly taken them seriously in our preparations, but we’ve got to play to our strengths.. and see if we can nullify theirs.”
When it comes to Cavalry’s strengths, at least so far this season, that seems to be that they’re a tough nut to crack. Despite playing on the road against two of the CPL’s perennially strong teams thus far, Cavalry has managed to hold off Forge and Pacific over 90 minutes on three consecutive occasions. While Pacific triumphed in the cup game in a shootout, that does come down to a bit of luck, at the end of the day.
Their unbeaten start is impressive given that Cavalry’s defence is admittedly quite new-look, considering the transfers of centre back Karifa Yao and left-back Bradley Vliet, and the retirement of former captain Mason Trafford. Newcomers Udoka Chima, Bradley Kamdem, and Callum Montgomery will look to fill in for those defensive departures this year, helping out the likes of mainstays Daan Klomp and Roberto Alarcón.
So far, the new defensive additions have slotted in nicely, as Cavalry hasn’t been beaten over 90 minutes yet this season.
Ahead of the defence, Cavalry has added former FC Edmonton and Montreal Impact player Shamit Shome and Australian A-League alumnus Jesse Daley to shore up the centre of the park.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Wheeldon Jr. touted the positive play of Shome already, highlighting the player’s intelligence on the ball, and his ability to keep possession and find space.
Wheeldon Jr. noted he is actually no stranger to Shome, having coached the Edmonton native nearly a decade ago when he was with the Alberta U16 provincial team.
Unfortunately for Wheeldon Jr., he won’t be able to call upon Shome this Sunday, as he mentioned the midfielder is still recovering from an injury he sustained in the second match against Pacific last weekend. That suggests Daley could get the call to start in Cavalry’s midfield instead.
Up top, Cavalry has seemed to form a budding striker-partnership between Joe Mason and Myer Bevan, who have already shown like they’ve been playing together for years. Bevan in particular is off to a hot start in 2023, having added two well-taken goals to his account already.
Bevan was another player Wheeldon Jr. praised on Friday, adding the Cavalry staff believed in the New Zealand international – who registered six goals last season – enough to present him a two-year contract extension.
According to Wheeldon Jr., Bevan has repaid the faith shown in him by the club admirably.
“He was hampered a little bit with innocuous injuries and muscle injuries, and he’s had a really good offseason, which is credit to him and our sports science team,” the coach said. “We just believed in him and told him he’s our number nine, so for him knowing that and having that faith, you get a better version.
“Not only does he know where the goal is, but he runs his socks off and he leaves everything out on the pitch. That’s what we want. He epitomizes the character of our team.”
Kick-off for Sunday’s encounter will be at 3 p.m. at Spruce Meadows. With temperatures forecasted to be the low-to-mid 20s Celsius, fans couldn’t ask for much better conditions to watch a football match.
For all of the Whitecaps’ woes in the CONCACAF Champions League (and in terms of generating goals in general), they’ve been slowly clawing up the MLS Western Conference standings since the first couple of weeks of the season.
The ‘Caps are currently riding a 320-minute shutout streak in MLS play, and are unbeaten in six straight league matches (two wins, four draws). They’re also tied with the Sounders for the second-fewest goals conceded in the West at just seven, which is quite good!
On the other end, however, outside of their shellacking of Montreal the ‘Caps have scored just six goals in their other eight matches. There’s not been a single Vancouver match yet this season where both teams scored multiple goals. It’s not always been pretty to watch!
After some time off the ‘Caps return to action Saturday night against Colorado, a team that is tied for the second-fewest goals scored in the West this season. On paper at least, this isn’t setting up to be the most electric of clashes.
BC Place has at least remained a difficult place for opponents to play, with the ‘Caps holding a 18-6-5 record at home under Vanni Sartini. Since the opening day loss to RSL fans have witnessed a draw and two shutout wins in MLS play at home, and the ‘Caps even held more than 50% possession in each of their last two home matches which feels unheard of for the club in recent years.
At least some of the credit for winning that possession battle has to go to the midfield, with the trio of Andrés Cubas, Julian Gressel, and Ali Ahmed providing a more dynamic presence than we’ve seen the last couple seasons. Alessandro Schöpf is healthy once again after a month on the sidelines, but he’ll be in a dogfight to regain a nailed-down starter position.
Sergio Córdova, meanwhile, is still some time away and the departure of Christian Dájome means some more minutes up front will open. Déiber Caicedo is a likely pick to take some of them as he gets fully re-integrated into the squad – he got a goal and an assist last weekend for Whitecaps FC 2.
The slotting of Brian White as more of a #10 is an interesting one, as he feels a bit clunky to be playing in that role. Sartini seems committed to making the 4-3-2-1 setup work rather than shifting to more of a 4-3-1-2 when both White and Simon Becher are out there, and I understand wanting to build a proper system but the attack has clearly not been consistent yet this season (not least because Ryan Gauld has continued to struggle to assert himself).
Looking at the visitors, the Rapids were dealt a big blow early in the season when their captain Jack Price ruptured his achilles. Cole Bassett also missed their last match (a 1-1 draw with St. Louis) due to injury, while former Whitecap Steven Beitashour is listed as questionable to play on Saturday.
Colorado is on a similar sort of run of form as the ‘Caps, unbeaten in five matches but four of them being draws. This means they’re still mired close to the bottom of the West but within striking distance of moving up – they would leapfrog over at least Vancouver with a win. The Rapids have won at BC Place once in the last eight seasons, a 1-0 victory in 2018 that saw Marcel de Jong score an own goal for the lone tally of the match.
After a hectic stretch of play the Whitecaps were given a weekend off to take a breather and hopefully re-calibrate. Depending on how results go elsewhere they could end the weekend anywhere from 6th to 12th in the West, showing how congested things are through these first couple months. We’ll see if they can keep pace.
On Saturday, Vancouver FC will face their furthest opponents in the league in Halifax Wanderers. Vancouver are coming off a historic first-ever win against York United, and have their home opener just a week away. But VFC will try to not let the past nor the future distract them from what will be a very tough match in Halifax.
“Its Going To Be Like A Chess Match”
Halifax is one of the five teams that has not won a game yet in the league, after a plethora of draws, but still boast one of the most intriguing sides in the league. Nicknamed the “Vaughnderers” after the appointment of Patrick Gheisar from Vaughn Azzurri, and his subsequent raid of their best players, HFX has surprised many so far this season.
With two draws in the league and one defeat in the Canadian Championship, on paper it looks like another underwhelming start. However, when looking at how they have performed on the pitch, the performances have begged to differ. Halifax have looked a team with great tactical discipline, being secure in their pragmatic 4-1-4-1 formation. They are a team that love to keep the tempo of the match, recording the most passes-per-minute in the league so far, and second in passes per 90. Perhaps their greatest asset has been one of the most underrated acquisitions of the off-season in Lorenzo Callegari.
The former PSG Academy product has looked the real deal in just two games. He has the most passes in the league with 174, and is second in the most passes into the final third with 33. He is a through-and-through pace-setter, capable of slowing and accelerating any game just with his passing. He is also proficient at just slipping past challenges, and gliding through the half-spaces. It is then no wonder he has been many HFX fans’ new favourite player.
Ahead of facing such a team, Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi admitted that he relishes the challenge of playing a “team that is structured and organized” but he also noted that his team was as well. He believes that tomorrow’s match is going to be like a “chess match” and he hopes all the fans will tune in to watch this tactical battle.
Defensive Structure & Counter-Attack To Glory
While Vancouver had to wait until their third competitive game to score their first ever goal, they have impressed in their defensive resilience. In the league, they have the most defensive duels per 90 (197), the most interceptions (104), and the second most shots blocked (12). A great part of this goes down to VFC’s defensive structure, that is capable of shifting from a 4-3-3 to a 5-2-3 with great ease thanks to Kadin Chung. Another important factor of this is in the personnel they have. They have three big physical defenders in Rocco Romeo, Eugene Pele Martinez, and Ibrahim Bakare. Romeo and Pele are fantastic at reading the game and being able to step in and intercept the ball before it becomes dangerous, hence why they are second and fourth in interceptions in the league, respectively.
Meanwhile, Bakare is another versatile player at Ghotbi’s disposal, being able to play on as a right-sided centre-back or an outright right-back. He has so far shown his excellent ability to challenge players and show bravery in front of them, hence why he is leading in shots blocked in the league so far. But we cannot forget about the club captain in Callum Irving, who leads the league in shots saved with 11, and who has bailed out Vancouver the few times they have been caught out at the back.
But for all their defensive prowess, a team needs to be able to score goals to win matches, something that took over 180 minutes of competitive play to occur. But Ghotbi has a clear plan on how to achieve that while maintaining his sides defensive structure, and that is through counter attacks. Ghotbi mentioned in the press conference before the match that he had trained his team to “be able to counter attack with four or five players” as soon as he saw the fixture list. Playing three games away from home is always tough, so Ghotbi wanted to be able to ensure that Vancouver could still be dangerous in the attack, even when they are pinned back by the home team.
Tomorrow’s match will be a test of patience for Vancouver, as they face a side who are not hurried to overcommit players unless the moment is right. They will then have to make sure that they are clinical enough to take those chances when HFX might slip-up, or else face a very tough afternoon in Halifax.
The 2023 League1 BC season gets underway this weekend and we’ll have you covered every step of the way again here at AFTN over the season and beyond. We wanted to add to our coverage of the league this year and bring you some of the in-depth stories and thoughts from those on the ground, the players. So we’re delighted and excited to announce that we’ve added Altitude FC women’s player Taya Shokker as a regular columnist on AFTN where she’ll be bringing you just that, from what it’s like to be a player in the league, her goals and aspirations as a footballer, the highs and lows of the season, and a lot more. Here’s her first piece for us.
**Earlier this month Altitude FC started preseason training, preparing for our first match at the end of April against Rivers FC. The excitement and nervousness of showing up at practice had nearly paralyzed me… nearly. The joy of being back with the club won out, and I couldn’t contain my smile through the first session. No amount of fitness could wipe the grin off my face, and the number of laps we ran makes me think the coaches tried. Altitude’s head coach – Faly Basse – usually reserved, looked just as thrilled as I was to see the team together again.
During the first week of preseason, it was so nice to see familiar faces and welcome new ones. I’d worried how Altitude would feel after so many months apart, but with each passing day, the team feels more and more united. Each practice brings us closer. Our strength as individuals and as a club continues to grow as we approach the beginning of the season.
Putting on the familiar white and blue Altitude colours brings me back to last season – the nerves, uncertainty, and passion. Being part of the historic inaugural season was an honour. My experience was a mixed bag of good and hanging in there. The season is already tough as it is, with so many games in the scorching heat, but being the youngest player for Altitude and dealing with anemia gave me a lot to overcome. I knew how much I’d grown over the season but my own ambitions felt unsatisfied. I parted with Altitude with a fiery determination and desire to come back stronger next season.
All through the fall and winter, I had my sights set on one goal; coming back to Altitude with everything I needed to succeed – the strength, speed, and confidence to compete with the talented women in League1 BC. Coach Faly once said, “all you need is a moment to prove yourself. Thirty seconds can change your life.” Last year so much of my struggle came from not feeling like I could attain the level I wanted to. There was still so much distance between myself and what I knew I could be. This season I feel a step closer to the ideal version of myself, on and off the pitch. And that is beyond exciting.
As the season opener approaches, I’ve had some time to gain perspective and reflect on how far I’ve come. The accomplishments along the way, small and great, have gotten me where I am now. Altitude is a milestone. It’s not the top of the mountain but it’s a lookout along the way. It’s a chance to breathe and look back at the younger me who so desperately dreamed of one day climbing as far as I have. I know exactly what my younger self would say if she saw me now, “You? Really? Impossible.”
Back then, the steps felt as wide as a football pitch is long – too far to jump and no clear way across. Knowing what I do today, it doesn’t feel quite as impossible. And this is why being heard is so important to me. Using my voice, especially when I’m unsure. Being seen, especially when I’m afraid. It might mean something to someone. It would have meant the world to me at that age. Just knowing a path exists is all it takes to dare
to dream a little bigger.
This season is important to so many aspiring young footballers in the province. Season two of League1 BC represents the excitement we feel for the development of opportunities in Canada. It represents hope and passion for football. And it represents a new trail being forged. Another path around the mountain. This season reminds us that there are steps to reaching the top and they’re not impossible when you take a running leap.
Going into this season, my head and heart are in the best place to make the most of it. I’m playing for something much bigger than myself and that’s always more fulfilling. Every time I put on my gear and lace up my boots, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride and responsibility to leave the game better than I found it.
This season we keep reaching new altitudes.
The Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) stranglehold on the BC Provincial A Cup will continue for at least one more year after last weekend’s two semi-finals saw two of the top teams from the league advance to this year’s final.
VMSL teams have lifted the famous old trophy every year since 2011 and their dominance of the tournament will continue in 2023 with either back-to-back defending champions BB5 United CCB completing the threepeat or Croatia SC winning their third provincial championship and their first since 2016.
Both teams were made to work hard to battle through their respective semi-finals, with BB5 securing a narrow 1-0 victory on Friday evening and Croatia needing penalties the following night to book their berth and set up a rematch of this year’s VMSL Imperial Cup final.
With all the off the pitch drama surrounding FC Tigers expulsion from the competition over, the on-field action got back underway at Newton Athletic Park on Friday evening as VMSL Premier Division champions BB5 played host to the team that pushed them all the way to the title, Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves.
The two regular season meetings between the sides had produced two cracking matches and a plethora of goal, with BB5 winning the season opening match 4-3 in September and the teams drawing 3-3 in their second meeting in November. While it wasn’t to be as high a scoring encounter this time around, it was another entertaining match nonetheless.
The closely contested affair saw both teams head in at halftime scoreless, but BB5 opened the scoring just two minutes after the restart when Nic Morello saw his shot from a tight angle saved by the Coquitlam keeper, but the rebound fell perfectly for his and he tucked it away to the far post to give the Surrey side the lead.
That lead was to last just eight minutes before Metro Ford got back on level terms when Justin Wallace rose superbly to head home a cross in from the left, setting up an exciting final 35 minutes.
Both teams pushed for the winner, and both had their chances to get it, but in the end it was Ivan Mejia capitalising on a poor headed clearance from a young Coquitlam defender that secured the win for BB5, drilling home the ball from 12 yards out and capping off a fantastic three days that had seen him score what proved to be the winner for TSS Rovers in their Canadian Championship win on the Wednesday and then the winner to send BB5 to another Provincial Cup final just 48 hours later.
You can see our highlights from the match HERE and in the video below:
Final berth booked, it was a case now of whether we’d see an all-VMSL final or a second straight VMSL versus FVSL match-up as Croatia SC took on Fraser Valley Soccer League runners-up Abbotsford United at a very wet and wild Burnaby Lake on Saturday evening.
It was your proverbial game of two halves, with Abbotsford having the better of the first half and creating a couple of great chances to take the lead, which they were unable to take. The second half saw a complete turnaround, with Croatia dominating the play and having several opportunities to break the deadlock, but their finish simply wasn’t there.
With the 90 minutes up and the teams still goalless, BC Soccer’s new no extra time rule saw the teams head straight to penalties for the first time in this year’s competition. And what a penalty shoot-out it proved to be.
Croatia were first up to the mark and drilled their opening spot kick straight down the middle. Abbotsford weren’t to be so fortunate and Croatia keeper Justyn Sandhu produced a great diving save to give the VMSL side the early advantage.
The next four kicks were all converted to give Croatia a 3-2 lead in the shootout after the first three rounds. Croatia then saw their next penalty saved, but the Abbotsford keeper was adjudged to have come off his line and the referee ordered the kick to be retaken. Choosing to go to the same side, this time the penalty crashed off the right post and Abbotsford were handed a lifeline that they took, levelling the shootout up at three apiece.
With both teams converting their final kicks off the initial five, we were heading to sudden death.
The next seven kicks were all tucked away before the decisive 18th kick of the shootout saw Sandhu produce another fantastic save to his left to turn the Abbotsford shooter away and give Croatia the victory 8-7 on penalties, sparking jubilation from the team and their supporters.
You can see our highlights from the match HERE and in the video below:
Another all-VMSL battle now awaits in the final, with BB5 United CCB and Croatia SC set to square of at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex at 7pm on Saturday evening.
BB5 will certainly head into the final as favourites, but it took a last ditch Matteo Polisi penalty to give them the 1-0 win over Croatia in last month’s Imperial Cup final. That game certainly wasn’t a classic and both sides will certainly hope to play a lot better with the provincial title on the line.
The biggest disappointment surrounding the final, however, is the timing of it, clashing as it does with the start of the new League1 BC season and decimating TSS Rovers’ team for their first game as defending champions as a result. A Sunday final would have avoided the clash and let players turn out for both their teams over the weekend. The game will also clash with a Vancouver Whitecaps home match, which if you’re trying to grow the game and get more eyes on the local teams, it’s very disappointing. Poor scheduling by BC Soccer that hopefully will be addressed for future finals.
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer chat for what was a veritable feast of footballing action across the country, as we talk MLS, MLS Next Pro, Canadian Championship, CPL, and League1 in this episode with lots of great chat, interviews, and audio.
It’s been a week for the history books as we delve into TSS Rovers fantastic win over Valour FC in the Canadian Championship and chat with head coach Will Cromack about the game, the next round, and what’s next the club, the players, and himself. We also round up the rest of the action from the competition and hear from Pacific FC head coach James Merriman about facing the Rovers next and from Valour’s Phil Dos Santos about his team’s now infamous loss.
Our other feature interview this week is with League1 Canada commissioner Dino Rossi as we chat about the growth of the league across Canada, future expansions, the importance of the level to the game here in Canada, and more.
We also look at another historic game, Vancouver FC’s first ever goal and win as a club, and hear from head coach Afshin Ghotbi and goalscorers Shaan Hundal and Gael Sandoval, plus Afshin talks about the club’s recently announced affiliation with L1BC side Unity FC.
All of that plus we round up the Whitecaps news of the week and chat with WFC2 player Malcolm Johnston about his career, coming to Vancouver, and his hopes and aspirations for this season and beyond. Will he follow in his brother’s footsteps and head to Europe?
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.42: Intro
03.00: Whitecaps News of the Week – WFC2 win again, Dajome departs, MLS roundup
10.55: Malcolm Johnston interview
22.07: Canadian Championship roundup
41.40: Will Cromack interview and TSS Rovers chat
78.00: Dino Rossi interview and League1 chat
112.25: Vancouver FC get their first ever win
134.30: CPL teams affiliate with League1 clubs
143.28: Wavelength – The Skinflicks – Smash The Referee
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
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Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver FC made history on Saturday as they recorded their first ever goal and first ever win versus a makeshift York United side. With two goals courtesy of Shaan Hundal and Gael Sandoval, VFC got their first points on the board in their debut CPL season.
Stroke Of Karmic Luck
After the events that occurred early on in Wednesday’s Canadian Championship match between these two teams, one would be inclined to say that Vancouver were unlucky to suffer from a very controversial penalty call in that match. It seems that Lady Luck made the pendulum swing back the other way as Vancouver FC were very fortunate to have their first goal gifted to them, thanks to a very uncharacteristic mistake from York attacker Mo Babouli.
In the 6th minute, Babouli, being deployed in midfield due to York’s early injury problems, got the ball from his keeper at the edge of the box, but lagged in deciding what to do with the ball in face of some VFC pressure. That pressure then paid off as Hundal dispossessed a panicked Babouli, strolled up to York’s net, and slotted it past a rooted Niko Giantsopoulos. This sparked joyous celebrations from the bench and stands as Vancouver finally scored their first ever CPL goal after being goalless in over 180 minutes of play.
EVERY ANGLE
Here's the FIRST EVER GOAL scored by @vanfootballclub #CanPL | #VancouverFC pic.twitter.com/ym128P9VDy
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 22, 2023
With the pressure of that first goal from the club out of the way, Vancouver were able to focus on the task at hand in getting their first positive result. It was 12 minutes later where luck struck again for them, as good play between Hundal and Gabi Bitar allowed Bitar to go clean through on goal, only to then get tripped up by a diving Giantsopoulos.
The luck was in the fact that Bitar actually got the shot off before he was tripped, missing the goal entirely. The referee, however, was convinced enough to call the penalty even though the shot went through. Up stepped the star player of the team, Gael Sandoval, who sent the keeper the wrong way with a perfect driven shot.
Make it two for @vanfootballclub
Sandoval from the spot and it is 2-0
: @onesoccer
pic.twitter.com/DjtpNOXbL0
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 22, 2023
Gabi Bitar’s New Starring Role
While many players could be singled out for having a terrific match for Vancouver FC, one man in particular was distinctly electric. That man was Gabriel Bitar. The ex-Eddie seems to have found a new role in this VFC squad, moving further back in the attack than what he was used to back in Edmonton. This, however, seems to have been a genius move by VFC coach Afshin Ghotbi, as Bitar thrived in his more receded role, now as a creative outlet.
Bitar created two big chances, made four key passes, as well as six passes into the final third and six recoveries. He was finding those pockets in the half-spaces to exploit the stretched defence of York United, whose quite attacking lineup allowed such pockets to exist. Truly, by the end of the match, Vancouver should have had three or four goals to the good, thanks to the chances that Bitar created, leading Ghotbi to proclaim postgame that he was “the most valuable player of the match”.
“I think he was brilliant in his creativity, in playing between the lines, in spraying balls and connecting players,” Ghotbi added. “I think he’s come a long way, he’s still growing as a player, and I expect big things from him this year”.
Time will tell how this Vancouver side will actually fair in this ever-changing landscape of CPL, but it will likely have a player like Gabi Bitar at its forefront if they are to be successful.
Attack Wins You Games, Defence Wins You History
After a fantastic opening 20 minutes for Vancouver FC, York United began to put on the pressure. They broke through to half the deficit in the 35th minute, courtesy of a wonderful strike by the early substitute, Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy. From there, it seemed like one-way traffic in terms of possession, with York United throwing everything forward in search of an equalizer.
However, Vancouver FC were resolute in their defence. A tactical switch from a back four to a back five in the second half allowed VFC to become more stable in their defence, without even needing to make any substitutions thanks to the versatility of Kadin Chung. This made sure that threats like Paris Gee, who was arguably York’s best player in the first half, were nullified by preventing overloads on the wing. The three centre backs of Ibrahim Bakare, Rocco Romeo, and Eugene ‘Pele’ Martinez were especially on point today, combining to record four tackles, six interceptions, seven blocks, and 12 clearances.
The team overall was also impassioned to defend their narrow victory, sometimes verging on excessive aggression, resulting in them recording six yellow cards in one match. On the accumulation of various yellow cards, Ghotbi admitted that “obviously, no one wants to get a yellow card”.
“Sometimes the players go into tackles more aggressively than what the law allows it… but I don’t think [my] players are going into tackles studs up, trying to hurt somebody,” Ghotbi continued. “I also think that sometimes, referees can be [more] restrained in giving out yellow cards… because I’m not sure if all the yellow cards were really deserved today”.
With one last game against Halifax Wanderers next week before Vancouver FC’s home-opener, Ghotbi will hope that his players will remain disciplined so that he has everyone available for selection come May 7th.
The 2023 BC Provincial A Cup quarter-finals threw up some drama both on and off the pitch this past week. Just as we were writing our recap of the weekend’s action, that seemed to have set up another Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) versus Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) final, word started to come through that an appeal from losing quarter-finalists Croatia SC was in the work around player eligibility on the team that beat them, FVSL league and cup champs FC Tigers.
BC Soccer held a meeting to look into the matter, delaying their decision until Thursday to ensure all due diligence was undertaken, and the end result saw the last year’s beaten finalists thrown out of the competition, leaving three VMSL sides in the semi-finals and just one team now from the FVSL.
The on-pitch action kicked off at Newton Athletic Park on Friday night, in an all-VMSL clash that saw back-to-back defending champions BB5 United defeat Inter EDC 5-0.
BB5 took the game to Inter from the off, having a couple of early looks on goal before taking the lead just five minutes in when Danylo Smychenko tucked away a Connor MacMillan free kick into the box.
It was a fairly even game, with both sides creating chances, but Inter were dealt a huge blow on the half hour when Nic Apostol was shown a straight red card for pushing over Nic Morello right in front of an open goal. Mamadi Camara hit the left post with his subsequent penalty but BB5 sensed blood in the water and went for the jugular to put the game to bed before half time.
Morello made it 2-0 to the Surrey side in the 35th minute with a beautiful long range dipper, before Camara made amends for the penalty miss with a nice finish in first half stoppage time.
A second half brace from Farivar Torabi at the start and end of the second half saw BB5 run out 5-0 winners, but full credit to Inter, who never stopped pushing, despite being down a man for a whole hour.
You can see our highlights of the match HERE and below:
BB5 United now move on to another all-VMSL clash in the semi-finals against the team that they battled all the way to the league title this season, Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves.
Metro Ford headed over to the island to take on Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) champions Lakehill FC on Sunday afternoon at the Topaz Park Finlayson turf in Victoria. Scoreless at the half, Metro Ford took the lead early in the second when Juan Sanchez fired home the opener. Lakehill tied it up from the spot after a clear handball in the box, but there was to be late drama as Coquitlam got a controversial late penalty of their own and Sanchez fired home the 88th minute winner from the spot to set up a 1st versus 2nd VMSL showdown in the semis.
That game goes at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey on Friday night. Kick off is 8.15pm.
The other side of the bracket saw an all-FVSL affair on Saturday night as Abbotsford United played host to Micro Footie Academy at the MRC Sports Complex. Abby jumped out to a 2-0 lead but were pegged back by Micro Footie with about 20 minutes to go. A late own goal by the visitors saw Abbotsford United move on to the semis with the 3-1 victory.
And up until yesterday they thought they’d be facing their FVSL rivals FC Tigers there.
Tigers played host to VMSL side Croatia SC on the Hjorth turf on Sunday afternoon, coming through a very eventful match 2-0 in the end, having played just over a half with ten men.
The FVSL champs conceded a penalty in the 37th minute and as tensions boiled over in the aftermath saw one of their players sent off. Lukas Strauts came up with the big save to stop the penalty and the Tigers were given a lifeline.
The match stayed that way until the 78th minute when Erik Edwardson volleyed home a cutback from the byeline and the ten man Tigers had the lead.
Croatia threw everything at Tigers to get back on level terms, with Strauts forced into some saves, but they were literally handed the chance to tie things up in the 85th minute when the referee blew for a handball in the box. Up stepped Cole Johnson, who blew a kiss to the Tigers before shanking his penalty wide right!
Croatia then crashed one off the bar in stoppage time, but as they rued their luck Tigers went up the pitch and put the game to bed with a killer second for the 2-0 win.
You can see Sports Revolution’s highlights of the match HERE and below:
And that was that. Except it wasn’t. Croatia felt things weren’t right with the Tigers roster, lodged a protest, and were proved correct. Tigers were kicked out of the competition and Croatia now advance to host Abbotsford United on Saturday night at Burnaby Lake. Kick off is 8.30pm.
Many moons ago, the band, China Crisis sang a couple of lines: “And if I wish to comfort the fall, it’s just wishful thinking”.
This song came to mind as I read a recent article on MLSSoccer.com by Joseph Lowery entitled: “Why are some of MLS’s most prominent clubs struggling?”. It began with the paragraph: “Every new season brings fresh-and often irrational-hope. Some clubs think they’ll be even better than they were last year. Others think they’ll climb out of the bottom of their conference.”
Isn’t this the essence of we supporters of the Whitecaps? (and, I suppose, all supporters for that matter). That is, every year we are sure that we have added some great pieces that will surely push us to that next level. And yet year after year, the Whitecaps reveal themselves to be middling at best and usually just disappointing. Sorry folks, the standings since 2011 don’t lie.
Sites like this one offer up much discussion of what the club is doing right or wrong from week to week. However, today I want to focus instead on us, the fans. Why do we have irrational hope as referenced above? What is it that makes us eternally engage in wishful thinking?
Over the years I’ve been surprised by the optimism of the folks who send in pre-game score predictions to The Third Sub (and formerly 86Forever). One would think that the Caps were at the top of the table to fit with these predictions. Just to give you the idea, I looked back at the first few games this year and the results are: RSL (a loss), with 17 writers predicting a win and one writer predicting a draw. San Jose (a loss), with eight writers predicting a win, three a loss, and five a draw. Minnesota (a tie), with 10 predicting a win, two a loss, and four a draw. Dallas (a tie), with 14 predicting a win and two a loss. You get the picture.
Well, it turns out that irrational hope is not just a thing with supporters, it is an essentially human trait too. It is what we do. We are good at it.
Social scientists have identified that our motivational states (think our wishes and preferences) influence our ability to process information. In turn, we are often unaware of these impacts on our thinking. Our biases are outside of our awareness.
Thus, we want the ‘Caps to win, so we toss aside our rational view of the evidence which runs counter to our wishes. We mix up desirability with probability. Ill-informed preconceptions colour our ability to analyze the product on the field. So, for your own economic sake, never bet on the home team!
It is of course one thing to have optimism for the club you support, but to truly believe that your club is better than it really is. Well, that is just wishful thinking.
The reality is that during the MLS era, the Whitecaps have never been a top tier club and our players, with a few exceptions, just aren’t elite level players. We employ managers with virtually no experience. We stick to tactics which don’t fit our players. It is what we do. We are good at it.
People often ignore or belittle what contradicts their assumptions. This is known as “confirmation bias”. Social scientists have found that we don’t seek to question our beliefs, rather we look to confirm them. Thus, we become over confident in our beliefs.
Incidents in our experience which are vivid or recent are more likely to be recalled with ease and therefore are more likely to be given weight in judgment. This is known as the “availability heuristic”. This gives us systemic biases and leads us to believe too strongly what we already “know”. We don’t like to question our basic assumptions.
Once people accept a theory (e.g., the ‘Caps are a good team or just about a good team; or our midfield is better now so surely this will result in more goals) and we use that theory as a tool in our thinking, it becomes difficult to notice flaws in that theory. This is known as “theory-induced blindness”. Our theory is given the benefit of the doubt and we trust the folks who also accept that theory. Contrary facts are often overlooked or simply disregarded. Once we adopt this view, it becomes difficult to see things any other way.
Our stereotyped view of our club allows us to reach conclusions based on limited evidence. This is known as “WYSIATI” or “what you see is all there is”. WYSIATI gets us to focus on the existing positive team evidence and ignore the absent negative evidence. This allows us to fit things nicely into positive patterns.
Consistency of information then works better than the lack of completeness of the information. We fail to allow that key elements of information important to our judgment are missing. What we see is all there is. Thus, we fans work with partial evidence only. We become comforted that our world view makes sense and it is based on a seemingly sound foundation (which is really just a house of cards).
Social scientists have also shown us experimentally that people are more likely to believe things that they want to believe. Surprisingly, we don’t realize that inference is biased by our goals. Wishful thinking indeed.
One way people resolve conflicts between beliefs and desires is to use biased reasoning in a way that makes beliefs about facts line up with heartfelt desires. Also, research shows that once our opinions are formed, they are slow to change in response to new evidence. Accepting discomforting or disconcerting facts is difficult.
So what does all this mean? Well it means that we supporters are a little bit ridiculous. But so what? We still have fun cheering for our home team. We should take note though that we come by our wishful thinking honestly. We are simply reflecting what all people do. But don’t be surprised when that fall isn’t comforted.
Revenge is sweet, and it certainly was for TSS Rovers’ Matteo Polisi at Swangard Stadium on Wednesday night.
On March 18, the striker came on as a trialist sub in Valour FC’s preseason friendly against Vancouver FC in Langley, scoring the equaliser in a 2-2 draw and impressing in his short time on the pitch. But that was to be that. The Winnipeg side didn’t take a further look at the 25-year-old in any of their other preseason games and Polisi re-signed with TSS Rovers for their upcoming Canadian Championship match and League1 BC season.
Fast forward a month and Polisi came back to haunt Valour with a pair of goals in the TSS’ historic 3-1 Canadian Championship win as the Rovers became the first semi-pro side to knock out a professional team in the history of the competition, and they very much deserved it on the night, to a man.
TSS were never outclassed and went toe to toe with Valour from the start, getting eight shots on target to the visitors’ three. First half goals from Polisi and Ivan Mejia set the Rovers on the way before a second half strike from Polisi sent the home support into rapture. Even a missed Polisi penalty and a late consolation for Valour from the spot couldn’t dampen the joyous celebrations that filled Swangard at the final whistle.
Polisi, who wore the captain’s armband for this one, returned to TSS after two seasons in the pro game with Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League, winning the championship with the Langford side in 2021 before being released at the end of last season. And what a return to his roots it was as he led from the front.
“It’s been the best game I’ve played with TSS for sure and it goes down in history as well,” Polisi told media after the match. “We talked leading up to the game that we were just going to take it minute by minute. It was going to be a 98 minute game, we knew that, so we just took it moment by moment. We knew that we were going to get chances, we knew that we would have to be clinical at both ends of the park, in both boxes, and we showed that tonight.”
The victory was remarkable in many ways. We’re saying that TSS Rovers are a semi-pro side, but they’re technically just an amateur team as no players get paid. This was also their first competitive match as a club since last August, with the L1BC season not getting underway till April 30. But they played like a team of seasoned professionals.
“We knew leading up to the game that it was going to be massive,” Polisi added. “We’re just an amateur team and we’re going up against a professional team. It’s minute by minute like I said, but it’s also just 11-v-11. They’re not any more special than us. It doesn’t matter. It takes determination, it takes will, it takes fight. It takes suffering, how much running we want to do. And we wanted to do that. We wanted to work hard, we wanted to suffer, and we wanted to win.
“Winning is different from just going out there and playing a game. When you’re younger you go out there and you try to get better. Today’s about winning. Winning. And that’s it, and we showed today that we can win. I was trying to lead the boys and show the how to win and I think that everybody really started getting on board in the days leading up to it. We talked about winning. We talked about winning, more and more. It’s a different mentality.
“When I was at Pacific I learned how to win, with Pa [Modou Kah] as my coach. He’s born a winner, you can just see how he is. I learned a lot over there and I took my experience there and tried to show that tonight.”
Polisi may now get the chance to head back to Pacific to show another team what they missed out on, with TSS set to play the winner of Thursday’s Pacific-Cavalry match.
While it’s been a homecoming to TSS for Polisi, who played three seasons for the Rovers in USL League 2 from 2017 to 2019, just not one he was hoping to have at this stage of his career. His number one priority is to secure a return to the pro ranks as soon as he can, and with performances like he put in against Valour, you have to think that won’t be too far away.
And that’s what TSS want, not just for Polisi but for all their players. The message has been a simple one from the start. Players are told “we hope we don’t see you back next year”. The club want them to move on to bigger and better things. That’s part of their DNA. That’s why they play the swashbuckling way that they do. They want to catch the eye and they want people to sit up and take notice. They certainly did on Wednesday night.
“We attack with the ball, we attack without,” TSS head coach Will Cromack told media after the match. “That’s who we are. We’re pirates man. We’re going to ride the sea. We’re going to go and we’re going to take your loot. That’s who we are. That’s our culture. That’s the people that we are. We want to force the issue and we want to make things better.
“We are desperate to make BC a place that has players again. They’re here. They’re waiting for their opportunity. They’re getting discarded. They’re not in the right place. [Matteo] needs to be out of here. He needs a job. Let’s go. That’s what we’re doing.”
From Halifax Wanderers all the way to Langford’s Pacific FC, the Canadian Championship is a yearly tournament to determine which is the best soccer team in Canada. It’s our country’s FA Cup and we love it.
This year 14 teams will fight for the Voyageur’s Cup. The three Major League Soccer sides join the eight Canadian Premier League teams, League1 Ontario winners Vaughan Azzurri, League1 Quebec winners Laval, and the first ever League1 BC Champions, TSS Rovers.
Swangard Stadium last hosted a Canadian Championship game back in May 2010 when the then NASL side Vancouver Whitecaps faced off against Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC. On that day, despite playing in a lower league, the Whitecaps were able to hold TFC to a stalemate. April 19th will see a similar David vs. Goliath match-up as the Rovers hope to advance past Winnipeg’s Valour FC. And given that every game is a do or die affair with the winner advancing and the loser being eliminated, anything can happen.
The only certainty you can take from past competitions is that outcomes are always impossible to predict, as the Whitecaps loss to Pacific FC is testament to. In cup competitions, there are bound to be upsets and high drama along the way, shoot-outs, and extra-time heroics when an extra 30 minutes is allowed.
The mandate of TSS Rovers is to develop players. As coach Will Cromack explains, “the idea of the club itself is to try to help guys get themselves to Pro”. And they have been very successful in this enterprise. In the last five years, no less than 21 players have gone on to turn pro from the Rovers’ men’s and women’s sides, including men’s national team defender Joel Waterman and Julia Grosso, who famously scored the penalty kick in Toyko that gave Canada their first Olympic gold soccer medal.
This year, the young Rovers players have a unique chance to showcase their talent thanks to the exposure that competing in the National Championship provides. According to Cromack, “they have the opportunity to go and prove that they can be there and maybe someone will tap them on the shoulder and take them one day.”
It has happened before. Canadian National team defender Alistair Johnston went from playing for League1 Ontario’s Vaughan in the Canadian Championship to a brief MLS career. Four years later, on the heels of an impressive World Cup performance, he suits up for Scotland’s largest and most successful club, Celtic. At just 15 years old, Canadian superstar Alphonso Davies played his first professional game in this competition. Three years later, he won the European Championship with Bayern Munich. There is no better place for a Canadian to build their reputation.
However, it’s not just the players who can advance their fortunes through the tournament. Beyond being crowned the Kings of the North and lifting the Voyageurs Cup, whichever team wins the Canadian Championship also qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions League, a tournament that determines the best team in on the continent. Just competing in that competition adds to a club’s prestige and renown.
Although no team from Canada has ever won that competition, if teams like the Rovers continue to get opportunities to test their mettle against top opposition they will continue to develop better and better players which can only strengthen every part of the Canadian Soccer pyramid going forward.
If you want to see the future stars of Canadian soccer, tickets for the April 19th match are still available HERE. Let’s fill Swangard and create those magic evenings of yesteryear.
The game will also be broadcast on Onesoccer.ca, Telus 980 and Fubo.tv for those that can’t attend.
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian football chat for what was and is a bumper week of soccer action across the country.
We’re talking Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian Championship primarily in this episode and we kick things off with a look around the opening weekend’s action across the CPL, with a particular focus on the first ever derby between Pacific FC and Vancouver FC. Zach shares his experiences, both good and bad, from the match and it’s safe to say a tasty rivalry was born.
Our feature interview this episode is with CPL Commissioner Mark Noonan. We look at the direction he hopes to take the league under his helm as we talk expansion, creating a Division 2 set up, the role League1 plays in this growth, getting more eyeballs on the league, creating a women’s league, and more.
Turning our attention to MLS, we look at Vancouver Whitecaps’ goalless draw in Austin, a match that saw them increase their unbeaten run to six games and record three straight clean sheets, and we round-up the action in the MLS West.
We finish this episode off with a look ahead to the 2023 Canadian Championship that gets underway this week. We chat with Vancouver FC’s Afshin Ghotbi about his side’s first foray in the tournament, talk TSS Rovers versus Valour with head coaches Will Cromack and Philip Dos Santos, and Pacific FC’s James Merriman and Manny Aparicio talk about the importance of the competition to the club and to them.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.34: Intro – a feast of Canadian football
07.50: A BC derby is born – Pacific v Vancouver
45.20: CPL Season 5 kicks off
59.20: CPL Commissioner Mark Noonan interview
78.35: Unpacking the Commish
100.00: Austin v Whitecaps analysis
111.00: MLS West round-up
128.58: Canadian Championship preview
137.10: Afshin Ghotbi talks Canadian Championship
142.20: Will Cromack and Phil Dos Santos talk TSS v Valour
152.55: James Merriman and Manny Aparicio on Canadian Champiosnhip
159.37: Wavelength – Sportique – Sport For All
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Vancouver Whitecaps made it three clean sheets in a row, increasing their unbeaten run to six MLS matches following a goalless draw at Austin FC on Saturday evening.
Neither side was able to find their clinical finishing in this one and while both goalkeepers had 11 saves between them, both teams had their chances, and Austin hit the post, it was the kind of match that felt destined to be scoreless at times, and so it proved to be the case.
Playing their 5th match in 15 days, Vanni Sartini made six changes to the team that started the midweek Champions League defeat at LAFC, with a very attack minded looking side.
Austin had the first close call, with Alexander Ring sending the ball off the woodwork in the 11th minute from close range after a Sebastian Driussi cross into the back post.
Maxi Urruti flashed a shot goalbound in the 19th minute, which Yohei Takaoka easily dealt with.
Vancouver responded with a couple of chances from Julian Gressel, the first was a well taken shot that was parried away by Brad Stuver, then a rocket of a free kick that didn’t miss the postage stamp corner by very much from the edge of the box.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing, but not very much offensive output at the end of it all to round out the first half, with Vancouver’s best chance coming in the 45th minute as Simon Becher was played in but denied by Stuver.
That’s how things continued to start the second.
Stuver came up with another huge save for Austin to deny Brian White on the hour mark. The ‘Caps striker bore down on goal, took a nice touch inside to make room to get a shot off, and drilled one on target, thwarted by a sprawling save from the big ‘keeper.
Neither side were looking clinical in front of goal, with far too many attacks breaking down in the final third.
Takaoka hadn’t had a lot to do, but produced a fantastic acrobatic save to turn away a fierce Daniel Pereira strike from the edge of the box in the 86th minute.
Takaoka was called into action again in the last minute, easily getting down to a long range Driussi effort, as Austin pushed for a late winner.
While the Whitecaps may feel they had some chances to take all three points, they’ll be happy with another point on the road and a third clean sheet in the process. The team is starting to look like the cohesive defensive unit it needs to be if they are to be playoff contenders.
They need to find some real rhythm and chemistry in attack and while it is there fleetingly, they need to be a lot more productive. Ryan Gauld has had a quiet season so far and needs to find the spark that we know he has.
The good news for the Whitecaps after a congested period of matches is that they now have a bye week to recuperate, regroup, and work on some of that chemistry. Let’s hope they can.
FINAL SCORE: Austin FC 0 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 20,738
STATS:
Possession: ATX 57 % – VAN 43%
Shots: ATX 18 – VAN 13
Shots on Goal: ATX 7 – VAN 4
Saves: ATX 4 – VAN 7
Fouls: ATX 9 – VAN 14
Offsides: ATX 2 – ATX 1
Corners: ATX 6 – ATX 2
AUSTIN:
Brad Stuver; Jon Gallagher, Alexander Ring, Leo Väisänen, Nick Lima; Daniel Pereira, Owen Wolff (Sofiane Djeffal 84’); Emiliano Rigoni (Rodney Redes 73’), Sebastián Driussi, Diego Fagundez (Ethan Finlay 55’); Maximiliano Urruti (Gyasi Zardes 73’) [Substitutes not used: Matt Bersano, Jhojan Valencia, Ethan Finlay, Hector Jimenez, Adam Lundkvist, Will Bruin]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins; Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Ali Ahmed (Sebastian Berhalter 90’+5′); Brian White, Ryan Gauld (Cristian Dájome 80); Simon Becher (Pedro Vite 69’) [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Mathías Laborda, Déiber Caicedo, Karifa Yao, Ryan Raposo, Russell Teibert]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“I think it was a very good game against a very good team to be honest. I think I would say hands down the best team we faced the entire season. They’re really good and here it’s very hard to play with a lot of fans and, it was, I would say an open game. I think the tie is a fair result in the end. I think we had probably the best chances with Brian [White] and Simon [Becher] basically 1v1 against the goalkeeper. But in terms of play, we played, they played, we had to make adjustments, they had to make adjustments. It was again a very open game and we take the point and we go from there. We know that now we have a bye week and then we have two very important games at home. So if we win those games, we’re going to be in a position that is very good. So we’re happy, we go into the break with the awareness that we’re doing well.”
On the upcoming bye week:
“That’s four days now we are off. So we are completely off till Thursday. We’ll get back and we’ll work in, I would say in a way that is going to be even heavy in the sense because we need to build form because May is going to be packed with games. Hopefully because we have the Canadian Championship that we want to go of course in the next rounds and a couple of MLS midweek fixtures. Some of the guys when they will come back, guys that played a little less, I’m thinking Karifa [Yao], J.C. [Ngando], Déiber [Caicedo] too, he needs to play 90 minutes. They will be with WFC2 the following week against Minnesota. So I know that there’s no Whitecaps game next week, but there’s actually a Whitecaps game so, fans can come to Swangard and see and support the players that can come and get minutes there.”
YOHEI TAKAOKA
On the match:
“We played well, we worked hard for all 90 minutes, we defended well. It was a tough game, the atmosphere was excellent. We almost scored, it’s a point for us, we rest a little bit and focus on the next game.”
On transitioning and communicating to a new team:
“I try to communicate with them, that’s why I [did] not perfectly adjust more quickly. The coaching staff and players help me a lot. They gave me important information on how they attack and how we play, how we attack, how we defend. Everyone helps me a lot so that’s why I play well.”
ALI AHMED
On starting in the midfield:
“Like I said last time, you guys might not know but I grew up playing there, so a bit of the old me starting to come out a little bit. But when I got Vanni who makes my job easier, he lays out the tactics and what he wants from there and then of course, I got Andrés [Cubas] right there behind me. I can say a lot about that. Then I got Julian [Gressel] to my side. So those guys are making it ten times easier for me and it’s just about getting comfortable and just trying to play.”
On the upcoming bye week:
“Again, I think we’ve got to work on our finishing during our break. We got this point, right now we’ve just got to look forward against Colorado and we’ve got two games at home. We’ve got to enjoy these four days off, come back mentally and physically ready and make sure we’re ready to grab six points at BC Place, and work our way up the standings because we want to be a top three team. We want to win.”
In a historic match at Starlight Stadium, Pacific FC came away with a well-deserved victory over newcomers Vancouver FC, thanks to an 81st minute wondergoal courtesy of Manny Aparicio. In a game that was hotly contested, here is our post-match analysis.
Early Nerves for Vancouver, Early Rust for Pacific
Pacific was dominant from the off, making sure that Vancouver FC were unable to grow into the game for the majority of the half. Afshin Ghotbi set his side out as a sort of 4-3-3, with Kadin Chung placed as an 8 alongside Elliot Simmons, with Nima Moazeni zadeh as the 6. The Iranian midfielder looked nervy in the opening moments, giving away some cheap turnovers. One in particular allowed Pacific to break at pace, and gave Easton Ongaro a golden opportunity to open his 2023 account, but his shot sailed over the bar.
After that, Vancouver were unable to really break the first press of Pacific FC, meaning that most of the play was in VFC’s half. Pacific had another golden opportunity to make it 1-0 off a corner, with Amir Didic smashing a headed effort off the frame of the goal. Pacific ended the first half with 60% possession and six shots but none of them on target. Meanwhile, Vancouver went into the dressing room with a meek one shot on target.
“The Word From The Coach Was To Go And Make History”
In the second half, Vancouver FC came out with more composure on the ball, and with a better idea of what to expect. After the match, seasoned centre-back Rocco Romeo put it down to Ghotbi’s half-time talk, where he told them to “go and make history”.
For those first 15-20 minutes, Vancouver were better with their passing, creating those triangles that you would expect from a 4-3-3, and bypassing that first line of pressure through their centre-backs. What still hurt them was that they were a bit tame in the attack, with good wing play coming to nothing once it threatened to go into the box. Gael Sandoval was a noticeable omission from the starting lineup, and only came on in the 60th minute.
The attack looked a little more threatening with his introduction, but he still looked to not be at 100% when on the ball, and could only muster up 16 touches, one accurate cross, and one key pass. VFC fans will hope that he can come into his own in the matches to come, and demonstrate why he is one of the most decorated players in the league.
(Photo Credit: Beau Chevalier / Vancouver FC / Canadian Premier League)
Aparicio With The Last Laugh
While Vancouver started the second-half well, it was Pacific who ended the match with momentum and with the crucial goal. James Merriman’s men did well to respond to the early pressure, and respond with their own changes to once again get a hold of the match.
Olakunle Dada-Luke and Ayman Sellouf came on for Pacific, and gave the Tridents some much-needed energy to put the pressure back onto Vancouver. Vancouver started to give possession away cheaply, and that was what allowed Pacific to capitalize.
A poor turnover from Min-Jae Kwak allowed Pacific to get a ball into the box, which was poorly cleared by Vancouver. That then gave Manny Aparicio the opportunity to hit the ball with a stunning half-volley, fizzing low and clearing all the traffic in the box, straight into the back of Callum Irving’s net. Aparicio’s consequent celebration made sure to stoke the fires of this rivalry, as he ran to the travelling VFC fans and put his fingers to his lips, as if to shush them.
GOL
MANNY APARICIO ES UN CRACK @PacificFCCPL go up 1-0 over @VanFootballClub in the final stanza of this #CanPL derby courtesy of the midfield maestro
81' | https://t.co/7JFAUhgRAE pic.twitter.com/LG5cy0fpQJ
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 16, 2023
The last few minutes were customary from Pacific, cutting out all danger and dallying on the ball enough to concede a few fouls, and kill a few seconds off the clock. At the end, cheers rang round Starlight Stadium, as Pacific came out the Kings of Cascadia in the CPL’s first ever CPL Derby.
Looking Ahead To Canadian Championship
Both teams will be looking ahead to a midweek clash in the Canadian Championship, as Pacific will hope to take the momentum from this week in another home-match against Cavalry FC. On the other side of the Strait, Vancouver FC will travel to Ontario to face York United. Ghotbi mentioned after the match that “sometimes you learn more from your losses than from your wins”. Hopefully Vancouver will take those hard lessons learned from that match and bring it to Ontario to get their first ever win.
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out and it’s a 57 minute show all around the first ever BC derby in the Canadian Premier League as Pacific FC take on the new kids on the block, Vancouver FC.
To whet your appetite even further for the match, we bring you the full pre match press conferences from both teams, featuring head coaches James Merriman and Afshin Ghotbi and team captains Josh Heard and Callum Irving.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know.
Not a subscriber yet? You can read all the details about what our ‘Extra’ podcast is, how you can get it, and how we deliver it to you, HERE.
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(Photo Credit: Beau Chevalier/Vancouver FC)
In the opening weekend of the 2023 Canadian Premier League season, British Columbians are treated to an opening matchup to remember as 2021 Champions Pacific FC face-off against new-boys-in-town Vancouver FC at Starlight Stadium. With various changes for Pacific, and an air of mystery around this new Vancouver FC team, tomorrow’s match will likely set the tone for what we can expect from both of these teams for this upcoming season.
Pacific FC: A Chance at Redemption?
After being the only team to successfully dethrone Forge FC to the North Star Shield in 2021, Pacific FC had a tumultuous time in the CPL in 2022, finishing 4th in the table and being knocked out of the play-offs in the first round by Regular Season champs Atletico Ottawa. It was a season of change as they changed their coach at the beginning of the 2022 season from Pa-Modou Kah to James Merriman, as well as losing star forward Alejandro Diaz mid-season to a European club, Norway’s Sogndal. 2023 now offers to be a new opportunity for Pacific to reclaim their former glory, and challenge Forge FC once more as the true Kings of the North.
While they did lose various important assets like Marco Bustos, Gianni Dos Santos, and Callum Irving (who notably crossed the Georgie Strait to rivals Vancouver FC), they have brought in some fresh blood to truly mark a new chapter for the club. Perhaps their biggest off-season additions were the ever-clinical Easton Ongaro, and the electric and experienced Kekuta Manneh. Ongaro comes back into the league after one year hiatus, the latter of which was spent at Whitecaps FC 2, and looks to replicate his 2021 form where he scored 12 goals in 27 league appearances for the now-disbanded FC Edmonton. Manneh, on the other hand, comes in to great fanfare as one of the most experienced players in the league, having had over 150 MLS appearances in his career, and scoring 40 goals.
Trident fans will hope that these two can fill the holes left by Diaz and Bustos, their top scorer and top assister last season respectively, and bring back former glories to Starlight Stadium, beginning with this game home-opener against Vancouver FC.
Vancouver FC: Time to Make A Statement
Its always tough to determine whether a new expansion side is ready for the first game of the season, especially since this team has been built from the ground up these last few months. The club has already made statements off the pitch by having experienced manager Afshin Ghotbi as their head coach, and signing quality players like Callum Irving, Kadin Chung, and Gael Sandoval. But aside from some other familiar faces in Gabriel Bitar, Rocco Romeo, and Elliot and Marcus Simmons, most of this squad is new to the league.
While there is still a good, strong Canadian core to the team, many of these players are still quite young. The oldest player on the roster is captain Callum Irving, at 30 years old, meaning that the average age of the squad is only 23.5! Much will fall onto Irving and Ghotbi to guide this young team in such a physical and competitive environment. But on the flip side, the youth of the team allows Ghotbi to better mould his squad into playing the kind of vibrant football he likely wants to play.
A lot will also be expected of Gael Sandoval, as he comes in as one of the league’s most high-profile players. A once Liga MX Star, the Mexican magician now has the challenge of bringing a brand-new side to greater heights, while proving to everyone watching why he still has some of that flair that was present in his younger days.
VFC fans will be either turning up to Starlight Stadium or tuning in on OneSoccer with expectations high and excitement galore as they get their first real opportunity to see this team in full CPL action on Saturday. Hopefully it will mark the birth of something truly special.
Pacific FC vs Vancouver FC: CPL’s Newest Rivalry
In Saturday’s match-up, both sets of fans will have the added drama of hosting the league’s first ever BC Derby. With both teams hoping to start off with a bang, this coastal clash will be jam-packed with drama, physicality, and good old-fashioned derby-day antics.
Ahead of the match, Pacific FC head coach James Merriman was adamant on the fact that they need to capitalize on the home advantage against Vancouver FC.
“We know how we can play in front of our crowd, in front of our fans, the energy the stadium gives us,” Merriman told media on his prematch press conference. “We are very comfortable on our field, how we want to defend and attack, so its really up on how we start”.
“We need to start on the front foot, get the crowd behind us with good energy… [so] that’s exactly how we want to start the season tomorrow”.
With the challenge of facing a relatively unknown team, Merriman highlighted that their pre-season focus has been on how they play, rather than their opponents.
“The match tomorrow, the mentality for us is to focus on what we can do, what we do with the ball, and what we do without it,” Merriman added.
Meanwhile, Merriman’s opposite man in the dugout, Afshin Ghotbi, has the enormous test of bringing his side together for this crucial opening match. When asked what kind of football Vancouver FC were going to play, Afshin emphasized the fact that he wants to get a result while playing entertaining football that can get the fans involved and have a performance full of energy and passion that can inspire the fans.
“[Tomorrow] we are looking for high tempo, we are looking for a lot of energy, for structure at every moment of the game,” Ghotbi told media. “We are also looking for creativity that every player can bring, especially in the final third, that can create that breathless moment for fans.”
“I expect it to be a very entertaining and exciting match due to the intensity of both sides wanting to beat each other as this rivalry begins”.
AFTN’s Predictions
Felipe Vallejo: 2-1 for Pacific
Michael McColl: 3-1 for Pacific
Zachary Meisenheimer: 3-2 (head says for Pacific, heart says for Vancouver FC)
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian football chat and this episode is a bumper three hour special dedicated to the Canadian Premier League, which is set to kick off its 5th season.
With one team folding and one new team joining the league, we cast our eyes over all eight sides, looking at their offseason moves, and what 2023 may hold in store for them.
We particularly delve into newboys Vancouver FC and chat with goalkeeper Callum Irving about the season ahead and coming home to play his football again.
We also have an in-depth chat with Valour FC head coach Philip Dos Santos about his time in charge in Winnipeg so far, what he’s expecting from his side this year, rebuilding the team with a two year plan, and the difficulties of recruitment. Plus we look ahead to next week’s big Canadian Championship clash with TSS Rovers.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.20: Intro and introducing Felipe
03.25: The CPL returns for Year 5 with new playoff format
19.18: Vancouver FC season preview
47.46: Callum Irving interview
56.53: Pacific FC season preview
71.51: Cavalry FC season preview
83.15: Valour FC season preview
95.25: Forge FC season preview
107.40: York United season preview
115.25: Atletico Ottawa season preview
121.55: HFX Wanderers season preview
133.05: Philip Dos Santos interview
168.33: Wavelength – Armchair Loyal – Fun Facts About Footballers
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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Apple podcasts.
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
With every passing year, fans can get excited for the dawn of a new season with the release of their clubs newest kits. With such a young league like the Canadian Premier League, connecting the club to its community and to the greater landscape of Canada has become crucial, especially through initiatives like seasonal kits. This year we saw some teams hit it out the park with their design, story and colours, while other teams… not so much.
Here is my Canadian Premier League Grading List for 2023!
Criteria
In the same vein as one would do with a tier list, I will grade these from A to D.
A = Instant buy – You saw it, fell in love with it, ordered it express, and are eagerly awaiting for it by the post box every day.
B = Pretty good! – They’re kits that have character, and have done their job in representing both the club and its community, while adding some nice aesthetic value to it.
C = Meh – It’s not the worst, its not the best. Maybe the design is a bit weird, maybe the colours are too plain. It’s a rather forgettable kit pair, which means no one will think of it too badly nor too greatly.
D = Wounds my eyes – It’s as if the designers of these kits purposefully chose it to make sure that the opponents on the field run the opposite way from the atrocity of this shirt. It would put Medusa to shame in its powers to avert the gaze of mortals.
+/- = It’s in-between two and I am too indecisive to commit to one (it’s the people-pleaser in me).
With the criteria now clear, let’s delve into my analysis of each kit, with the added “Community Vote” just underneath. We’ll go West to East as it is on the CPL website and grade each home and away pairing as one.
PACIFIC FC
(Photo Credit: Pacific FC)
With the new Pacific Kit, you get what you pay for. The home kit has its traditional purple design outlined with geometric shapes to add texture to the kit, and the TELUS sponsorship plastered across the chest in bold white letter. The neat part is towards the bottom-centre, where the geometric designs combine to form the detailed shape of a Spirit Bear, a hallmark animal of British Columbia. My only issue with it is the position of the bear, as it creates an extra focal point that clashes with the bold white sponsor lettering, thus complicating the jersey. If the bear was behind the sponsor (like if it was eating it!) or was simply less detailed, it might have worked better.
Meanwhile, the away jersey encompasses that West Coast Beach vibe to a T. Its Hawaiian-type design sports various imagery that transports you to those weekend trips to the beach, full of palm trees, waves, sailboats, and camping supplies. The pale blue-green colours invoke that salty ocean feel, and paired with the sandy gold colour, decorate the jersey in a nicely cohesive conceptual manner. It just feels like you cannot help but wear some Ray Ban sunglasses and khaki shorts alongside it.
I think it’s a solid kit pairing, with only the home-kit a little cluttered in its design.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
COMMUNITY VOTE: A
VANCOUVER FC
Vancouver FC had the daunting task to introduce itself through its kits to the entire country this season, piling on the pressure to get it right. The result is a pretty alright kit pairing.
The home kit seems like a classic and sleek black kit, with the only other colour being prevalent is the white of the crest, the Macron logo, and the CIBC Sponsor. The subtle add of the dark grey trim around the collar and sleeves does add a bit of depth, but it’s still quite one-dimensional. That is until you spot the reflective black text that is lined from the top of the shoulders all the way down. The wall of text is filled with the names of the 53 cities and municipalities of Greater Vancouver, demonstrating their commitment to being THE Vancouver team. While a smart idea to stamp your identity as the side that represents all of Vancouver, the execution of this shirt is a tad unoriginal and safe. Just having the names of the cities you want to represent in a wall of text isn’t the most creative manner to sell yourself as Vancouver’s team.
That being said, the away kit does bring in a bit more pizazz to it. A chic retro kit that is an homage to the history of soccer in British Columbia, its thick lines of black and red recall the times of old where all kits were black and white unless you went to the games in person. It’s a simple but more stylish concept, fitting perfectly with the hipster-fashion that is all the rave in the West Coast urban areas.
Overall, it’s a safe pick, but definitely one that you can improve upon as years go on.
OVERALL GRADE: B-
COMMUNITY GRADE: B
CAVALRY FC
(Photo Credit: Cavalry FC)
Cavalry FC came with a bit more of an abstract design for their home kit, opting to go with gradients rather than hard lines to distinguish its colours on the body of the kit. The staple red colour forms a sort of hazy thick sash that goes from the top-left to the bottom right, encompassing the Cavalry crest and half of the West Jet logo. The other half is painted on a gradient black colour that covers the top right side, encompassing as well the Macron logo. Meanwhile, the heart of the kit is the picturesque scene of the Canadian Rockies that adorns the bottom of the kit. It’s full of mountains, trees, and even a bison! It travels across the gradients, making it seem like the red sash is a ray of brilliant red sunlight.
The choice for the gradient is a bit questionable, giving it a Microsoft Paint feel to it, but it at least depicts a lovely scene that nicely represents the province of Alberta and its gorgeous natural landscapes.
The away kit, on the other hand, might be the most ridiculous kit I have seen in years. It essentially is like Vancouver FC’s home kit, but instead of reflective black lettering to detail the shirt from top to bottom, it just has a white lightning strike across the front. Yup. That’s it. The lightning bolt, which goes from the top left of the shirt to the bottom right, apparently represents their ardor to succeed, with the club stating that “when lightning strikes, it ignites our passion”. But in reality, its basically a black shirt with a thin red trim on the edges, and a thin lightning bolt arcing across the front. If you thought Vancouver FC’s was unimaginative…
Overall, the home-kit has grown on me, but the away kit feels like they let one of the players’ children design it. And they love thunderstorms.
OVERALL GRADE: C-
COMMUNITY GRADE: C+
VALOUR FC
Valour’s kits are the inverse of Vancouver FC’s kits, for me. Their home kit is very well executed, with the clever design of putting Winnipeg’s streets subtly in the background of their dark red shirt. That’s how you represent a community while keeping the design clean, minimalistic, and tasteful. I also really like that the home kit is predominantly red, with only a few accents of black and gold near the collar and the ends of the sleeves. It’s a sure-fire favourite for me.
The away kit, on the other hand, suffers similar to Vancouver FC’s home kit in that it’s basically a black kit. Sure, the texture of the black makes it seem more gritty, as if its made of asphalt or another rough material, but it lacks character beyond the confounding inclusion of the claw tear. The claw tear, in itself, is quite gimmicky. The idea to have the claw tear past the black to show the Valour red underneath is a bit tacky in my opinion. But the fact that the animal claw tear has no clear connection to any actual animal in Manitoba, and is just arbitrarily chosen to show some red underneath, is just beyond tawdry in my opinion.
Overall, a really nice home kit, and a very gimmicky and mundane away kit.
OVERALL RATING: B-
COMMUNITY RATING: C
FORGE FC
As someone who had worked at Forge FC for four years, and who loves the club to death regardless of where I live, it comes with heavy heart that I award Forge FC’s 2023 kits with the Worst Kit of the Year. Goodness gracious me, what were they thinking.
Let’s start with the lesser of the two evils in the home kit. While I like that they are trying to connect to their community more by making the focus of the kit the chain that is prevalent on the flag of Hamilton (which represents the six municipalities of the Greater Hamilton Area), they could not have gone about it in a messier way. The home kit is riddled with circles of chains emanating from the Forge crest, and rippling through the rest of the shirt. Some are thick chains that are made up of orange and grey geometric shapes, while others a thin grey chains and white chains that underlay the thicker chains. It is an overall chaotic mess that is just further complicated by the sleeves. The sleeves are seemingly cut in half, not following the pattern on the body, and instead have a different section of the design sandwiched in the middle of the sleeve. The only silver lining is the detail that they chains start the ripple from the Forge crest, which I think is a nice touch to an overall eclectic design.
The grey away kit, however, has no saving grace. Its design of six columns filled with different angled black lines that enclose grey chains within them look like it was designed by Bridget Riley. It genuinely looks like its an optical illusion meant to confuse the opponent when they are approaching the players. The fact that they black angled lines don’t even properly align consistently throughout the column makes it even more of an eye-sore. I genuinely can’t look at it too long or else my head hurts.
All I can say is: what were the focus group who signed off on this on!? Cause I want some.
OVERALL GRADE: D-
COMMUNITY GRADE: C-
YORK UNITED
In stark contrast to their provincial rivals, I think York United has released their best kits yet. The home jersey is perfectly balanced in its design and colour, having that central double stripe of green and blue going down the middle. And the way that they included the famous Carlsberg logo to fit seamlessly in the middle of the jersey without having its blue colour clash with that of the stripe is genius. Even the white around the stripes is not without detail, as the texture makes it have more depth and character, without it taking away from the centrepiece. Oh and the sleeves are a nice touch, with the overlapping lines representing Toronto’s notable entertainment district.
What I think is the best out of the two is the away kit, though. While the home kit is a well-executed modern iteration of a soccer kit, the away kit brings it back to classics with a jersey that seems to pay homage to the classic Premier League kits of the late 90’s. It helps that it has Carlsberg as its sponsor, a famous Premier League sponsor at that time, to really hit the nail on its nostalgic head.
The colour scheme is perfect with the identity of the club, with the dark green body and the dark blue sleeves. The texture of the edges and sharp angles in the body of the jersey bring a sense of modernity that keeps such a retro-leaning kit fresh and original. And the fact that such a design is meant to reflect the angles and edges of the Royal Ontario Museum, which itself brings together modernity with antiquity, is a subtle inclusion that speaks volumes about the level of detail and thought that was put into this kit. And, of course, who doesn’t love a polo collar on a football kit.
Overall, I think York United hit this one out of the park.
OVERALL GRADE: A+
COMMUNITY GRADE: A-
ATLETICO OTTAWA
Compared to the other two Ontario teams, Atletico has probably the most lukewarm kits out of the three. Ironic given the theme of the away kit, which is supposed to represent the winters in Ottawa and the ice rinks in the Rideau Canal.
While I appreciate the novel take on paying homage to where you are from in this away kit, I think what detracts from it is that it just looks like it was made of ice. It’s a bit too on-the-nose for me, and it’s a bit too one-dimensional. I think you could have brought the same theme and be able to do it in a more creative and abstract way than “as if carved out of a block of ice” (Bonus points for the recycled material though!).
Meanwhile, the home kit is more like the classic Atletico jerseys we are used to. The stripes of red and white make it clear to which football organization Atletico Ottawa belong to, but credit to Ottawa in finding a way to make it more personal to Canada’s capital. The shape of the city of Ottawa being simplified into a kind of heart-shape, and then have it printed along the red stripes, is a neat idea, even if it does look a bit clunky overall. The back also having a more detailed drawing of the city makes it feel more like an Ottawa kit than an Atletico kit. But the printed “W” at the bottom, representing the “Dub” fanbase, is just too cringey for me. I get that its their name, but calling yourselves the “Dub” is just… icky.
Overall, the kits do a decent job to represent the city, and the club its an affiliate of (despite having the ugliest of sponsors plastered across the front).
OVERALL GRADE: C+
COMMUNITY GRADE: C
HFX WANDERERS
Last, but not least, is HFX Wanderers. Despite Wanderers being one of the most nondescript and lustreless clubs in the CPL, Halifax brought probably the most underrated kits of the year this year.
Starting with the home kit, it does beautifully to pair that deep, Royal Blue across the body with that gorgeous Steel Grey accents on the sleeves and edges, a personal favourite colour combination of mine. The design is also wonderfully subtle yet pronounced, having the shapes of the black granite rocks present throughout the body of the kit. It’s simple yet original, truly tying it back to the coasts of Nova Scotia without being all up in your face about it.
Meanwhile, the away jersey is a true heavy hitter. While it might seem quite plain at first, upon closer look, its design is super modern and stylish. In contrast to Vancouver FC’s home kit, it has text nicely spaced out into thin grey lines across the body, spelling out their motto of “Together From Aways”. Once again, subtle yet pronounced. But the crown jewel of the kit is that beautiful multicoloured pattern that adorns the collar, sleeve-trim and name/number plate on the back. The mosaic pattern is stunning, and the colours truly bring that brightness and warmth to this rather plain white kit. My only qualm is that I would have wanted to see that pattern be a bit thicker on the sleeves, and really go across the whole of the collar. It would bring this design even more to life.
Overall, some truly incredible kits, helped heavily by a super clean and modern sponsor logo in Volkswagen, which coincidently match the club name of Wanderers with its traditional W.
OVERALL GRADE: A
COMMUNITY GRADE: B-
Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder…
And that’s it! Those are my grades for this year’s kits! Overall, I think it’s a pretty decent batch of kits, with some really impressing, and only a select few (cough, cough Forge, and Cavalry Away cough, cough) failing the class.
And remember! Everyone is a critic and everyone has their own opinion! That’s what makes the interpretation and appreciation of visual (and other mediums of) art so fun and exciting. And hopefully we can all take pride the in the leaps and bounds that this league has had in its short history, and what it brings towards making Canada a true soccer country.
It was always going to be a mountain to climb if Vancouver Whitecaps were to get themselves back into their CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final at LAFC on Tuesday night. Trailing by three from the first leg, the Grim Reaper was hanging around waiting for his hourglass to run out and kill off their dreams once and for all. He didn’t need to in the end, that was done by Carlos Vela, who served up his very own Day of the Dead with a first half brace to take a scythe to Whitecaps hearts.
José Cifuentes hit another banger in the tie midway through the second half to make the final score 3-0 on the night and 6-0 on aggregate. A very disappointing way for the ‘Caps to crash out of the competition and one that just shows the gulf that exists between the upper echelons of Major League Soccer and the chasing pack.
Vanni Sartini made eight changes to the starting line-up from the team that overcame Portland on Saturday night. We can debate whether those were to add fresh legs or with a view to the tie being pretty much over and giving some guys minutes.
If the Whitecaps were to have any chance of getting back into the tie, they had to get off to a quick start, reduce the deficit by half time, and keep LAFC from adding to their lead. Despite their best intentions, that’s certainly not how things played out.
Deiber Caicedo brought a save out of John McCarthy in the 4th minute, as the ‘Caps started on the front foot, but they soon fell behind four minutes later.
The in-form Denis Bouanga burst into the box and was sent crashing to the deck by Ryan Raposo and up stepped Vela to finish high into the top corner and give LAFC a lead on the night and increase their lead in the tie.
Dénis Bouanga wins it, Carlos Vela converts it.
An early penalty kick gives #LAFC exactly the start they wanted. #SCCL23 pic.twitter.com/f5MsrHPdCX
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2023
It was almost two for the MLS champs in the 12th minute when Bouanga played in Diego Palacios, but his fierce strike was kept out by Thomas Hasal in the Whitecaps goal.
Russell Teibert linked up well with Ali Ahmed before firing off a long range rocket in the 17th minute that a full stretch McCarthy turned around the post, but that was to be as good as it got for the Whitecaps in the first half.
LA doubled their lead on the night in the 31st minute when Vela was played in by a beautiful ball over the top from Ilie Sánchez. It was timed to perfection as he started his run, got goalside of the Whitecaps defence, and finished with aplomb pas Hasal.
@11carlosV with his second of the night. @LAFC are feeelin' it. #SCCL23 pic.twitter.com/YhkLvUYCen
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2023
And it nearly went from bad to worse for the Whitecaps mere minutes later when Bouanga headed the ball down superbly to make room for a shot, which Hasal saved again.
That was the score at the half and with Vancouver’s faint hopes now well and truly extinguished, Sartini made four changes for the second half, with Steve Cherundolo making two for LAFC.
The second half was pretty much a non event for the most part but a moment of magic from Cifuentes in the 65th minute certainly lit it up when he got a pass from Bouanga 20 yards out and blasted one in off the left post, beating Hasal all ends up.
Can't stop watching this Cifu banger off the post(s). #SCCL23 pic.twitter.com/m5iFXaRZMO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 12, 2023
The final whistle put the Whitecaps out of their misery and will certainly have shown Sartini and Axel Schuster the differences in quality between a top side like LAFC and what their team wants to be. Can they learn much from it? I don’t know really, but it was a disappointing end to a competition everyone in Vancouver had high hopes for.
They’ll just have to win the Canadian Championship again this year to have another crack at the Champions League in 2024.
FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles FC 3 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps (LAFC win 6-0 on aggregate)
ATT: 18,688
SCORING SUMMARY:
8’ – LAFC – Carlos Vela (penalty kick)
31’ – LAFC – Carlos Vela (Ilie Sánchez)
65’ – LAFC – José Cifuentes (Dénis Bouanga)
STATS:
Possession: LAFC 54.7% – VAN 45.3%
Shots: LAFC 11 – VAN 14
Shots on Goal: LAFC 5 – VAN 6
Saves: LAFC 6 – VAN 2
Fouls: LAFC 12 – VAN 11
Offsides: LAFC 1 – VAN 2
Corners: LAFC 1 – VAN 3
LOS ANGELES: John McCarthy; Ryan Hollingshead, Jesús Murillo, Aaron Long, Diego Palacios (Sergi Palencia 66′); Ilie Sánchez (José Cifuentes 46′), Kellyn Acosta (Erik Dueñas 66’), Timothy Tillman; Carlos Vela, Dénis Bouanga (Daniel Crisostomo 73’), Kwadwo Opoku (Stipe Biuk 46′) [Substitutes not used: Abraham Romero, Denil Maldonado, Giorgio Chiellini, Christian Torres, Nathan Ordaz]
VANCOUVER: Thomas Hasal; Ryan Raposo, Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović (Tristan Blackmon 46′), Ali Ahmed (Mathías Laborda 60’); Ryan Gauld (J.C. Ngando 46′), Sebastian Berhalter, Russell Teibert; Cristian Dájome (Julian Gressel 46′), Déiber Caicedo (Pedro Vite 46′); Brian White [Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Isaac Boehmer, Luís Martins, Simon Becher, Matteo Campagna]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On LAFC:
“They are complete. Today they have on the bench [José] Cifuentes and [Giorgio] Chiellini. So that’s the thing and also, again, I would say, credit to the work of Steve [Cherundolo] because it’s not just a collection of stars. This is a team. Of course from now on, I hope that it’s either them or Philadelphia to win the cup. Because we are all part of MLS and we want MLS to be the best league in North America and I think we are, and since they are the best team in this league. I always say that in the Western Conference, I think they’re the only team that are better than us. That doesn’t mean that we are the second team. We are in contention with other teams. I hope we’ll come back again here for the regular season but I hope that we get to come back here for the playoffs because it means that we’re going further and maybe if we have to win one game it’s better to win a playoff game against them.”
On changes to the starting XI:
“The reason why is because we had a lot of games and we had to manage the players. We saw what happened with Andrés [Cubas] last game. So we wanted to approach the first half in a way that was very aggressive with two very offensive fullbacks like [Ryan] Raposo and [Ali] Ahmed and then having the front three, with [Déiber] Caicedo, [Cristian] Dájome and [Brian] White, good players there. Then making some changes accordingly at the end of the first half. Unfortunately, we were down at the end of the first half so the changes that we made were also in relation to let’s say not to do all the players that you already use all the minutes like for example [Ryan] Gauld, for example, Dájome, Ranko [Veselinović], Déiber was also capped at 45 minutes. So that’s the reason why.”
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
It’s been a week of highs and lows for the Whitecaps. The latter came midweek with a heavy 3-0 loss to LAFC in CONCACAF Champions League action, but they got back in the saddle to beat Portland Timbers 1-0 on Saturday night to make it back-to-back home league wins and extend their unbeaten run in MLS to five matches.
We pick over the bones of both matches and ponder how the ‘Caps should approach Tuesday’s CCL second leg. We also chat with LAFC’s Giorgio Chiellini about his CCL experience and nearly coming to Vancouver as a player. Can we ever attract players of that quality here? Plus we round up the action in an interesting and controversial weekend of action in the MLS West.
We’ve also got two feature interviews with Whitecaps young guns for you this week as we chat with Ali Ahmed about his transition to the first team, his excellent performance against Montreal, taking the next step, and fasting for Ramadan, plus we catch up with WFC2 standout Antoine Coupland about coming to Vancouver, his career so far, the pressure of breaking through as a 15-year-old and more.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.34: Intro
03.50: Whitecaps crash and burn in Champions League – any hope left?
22.35: Giorgio Chiellini audio
27.35: Can Vancouver ever attract older, experienced players here?
37.43: Whitecaps beat Timbers
63.30: Ali Ahmed interview
73.33: MLS weekly round-up
102.00: Antoine Coupland interview and WFC2 chat
124.35: Wavelength – Ellie Dixon – Jota On The Wings
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Brian White’s 74th minute winner made it six points from six at home to start off the month of April for Vancouver Whitecaps, whose 1-0 victory over Cascadian rivals Portland Timbers at BC Place on Saturday night saw them extend their unbeaten run to five matches in MLS.
For the second straight week the ‘Caps not only kept a clean sheet, but also kept their opponents from having any shots on goal, as Vancouver put in an assured and dominant display that saw them have two goals chalked off before the breakthrough finally came.
Needing to bounce back from Wednesday night’s disappointing outing against LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions League, Vanni Sartini made five changes with the dynamic duo of Simon Becher and Ali Ahmed returning to the starting lineup after their goalscoring and assisting exploits last weekend against Montreal.
Vancouver came out fast and strong for this one, creating a couple of early chances in the opening minutes.
Pedro Vite saw a fierce blast from the edge of the box tipped over by Aljaz Ivacic in the 4th minute, before the Slovenian denied the ‘Caps again with a save from a Mathias Laborda back post header.
Laborda had another header in the 23rd minute, after some good build up play by Vancouver, but couldn’t direct it on target and it was high and over.
Ranko Veselinovic had the ball in the net for the Whitecaps on the half hour mark, but the flag was up for offside after he showed some nice footwork in the box to pick up a rebound and dance around Ivacic.
Eric Miller got a key block in on an Ahmed shot in the 37th minute as the ‘Caps kept pressing for the opener, but the Timbers were holding firm, albeit not offer much offensive play in return.
That was all she wrote for the half in terms of talking points, but the second half started with a major one when Veselinovic had the ball in the net for a second time on the evening in the 51st minute, powerfully heading home a Ryan Gauld corner, only for the goal to be ruled out for a push on his jump.
The ‘Caps continued to press for the breakthrough and Julian Gressel had a fierce strike tipped over by Ivacic in the 58th minute and then with an acrobatic save in the 72nd.
It was starting to look like the breakthrough simply wasn’t going to come, but it did two minutes later.
Ivacic could only parry a fierce Gauld shot. Gressel pounced on the loose ball and with his first shot blocked he kept on it like a dog with a bone, to send a bullet ball across goal with White on hand two yards out to direct it home. Finally Vancouver had the lead and despite another video review, this time it counted!
Breakthrough for #VWFC
Julian Gressel finds Brian White for the opener. pic.twitter.com/A2eLjjRwNT
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 9, 2023
All the good work was nearly undone in the 80th minute when Justin Rasmussen sent a dangerous ball to the back post but the Whitecaps breathed a sigh of relief when Juan Mosquera blasted over.
That was to be the only remaining scare for Vancouver, who comfortably saw out the remaining time to see off a battling, but uninspiring Portland side.
Deiber Caicedo nearly put the icing on the victory cake six minutes into stoppage time, but Ivacic proved the Whitecaps denier again with the save.
A first derby win of the season and more importantly the full six points targeted from their back-to-back home league matches. With a trip to a struggling Austin side followed by a bye week, the Whitecaps are looking a lot better by the end of April that many would have thought.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 0 Portland Timbers
ATT: 17,029
SCORING SUMMARY:
74’ – VAN – Brian White (Julian Gressel)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 57.6% – POR 42.4%
Shots: VAN 13 – POR 2
Shots on Goal: VAN 9 – POR 0
Saves: VAN 0 – POR 8
Fouls: VAN 20 – POR 14
Offsides: VAN 4 – POR 0
Corners: VAN 12 – POR 1
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins (Javain Brown 82’); Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas (Sebastian Berhalter 29’), Ali Ahmed (Déiber Caicedo 82’); Pedro Vite (Cristian Dájome 82’), Ryan Gauld; Simon Becher (Brian White 66’) [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, J.C. Ngando, Ryan Raposo, Russell Teibert]
PORTLAND: Aljaz Ivacic; Eric Miller, Dario Zuparic, Zac McGraw, Justin Rasmussen; Santiago Moreno (David Ayala 77), Diego Chara, Diego Gutiérrez (Evander 46′); Juan Mosquera (Nathan Fogaça 81’), Tega Ikoba (Jaroslaw Niezgoda 46′), Dairon Asprilla (Franck Boli 66’) [Substitutes not used: Hunter Sulte, Claudio Bravo, Pablo Bonilla, Larrys Mabiala]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On keys to the win:
“The key is that we have a very good team. We had the ball much more than them, we had a lot of chances. I was a little bit angry at the end of the first half, because I thought that in the first half we were a little bit cocky with the ball, trying to do something beautiful in space and similar stuff getting inefficient. I think that the result is a liar, there’s more goals between us and them.Yeah, I’m happy that we won. But again, if you don’t score the goal that you need to score, at the end they had a big chance they could have tied, 1-1… so it’s a reminder for us that it’s good to play well, but when we go at them we need to go.”
On Brian White’s performances so far this season:
“I think he didn’t have a slow start. I think he had a good start. But he just didn’t score but he was, I would say, instrumental to the fact that the team was creating chances and being in the right position at the right moment. I think that Brian did very well and I’m very happy that I think Ryan [Gauld] did his best performance of the season.”
JULIAN GRESSEL
On his assist:
“I think it was a play down the left side, as I’ve done before, I try and get into the box late, and know that I can maybe get on the end of either cross or a shot like I scored last week and this time it was a shot again and deflection again. It was a bit too wide, obviously a good save by the keeper and then yeah, just trying to hit it across with Brian standing in the middle of the goal, trying to hit it across and the defender blocks it. The second one is honestly me just trying to shoot as hard as I can across the goal and then hoping that either deflection from the defender happens or Brian [White] stands right there and you know, just needs to put his belly out and then dink it in. So yeah, it worked out exactly like I wanted to. I think, good things happen when you shoot the ball across like that, and it did in that moment.”
On if the mentality changes as the match nears its end:
“No, I think not necessarily. I think you obviously know as the game goes on every play becomes more and more crucial because there’s less and less time left. But in terms of our mindset, I thought we played really well in the first half, could have been more intentional, could have been more direct at times, to create a bit more danger. But in the second half, I thought we kind of started where we left off in the first and continued to just kind of keep at it, keep at it and then again, one of those chances will have to fall eventually that’s what you have to believe and that’s why you have to keep going, and today it did. Today we were able to keep them away from our goal. Easy day for Yohei [Takaoka], good day obviously up front, in terms of scoring one goal and if you keep a shutout, one goal is enough.”
BRIAN WHITE
On what it means winning a rivalry match against Portland:
“It’s important, any time you can have the upper edge on your neighbours or on your rivals, it’s important for the club, it’s important for the fans. So yeah, it’s an important three points in the standings, three points for the Cascadia Cup and just looking forward to the next game in LA.”
On keeping the momentum following the match:
“Yeah, obviously you want to keep scoring every game to help the team win every game. But for me, it’s about focusing on the performance, focusing on what I can do to help the team win. If it’s goals, great. I’d be happy to score goals for the team, it’s what I want to do. But more importantly to put my best foot out there, perform well, help the team win games in any way I can.”
It’s Vaisakhi Night at BC Place this weekend as the Whitecaps have their first Cascadian clash of the year against Portland. These are two teams with nearly identical records, and two teams that are very much stumbling into this match – one hasn’t won since opening day and the other just received a pantsing at home in their biggest match of the season to this point.
With the ‘Caps’ hopes of lifting the CONCACAF Champions League trophy all but buried six feet under, the hope of a trophy of some kind this year has to turn elsewhere. The Cascadia Cup might not be at top of fans’ minds, but getting one over on our rivals in the Pacific Northwest always feels good and it’s something to celebrate.
The ‘Caps have not won the Cascadia Cup since 2016, a barren stretch of five seasons that’s the longest-ever such streak for the club, including the USL era. Portland are the defending champs, breaking up the recent Seattle hegemony after not losing a match to either the Sounders or the ‘Caps in 2022.
This match also marks the end of a week of three home matches that has seen quite high highs and quite low lows. After putting Montreal to the sword last weekend the ‘Caps took a more pragmatic approach against LAFC midweek, which seemed to be working alright (if not excitingly) until they were undone in a disastrous ten minutes that left them in tatters (and still not very exciting).
The ’Caps continue to be targeted down the flanks, with fullbacks as a bit of a position of concern. Javain Brown and Ryan Raposo have both had their moments going forward but they’ve also had their defensive struggles, while there’s been a bit of a lack of Mathias Laborda minutes given how touted he was when he was brought in over the winter.
In MLS play the team has been solid enough overall defensively, conceding just seven times in six matches, but (outside of the Montreal victory) it’s come at the seeming cost of a wholly functional attack. Ryan Gauld still does not have a goal involvement in MLS play and has been battling a tight hamstring, while outside of Simon Becher flashes the other attackers haven’t been able to mount many serious goal threats.
Christian Dájome has also really struggled to get going this season, without a goal or an assist himself, while Pedro Vite has just one assist in MLS play and Déiber Caicedo hasn’t yet found his footing in a couple substitute appearances. The trio of Gauld, Becher and Brian White feels the most likely to lead the line against Portland, and the ‘Caps will hope they can find a grouping that shows some consistent chemistry.
Looking at the visitors, the Timbers are coming in off back-to-back draws, first 0-0 against the Galaxy at home and then 1-1 on the road in Dallas last weekend. They’d lost three in a row before those results and have been outscored 9-4 on the road so far this season.
Part of the reason for this poor start is an early injury crisis, with seven players out this weekend including regulars Eryk Williamson, Sebastian Blanco, and Yimmi Chara. Goalkeeper David Bingham is also on the shelf while Felipe Mora is still recovering from the season-ending injury he suffered last year. All in all, it’s not been a fun month or two for our Oregon counterparts.
On the other side, it’s been both a fun and very not fun week for the Whitecaps depending on what time you asked the question, and we’ll have to see which direction they end up trending more towards in the near future. The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but climbing over a point per game pace in MLS play would be a start at least.
Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) teams have been a dominant force in the BC Provincial A Cup in recent years. The last team to lift the famous trophy that wasn’t from the league were Gorge FC all the way back in 2010 and it was another strong showing from VMSL sides in the opening weekend of action in this year’s competition.
VMSL representatives make up half of the quarter-final line-up after the Round of 16 matches, but the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) have three teams in the last eight after some strong results of their own this past weekend. It was a tough couple of days for the five Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) sides, however, with only champions Lakehill advancing and only two of their teams able to get on the scoreboard.
Before we get into how the action played out, here’s a summary of all of the Round of 16 results at a glance, in bracket order:
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) 11 – 0 Bays United (VISL)
SFC Pegasus Royals (FVSL) 0 – 3 Inter EDC (VMSL)
Lakehill (VISL) 5 – 1 West Van (VMSL)
Vic West (VISL) 0 – 2 Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves (VMSL)
—
FC Tigers (FVSL) 4 – 0 Nanaimo United (VISL)
Gorge (VISL) 1 – 2 Croatia (VMSL)
Okanagan FC (PCSL) 1 – 5 Micro Footie (FVSL)
Langley United (FVSL) 0 – 2 Abbotsford United (FVSL)
The A Cup action kicked off with three matches on Saturday.
First up was a game on the island as VISL side Gorge FC played host to Croatia SC of the VMSL in a closely contested encounter which saw the Vancouver side run out 2-1 winners.
VMSL side Inter EDC headed to Newton Athletic Park in Surrey on Saturday evening and were made to battle against SFC Pegasus Royals at Newton Athletic Park before three second hand goals saw them come away with a hard fought 3-0 victory against the ten man home side.
The first game changing moment came in the 19th minute when the Royals saw their goalkeeper receive a straight red card for coming out and bringing down Massud Habibullah, who was in full flow as he headed to goal. There could have been no complaints, but as that keeper had only come on a few minutes earlier after an injury to the starting keeper, it took a lot of time to get another replacement keeper onto the pitch. Over five minutes in total, which contributed to the nine minutes of stoppage time added on.
Both teams had their chances to open the scoring in the first half, with the Royals not looking like a team down a man and putting in a gutsy performance.
That continued in the second half and they could have taken the lead in the 53rd minute after a quick free quick nearly caught Inter out, but the VMSL got their breakthrough when Neto Arteaga acrobatically fired home in the 58th minute in the second phase of a corner. After that, there was no looking back for Inter.
Three minutes later, Habibullah doubled Inter’s lead with a great solo goal and Nic Apostol put the icing on the cake for the VMSL side two minutes into stoppage time.
The scoreline makes it look more comfortable for Inter than it was and SFC Pegasus Royals (also known as Ares Academy) deserve a lot of credit for their efforts and battling performance, in what was a very chippy affair at times, with a few cynical tackles flying in.
You can watch the match in full below:
With one FVSL team out, another was set to fall as league rivals Langley United and Abbotsord United squared off at Willoughby Community Park. In the end it was FVSL runners-up Abbotsford who triumphed 2-0 in a match that went down to the wire.
Parmin Minhas broke the deadlock for Abbotsford around 30 minutes into the first half with a nice solo run down the right wing cutting onto his left at the top of the box and slotting a low shot off the near post and in.
Langley weren’t going to go down without a fight and this is how the score stayed until two minutes into second half stoppage time. Langley threw everyone forward to try and find the late leveler to send the game to penalties. This naturally left them short at the back and Tyson Hunter did well to intercept and ride a few challenges before spraying a ball out wide to Brady Weir who dribbled passed a few scrambling Langley defenders and finished one off far post 12 yards out to seal the 2-0 victory.
It was a busy Sunday with five matches on the slate, two on the island, two in Surrey, and one in the interior, and what a goalfest those matches produced.
The last two A Cup finals (in 2019 and 2022) have seen a battle between BB5 United and FC Tigers, with a fierce local rivalry growing between the two league champions and both teams kicked off their 2023 cup campaigns in Surrey on Sunday afternoon.
FVSL league and cup winners FC Tigers played host to VISL side Nanaimo United at Hjorth Park, turning in a commanding performance on their way to a 4-0 victory. Former FC Edmonton midfielder Antony Caceres hit a brace for the Tigers with Taha Ilyass and Croatian striker Stjepan Olujic grabbing one apiece.
With the team on opposite sides of the bracket, could we be seeing a third straight BB5-Tigers Provincial A Cup final? Back-to-back provincial champs BB5 United got their defence of the title off to an absolutely stunning start, thrashing VISL side Bays United 11-0 at Newton Athletic Park on Sunday afternoon.
Connor MacMillan started the rout three minutes in, before a brace from Matteo Polisi made it 3-0 by the 12th minute. It didn’t get much better for Bays after that, as BB5 didn’t take their foot off the gas.
Mamadi Camara made it four in the 23rd, before Polisi completed his hat-trick just past the half hour mark. A second from Camara in the 36th and a second for MacMillan a minute before half time had BB5 in seventh heaven at the break.
BB5 kept going in the second after making a string of subs at the half. That was to be no respite for Bays, as one of them was VMSL Golden Boot winner Farivar Torabi, who started off the second half scoring in the 56th minute. Dilraj Dhaliwal made it nine in the 63rd minute before goals from Ivan Mejia and Riley Pang rounded off the scoring for an incredible 11-0 victory, that could have been even more if not for offsides and poor finishing.
It was some match, some performance, and you can see our highlights video of the game below, unless you’re a Bays player or supporter, in which case you may not want to watch:
The island played host to two Round of 16 matches on Sunday and first up was VISL Jackson Cup winners Vic West taking on Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves in Sooke, with the VMSl runners-up coming away 2-0 victors setting up another return to the island a fortnight later.
That return trip will see them take on VISL champions Lakehill, who hit West Van of the VMSL for five in a dominant 5-1 victory at Starlight Stadium in Langford. Blair Sturrock, Isaac Koch, Paddy Nelson, Jack Hill, and Tory Barbon were on the scoresheet for the islanders.
The final A Cup action of the opening weekend came at King’s Park in Penticton, with the Pacific Coast League (PCSL) champions getting a spot back in the tournament at the expense of one of the VMSL’s spots. And it didn’t end well for PCSL side Okanagan FC, who were on the wrong end of a 5-1 shellacking from FVSL side Micro Footie.
(Photo Credit: John Glennon)
The teams were tied at one apiece at the break, but Micro Footie took the lead early in the second half and didn’t look back to come away with a famous victory for the 5th placed FVSL side.
Not taking anything away from Micro Footie, but BC Soccer really need to reevaluate giving the PCSL a spot back in the A Cup. With their season not getting underway until May, the B Cup would make a lot more sense, with the Richmond Adult Soccer Association (RASA) more deserving of that A Cup spot.
A lot of fantastic action over the weekend in the A Cup, all of which sets up the following interesting quarter-final ties on the weekend of April 15 and 16:
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) vs Inter EDC (VMSL)
Lakehill (VISL) vs Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves (VMSL)
FC Tigers (FVSL) vs Croatia SC (VMSL)
Micro Footie (FVSL) vs Abbotsford United (FVSL)
So at least one side from the VMSL and the FVSL are guaranteed a semi-final spot. Should be four cracking ties.
The mission was a clear one for Vancouver Whitecaps in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final at BC Place on Wednesday evening – take a lead into the second leg next week and keep their opponents off the scoreboard, avoiding an away goal. A clear mission, but it was never going to be an easy one when your opponents are the MLS champions and a team ‘Caps coach Vanni Sartini described as the best club side in North America right now.
What started as a night full of hope and promise, following on from Saturday’s big win over Montreal, turned into a second half nightmare as an Kwadwo Opoku goal was sandwiched between two absolutely fantastic Denis Bouanga efforts to give LAFC what already looks to be an unassailable lead to take into next Tuesday’s second leg.
Sartini made four changes from the team that started Saturday’s demolition job against Montreal. The heroes from the weekend, Simon Becher and Ali Ahmed, dropped to the bench, with Ryan Gauld and Cristian Dajome among the players coming in.
It was a slow paced start by both sides but the game almost sprung into life in the 13th minute when the ‘Caps kept the pressure on as LAFC tried to clear a corner, ending with Tristan Blackmon forcing a diving save from visiting keeper John McCarthy from a fierce strike across goal.
LA were happy to give up a lot of possession to Vancouver, were really able to create much in the final third.
The visitors had their first look on goal in the 32nd minute when Carlos Vela played a lovely ball over the top of the Whitecaps defence. Bouanga timed his run to perfection to get on to it, but swept his effort narrowly past the far post.
That was pretty much it for the first half. You definitely got the feeling that Sartini just wanted to keep things tight, keep LAFC off the scoreboard, then bring on Becher and Ahmed for last 15 or 20 minutes to try and get that lead for the second leg, with anything other than that being a very nice added bonus.
The ‘Caps did try to take the game to the visitors to start the second, with Brian White heading over a deep ball into box.
LAFC got their first real shot on goal in the 53rd minute, with Yohei Takaoka forced to make a good stop.
Then from out of nowhere, the MLS champions took the lead with an absolute banger from Bouanga from over 25 yards out that flew over the head of Takaoka as it dipped in on goal with some pace.
GOLAZO
Denis Bouanga gives #LAFC a 1-0 lead just before the hour mark in this #SCCL23 clash vs. #VWFC with this knuckle-ball screamer
https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/IJ6IGkUsB1
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 6, 2023
The one thing Vancouver wanted not to happen in the match, LAFC scoring, now forced them to open up and take the game to their visitors, but before they could make the attacking change of bringing on Becher and Ahmed, disaster struck for the ‘Caps and they found themselves two goals down just past the hour mark.
Andres Cubas was outmuscled by Bouanga just inside his own box. The loose ball fell to Opoku, who picked it up with glee, danced past Vancouver defenders, rounded Takaoka and buried what already looked like a killer second for LAFC.
GOAL
Kwadwo Opoku makes it TWO for #LAFC as they catch the #VWFC backline sleeping and force a turnover in their own box #SCCL23 | https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/htKMRPO8aY
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 6, 2023
Things then got worse for the Whitecaps two minutes later and they found themselves three down.
This time it was Bouanga’s turn to dance through the ‘Caps defence with a beautiful individual goal that saw him surrounded by three defenders, draw the ball back, turn on a dime to break free, and blast home his second and his side’s third of the game.
GOAL
Denis Bouanga AGAIN to make it #LAFC 3-0 #VWFC in this #SCCL23 clash, sending three Whitecaps defenders to the locker rooms with this incredible cut-and-shoot finish
https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/NCVqnenjbf
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 6, 2023
Becher had a couple of looks on goal for Vancouver, flashing a header over in the 72nd minute, as the young guns introduction brought a renewed spark to the home side, albeit far too late.
Substitute Sergi Palancia had a chance to pile on the misery and add a fourth for LAFC in the closing minutes when he was sprung clear on goal but was denied by Takaoka.
Takaoka denied Palancia again in stoppage time, pulling off a save and then watching on agonisingly as the ball trickled towards goal but eventually just wide, and that was to be that.
Miracles are known to happen at Easter, but it would take something really, really special to resurrect the Whitecaps CONCACAF Champions League hopes after this first leg showing.
The big question now is what team are the real Whitecaps going to be? The free-flowing scorers against Montreal, buoyed by the exuberance of youth but against a really poor side, or the team picked apart by some sublime quality by LAFC tonight?
It’s probably going to fall somewhere inbetween them both, but this game certainly showed what a long way the team has to go to really compete with the best sides in MLS.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 -3 LAFC
ATT: 11,652
SCORING SUMMARY:
55’ – LAFC – Dénis Bouanga (Carlos Vela)
61’ – LAFC – Kwadwo Opoku (Dénis Bouanga)
65’ – LAFC – Dénis Bouanga (Timothy Tillman)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 44.3% – LAFC 55.7%
Shots: VAN 11 – LAFC 10
Shots on Goal: VAN 2 – LAFC 6
Saves: VAN 3 – LAFC 2
Fouls: VAN 4 – LAFC 6
Offsides: VAN 0 – LAFC 2
Corners: VAN 4 – LAFC 4<.br>
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Ryan Raposo (Luís Martins 68); Julian Gressel (Sebastian Berhalter 79), Andrés Cubas, Russell Teibert (Ali Ahmed 62); Ryan Gauld (Pedro Vite 68), Cristian Dájome (Simon Becher 62); Brian White
[Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Isaac Boehmer, Mathías Laborda, Déiber Caicedo, Karifa Yao, J.C. Ngando, Kamron Habibullah]
LOS ANGELES: John McCarthy; Ryan Hollingshead, Jesús Murillo, Aaron Long, Diego Palacios; Ilie Sánchez, Kellyn Acosta, Timothy Tillman (Erik Dueñas 69); Carlos Vela, Dénis Bouanga (Sergi Palencia 83), Kwadwo Opoku (Stipe Biuk 69) [Substitutes not used: Eldin Jakupovic, Abraham Romero, Denil Maldonado, Giorgio Chiellini, Daniel Crisostomo, José Cifuentes, Nathan Ordaz]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINi
On the match:
“It’s hard to give an assessment to the total performance in the sense of the idea was to be very well organized and don’t concede anything and try to be attacking them in the counter and then try to put more offensive weapons in the second half when the game becomes a little bit wider and maybe have a chance to score. We were almost doing it in the sense that in the first half they had more of the ball but we were defending very well. We had a shot on goal, they had a big chance but we had a couple of good chances in transition too. Second half we started very well but [Denis] Bouanga scored a banger. Unfortunately we did a disaster on our second goal… If we don’t concede that goal, I think that we were having more chances to go forward in the second half, and maybe score to even the tie. I liked the fact that we never stopped, we wanted to score, we knew that scoring a goal could probably bring chances for the second, we had chances with Simon [Becher] with the cross, Ranko [Veselinović] with a big ball into the box. Of course they had chances too, but we were pushing, pushing, that’s the thing they have tons of quality. They have a couple of players that are very good. We need to limit them to play the perfect game but unfortunately we missed a couple of chances in the first half. I would say the biggest thing is that we gifted them a goal.”
On the opening minutes of the match:
“I think to be honest, the best spell that we had was the first 15 minutes and then the second half before we conceded the goal. So we were playing well. We were doing well. We were again, if we think that we are here in LAFC and they don’t touch the ball, we are likely in a fairytale. So we are doing, I would say our game, unfortunately, they had a world class goal and a world class gift.”
After what was hopefully a big confidence-boosting shellacking of Montreal on the weekend, the Whitecaps face what will be a much stiffer test in the form of LAFC in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals.
Just like in the first round the ‘Caps are hosting the first leg, which puts some real pressure on them to get a good results to start off the tie. Heading down to LA already behind the eight ball, in a stadium that has been a place of horrors for the club in the past, would certainly not be ideal. So, the ‘Caps need to be put their best foot forward here and surely will put out their best XI.
Who is part of that group? Well, there were two players who only made their first-ever MLS starts just a few days ago and yet if they were taken out of the lineup for this match most of the fanbase would be up in arms. The last time I wrote one of these previews (ahead of the Minnesota draw) was in the wake of the Sergio Córdova injury and I said: “Becher will surely get his chance to stake a claim for more minutes in the coming matches.”
Has he ever! A last gasp equalizer in Minnesota was followed up by a brace and an assist against Montreal and he was named the MLS Player of the Matchday (a horrific sounding name why did they change it from Player of the Week?!). Will Becher be able to keep up his streak of scoring in every match indefinitely? Well… I would hazard a guess that he won’t. But for a team that’s been starved for consistent offense it’s exciting to see someone actually stick the ball in the net multiple times.
Becher has also flashed some real chemistry with Brian White, and they combined very well on the first goal against Montreal which broke White’s goalless rut. If Ryan Gauld is back then an attacking trio of him, White and Becher is the likely group up top, as though White has had his struggles at times none of the other attackers have truly solidified a starting place over him.
In the midfield, the other first-time starter was Ali Ahmed as the wingback played as a #8 – a role he had experience playing from before he joined the ‘Caps academy a few years ago. Alessandro Schöpf’s injury opened the door and Ahmed certainly took it, grabbing a goal and an assist.
Given that Andrés Cubas and Julian Gressel both have their names in the team’s best XI written in sharpie, there’s only one midfield spot truly up for grabs when everyone is healthy (knocking on wood furiously). Will Ahmed be able to be as swashbuckling going forward against a more competent team? LAFC is certainly a much more dangerous beast but hopefully we’ll be able to see what the young Canadian can do against them.
At the back, the biggest question is whether it will be Luis Martins or Ryan Raposo starting. Raposo feels like he should have the inside track as he’d started five matches in a row before getting a rest against Montreal. Martins was solid on the weekend but it was truly hard not to be if you were wearing a blue jersey.
Looking at the visitors, LAFC are one of three MLS teams to not have suffered a loss so far this season, along with Minnesota and Cincinnati, and they hold a 3-0-2 record. They won both legs of their CCL first round tie as well, defeating Costa Rican side Alajuelense 5-1 on aggregate overall. This is their second-ever appearance in the CCL, finishing runners-up in their first go in 2020 when they fell to Tigres in the final.
The ‘Caps have – perhaps surprisingly – fared quite well against LAFC at home in their MLS history, winning four matches in a row against them here at BC Place, all by a score of either 2-1 or 1-0. The latest was a 1-0 victory last July when Cubas scored an 89th minute winner, to this point still his only goal for the club.
Of course, for all their success against the black and gold here in Vancouver, the Whitecaps are 0-4-2 on the road against LAFC all-time, outscored 20-7 in those matches. Those numbers aren’t pretty, showing how imperative it is to get a home win here in this first leg.
TSS Rovers continued their countdown to their historic Canadian Championship match against Valour FC on April 19 by getting their first preseason friendly under their belt in Langley on Monday afternoon.
It was a 2-0 loss for the League1 BC champions against Canadian Premier League side Vancouver FC in the end, but for a team still finding their spark, chemistry, and with many of the players having played games over the weekend in the BC Provincial Cup, there was a lot to be pleased about and to be taken from the game for Rovers head coach Will Cromack.
“This was the first shot at getting guys back together,” Cromack told AFTN after the match. “Certainly they’ve been playing in different environments, but all together they haven’t. So part of the expectation [from this game] was just getting started.
“The idea was to see a couple of windows into what we need to accomplish in the last couple of weeks before we go play Valour and the last couple of weeks before going into the season. We saw some good things and we saw some things that we need to fix, but all in all most guys got a touch on the pitch and that can only bode well for us for the season.”
A lively start saw TSS moving the ball well and pressing Vancouver hard in the early going, but were leaving space at the back, which the CPL side capitalised on in the 12th minute.
Shaan Hundal was played in on a quick transition and the big striker used his pace to head towards goal and finish past Justin Sandhu into the far corner for the opener.
@TSSRovers took the game to @vanfootballclub in the early going of their friendly in Langley today, eventually falling to a 2-0 defeat. Shaan Hundal opened the scoring for VFC with this quick transition goal. A good showing from TSS in their first preseason game though.#CanPL pic.twitter.com/aWf0k4MX4c
— AFTN (@aftncanada) April 4, 2023
That was how it stayed until into the second half, with Vancouver looking the stronger and more cohesive side for large chunks of the match, which was understandable considering where the two teams are in their respective preseasons.
TSS were struggling to create any real goalscoring opportunities and find a way past a very big presence in the CPL side’s back three of Pele Martinez, Rocco Romeo, and Ibrahim Bakare. That’s a pretty imposing trio of centrebacks Vancouver FC have and they will be a real handful for opponents to deal with once the season gets underway.
Vancouver doubled their advantage with a free kick early in the second half. Cromack talked about learning experiences from the match, this was certainly one of them and you can be sure that TSS will not be setting up a wall as poorly as that again going forward. Maël Henry was the man to take full advantage, curling a perfect ball around the wall and past Sandhu into the bottom corner.
A good learning experience for @TSSRovers in their first preseason friendly of the year, a 2-0 loss to @vanfootballclub. You can be sure they'll not be setting up a wall this badly again at a free kick! Punished by VFC's Maël Henry for his team's second of the game. #CanPL pic.twitter.com/sisglDmK20
— AFTN (@aftncanada) April 4, 2023
Both teams made a few changes and brought on a few of their younger guys. It brought a renewed energy to the Rovers more than their hosts and they took the game to their CPL opponents, carving out a few goalscoring opportunities for Connor MacMillan, Ivan Mejia, and Matteo Polisi.
They weren’t to find the breakthrough though and had to settle for the 2-0 defeat.
All in all, both sides will be happy with elements from this one.
For TSS, it was a good first outing together, with the team missing some of their likely starters to injury and work commitments, while others were not quite playing on fumes after playing over the weekend for their local club teams in the BC Provincial Cup, but having had some intense games under their belt in the last 48 hours, there was definitely an element of fatigue creeping in for some.
There were already signs that the chemistry is building with the squad and some of the movement, especially early on, will give confidence for facing another CPL side, Valour, in two weeks time. TSS have another couple of friendlies lined up before that game on the 19th, but it will certainly be upon them before they know it.
For Vancouver FC, it was a solid display, another preseason victory, and another clean sheet. The backline certainly impressed, and the changes across the attack over the course of the game was interesting to see play out. Trialist Emmanuel Robe had another strong outing leading the line, and you have to feel he will soon be confirmed onto the CPL roster. With less than two weeks till their inaugural season gets underway, they have one more friendly to come to fine tune things before heading over to take on Pacific FC.
You can see a few photos from the match on the AFTN Flickr page HERE.
All five of the local leagues saw at least one of their representatives claim a BC Provincial B Cup quarter-final berth after the opening weekend’s Round of 16 matches.
The Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) saw three of their teams advance, with Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) claiming two quarter-final spots, and the Burnaby Metro Soccer League (BMSL), Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL), and Richmond Adult Soccer Association (RASA) all seeing one of their sides go through to the next round of the Keith Millar Cup.
Before we get into how the action played out, here’s a summary of all of the Round of 16 results at a glance, in bracket order:
Tzeachten (FVSL) 4 – 1 Vancouver Harps (VMSL)
Euro (BMSL) 4 – 2 Mission (FVSL)
Siaron (VMSL) 2 – 1 Surrey United B (FVSL)
Aldergrove Highlanders (FVSL) 1 – 3 Westcoast (RASA)
—
Sooke Celtic (VISL) 2 – 1 Brazcouver (BMSL)
Grads (RASA) 1 – 2 Gorge FC (VISL)
Bingers Army (VMSL) 3 -2 Strathcona Primo (VMSL)
Mid Isle Mariners (VISL) beat Narps (VMSL) – forfeit
The action kicked off in the 2023 Keith Millar B Cup with a pair of matches on Friday night.
The Tzeachten sports field in Chilliwack saw free-scoring FVSL Division 2A winners Tzeachten FC host VMSL Division 2B runners-up Vancouver Harps. After hitting 90 goals on their way to the title, Tzeachten brought that goalscoring form into the provincials with a comfortable 4-1 victory.
It was a wild one at Empire Field and despite some horrendous wet and windy conditions, the all-VMSL battle between Division 2A winners Binger’s Army and Division 2B runners up Strathcona Primo didn’t disappoint, with five goals, two penalties saved, and three goals disallowed.
Will Hoy fired Binger’s in front in the 21st minute, then doubled his team’s advantage when he swept home a low cross two minutes into the second half. Primo were given a lifeline when they got a penalty soon after but Chris O’Connor denied Nico Pietramala with the save.
Pietramala made amends in the 63rd minute when he volleyed home a corner to make it a one goal match, but Binger’s restored their two goal lead just two minutes later when Gavin Mason scored the goal of the game with an acrobatic effort off another corner.
Undeterred Strathcona kept pushing and they got another chance from the spot in the 68th minute, only for O’Connor to come up with another clutch save. Primo set up a potential grandstand finale in the last minute when O’Connor couldn’t hold on to the ball in the wet conditions after a save and Bilal Hassan prodded home the loose ball.
There was almost a late leveller in stoppage time, as the ball was put away but the referee had blown for a foul and Binger’s came away with the 3-2 victory.
Here’s our match highlights.
Both of these teams have been promoted to VMSL Division 1 for next season, so here’s hoping we get a couple more matches like this from the sides.
Three B Cup matches were on the slate on Saturday. There was meant to be four but sold out ferry issues due to only qualifying on Wednesday night saw neither of the VMSL sides Narps or Binger’s Army Whistler able to travel to Ladysmith to take on Mid Isle Mariners, so the match was forfeited and the VISL side advance.
First up of the games that were played was the team that beat Strathcona Primo to the regular season title, Siaron FC, who are looking to do the treble after winning VMSL Division 2A and the VMSL Division 2 Cup.
Siaron hosted FVSL side Surrey United B at Empire on Saturday afternoon and were made to work hard for their 2-1 victory. This time it was a tale of two second half penalties that were scored.
Siaron dominated possession, with Surrey struggling to get much out of their own half at times and happy to hit on the counter, which did cause a few problems. The VMSL side finally got their breakthrough five minutes from half time through leading scorer Sean Collins, but the Surrey side came out and made a game of it after the restart.
Tyler Walters was brought down by Siaron keeper Alex Rybin in the box and picked himself up to blast home the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 69th minute and it was game back on.
Siaron got a penalty of their own, however, three minutes later after a handball in the box. Collins stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way for his second of the afternoon and what proved to be the match winner.
Here’s our match highlights. You can also find a brief photo gallery on our Flickr page HERE:
VISL Division 3 champs Sooke Celtic were in action on Saturday afternoon at Fred Milne Park, winning what Vince Greco described as “a spirited affair” 2-1 over BMSL runners-up Brazcouver thanks to goals from Robbie Heggelund and Ketil Eckhardt.
Aldergrove Highlanders hosted RASA runners-up Westcoast at McLeod Athletic Park in Langley on Saturday evening, and it was all going well for the FVSL Division 2A runners-up until the second half started. A goal up and a penalty save to the good at half time, the Highlanders gave up three unanswered goals in the second 45 minutes to come away on the wrong end of a 3-1 defeat.
The final two Round of 16 matches took place on Sunday.
RASA champions Grads hosted VISL George Pearkes Challenge Cup winners Gorge FC (Div 3) at Minoru on Sunday afternoon in a game that went down to the wire. Gorge took the lead in the 15th minute, then saved a penalty four minutes later, and they held that advantage till the 75th minute. An injury to their keeper saw him have to go off and Grads tied things up to set up a dramatic conclusion.
With the game heading into stoppage time and penalties looming, the Islanders got the dramatic late winner, setting up what should be a tasty all-Island showdown with Sooke Celtic in a fortnight.
The final Round of 16 B Cup matchup took place at Burnaby Central with BMSL champions Euro FC taking on FVSL Division 2B champs Mission SC. Although it wasn’t a full strength Mission team on the day, there were no complaints and Euro were the better side overall. The Burnaby boys took a two goal lead in the first half, which Mission managed to peg back, but two goals early into the second half did the damage and saw BMSL representation in the last eight.
A fantastic three days of Keith Millar Cup action, which sets up the following interesting quarter-final ties in two week’s time:
Tzeachten (FVSL) v Euro FC (BMSL)
Siaron (VMSL) v Westcoast (RASA)
Sooke Celtic (VISL) v Gorge FC (VISL)
Binger’s Army (VMSL) v Mid Isle Mariners (VISL)
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
What a fantastic weekend of football it has been. We’ve seen 19 goals in three BC Provincial Cup games, WFC2 won a penalty shootout, and best of all, Vancouver Whitecaps put up a five goal performance as they took apart a dreadful looking CF Montreal side.
Saturday’s 5-0 win over their Canadian rivals was just what the doctor ordered to kickstart the ‘Caps MLS season and has them fired up and full of confidence now for the month ahead. We pick over the bones of the match, hear from head coach Vanni Sartini and look at the fantastic contributions from the young guns Simon Becher and Ali Ahmed.
Both Becher and Ahmed stood out for WFC2 last season before making the jump to the first team and will be an inspiration to the guys on that team this year. WFC2 had a new gaffer at the helm this year, with Ricardo Clark taking charge and our feature interview this episode is with Rico as we chat about his transition to head coach, his daily routine, playing styles, hopes for the team this year and lots more.
Plus we round up the action around the MLS Western Conference, look ahead to Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League clash against LAFC, and the legends that are Sparks make their debut as our Artists of the Month for April.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.33: Intro
08.09: Five star Whitecaps destroy Montreal
39.45: Vanni on Montreal win
44.10: LAFC Champions League preview
52.00: MLS weekly round-up
67.02: Ricardo Clark interview
99.35: Wavelength – Grand Pocket Orchestra – Shitkicker
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Play the fucking kids, has become somewhat of a supporters trope in Whitecapsland over the years. Saturday night’s comprehensive 5-0 dismantling of CF Montreal at BC Place showed exactly why.
The Whitecaps put on an absolute clinic in the first half, outscoring their visitors by 18 shots to one, with Brian White, Simon Becher, and Ali Ahmed all getting on the scoresheet after Montreal’s Rudy Camacho was sent off for a last man challenge in the 23rd minute.
The’ Caps continued where they left off to start the second with a first MLS goal for Ahmed and a second goal on the night for Becher seeing Vancouver got nap before the hour mark. That may have been it for the scoring but as the final 29 to three shot count illustrated, this was a 90 minute of pure dominance by a rampant Whitecaps side.
The chant going around the Southside was “Becher’s on fire, your defence is terrified”. A very apt one for the night, but so would have been “can we play you every week?”, with Montreal giving Vancouver the confidence booster they badly needed heading into Wednesday night’s CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final with LAFC.
Vanni Sartini made six changes to the side that started last week’s draw in Minnesota, among them Ahmed and Becher getting their first MLS starts and Andres Cubas and Javain Brown returning from international duty.
Vancouver tried to pressure early and Becher flashed a ball across goal but White was unable to get on the end of it at the back post with the goal gaping.
Montreal’s best chance in the opening stages came in the 13th minute when the ball came into Chinonso Offor from the left, but although he got goalside of the last defender, which was subsequently called offside anyway, he couldn’t connect on the cross.
BC boy Joel Waterman was finally able to play at BC Place for Montreal in front of over 200 family and friends, but his heart must have been in hos mouth in the 18th minute when he pulled back Ahmed on the edge of the box as he threatened to break clear. Referee Tim Ford opted for the yellow, but it was a yellow and a half for me, an orange?!
The visitors rode their luck again from the resultant free, with Gressel’s fierce strike crashing off the far post.
The ‘Caps had turned up the intensity and first White and then Pedro Vite were blocked and unable to fire home a scramble in the box.
If Montreal had ridden their luck so far, it came to an end, somewhat, in the 23rd minute when Camacho was shown a straight red card for a tackle to stop Becher on the edge of the box. Camacho had already picked up an earlier yellow, with Vancouver pace and exuberance causing the visiting backline no end of problems.
Referee Ford had also initially pointed to the spot for a penalty, but his decision was correctly reversed on video review.
Up a man, the ‘Caps continued to take the game to their Canadian rivals and Ahmed forced Jonathan Sirois to make a leg save in the 28th minute.
The Whitecaps finally got the breakthrough their play deserved in the 38th minute.
Brown played a lovely ball over the top for Becher to run on to, and with Waterman slipping, the young ‘Caps forward had all the time in the world to centre the ball for a wide open White to sweep the ball home.
VWFC take advantage and the lead.
Brian White makes no mistake to make it 1-0. pic.twitter.com/BqbFvgelAi
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2023
Vite fired one over in the 41st minute, as Vancouver looked for what would surely be a killer second.
There’s was still time in the half to get it and it came two minutes later, in another quick passing moving that cut the Montreal defence apart.
Luis Martins played the ball inside for Ahmed, who hit the byeline and cut it back for Becher to direct it home.
A great @WhitecapsFC move, a slick Simon Becher finish. #VWFC pic.twitter.com/gWrEttvm7u
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2023
The Whitecaps weren’t done yet in the half and they added a third a mere 87 seconds later.
White had a shot from just inside the box, which a full stretch Sirois could only parry away. The rebound fell invitingly for Gressel, who lashed the ball home with glee.
Julian Gressel is there to follow-up and make it 3⃣ in the first-half. #VWFC pic.twitter.com/6A3GZjFMF8
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2023
The Whitecaps didn’t take their foot off the gas to start the second half and went straight for the Montreal jugular.
Ahmed made it 4-0 in the 48th minute, with his first MLS goal, finishing under Sirois after being played in by White.
Picking up where they left off in the first-half. #VWFC
Ali Ahmed makes it 4-0. pic.twitter.com/Qv3dmk6r9E
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2023
It was five a minute before the hour mark, as Becher struck his second of the game, finishing off a great cross in from Brown with a first time finish past Sirois.
That's for @WhitecapsFC.
Simon Becher gets his second with this great run and flick. pic.twitter.com/RXbCjzJZXO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 2, 2023
The scoreline allowed Vancouver to make some changes with a view to Wednesday night, with key players like Tristan Blackmon and Gressel coming off early and Ryan Gauld not even needing to come on at all.
Substitute Mathias Laborda nearly made it six in the 19th minute as a dangerous low free kick from fellow sub Sebastian Berhalter eluded everyone, flew across the face of the goal, and the Uruguayan just missed connecting at the far post.
And that was to be that, with the referee not adding much time on and finally putting Montreal out of their misery.
This was the kind of performance that you hoped was coming from the team, and you sensed they were capable off if they could get all their ducks in a row. Tonight, the little quackers were lined up perfectly. Yes, it was against 10 men for over an hour, but the interplay, pressing, and taking off chances is exactly what was needed and I don’t doubt a victory would have been forthcoming no matter how many men they were facing.
Now they need to build on that, starting on Wednesday against LAFC, who were blanked today in a 0-0 draw. The chance to make history is there and if they can play again like they played tonight, you have to fancy them to take a lead into LA for the second leg after a night at BC Place that will not be forgotten for a long time.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 5 – 0 CF Montreal
ATT: 16,046
SCORING SUMMARY:
38’ – VAN – Brian White (Simon Becher, Javain Brown)
43’ – VAN – Simon Becher (Ali Ahmed, Luís Martins)
45’ – VAN – Julian Gressel
48’ – VAN – Ali Ahmed
59’ – VAN – Simon Becher (Javain Brown)
STATS:
Possession: VAN 64.4% – MTL 35.6%
Shots: VAN 29 – MTL 3
Shots on Goal: VAN 9 – MTL 0
Saves: VAN 0 – MTL 4
Fouls: VAN 7 – MTL 9
Offsides: VAN 1 – MTL 1
Corners: VAN 6 – MTL 1
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown (J.C. Ngando 65), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon (Mathías Laborda 46′), Luís Martins; Julian Gressel (Russell Teibert 54’), Andrés Cubas (Sebastian Berhalter 54’), Ali Ahmed; Pedro Vite, Brian White (Déiber Caicedo 65); Simon Becher [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Cristian Dájome, Ryan Gauld, Ryan Raposo]
MONTREAL: Jonathan Sirois; Joel Waterman, Rudy Camacho, Kamal Miller (Róbert Thorkelsson 55’); Aaron Herrera (Zachary Brault-Guillard 54’), Victor Wanyama (Nathan Saliba 55’), Samuel Piette (Rida Zouhir 10’), Mathieu Choinière; Mason Toye (Gabriele Corbo 27’), Sean Rea, Chinonso Offor
[Substitutes not used: Logan Ketterer, Ilias Iliadis, Ahmed Hamdi, Romell Quioto]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the win:
“I’m very happy, I think to be honest, the differences between today and the other games is that we scored the goals. I’m going to anticipate your question, nobody says that we won because they were ten men, because it’s not true, we won because we played much better than them, and even if they were 12 we would’ve won so that’s the thing, and I’m very happy.”
On his team’s performance:
“I think that we played much better than them, even in the first 30 minutes. We had all this eagerness to try to have a nice night, after three or four great games where we were playing well but felt ‘meh’ at the end of the game. The thing that I’m very proud it’s that we kept the ball for a lot in the second half and we didn’t concede anything even if we were up in the score, we kept working like in the way that we get so I’m really, really happy.”
On Ahmed and Becher making their first MLS starts:
“They did very well. Ali took a little while to enter in the game, physiologically, because if you fast, he’s doing Ramadan so he was eating right at the beginning of the game in order to get energy to go. And so the first 10-12 minutes was a little off and then actually, that play when he caused the first yellow card, [it] basically put him in the game. Simon did what we expected him to do. Very good in the box, fighting, doing very good things when he had to take less than two touches, being a little bit in confusion when he has to do more than two touches. And yeah, I think he made an assist, a goal… I think we can be satisfied.”
SIMON BECHER
On making his first MLS start alongside Ali Ahmed:
“I think we took a lot of the same steps together, both getting called up at different points last year, we both signed contracts, going to preseason and starting tonight. It’s just really special, especially to have him, somebody so humble, such a hard worker, works so hard every day. I think it’s definitely a special night for both of us.”
On how Whitecaps FC 2 helped with his development:
“It gives opportunity and it gives chances to the players and to the staff to kind of evaluate and I think last year, the both of us grew a lot. To have the first team staff be able to come to all the games and give feedback, pull you up for trainings and then when you’re given an opportunity, you’re more ready to take them when you’re more comfortable. So I think it was a huge year, at least for me, for growth coming out of college to adapt to the professional game, and I think that it was valuable.”
ALI AHMED
On making his first MLS start alongside Simon Becher and how their chemistry helped make that easier:
“Definitely, for sure. Before the game, I was telling Thomas [Hasal], you know, how much easier it will be for me to have Simon right in front of me because we’ve been playing together for a long time last year, and we had some success last year together. So just having him in front of me helped me a lot, because I know where he is most of the time. I know we have good chemistry together, so it helped for sure. It’s a dream for WFC2 boys.”
On how Whitecaps FC 2 helped with his development:
“I tell people that that season, last year was big for a lot [of us], for me especially. It was big for me because I haven’t been able to get in a structured league for a long time and just to get in a professional league, the professional setup like that and get games every week, week in and week out, definitely helped my development. It definitely, 100 per cent, helped me get ready for the next level, you know, training and getting called up in the first team too. MLS NEXT Pro was a big thing for us, for sure.”
Thanks to Mike ( for the fantastic draw graphics
One of our favourite times of the year in the BC soccer calendar is here, with four of the five men’s BC Provincial Cups set to get underway this weekend with matches across the lower mainland, Vancouver Island, and even the interior this year.
The men’s A, B, Masters A, and Masters B cups all kick off their first round matches over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the men’s Over 45 cup starting it’s matches after the Easter break, and as always, we’ll have you covered with the action every step of the way here on AFTN, with recaps, results, and video highlights from select matches.
The province’s premier amateur trophy, the BC Provincial A Cup, takes centre stage, with the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) looking to continue their stranglehold on the competition, having won every final since 2011. Leading the way are VMSL Premier Division and Imperial Cup double winners BB5 United, who are not only looking to win the treble this year, but are also looking to make it an A Cup threepeat in the process.
Amongst those out to stop them are the team they have beaten in the last two Provincial Cup finals, FC Tigers from the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL). The Tigers wrapped up a second straight FVSL Premier Division and Pakenham Cup double of their own on Thursday night, and with the two teams in different halves of the draw, could another BB5 v Tigers final be on the cards at the end of April at Burnaby Lake?
There’s 14 other teams out to stop that happening, with five teams representing each of the VMSL, FVSL, and the VISL (Vancouver Island Soccer League), and for the first time in a number of years the Pacific Coastal Soccer League (PCSL) champions, Okanagan FC, will also be represented.
The draw took place a couple of weeks ago at the BC Sports Hall of Fame. Here’s how it played:
There’s some very tasty Round of 16 matches taking place this weekend, with some even tastier potential matches on the cards in the rounds to follow depending on how results go.
With three matches on Saturday and five on Sunday, played in six cities across the province, here’s what’s on the slate:
BB5 United CCB [VMSL] vs Bays United [VISL]
Sunday April 2nd 12:30 @ Newton Athletic Park, Surrey
SFC Pegasus Royals [FVSL] vs Inter EDC [VMSL]
Saturday April 1st 6:00 @ Newton Athletic Park, Surrey
Lakehill [VISL] vs West Van [VMSL]
Sunday April 2nd 1:30 @ Starlight Stadium, Langford
Vic West [VISL] vs Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves [VMSL]
Sunday April 2nd 12:30 @ Fred Milne Turf, Sooke
FC Tigers [FVSL] vs Nanaimo United [VISL]
Sunday April 2nd 12:30 @ Hjorth Park Field 1, Surrey
Gorge [VISL] vs Croatia [VMSL]
Saturday April 1st 3:00 @ Hampton Park, Victoria
Okanagan [PCSL] vs Micro Footie [FVSL]
Sunday April 2nd 2.00 @ Kings Park Field, Penticton
Langley United [FVSL] vs Abbotsford United [FVSL]
Saturday April 1st 6.00 @ Willoughby Community Park, Langley
With only one intra-league match up taking place in the first round, it’ll be good to see teams facing off against different opponents after far too many inter-league games in recent years.
We’ll bring you a full round-up of the action next week.
(Photo Credits: VISL)
The day was done, Champions were crowned, and what started out as a rather mild Saturday in the first final of the afternoon ended with one of the craziest Jackson Cup Finals that can be remembered as the 2022/2023 Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) season wrapped up in some style at Starlight Stadium in Langford.
The Sir John Jackson Cup Final saw a dramatic win in penalty kicks for Vic West, who defeated back-to-back league champions Lakehill 5-4 on spot kicks after the match finished 2-2 after 90 minutes of twists, turns, and lots of talking points.
Close to 1500 fans were treated to an exhilarating game that had a bit of everything and saw Vic West crowned Jackson Cup champions for the 23rd time in their history, but for the first time since 1989.
Lakehill looked to be in control of the match, but it was Kaelan Cooke of Vic West who ended up breaking the deadlock and stunning the league champions in the 29th minute, and that was just to be the start of a wild remainder of the match.
Vic West’s happiness at heading in with a lead was soon to be upset when they lost their goalkeeper Oleksandr Harapa to a straight red card just before the half ended, after an offensive gesture was caught by the referee.
This set the scene for reserve call-up keeper Jack Garner, a 17-year-old youth player still in high school, to hit the main stage and he seized his opportunity to shine with both gloves.
If anybody in the area was sleeping, their nap was officially over as Starlight Stadium got loud.
The second Half saw Lakehill draw level with a 67th minute goal from Blair Sturrock, but Cooke was able to put the Vic West back up by a goal when he broke clear and knocked it past the onrushing keeper for his and his side’s second of the game 10 minutes later.
The ten men of Vic West were under pressure as Lakehill pushed hard for another equaliser, but just as they thought they were going to hold on, up stepped wily veteran Sturrock to get his second of the game in stoppage time, sending the game directly to penalty kicks.
Garner saved the first penalty that Lakehill took, the rest were scored by both teams, and that was it. Vic West were champions again for the first time in 34 years. And in a lovely touch, on hand to help with the Jackson Cup presentation was 97-year-old Norm Richards, who won the Jackson Cup in 1951/1952 with Vic West.
Receiving the Denny Girvin Memorial Award for the Man of the Match was Vic West’s young goalkeeper Jack Garner.
You can watch a full match replay of the final HERE.
In the day’s other finals, the Over 35 Masters battle between Gorge FC and Cowichan 49ers saw Cowichan lift the Tony Grover Memorial Cup with a 4-0 victory thanks to goals from Stuart Barker, Neall Rowlings, and a brace from Bradley Archibald. Securing another clean sheet for Cowichan was goalkeeper Darian Achurch. Game MVP, earning engraving rights on the Alex Hylan Memorial Trophy, was defensive stalwart Jesse Winter, selected for his tireless work on the backline and helping prevent some of the early Gorge pressure from resulting in a goal.
The first game of the day was the George Pearkes Challenge Cup final between Gorge FC and Cook Street United. Gorge FC took the championship with a 4-1 victory. Gorge won the trophy thanks to goals from Aidan Way, Brendan Liudzius, Jamie Zawacki, and Anthony Pascuzzi, and they also scored in their own net for Cook Street’s only goal of the game. The player acknowledged for game MVP, and accepting the Kjeld Brodsgaard Trophy, was Aidan Way of Gorge.
The VISL season has now come to an end, and some teams will not have much rest as they prepare for BC Soccer’s Provincial Cups which start Friday March 31. Thanks to all for supporting grassroots soccer and the players that work, live and play in your community.
BB5 United CCB capped off another fantastic Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) season by lifting their first ever Imperial Cup at Empire Field on Sunday afternoon.
The famous trophy, first played for in 1913, has a new name etched on it after the Surrey side made it a league and cup double with a 1-0 victory over Croatia SC, but they were pushed all the way to the final whistle by the four-time winners to finally write their own name in the history books.
It had been an interesting journey to the final for BB5, who needed extra-time to eventually get past Port Moody SC 7-3 in the round of 16, after the teams were tied at two apiece after the 90 minutes. Devin O’Hea hit a hat-trick, Farivar Torabi got a brace, and Riley Pang and Daniel Sagno chipped in with a goal each on the way to victory.
Danylo Smychenko was the hero in their 1-0 quarter-final victory at home to West Van FC, grabbing the 31st minute winner, before goals from Elie Gindo, Torabi, and Smychenko gave them a 3-0 semi-final win over Division 1 side NVFV Norvan to book their spot in Sunday’s final.
Croatia’s path to the final saw them dispatch SFC Pegasus 3-0 in the round of 16 thanks to an Ivan Salov double and a goal from Nicolas Budisa. A Budisa hat-trick gave Croatia a 3-0 win over Columbus FC in the quarter-finals, setting up a tasty semi-final with Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves.
In a closely contested game, Admir Salihovic broke the deadlock for Croatia in the 70th minute before Jadon Lashley’s stoppage time penalty gave them a 2-0 win and sent them into the final.
Sunday’s showcase wasn’t a classic, with both sides creating chances but not their usual clinical selves in front of goal.
With the game goalless and seemingly heading into extra time, an unfortunate handball in the box gave BB5 the chance for a dramatic late twist and Matteo Polisi took full advantage of the opportunity, firing home a 90th minute winner from the spot to secure the VMSL league and cup double for the Surrey side in the space of a week and capping off another great season for Ted Hans’ team.
You can watch our highlights of the final and the postgame trophy celebration above, and see Residual Image’s photo gallery from the game HERE.
Both BB5 and Croatia now turn their attentions to the BC Provincial Cup which gets underway this weekend. BB5 United start the defence of their trophy with a round of 16 game against VISL side Bays United from Victoria (kick off is 12.30pm on Sunday at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey), while Croatia travel to the island on Saturday to take on Gorge FC (3.00pm kick off on the Hampton Park turf in Victoria).
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat, and not only that, it’s our three hour 10th anniversary special! Ten years to the day that episode 1 dropped, we’re back with number 555.
Once again we’re covering a lot of bases in the four parts of the show. If you want to skip the somewhat self indulgent look back at the last ten years of the podcast in the first part and just get into the football chat, just skip ahead to the 45.20 mark where we delve into the Whitecaps latest match, a 1-1 draw in Minnesota.
We pick over the bones of that one, look at the concerning issues surrounding the ‘Caps as they look for their first win of the season, and delve into how crucial April is for Vanni Sartini and the team. Plus we look around the rest of the weekend’s action in the MLS West.
Our feature interview this episode is with Whitecaps General Manager and Sporting Director Axel Schuster. In a 35 minute chat, we talk to Axel about the ‘Caps’ start to the season, is there concern around the team’s performance and are changes on the horizon, the departure of Director of Recruitment Nikos Overheul and what that means for the future direction of scouting at the club, and the important of WFC2 to that.
We also look at WFC2’s season opening win on Sunday and chat with one of the academy alumni that has returned to the Whitecaps fold, striker Gloire Amanda about coming back to Vancouver, his MAC Hermann trophy success at college, and his recent two year stint in the Austrian Bundesliga.
All of that plus we talk Vancouver FC’s new kits, Canada qualifying for the Gold Cup, find out if Tristan Blackmon fancies a chocolate digestive, see what Julian Gressel’s favourite jam is, talk take out food with Vanni Sartini, and music-wise The Skinflicks continue as our Artists of the Month and Goldie Lookin’ Chain return to Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.32: Intro – 10 years of the podcast
20.30: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Tristan Blackmon
24.25: Christmas/Anniversary gift opening – they are football related!
45.20: Whitecaps snatch point at the death in Minnesota
71.35: MLS round-up
85.10: Take Me Out – Vanni Sartini
90.53: Axel Schuster interview and discussion
130.00: Nikos Overheul leaves the ‘Caps
134.55: Julian Gressel’s Favourite Jam
139.12: WFC2 win season opener
141.05: Gloire Amanda interview
148.25: MLS Next Pro v CPL discussion
154.10: Vancouver FC kit launch and chat
160.50: Canada qualify for the Gold Cup!
166.30: Wavelength – Goldie Lookin’ Chain – Unofficial 2002 World Cup anthem
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Super sub Simon Becher was the Vancouver Whitecaps hero at Minnesota’s Allianz Field on Saturday evening. The young striker’s dramatic last gasp goal eight minutes into stoppage time earned the ‘Caps a point at a place they’ve still yet to record their first win. It was no more than the visitors deserved after dominating a match against hugely depleted opponents who were missing eight players to international duty, including seven starters from their previous match.
Becher’s first team goalscoring record is sublime. Three appearances in total, two of them in MLS play and one in the Champions League, 42 minutes played, and three goals to show for it. A goal every 14 minutes of first team action so far surely must get him a start next week. Although nothing is guaranteed with Vanni Sartini’s side.
The late victory brought the ire of Minnesota United, who had taken the lead through Mender Garcia’s 40th minute headed opener. Already unhappy with where six minutes of stoppage time had come from in the first place, they were left apoplectic when Becher scored two minutes beyond even that. The Whitecaps cared not a jot and were happy to take the point and run, but they will certainly be left yet again ruing the fact that they didn’t finish a match with all three, as they still look for their first win of the new season.
Sartini made three enforced changes from the team that drew last week at the LA Galaxy due to international duty for Andreas Cubas and Javain Brown and the injury to Sergio Cordova, with Mathias Laborda, Sebastian Berhalter, and Alessandro Schopf.
And it was the Whitecaps who came out on the front foot, with Brian White crashing a volley off the bar in the first minute.
Julian Gressel was next to have a go for the visitors, with his volley easily saved by Clint Irwin five minutes later.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing from both teams, but no real goalmouth action until the 31st minute when Yohei Takaoka saved a shot from Luis Amarilla.
Minnesota were enjoying their best spell of the game and it just felt a matter of time before they got the breakthrough and it eventually came in the 40th minute when Garcia got goalside of Laborda six yards out to get onto the end of a pinpoint delivery from Zarek Valentin and his stopping header gave Takaoka no chance and the home team the 1-0 lead.
CAL ON THE CALL
LOONS ON THE BOARD#MNUFC | #legionofloons | #MINvVAN pic.twitter.com/LNqD4jaycb— Minnesota United FC (@MNUFC) March 26, 2023
Ryan Gauld had a chance to run unchecked at a Minnesota defence that just kept backing off on the stroke of half time, but he pulled his low effort wide left and the ‘Caps went in trailing.
Vancouver pushed for an equaliser in the second, with the understrength home side seemingly happy to just hang on to their slender advantage, and they should have got it in the 72nd minute when White blasted over from a great position in front of goal. Moments later the American had another chance but put his effort wide of the back post.
The Whitecaps thought they finally got back onto level terms in the 78th minute when Ranko Veselinovic headed home a rebound after a Tristan Blackmon header was tipped away by Irwin, but the joy was very short lived with the flag rightly going up for Blackmon being offside when the ball came in.
With the game deep into stoppage time, and two minutes past the already allotted six, the ‘Caps finally got their leveller.
Pedro Vite swung a ball in from the right that was superbly headed on to the back post by Minnesota’s Mikael Marque right into the path of the outstretched leg of Becher, who directed it past Irwin to snatch a point for Vancouver.
AN EQUALIZER AT THE LAST MINUTE!
Simon Becher comes through for @WhitecapsFC. pic.twitter.com/z6zbJiONKO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 26, 2023
The late drama initially left you feeling what a great battling performance it was from the ‘Caps. Fighting to the end, taking a valiant road point in a place they’ve still never won in, but once the dust settled and you think about it more clearly, this was very much two points dropped and a huge opportunity wasted to get their first win.
They dominated possession, it was basically three to one in their favour in shots, they were playing a massively depleted side, yet they still couldn’t get the job done. This is concerning about what the quality of this team actually is. They badly need a goalscorer. Maybe Becher can be that man.
Let’s hope the coming week is a time for reflection on what needs to change for Vanni. He talked about being slow to react and make changes last year, this season can’t simply be a repeat. They need to make tweaks to get that first win next weekend at home to Montreal. Anything but a victory in that one is not acceptable.
FINAL SCORE: Minnesota United 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 19,609
STATS:
Possession: MIN 37.1% – VAN 62.9%
Shots: MIN 8 – VAN 23
Shots on Goal: MIN 2 – VAN 5
Saves: MIN 4 – VAN 2
Fouls: MIN 8 – VAN 10
Offsides: MIN 0 – VAN 3
Corners: MIN 2 – VAN 10
MINNESOTA: Clint Irwin; Zarek Valentin, Miguel Tapias, Brent Kallman, D.J. Taylor; Cameron Dunbar (Zaydan Bello 76’), Wil Trapp, Hassani Dotson, Franco Fragapane (Mikael Marque 85’); Ménder García (Emmanuel Iwe 66), Luis Amarilla [Substitutes not used: Eric Dick, Doneil Henry, Tani Oluwaseyi, Devin Padelford, Patrick Weah]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Ryan Raposo (Ali Ahmed 59’); Julian Gressel, Sebastian Berhalter (Simon Becher 70’), Alessandro Schöpf (J.C. Ngando 82’); Cristian Dájome (Déiber Caicedo 82’), Ryan Gauld (Pedro Vite 60’); Brian White [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Isaac Boehmer, Karifa Yao, Vasco Fry]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“I don’t know it feels like a movie, it looked like it wasn’t real. I think we shot at goal like a million times, and we weren’t scoring. We were playing well. The first half was really good and the first 30 minutes were really good. We could have scored one or two goals easy and then they scored a very good goal, to be honest, good header and everything that can happen against a good team. But then we were, I would say, the owner of the game in charge of the game for the entire game. Both when we were playing with our Christmas Tree and both when we were playing in a 4-4-2 when I put Simon on. So the goal at the end is not only deserved, but it’s also I think, if someone just read the statistics of the game and sees goal for them at the 40th minute and goal for us at 90+7, it’s that we are going to be happy with the point, no they’re going to be happy with the point because we played much better than them.”
On Simon Becher’s play:
“We say every time that Simon is a poacher, Simon is a box player, he’s going to be useful this season in the last 20 and 30 minutes. He did his role perfectly, he came on and combined with Brian [White] two or three times, he worked his lower back off, even in pressing so I’m happy he scored in the end.”
SIMON BECHER
On his game tying goal:
“I think at the end of the game, we’re trying to get forward and trying to throw everything at them. I saw the ball get sprayed out wide to Pedro [Vite] and in my head I just tried to get into the box and got to the back post and it got flicked on and from there it’s just kind of instinct. I think at the end of the game, we really were just throwing it out there and it fell to me, so I just put it away.”
On the sense on the field until the 90th minute:
“I think coming on, the communication was to leave it all out there and when I get in the box, just try to put it away. I think everyone was looking to their right and looking to their left and saying, ‘come on, let’s go, let’s leave it all out here.’ You kind of saw that, when things weren’t really going our way, they were trying to kill the game off. We wanted to push to get one more chance and towards the end, I think we racked up a few corners and we’re throwing the ball in the box and when that happens, good things can happen. So I think we were confident and not only that but we wanted to work until the final whistle. I think there were six [minutes] added and I think I got mine in the 98th. So just pushing right to that last minute everyone, from front to back, the guys on the bench, everyone was pushing so it feels good to pick that up when you’re trying to leave it all out there.”
TRISTAN BLACKMON
On the mood of the team:
“It’s a great feeling, obviously a long hard fought match up until that point. Happy to walk away with a point, a good performance. Now we’re going to continue building on that, really happy for Simon.”
On playing as a leader to this team:
“I think it’s providing energy in those dying moments. Especially being in the league for a little while now, especially at the end of the game, when you’re fighting to get a point or a goal. There’s more in the tank and you can always push yourself and I think, I try to do that. Definitely at the end of the game trying to drive the ball, create opportunities and just push the guys around me to try and go for it. I think experience definitely helps me there along with other guys around me that have been around the league and played a lot of games but I’m happy we could push for that and I’m happy for Simon.”
The Whitecaps have gone the first four MLS matches of this season without a win, tying last year for their longest-such streak in the MLS era (only behind the disastrous 2019 season where it took until the seventh match of the year to see a win). What does it say that the club’s three slowest MLS starts have all come in the last five seasons? Let’s just move on perhaps…
Of course, there has at least been something to cheer for with the club’s advancement to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, but with two clashes with LAFC on the horizon there won’t be a ton of confidence going into them if the ‘Caps can’t take down any MLS opposition.
Now the good news is that the ‘Caps are just a single point outside the final playoff spot in the West – or a play-in spot rather as the league has decided that over 60% of its teams should make the postseason. Only five teams in the entire Western Conference will not make it to at least a wildcard match so a poor season will look even worse by comparison.
The opponents for this week are Minnesota, one of only three teams in the West to not suffer a defeat yet, although this will not be a matchup of these two teams at full strength. On Vancouver’s side there is the quite notable absence of Andrés Cubas, probably the MVP for the ‘Caps this season (along with Julian Gressel), as he has been called up to Paraguay’s national team for their March friendly. Javain Brown will also be gone for Jamaica’s Nations League match against Mexico, while Sergio Córdova is out 6-8 weeks with a hamstring injury.
Mathias Laborda and Sebastian Berhalter are presumptive backups for Brown and Cubas, with Berhalter playing primarily in a number six role so far this season and Laborda playing more right-back than centre-back through the first few weeks. Given that Gressel has assisted on three of the ‘Caps four MLS goals, Tristan Blackmon was just named to MLS Team of the Matchday, Ranko Veselinović has been an ironman since the beginning of last season, and Ryan Raposo has started four straight matches, their places seem relatively secure.
Further forward, the biggest question is how the ‘Caps can get Ryan Gauld going. He’s shown flashes, and dominated play in the first leg against Real España, but he has neither a goal nor an assist yet in MLS play this year. He’s played as both part of the front three and further back in the midfield trio, but with Córdova’s absence will likely be in the former unless both Pedro Vite and Cristian Dájome get the start.
The wildcard option would be to start Simon Becher. The 2022 draft pick has only made two appearances for the first team to this point, but managed to score on both of them and will now be the primary backup striker for a number of weeks. Vanni Sartini went with a dual-striker formation against the Galaxy last weekend and while I don’t expect him to do the same on Saturday, Becher will surely get his chance to stake a claim for more minutes in the coming matches.
Looking at the hosts, the Loons have been ravaged by MLS’ decision to schedule play through the March international window. Seven of the starters from their 2-1 win over Colorado last weekend will be absent against the ‘Caps, including five who have played every minute so far this season: Dayne St. Clair, Kemar Lawrence, Michael Boxall, Kervin Arriaga, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane.
The Loons have only scored four times so far this season, but they’ve been fantastic at the back – conceding just twice and only allowing eight shots on target through their three matches combined. The ‘Caps, by contrast, allowed six shots on target in just their most recent match against the Galaxy.
Despite the disparity in record between these two teams so far, the Whitecaps have a chance to attack the Loons at their weakest this weekend. This is also the most rested they’ve been in a few weeks after quite a hectic stretch this month. Will that set up a very needed win? Well, you can never guarantee anything with this team. They’ve yet to record a win in their five visits to Minnesota, taking just two points in the process. They’ve also lost three of their last four matches there and have been kept off the scoresheet in all four of those games. They won’t get a much better chance to remedy that than this weekend.
BB5 United CCB clinched back-to-back Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) titles on Monday night, lifting their second straight championship in style after blasting through a fixture backlog that saw them play their final four league matches in an eight day period this month.
With games postponed for their Challenge Trophy matches in the fall and then a slew of games disrupted by the weather and the Imperial Cup, the Surrey side made it four wins from four in March to finish six points clear at the top of the standings by the end of it all, losing just one single game all season.
An incredible run-in from BB5, but it was a tough ending for runners-up Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves, who had led the league for most of the season, but their depleted squad faltered down the stretch, allowing BB5 to put their late run together and lift another VMSL Premier crown.
Injuries and departures hit Metro Ford hard after the turn of the year, but the twists and turns along the way that saw BB5 drop some points had still kept the Coquitlam side very much in with a shout of claiming the title. That all unraveled as they failed to secure a win in their last three league matches, managing to take just two points in the process.
The beginning of the end for Metro Ford started with their 1-1 draw at home to Westside on February 10th (highlights below). Thomas Powell’s 78th minute goal looked to have given them the three points but deep into stoppage time, Graeme Webber blasted home a 94th minute equaliser in off the bar to give Westside the draw, and what could yet prove to be a crucial point for them as they fight to avoid relegation.
With the Imperial Cup occupying the Wolves over the following weeks, they returned to league action on March 14th in a rare Tuesday night game at Burnaby Lake.
Coquitlam once again dropped two points, throwing away a strong start and a two goal lead to Inter EDC in a 2-2 draw (highlights below).
Lucas Krivak and Marcus Fijii had Metro Ford 2-0 up by the 18th minute, before Massud Habibullah pulled one back for Inter four minutes later. Cesar Aldea Cona brought Inter level three minutes before the hour mark, and despite Jan Posch seeing red for Inter after the denying of a goalscoring opportunity, Coquitlam could make their man advantage pay, picking up just a point, and handing the full advantage to BB5 in the race for the title.
With the title now firmly in the hands of the Surrey side, Metro Ford had to win their last match of the season at VUFC Hibernian to put pressure on BB5 to have to take four points from their final two games to win the championship.
The home side had other ideas, however, and Mario Kovacevic’s goal in the 78th minute gave VUFC Hibernian the 1-0 win and left Metro Ford level on points with BB5, leaving them needing to take just one single point from their last two games to win back-to-back titles.
Heading into March with four league games left to play and the days running out to get those games in before the Provincial Cup started, BB5 trailed Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves by five points. With the leaders having just two games left to play, BB5 knew if they won out they’d secure the title by a single point, but dropping points in any game could see them hand the title to their nearest rivals.
With the pressure on, a narrow 2-1 home win against Surrey rivals SFC Pegasus on March 15th set the ball rolling, thanks to a pair of goals from Farivar Torabi. Two days later they were back in action at Newton Athletic Park, coming away with a big 5-1 victory over Port Moody thanks to goals from Torabi, Devin O’Hea, Matteo Polisi, and a brace from Nic Morello.
That victory moved BB5 level on points with Metro Ford at the top of the table, and the Coquitlam side’s defeat on Sunday left them needing just one point from one of their final two games this week to clinch another championship. In the end, they secured the title in style with two further wins, the clincher coming on Monday night with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Inter EDC (highlights below).
Torabi sent BB5 on their way, firing home the opener six minutes before half time, but Inter came out fired up in the second half and Massud Habibullah ran onto a fantastic through ball to level things up three minutes after the restart. Andres Rojas Rodriguez put Inter ahead two minutes before the hour mark, but Mamadi Camara tied things up in the 75th minute with a nice finish off a Polisi pass into the far corner.
Camara’s goal proved to be the one that ultimately secured the title, but BB5 wanted the victory and they got it with a well deserved header from Danylo Smychenko two minutes into stoppage time. Inter finished the game with 10 men when Alan Camacho saw a straight red in the 80th minute for an elbow on Smychenko.
With the title secured, BB5 rounded off their league season in style with a 4-0 win over Surrey rivals BCT Rovers Hurricanes. All of the goals came in the first half of this one, with both Polisi and Torabi scoring two goals apiece.
Torabi’s six goals in BB5’s last four matches saw the veteran striker secure another VMSL Golden Boot, taking his tally for the season to 20 goals and finishing just one ahead of Coquitlam Metro Ford’s Carlo Basso.
After all of that action, and with just two VMSL Premier league matches left to round off the 2022/23 season, here’s how the table is looking:
With the title and VMSL’s five Provincial Cup berths now decided, all that’s left to be settled is who will join SFC Pegasus in being relegated to Division 1. Westside take on Columbus at the Point Grey turf on Saturday afternoon, with a point enough for them to stay up and send Coastal down. If Columbus come away with the victory, we’ll see an exciting relegation playoff between Westside and Coastal to see who’ll go down, so there might still be more drama ahead.
BB5 United meanwhile have a chance to make it a VMSL league and cup double on Sunday afternoon when they take on Croatia SC at Empire. Kick off is at 3.30pm.
Vanni Sartini is a man who is not afraid to call it how it is. When I sat down with him after training on Tuesday, I asked him if he believed the Whitecaps were one of the most pure zonal markers in Major League Soccer. To my surprise, he went so far as to say that they were one of the most pure zonal markers in the world.
“I don’t know every team in the world… but [even] from the biggest leagues, no-one marks zonally like us”, Vanni told AFTN.
Such is Sartini’s commitment to the principles of zonal marking, as an Italian who studied soccer since the late 80’s and early 90’s, it’s no surprise that his philosophy revolves around its art. But to those who are used to a different kind of game, this steadfast devotion to an intrinsically idealistic style of play has caused a bit of skepticism and confusion.
So let’s break down what zonal marking is, from its origins to Sartini’s inspirations, and outline the reasons and motivations why Sartini has transformed the Whitecaps through this philosophy.
From Sacchi To Sarri – A Brief History Of Zonal Marking
Zonal marking describes a type of defensive structure where the emphasis of the defence is not to mark the opponents and follow where they go, but rather on a particular point of reference, usually the ball or the space. It relies on defenders staying in a cohesive group, with stellar communication and positional awareness.
While the tactic of zonal marking can be traced back to Brazil in the pre-World War 2 era, it became popularized in Europe in the mid-70’s thanks to Dutch icon Rinus Michels and his philosophy of Total Football.
Michels’ philosophy depended on an acute understanding of space, an unrelenting determination to win the ball back, and an extreme vertical fluidity in positioning. Famous clips of his Ajax and Dutch national team sides show defensive players switching positions with offensive players, the team pressing as a unit, and a clear grasp of marking the space rather than the opponent.
One man who took this philosophy and revolutionized a whole football culture was Arrigo Sacchi. Sacchi was the man who put an end to the defensive dynasty of the Italian catenaccio. Once a staple of Italian football from the 1950’s that became synonymous with Italy, catenaccio was a tactic that emphasized defensive stability over attacking flair, highlighted by the employment of a libero, a fourth defender, tucked behind the defensive line of three, tasked to sweep up attacks that came in behind. Instead, Sacchi set-out a pragmatic 4-4-2 lineup. His team was high pressing, with a compact block of two banks of four, and reliant on the exploitation of the now outdated offside rule that once ruled that any attacking player who was behind the defensive line at any time was offside.
Both were dominating systems that were built on players not getting pulled away by their opposition, instead remaining closely-packed in a unit and being aware of both the space that the ball was in and was yet to be in. Both yielded high praise and impressive results. However, as Vanni pointed out, with the modern game the times have changed and these systems have become antiquated.
“When Sacchi played, the rules were completely different,” Sartini told us. “The rule of offside was completely different. You could make a lot of fouls, but not get a yellow card.
“Obviously [Sacchi] is an inspiration… but when you need to think about what you want to do, you need practical inspiration for [the kind of game] you see now”
So Vanni got practical inspiration from one of Italy’s most renowned coaches in the last decade: Maurizio Sarri.
Sarri is a coach who epitomizes dynamic, fluid attacking football. His influence on the Italian game was so great that Sarrismo became a proper term in the Italian dictionary. Sarrismo, or Sarriball as it was called during his time in England, represented a philosophy that focused on fluid, vertical football with short incisive passes, asymmetrical fullbacks that granted width in an otherwise narrow attacking three, and, of course, an emphasis on zonal marking rather than man-marking. Sarri’s defence was organized based on where the ball was, rather than where the opponents were. His set up was focused on being proactive rather than reactive when the opposition attacked. This allowed his team to be secure when the ball did eventually move, so as to not allow space in behind.
But more than just tactics, Sarriball was defined by an idealistic view of playing. One that theoretically prevented his defense from ever being penetrated, and allowed his attack to penetrate any defence. One that would fit the title of “beautiful football”, as it was frequently called during his time at Napoli. In fact, prior to Conte’s Inter Milan of 2021, Sarri’s Napoli was the closest competitor to dethrone the dominance of Juventus.
Through this idealistic philosophy of Sarrismo, Sartini has now developed his own style of play: Sartiniball. And with it, comes similar principles to those of his inspirations.
Controlling Your Destiny
One still might ask, after everything, why is zonal marking so revered? And why is Sartini so dead-set on it?
Many fans who have watched the Whitecaps’ lackluster start to the 2023 MLS season will certainly be wondering why the system is still being upheld after conceding so many goals off set-pieces. What is the obsession with it?
Sartini revealed to me that it is because of two reasons. The first is a footballing reason. That when you are defending zonally, you are in control of your fate.
“If you stay positional when you defend, and if you don’t focus on the movement of the opposition, you are in charge of your destiny when you defend”.
To illustrate this, let us imagine that we are defending in a block of four, with an opposing midfielder looking to cross the ball into the box. On a man-marking system, we are tasked to follow our opponent’s movements in the box. We have to make sure that we stick close to him so that if the ball comes in, we can challenge for the ball and prevent him from having a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The issue with this system is that the success of our task relies partly on our own abilities, and partly on that of the opponent. The opponents can manipulate the space between our defence by clever runs and a change of direction. Through these tactics, they can drag our defence out of position, thus opening up space for a cross to come into a dangerous area. That then allows both the attackers and the crosser to influence the result of the attack, and make it a split-outcome.
In a zonal marking system, you take that power away from the opponent. You do that by staying firm and organized in your defensive zone. Regardless of what runs the opposition makes, as long as you are positioned accordingly in relation to where the ball is coming from, the fate of the attack rests on you. Whether it be a cross, a pass, or a shot, if it’s in your zone, you are in charge of it. And whatever happens in that zone relies on your understanding of the situation and your ability to deal with it. The result is ultimately your responsibility.
Of course, zonal marking, like any system, has its flaws. Opposing players can overload a particular zone to overwhelm a defender. Short set-piece routines can tease players to step out of their zone and open up spaces in behind the last defender. Control of areas, like the wings, are sacrificed to maintain the structure, and can be exposed. But even with all these flaws, zonal marking still gives you an edge over your opponent than in a man-marking system.
That’s why zonal marking has become so popular even after the many evolutions of the sport. It allows you to control the defensive space by occupying it in a strict, organized manner. The chaos of clever runs and flair passes is minimized. You control your destiny.
Art Imitates Life
The second reason Sartini revealed to me why he chooses zonal marking over any other system is because it embodies an ideology that is very similar to his own personal philosophy, where everyone shares the same load, the same burden, and relies on one another to succeed as a team rather than as an individual.
“I am a socialist,” Sartini said. “I think collective work is much more important than individual work. I think that we live in a too much individualistic society, and people want to take decisions by themselves a lot of the time, when actually you should follow what is good for the team”.
“No one should have to run 50 yards while the other runs ten. Ideally, everyone runs 25 yards.”
If you abstract away some of the particularities, you can see the resemblance between this way of thinking and that of zonal marking. Zonal marking relies not only on the individual defender doing his duty, but the entire team. Its success hinges on complete trust between the 11 players to understand their role and to execute it properly. The minute that one player decides to think for himself, the system crumbles and it becomes vulnerable to attacks.
But much like socialism, while beautiful in theory, zonal marking is much harder to execute in reality. Players will always have a tendency to break away from the system, whether due to frustration, panic or desire. There will be moments where the system is exposed and players will go back to their individual tendencies based on what they believe is best. Players’ egos will inflate, and they’ll start pointing fingers towards teammates if and when mistakes are made. We have already seen these moments of frailty in the Whitecaps’ last five games. But this is something Sartini is aware of.
“[For] a lot of guys, they need a little bit of time, because no one does [what we do],” Sartini believes. “A lot of teams don’t do it. That is why we practice a lot [on the pitch], because we want them to take over the right decision based on the principles [in our philosophy].”
To try to re-educate grown men to go against their individualistic desire is one that might be considered near-impossible, but Sartini believes that it all stems from training a players first reaction.
“I never want them to think, never, on the field,” Sartini added. “A player on the field should take decisions, never think”.
Having players rely on conditioned instincts to dictate their actions is not something necessarily revolutionary to the game, as many of Sartini’s inspirations have also attempted to do this with varying degrees of success. But for Sartini, like Michels, Sacchi, and Sarri before him, the fact that such a feat has not, and likely cannot, be perfectly achieved, does not mean that one should not strive to achieve it.
Idealism in a Results Driven World
While one might applaud the almost romantic nature of Sartini’s philosophy, neither Sartini nor his philosophy can escape the reality of the landscape of professional soccer. The fact of the matter is that the state of soccer is like that of capitalism, where performances need to produce tangible results to be deemed successful. Points are currency, and when the performances are not satisfactory, clubs will demand swift change.
Such is the reason why Sartini’s influences have not had the most fairy-tale of endings in their careers. Sarri was sacked from his job at Chelsea because, regardless of the style of play, the results were not at the level they should have been. Sacchi, in his twilight years, was overtaken by traditionalists in Italy, culminating in a short and unimpressive final stint with AC Milan.
With no wins in four matches, fans are already starting to pick up their pikes and demand improvement or change. Some are already convinced that the writing is on the wall. Memories are short in the world of football, and to idealists like Sartini, this means that compromises must be made for the sake of your career.
Sartini has already made it clear that his philosophy of zonal marking is non-negotiable. However, he is open to discussion on how to tweak it to improve and we have already seen these results. In the game against LA Galaxy, it was the first time this season an MLS opponent had not scored directly off a set-piece or shortly after it.
“We changed some things for [defending] corners,” Sartini noted. “We improved the starting positions in the zonal [set-up]. We sacrificed the guy on the post and put another guy more inside to have one jumper freer.”
Sartini has always been open to critique, and to listening to his players so that they can work together to achieve success. What threatens him is that such approaches matter little when the results are not going your way.
However, with a Canadian Championship under his belt, and a quarter-final berth in this year’s CONCACAF Champions League, Sartini will likely still have the support from the bosses upstairs for a little while longer. And he will hope that that patience allows him to make tangible what is otherwise a beautiful, if not fantastical, philosophy.
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
We’re covering a lot of bases in this show, both on the domestic and international stage. The Whitecaps were in action in both and we look back at their midweek loss in Honduras that saw them advance in the Champions League, their draw at the LA Galaxy that still sees them searching for their first MLS win of the season, we hear from Vanni Sartini on trying to fix the team’s defensive frailties, and we look at the injury to new DP striker Sergio Cordova.
We also look around the rest of the action last weekend in MLS, including the late drama and controversy in Montreal, plus we talk Canadian national teams, and ponder what the new format for World Cup 2026 might mean for Canada and Vancouver in terms of hosting extra games.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.35: Intro
05.22: Whitecaps move on in Champions League despite dire defending
25.40: Whitecaps still looking for first MLS win after LA draw
44.25: Sergio Cordova injury
48.43: MLS round-up
63.55: Vancouver FC – 4 weeks out from their first game
83.10: New CPL playoff format
93.00: Canadian national team news
101.35: More games for Vancouver at 2026 World Cup under new format?
117.20: Wavelength – Head Up – Stop Football Violence
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter)
A year ago, Vancouver Whitecaps were sitting on a solitary point after their first four MLS matches of the new season. It was part of a slow start that saw the ‘Caps claim just one win and four points from their first eight matches. So much was made of that poor slow start and the subsequent turnaround over the next 26 games. But for all that determination for that to not happen again, Vancouver are just one point better off in 2023 four games in.
They are also still looking for their first win of the new campaign following a 1-1 draw in Carson, California against the LA Galaxy on Saturday night. It was a good point, a battling point, and while they may have rode their luck on more than one occasion during the match and got a bit of a helping hand from VAR, they also had enough of their own good chances to come away with more than just one goal, a fantastic first half header from Tristan Blackmon from a perfectly placed Julian Gressel free kick.
In the end they won’t be grumbling too much, but as the weeks go by without getting that first win, so the pressure mounts on everyone at the club.
Playing their fifth match in 15 days, Vanni Sartini made seven changes to the team that started midweek in Honduras, but just one from the team that drew with Dallas at BC Place last Saturday, that change being Sergio Cordova starting, with Ryan Gauld dropping deeper and Alessandro Schopf dropping to the bench.
Both teams moved the ball well in the opening stages, without troubling either keeper, but the ‘Caps got the breakthrough in the 14th minute from a fantastically worked set piece.
Gressel whipped in a dangerous free kick into the box and Blackmon lost his man to get in front of the Galaxy defenders to powerfully head home, and give the German his fourth assist of the season in all competitions. There may have been a shout for offside on the goal, but thankfully there’s none of that lines bollocks in MLS and the goal stood!
That header though Beauty free kick by @JulianGressel https://t.co/E6DaQyzLqG pic.twitter.com/43jooU9CkX
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 19, 2023
The Whitecaps lead was nearly very short lived but Yohei Takaoka produced a double save two minutes later to keep it intact.
The Japanese keeper got an arm to keep out a Dejan Joveljic shot, but not strong enough to direct it away. As the ball continued to head goalwards, the ‘Caps keeper recovered to scramble back and palm the ball away off the goalline.
Gastón Brugman had a curling free kick in the 18th minute that didn’t miss by much before a bizarre incident three minutes later saw the Galaxy forced to make a goalkeeping change.
LA’s Raheem Edwards and Vancouver’s Cristian Dajome tussled for a ball in the box as the Colombian tried to get in on goal. Jonathan Bond came out to collect the ball and was clattered into by his own player, injuring his shoulder in the process, and he was replaced by Jonathan Klinsmann.
Vancouver weren’t able to test Klinsmann too much for the rest of the half and instead it was LA who were looking the more likely to add to the scoreline.
They thought they had in the 28th minute when Riqui Puig swept home a great Joveljic cutback from the byeline, but the Serbian was offside when he got played in and a subsequent video review correctly ruled the goal out.
Gressel had a long range shot fly over in the 34th minute before the ‘Caps had a first half injury issue of their own, with new DP striker Cordova forced out with what looked like a hamstring injury two minutes before the break.
The Galaxy came within inches of levelling things in the 44th minute when an Efrain Alvarez free kick to the back post was brilliantly met by Martín Cáceres, but his downward goalbound header was cleared of the line by Gressel.
LA weren’t to be denied though and they did go in to half time on level terms after an equaliser four minutes into stoppage time that Takaoka will most certainly want back.
The ‘Caps keeper fumbled an Edwards chip and the loose ball fell right to the feet of Kelvin Leerdam and he stretches to direct the ball home to make it one apiece, and no less than the Galaxy deserved for their first half pressure.
We're back in it!
Kelvin Leerdam with the equalizer before the half pic.twitter.com/VmxsrgX0QX
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) March 19, 2023
The second half started as the first finished, with LA on the front foot and taking the game to Vancouver.
Joveljic forced a diving save out of Takaoka in the 53rd minute, as the ‘Caps were reduced to trying to hit on the counter.
Vancouver had a four-on-three breakaway five minutes later but it was a squandered opportunity, as was a flashing close range header from Ryan Gauld in the 68th minute that went well wide.
Despite LA’s possession, the best chances were falling to Vancouver.
Gauld played in Brian White in the 75th minute and with just the advancing keeper to beat, he pulled his effort wide in another disappointing wasted chance.
Joveljic thought he’d given LA the lead two minutes later when he controlled the ball on the edge of the six yard box after an Edwards cross took deflections off two Whitecaps defenders and fired home, but the referee blew for a handball and Vancouver breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The Galaxy were committing numbers forward to try and get the lead in the closing stages, but it was leaving them short at the back and the quick ‘Caps breaks were causing them a lot of problems and in one them, Javain Brown saw a deflected shot in from the right crash off the far post in the 85th minute.
As the game petered out, the ‘Caps nearly grabbed a dramatic winner at the death in the unlikeliest of fashions, as a long Brown throw in to the box was met by Cáceres ad he directed his header towards his own goal, his blushes saved by a scrambling Klinsmann, who tipped the ball over for a corner, which then came to nothing.
And that was all she wrote. A good road point for Vancouver in a game that could have really gone either way with the various incidents and chances. In the grand scheme of things, not a bad result, but the Whitecaps are needing more than that right now to kickstart their MLS season. With a tough trip to Minnesota next weekend, it’s not about to get any easier any time soon.
FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles Galaxy 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 23,112
STATS:
Possession: LA 57.4% – VAN 42.6%
Shots: LA 20 – VAN 12
Shots on Goal: LA 6 – VAN 2
Saves: LA 2 – VAN 4
Fouls: LA 13 – VAN 15
Offsides: LA 1 – VAN 1
Corners: LA 13 – VAN 4
LOS ANGELES: Jonathan Bond (Jonathan Klinsmann 25); Kelvin Leerdam (Chris Mavinga 86), Martín Cáceres, Jalen Neal, Raheem Edwards; Mark Delgado, Gastón Brugman (Uri Rosell 86), Riqui Puig; Efraín Álvarez (Memo Rodríguez 65), Tyler Boyd (Preston Judd 86), Dejan Joveljić
[Substitutes not used: Lucas Calegari, Eriq Zavaleta, Uri Rosell, Daniel Aguirre, Jonathan Pérez]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Ryan Raposo (Mathías Laborda 74); Julian Gressel (Sebastian Berhalter 74), Andrés Cubas, Ryan Gauld; Cristian Dájome (Alessandro Schöpf 61), Brian White; Sergio Córdova (45.Pedro Vite 43’)
[Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Déiber Caicedo, Ali Ahmed, Simon Becher, Russell Teibert]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“Well, I think in the first half they were the better team, in the second half, we were the better team. Pretty simple. Unfortunately, when they were the better team and they were pushing, we were almost getting there 1-0 to the end of the half and then they scored the goal. But I have to be honest, they deserved to tie at that point and we weren’t able to press very well in the first half. The second half was completely different because when we changed the way of pressing, we were much more aggressive. Even with the midfield, having a midfield three instead of a midfield two helped us match them. They’ve very good players in the middle, [Gastón] Brugman, [Riqui] Puig and [Marco] Delgado, they all played very well and we got split much less than the second half and we won a lot of the balls and we actually had the chance to win. But it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s a really good point away. The last two weeks, I saw the team I want to have, from the [Real CD] España game, we are on the right direction. I have to be honest, even the first game against RSL was the only game that didn’t go well in terms of performance.”
TRISTAN BLACKMON
On the match:
“Obviously, we wanted the win, it’s a tough game, with the players they have they find spaces in between us, they have the quality and I think they that showed a little bit more in the second half. We were able to defend decently, and honestly kept it a tie. We definitely have to go back to Vancouver, go to the drawing board and continue working and thinking about ways to continue fighting and games and pushing to hopefully get us over this hurdle and start turning these results into wins.”
On his goal:
“Yeah, it was a great ball in and we were working on set pieces a lot the last couple weeks and luckily, I was able to get free, like I said it was a great ball and thankful it hit the back of the net.”
JULIAN GRESSEL
On the importance of getting back to Vancouver before heading back to Minnesota:
“Yeah, I think it’s good to get back and have a good end to the week. Obviously, we advanced in the Champions League and now with the 1-1 we take the point. We have somewhat of a good feeling going back, get a couple days off and then have a normal week of training before we get to Minnesota. Obviously, pretty big to kind of take a breath and kind of reset and then get full steam ahead, obviously, with two games in MLS and we got to try and pick up our first win. It’s a tough place to play in Minnesota but hopefully, we can bring that mentality that we had today there and be a bit more clinical, I think, when we get the chances and hopefully, that’s the first win next week and then we keep going.”
When Vancouver FC was announced as the Canadian Premier League’s second expansion team (after Atletico Ottawa in 2020), not many people beyond those in BC’s lower mainland would have thought much of the team’s addition beyond rounding the number of teams back up to eight (FC Edmonton dissolved earlier this year). However, in just a few short months, Vancouver FC has turned heads both with their player and staff recruitment. With rumours of a former Whitecaps superstar potentially landing in Langley this time as well, Vancouver FC might be the team that really shakes up this league.
The Coach
All great teams begin with a solid foundation, especially when you are building from the ground up. You need to have a club philosophy, with principles and pillars that represent who you want to be both on and off the pitch. And in the case of soccer, that is often represented by the head coach. That is why Vancouver FC made its first statement of intent to raising the stakes by appointing Iranian head coach Afshin Ghotbi.
Ghotbi not only brings a wealth of experience through a coaching career that has spanned over 40 years, but also high-quality experience through the teams he has managed. He has been to three World Cups as an assistant coach, first in the 1998 edition as Steve Sampson’s assistant for the United States, and then at the 2002 and 2006 editions with South Korea. In the 2002 competition, he helped Guus Hiddink bring South Korea all the way to a semi-final, before finishing fourth overall.
He has coached teams from all across the world, from Japan, to Iran, to even the United States. He has worked with players such as Freddie Ljungberg, Landon Donovan, and Park Ji-Sung. Ever the idealist, he is a coach that wants to facilitate a team whose sum is greater than its parts, and unifies all backgrounds and identities into a cohesive mosaic that represents the power of football. And of course, he wants to play entertaining soccer for all the fans to enjoy.
Ghotbi is definitely the highest-profile coach the CPL has ever seen, and may ever see for some time. Not many can say they helped bring a team to a World Cup semi-final, or be the head coach of a team in a continental cup like the Asian Cup. To bring that kind of CV to a developing domestic league not only does wonders for the team, but to the league itself. It’s the first step that showcases how much the league has grown, and what kind of experience and talent it can attract. That is why all eyes will be on Afshin Ghotbi this season; to see what a coach of his caliber can finally bring to this league.
The Players
Of course, every coach needs players to manage. And while many names that have been added to the Vancouver FC team can be regarded as “low-profile”, the team has already made some true statement signings.
The first ever-signing was a North Star Shield winner in Callum Irving, who was an integral part of Pacific FC’s 2021 title-winning season in goal. That in itself was a sign that Vancouver were not building a team just to play, but rather one to truly compete. Since then, they have had various different types of signings.
They have invested in some exciting youth from MLS in 24-year-old right-back Kadin Chung, and 18-year-old centre-midfielder Mael Henry; quality players who might have fallen down the cracks otherwise. They have also signed experienced CPL players by the likes of Rocco Romeo, Elliot Simmons, Marcus Simmons, Gabriel Bitar, and Mouhamadou Kane; players who know the league and can help the team integrate more smoothly. They’ve even signed domestic and international college talents like Kahlil John-Wentworth and Nathaniel St. Louis, to try to grow them in a professional setting.
However, what has really elevated Vancouver FC to the next level has been their first star signing.
On March 1st, seven weeks before their debut CPL game, the club signed 27-year-old Mexican attacker Gael Sandoval. Sandoval is a player who has starred in Liga MX, arguably CONCACAF’s most competitive league, since 2016. In fact, in his first real breakthrough season of 2016/17, he was the leagues top assister, and was deemed Rookie of the Year. With 17 goals and 29 assists in over 200 games as a professional, he arguably comes in as the CPL’s highest-profile signing since Kyle Bekker for Forge FC. Notably, however, he comes in two years younger than when Bekker came into the CPL. That means that he still has plenty in the tank to be able to set the league alight, and bring Vancouver FC straight into the fold for that championship fight.
But more than that, his signing once again shows the evolution of the CPL to be able to bring in such a high-caliber talent. Sandoval is a player who has won the CONCACAF Champions League, a competition that the CPL has only just started to dip its toes into. He represents a level of achievement that all clubs want to strive for. Having a player like that in your league only opens up the doors for more ambition, both at the club level in terms of the heights of competitions that they can reach, and at the recruitment level, in terms of being able to sign talents of his caliber in the near future.
It is then no wonder that there are rumours floating by that a certain ex-Whitecap star is interested in joining the project in Langley. If such an acquisition is had, then it will really put Vancouver FC as early favourites to pry that coveted North Star Shield from current champions Forge FC.
(Photo Credit: Beau Chevalier/Vancouver FC)
The Community
With the addition of Vancouver FC, British Columbia now is only the second province to have more than one team, with Ontario boasting three (Forge FC, York Utd, Atletico Ottawa). With plans to also add a team to Kelowna down the line, and possibly as early as next year, this addition puts British Columbia as a firm rival to Ontario as the central hub of Canadian Soccer. Add this to the growing League1 BC, and soon many people will be turning their heads West instead of East to develop and enjoy Canadian soccer.
And while Vancouver FC’s home is in Langley is technically not yet built (it’s getting there), what we have seen so far has shown another step forward for both the team and the league. It is estimated to have over 6,650 seats, making it the biggest non-CFL shared stadium in the league (beating HFX Wanderers’ Wanderers Grounds by 50). For a team and region that wants to firmly stamp its status as a soccer hub, having that many seats all to yourself is an incredible statement.
And if you look back into Canadian history, many of the Canadian talents of old came from British Columbia, with the likes of George Pakos, Craig Forrest, and Domenic Mobilio. Having more professional, semi-professional, and developmental teams in the province not only allows British Columbia to produce more talents, but it makes sure that that talent stays in Canada as opposed to going out. That means more quality domestic players stay in domestic leagues like CPL, which, in the end, is what the CPL is all about.
Overall, Vancouver FC’s addition to the league is not only another step towards building a proper and all-encompassing domestic league, but it also raises the status of such a league with the quality of players and staff that it has added. Add to it becoming another destination for young Canadian talent to be able to play in, and you start to understand why such a team can be crucial for the future of a budding league like the Canadian Premier League. Hopefully the performances on the pitch will reflect all that it is bringing to the city of Langley, the league, and Canadian soccer as well.
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out and it’ a 52 minute show all around this week’s exciting CONCACAF Champions League matches.
We look back at the Whitecaps’ 7-3 aggregate win over Real Espana and how the second leg went, look at how the rest of the Round of 16 played out, and hear from ‘Caps coach Vanni Sartini and three other MLS coaches (Steve Cherundolo of LAFC, Oscar Pareja of Orlando, and Josh Wolff of Austin) after the week’s action.
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The Vancouver Island Soccer League Jackson Cup final has been set, and after a couple of cracking matches over the weekend, two teams are ready to battle for the most gorgeous of sterling silver trophies in amateur soccer.
In play since 1915, with only two years that did not document a winner – 1917 & 2021 – the Sir John Jackson Cup will have a have a newer name on it this year compared to the last couple, with league champions Lakehill and runners-up Vic West set to contest the final at the end of the month.
Here’s how they got there.
The first semi-final took place at Starlight Stadium in Langford on Friday night, as Lakehill hosted Nanaimo United, and the league winners needed a dramatic late winner to clinch their spot in the final.
Nanaimo opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a goal from Vasilos Bagiopoulos. Lakehill responded quickly with a goal two minutes later from Patrick Nelson. That was how thing things stayed until Blair Sturrock scored a dramatic 87th winner to seal the 2-1 victory. It was a fantastic match that was three minutes away from going to penalty kicks to determine a winner.
Saturday saw a highly contested match at Hampton park, and it was visiting Vic West that defeated Gorge FC 3-2 to clinch the second spot in the final, with the victors finishing the match with nine men.
Bryce Marinus opened the scoring for Gorge in the 16th minute before Salem Almardy levelled things up again five minutes later.
It was end to end stuff and Marcus Campanile put Vic West ahead in the 28th minute, but their lead was to last only two minutes before Sylvain Taghaoussi restored parity once again.
Vic West’s Chris Merriman saw a straight red in the 35th minute, but the ten men took the lead four minutes into the second half when Almardy grabbed his second of the game. It was a lead they weren’t to give up, even with losing Ryan McCurdy to a second yellow with two minutes remaining.
It will be a big matchup on Saturday March 25 at Starlight Stadium. A match up that will see Vic West going for a VISL record setting 23rd Jackson Cup, while Lakehill goes into the Final looking for their first ever Jackson Cup win.
Game admission is only $5.00 and can be paid in cash. Kids aged 1 and under are no charge. The concession will be open with food and beverage, and half time will also feature a spicy Under 8 boys match up between 5-a-side teams from Lakehill and Gorge.
There will be two more finals that day at Starlight Stadium. Opening up the day at 12 noon will be the George Pearkes Challenge Cup being contested by Gorge FC from Division 3 and Cook Street United from Division 4. At 2:30 pm, the Tony Grover Masters Cup Final will be contested by Cowichan FC and Gorge FC.
Thanks for continuing to support local grassroots soccer, and the people that work, live, and play in your community.
In second half stoppage time last weekend, I sat and watched in dread as Dallas’ Jáder Obrian stepped around his marker and threaded a pass to the penalty spot where Jesús Ferreira was waiting. Here we go again, I thought, another promising effort undone by a defensive lapse in the second half. But before Ferreira could slot the ball home, a streak of blue and white overtook him and threw a desperate leg in to deflect the shot out for a corner. No need to check the number of the game saver. Andrés Cubas is where opposition attacks go to die.
While it’s the strikers, play-makers and keepers who get all the glory, teams succeed or fail on the strength of their mid-field. Among these positions, there is none more important than the role of the number six, the defensive midfielder. As Carol Ancelotti puts it, “The number six position is the key to everything. He must be a player who can defend, support the attack, and control the game’s rhythm.”
Over the past year, Whitecaps fans have had the opportunity to witness first-hand just how crucial the role of the defensive midfielder is in the modern game. When the Whitecaps belatedly made the signing of Andrés Cubas official last April, few fans had ever heard of the Paraguayan international. Despite his Boca Juniors pedigree, cynical Vancouver fans questioned whether a player from a recently relegated Nîmes Olympique side could really change the team’s fortunes. It would be almost two months before they got the opportunity to find out.
By the time Cubas made his first start on June 18th in Dallas, the Whitecaps had only managed to win five of their first 15 games, tying two others and losing the rest. And while other factors played a part in their resurgence in the second half of the season, there can be little doubt that Cubas had a starring role in both their league play and in their Canadian Championship victory.
The role of the number six is to disrupt and generally create chaos in the opposition attack. They must be both physically and mentally agile in order to read the play, anticipate their opponents’ movements, and position themselves effectively to deliver tackles and make interceptions.
Just how good is Cubas at this? Despite playing only 18 games last season, he led the team in tackles with 36. If he maintained this rate over the course of a full season, he would have finished second in the entire MLS (which, coincidentally, is where he finds himself today after three games). He also led the Whitecaps in interceptions with 34. Again, at that rate, over the course of a full season he would be in the top three in MLS.
But Cubas doesn’t just win possession. As the number six, he is also the pivot. He transitions the team from defense to attack. Although he doesn’t often appear on the score sheet for assists, Cubas is second only to Gauld when it comes to completed passes in the forward zone and he might have led the team if he played a full season. Among all Whitecaps who have played any real minutes last year, he had the second highest passing accuracy.
When Sporting Director Axel Schuster announced the signing of Cubas as their new number six he said:
“We think that he is the difference maker in his position as Ryan Gauld is at his. It was a waiting game for the right guy. We are up to wait. And now we have to get him in and to show everyone that he is the right guy.”
A year later we can safely say that Schuster and director of recruitment Nikos Overheul found their man.
While he will seldom lift the fans out of their seat, Cubas is among the very best in the league at his position, the kind of relentless destroyer that gives opponents nightmares. His contributions might not always be as obvious as a game saving block in stoppage time, but they are plain to see once you start to look for them. Whitecaps fans should appreciate what they have in Cubas.
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter)
Vancouver Whitecaps big first leg win over Real Espana at BC Place last Wednesday gave them a comfortable cushion as they headed into the second leg in San Pedro Sula today. Just as well as the ‘Caps Achilles heel was on full display yet again, as some dreadful defending saw the Hondurans put three goals past the visitors, all from wide open men on set pieces, as Real Espana came away with a 3-2 win on the day, with Vancouver moving on 7-3 on aggregate.
Carrying forward a five goal lead from the first leg afforded Vanni Sartini the opportunity to leave some key performers who had already played a lot of minutes this season at home. With Ryan Gauld, Julian Gressel, Andres Cubas, Ranko Veselinovic, and Alessandro Schopf all remaining in Vancouver ahead of the team’s big MLS match at the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Sartini made eight changes to the team that won the first leg a week ago. Those changes included goalkeeper Thomas Hasal coming in for this first start of the season.
And Hasal was called into action just four minutes in, producing a fabulous sprawling save to keep out a Gestel Montes header from a corner, with the big defender allowed to rise unchallenged.
The Whitecaps got their first look on goal in the 8th minute when Cristian Dajome broke forward and played the ball inside to Pedro Vite. The Ecuadorian took a touch inside to make room for the shot but could only look on in agony as his effort crashed off the right post.
The game was fast paced and free flowing, with both teams keen to attack. Pedro Baez had the next effort for the home side 10 minutes in, forcing another save from Hasal.
Espana kept pushing, looking for some kind of way back into the tie, and Exon Arzu had an effort wide, with centre back Karifa Yao being given a bit of a torrid time in his first Whitecaps start.
The ‘Caps must have thought they’d taken the lead in the 24th minute, when a scramble bounced off Vite and was heading over the line, only for Carlos Mejia to produce a superb last ditch clearance.
Espana responded with Montes being allowed another free header off a corner, which again produced a save from Hasal. It doesn’t seem to matter who is in that Whitecaps backline, allowing free headers off set pieces seems to be a concerning trend.
With the Whitecaps hanging on to their clean sheet, they were penalised just past the half hour mark for Hasal holding on to the ball too long in the box, giving up an indirect free kick, which Espana wasted. A seldom enforced rule, but one which I personally wish was far more strictly enforced all over the world!
As the half counted down, Hasal made another good save to keep out a Jose Reyes shot, and the young ‘Caps keeper finished the first half with six saves to his name as the teams went in scoreless.
The pace to start the second half wasn’t as frenetic, and the goalmouth action dipped as well.
The closest either team came to opening the scoring came in the 59th minute when a curling free kick from a tight angle from Sebastian Berhalter was kept out by a scrambling Luis Lopez at his near post.
Espana kept pushing for their first goal of the tie and Maikel Garcia blasted over from a good position 11 yards out just past the hour mark.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 66th minute and it came from Vancouver, with a stunning curling strike from White from just inside the Espana box. He certainly enjoys his cup competitions!
Great first time finish by @_BrianWhite42! Set up pass by Brown. #VWFC | #SCCL23 | @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/Rj6t47Nyfb https://t.co/PDH0lZEFbY
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 15, 2023
The lead was to last just a minute, however, as once again the Whitecaps struggled to defend a set piece.
This time it was a free kick which was swung in from the right. Hasal came out to initially punch the ball away, but it didn’t go far and as no ‘Caps defender reacted to clear it out of the six yard box, it broke to Montes, who fired home for a goal that both he and Espana deserved.
The goal gave the Honduran side a lift and they kept taking the game to Vancouver.
It paid off for them to as they took the lead in the 75th minute, and to no-one’s surprise, it came from a set piece.
Jhow Benavidez, Epsana’s dangerous playmaker that the Whitecaps had done well to keep quiet over the two legs, sent in a lovely looping corner that came to an open Rocca at the back of the box and the Argentine blasted home past Hasal to give Espana their first lead of the leg.
The Whitecaps weren’t done yet though and they got back on level terms with seven minutes remaining after some nice footwork from substitute Becher in the box after receiving a long pass from Berhalter. The young striker took a lovely cut inside before finishing with aplomb past Lopez at the near post.
Berhalter launches the ball to @simon_becher101, who puts in a solo effort to beat the defender and slot it near post! #VWFC | #SCCL23 | @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/WAgQwpAfDN https://t.co/Tis5yTrQtM
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 15, 2023
The parity wasn’t to last long, and the home side went back ahead three minutes later from… oh you guessed it, from a set piece.
Benavidez sent in a free kick from the right, which was met by a free Garcia, but Hasal managed to tip his header over, only for the hosts to go ahead from the resultant corner.
It was another great delivery from Benavidez, allowing Montes to run in unchallenged and head home his second of the match, which also proved to be the leg winner.
So a loss on the night, but all that really matters was an overall win in the tie and moving on into the quarter-finals for what should be a date with LAFC.
There’s certainly some positives that Sartini can take from this leg – the form of Hasal, another goal for White, and more blooding and experience for the fringe players. But there are some very concerning aspects too, most notably the inability to defend and react to unmarked players at set pieces. Six bookings must also be concerning.
All in all, a 7-3 aggregate win was much more comfortable than that may even look on paper. What lies ahead though is a much greater test and the Whitecaps will need to be a whole lot better defensively if they are to go any further in this competition.
FINAL SCORE: Real Espana 3 – 2 Vancouver Whitecaps (Whitecaps win 7-3 on aggregate)
STATS:
Possession: RES 65.1% – VAN 34.9%
Shots: RES 23 – VAN 14
Shots on Goal: RES 11 – VAN 7
Saves: RES 5 – VAN 8
Fouls: RES 13 – VAN 17
Offsides: RES 4 – VAN 0
Corners: RES 9 – VAN 0
REAL ESPANA: Luis López, Mayron Flores, Getsel Montes, Devron García, Franklin Flores; Carlos Mejía, Jhow Benavídez, Exon Arzú (Daniel Carter Bodden 55); Pedro Báez (Ramiro Rocca 54), José Reyes (Roberto Osorto 73), Darixon Vuelto (Maikel García 37) [Substitutes not used:
Michael Perelló, Juan Vieyra, Marco Aceituno, Gerson Chávez, Anfronit Tatum, Aaron Zúñiga, Junior García, Eduardo Urbina]
VANCOUVER: Thomas Hasal; Mathías Laborda, Karifa Yao, Tristan Blackmon (Matteo Campagna 87), Ryan Raposo (Javain Brown 46); J.C. Ngando, Sebastian Berhalter, Ali Ahmed; Cristian Dájome (Brian White 61), Pedro Vite (Vasco Fry 77); Sergio Córdova (29.Simon Becher 76′)
[Substitutes not used: Yohei Takaoka, Isaac Boehmer, Levonte Johnson, Kamron Habibullah, Russell Teibert]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On today’s match:
“I think the game was okay, in the sense that it was what we expected, with them attacking a lot and we had to, kind of, resist and then counterattack. We did it perfectly, I think ’til minute 65 when we scored the first goal. And then it became a little bit of chaos. I think players were very tired at the end. The heat, and the fact that a lot of players that played 90 minutes they never played 90 minutes before today, and the wind became a big factor in the second half. But of course, I am a little, I don’t want to say pissed, but you know, actually, it’s good that we conceded those goals on the set plays when at the end, it didn’t count, because we need to work on it because again, it’s been a part of the game that hasn’t been good from the beginning of the season and we need to be better. But for the rest, I’m happy. The qualification was never in discussion, we were always in the game and at the end, I told the guys, even if they were a little bit down, we did not lose 3-2 today, we won 7-3 so we need to be happy.”
On his starting midfield three:
“The reason why I have the midfield [like that] was because Rusty yesterday had a little injury and because we were supposed to start J.C. at number eight on the right, Sebastian, and Rusty on the left so it left us with no, I would say natural player in that role. And so we had to use players that are not used to playing there. Ali played there in the first half, Pedro played there in the first part of the second half and then Vasco played there the second part of the second half. I think J.C. and Seba did very well and the other guys they fought, they fought for the team in a position that it’s not their natural position. I actually want to say Vasco did very well when he came on. And, of course, Ali did much better in the second half when he was in his position as a wingback instead of playing as a number eight but he sacrificed himself for the team because we didn’t have any natural players playing in that position for the game.”
On what it means to progress to the quarterfinals:
“It means a lot. We are in the quarterfinal now probably against LAFC, so it will be a nice clash against, probably, the best team in North America. So it’s going to be a good, I would say stage, a great stage for us to try to go to the semifinals, so I’m really happy that we went through.”
For the first time since 2017, the Whitecaps will play a competitive match outside of either Canada or the US. The site? San Pedro Sula, over 6,000 kilometres south of Vancouver. The mission? Don’t lose by five or more goals. Seems easy, right?
The ‘Caps certainly set themselves up well last week with a thumping 5-0 victory where Real España completely fell to pieces in the second half. It turned what could have been a much more nervy trip for the second leg to one that feels like it should be just a formality.
Of course, “should” is the important word in that sentence, as you can never count on this club to not bungle a situation. And Austin FC’s 3-0 loss in the Dominican Republic against Haitian side Violette last week to open their own CCL campaign shows that no away match in Central America can be taken lightly. But even then, 3-0 was an absolute disaster for the Texan outfit, and if the ‘Caps lost by that scoreline they would still go through to the next round. It would take a cataclysmic performance for them to be eliminated on Wednesday night.
With that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how Vanni Sartini approaches this match. Five players have started every match so far, including Ryan Gauld, Andrés Cubas, and Julian Gressel, all of whom are massively important for the team this season. Given that the ‘Caps have a quick turnaround to a road match against the Galaxy on Saturday, now would surely be the time to give those key players a rest. And so it appears to be the case, with Sartini revealing to media on Tuesday morning that Gauld, Gressel, Cubas, Ranko Veselinovic, and Alessandro Schopf have all remained in Vancouver.
It’s possible that there could be complete rotation in the lineup, with players like Ali Ahmed, Karifa Yao, and JC Ngando given the start. The danger of a complete overhaul is that it throws out a group without experience playing together before, having to make it work in a uniquely difficult environment relative to MLS play. But again… shouldn’t a five-goal advantage be enough of a cushion to compensate for that risk?
Real España themselves have not played since the first leg, as their match on the weekend was postponed due to massive travel issues trying to return home. The team was stranded in the US for multiple days, with some of the players not touching down in Honduras until Monday. There was also one player who had to stay behind in Vancouver after he collapsed post-match and had a brief hospital stay here in the city. The ‘Caps invited him to a practice and to the match against Dallas before he went home.
All in all, it’s been a bit of a nightmare of a CCL campaign for the Honduran side. For some amount of hope they can point to the fact that they have had a massive home victory in the competition before, as they defeated Costa Rican side Municipal Liberia 6-0 back in 2009, although I can’t imagine that any of the players currently at the club were part of that match.
For the Whitecaps, the job is pretty straightforward: manage out a result with no one getting hurt. It’s also perhaps the chance for players more on the fringes of the squad to get some valuable experience playing quite far away from home. A much different task against LAFC is what in all likelihood awaits in the quarterfinals, but a 90-minute business trip is still on the schedule.
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
What a busy week it’s been. The Whitecaps were in action twice, in two different competitions, and we pick over the bones of both matches – against Real Espana in CONCACAF Champions League action and FC Dallas in MLS. There were highs, there were lows, there were continued frustrations, and we still don’t really know how good this Whitecaps team are or aren’t this year.
Our feature interview this episode is with Whitecaps captain and playmaker Ryan Gauld. We chat to Ryan about preseason preparedness, the start to the season for both the team and himself, and the exciting battles ahead in four competitions for the team this year.
All of that and there’s still time for a one hour discussion about the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa on Thursday that saw four Canadian women’s national team players give testimony against Canada Soccer and the mess the game is in here. A meeting that was insightful, infuriating, disappointing, and at times farcical with the severe lack of knowledge and proper understanding of the politicians asking the questions.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
03.33: Whitecaps’ come alive in CCL action
33.02: Whitecaps back down to earth after Dallas draw
50.00: MLS West round-up and the week ahead
62.20: Ryan Gauld interview and discussion
84.45: Canadian players take battle with Canada Soccer to parliament
145.45: Wavelength – The Skinflicks – Terrace Terror
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Vancouver Whitecaps got their first point of the new MLS season on the board in a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas at BC Place on Saturday afternoon, but it was another game where the ‘Caps will feel that they should have got more out of the match.
After falling behind to an early Sebastian Ibeagha header, the Whitecaps fought back and got level after a Paul Arriola own goal, but neither side did much in the last hour to take the full three points and that will certainly disappoint Vancouver more than Dallas.
The hope was the Whitecaps would be buoyed by their midweek Champions League win but it felt more like a hangover as the visitors got off to a super fast start.
Taking the game to Vancouver, Dallas kept possession, moved the ball around well, and opened the scoring just five minutes in.
Once again it came from a free header, with Nkosi Tafari whipping the ball in from the left, over Tristan Blackmon, for a free header for Ibeagha to give Dallas the lead and grab him his first MLS career goal.
THE DRIP OR DROWN COMBO
Nkosi with the perfect pass, and Ibeagha with the perfect finish for his first career MLS goal. pic.twitter.com/LPDhI1terZ
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) March 11, 2023
It was another goal given up that the Whitecaps will want back defensively and they allowed the visitors more space moments later when the ball came through to a wide open Arriola, who forced a save out of Yohei Takaoka.
The Whitecaps finally settled and started to take over the game.
Brian White had a couple of chances to tie things up, one hitting the side netting and the other bringing a good save out of Maarten Paes.
Dallas were still a danger and Ibeagha was again allowed to rise unchallenged, this time meeting an Arriola corner but crashing his header off the bar.
A huge escape for the Whitecaps but they took full advantage of it, going up the pitch and grabbing the equaliser in the 34th minute.
Javain Brown sent a long throw in from the right. It was flicked on superbly by Ranko Veselinovic into the six yard box, only for Arriola to turn it into his own net under pressure from Ryan Gauld
pic.twitter.com/alM4SoYbXI
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 12, 2023
The ‘Caps nearly went into the break with the lead, but Paes denied them again with a spectacular acrobatic save off a diving White header.
The Whitecaps continued on the front foot to start the second half, but without carving out any clear cut goalscoring opportunities.
Dallas weren’t offering up much either in a fairly disappointing second half, but they came close in the 78th minute when the ball came to an unmarked Marco Farfan at the edge of the box and his first time volley flew narrowly over.
As the game headed into stoppage time both teams had a chance to secure the dramatic ending.
Andres Cubas had to make a huge tackle to deny Jesus Ferreira, as the Dallas player was all set to pull the trigger in the box. The visitors kept the pressure on from the corner with Alan Velasco flashing a low effort inches past the left post.
There was still time for the Whitecaps to go up and nearly nick it in the dying seconds as the ball was played into a stretching Sergio Cordova at the back post, but he just couldn’t connect with it and both teams had to settle for a point.
On the one hand it was good for the ‘Caps to finally get their MLS campaign off and running with a point against a tough opponent, but on the other, they dominated for the majority of the match but found a Dallas defence that was tough to break down. They should have at least five points from their first three matches, instead they have just one and have already dropped five points at home. For a team that is not good on the road and have two big away league matches coming up, that is a major concern.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 1 FC Dallas
ATT: 16,780
STATS:
Possession: VAN 43.5% – DAL 56.5%
Shots: VAN 11 – DAL 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 4 – DAL 2
Saves: VAN 1 – DAL 4
Fouls: VAN 14 – DAL 7
Offsides: VAN 0 – DAL 2
Corners: VAN 7 – DAL 6
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Ryan Raposo (Ali Ahmed 83); Julian Gressel (Mathías Laborda 82), Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 78); Cristian Dájome (Sergio Córdova 46), Ryan Gauld; Brian White (Pedro Vite 70’)
[Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Karifa Yao, J.C. Ngando, Russell Teibert]
DALLAS: Maarten Paes; Emmanuel Twumasi (Geovane Jesus 77), Sebastien Ibeagha, Nkosi Tafari, Marco Farfan (Sam Junqua 89); Sebastian Lletget (José Martínez 60), Edwin Cerrillo, Paxton Pomykal; Paul Arriola (Jáder Obrian 60), Jesús Ferreira, Alan Velasco [Substitutes not used: Jimmy Maurer, Tsiki Ntsabeleng, José Mulato, Nolan Norris, Bernard Kamungo]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“I think we should be pissed, we should be frustrated, we should be angry. Because if we say ok we made a point, we have the wrong mentality, because we should have won. We were the best team for 75 minutes, for me it’s from minute 15 until minute 93. We played well, so there’s a lot of positives to look at. The general feeling should be that we should have five points at the moment and we have only one. That’s the luck, and something else. We are doing well, and we will score goals. We will have chances, we need the luck and the management of some people in the game to be better.”
On Brian White’s play:
“The quality of the runs, the commitment, the pressure, and today actually was also there in that moment. Like the first chance we created, he went, he won, and then he shot at goal. The second one is in between two big centre backs and he attacks the space perfectly. He scored a goal Wednesday. I think the real Brian is now here, and we are happy to have him. Let’s keep playing like this, because we will win soon, and a lot of games.”
JAVAIN BROWN
On the result:
“Obviously we wanted three points. It’s the game of football, we just have to build on this and put away our chances away, also stay clean at the back. We can’t give them those opportunities to score early in the game like that, you know, but it’s the result that we could build on. We just have to trust each other. We’re a great team and our locker room is hanging tight and I just would say to the fans, just give us that extra push.”
On a busy week going to Honduras and LA:
“I mean, we have a staff which helps us a lot, they know what they’re doing and we have to make that extra push. It’s our job to get results, so we have to just put everything aside and focus on the games coming.”
JULIAN GRESSEL
On the match:
“It’s a point, we’re on the board, after not having the greatest start with the past two games. I thought it was a pretty even game, obviously we know that they’re a good team, very good style in my opinion and very dangerous. Very good players. Very good coach. So we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But I thought we were better this time at translating the first half into the second half and not really dropping our quality too much and even having chances to win the game. It’s a tie. We could have probably scored a couple of goals. They maybe had a few chances. So I think overall, the tie is maybe the most deserved result, but again, we would have liked to obviously win the game, especially at home. Whenever you get a chance to beat a good team, you should try and capitalize, especially at home. There’s a point and we’ll take it and like I said, we’re on the board and hopefully we continue to roll now.”
On the upcoming schedule:
“Well, I think it’ll be pretty simple. We’re up 5-0 and that’s obviously a very good cushion to have but at the same time, we know how difficult it can be in places like that. You see Austin just last week, so obviously you’ve got to be ready and you’ve got to be prepared for quite a difficult environment down there. Then try and obviously have a quick turnaround with LA and a long week in terms of travel, but I think the focus now shifts obviously to the Champions League and make sure that we advance there and then we will figure out what LA will look like after that.”
FC DALLAS
NICO ESTÉVEZ
On the match and BC Place being a tough place to play:
“Well I think you’re right it is a difficult place for FC Dallas historically. But I think we did a very good game, playing away, dictating the tempo. We knew that they were a good team, they have quality. I think we had a good start and scored a goal. Then there was a moment there that I think we should be more aggressive. We should be more determined to score the second goal. Even though we were having the possession, we were dominating, we weren’t great in our goalscoring opportunities. I think that side we’ve learned today that when we score we want to go and score a second goal. It was a little bit that side that we have learned in this experience. In the second half, I think they started better. We tried to modify to defending a 4-4-2 but it didn’t work well and then we switched to a three in the back and it helped us because sometimes, people like to switch to introduce a centre back, it means you want to defend and it was the other side. We were looking for to keep more the ball, to have more width with our wingbacks, and trying to exploit the wide areas to score goals. I think we did a good job on that and we had created some good chances to score the second goal, but we couldn’t and at least we got a point.”
On how they managed the game:
“Well, we knew that they had a midweek game and for us it was about to increase the tempo. I think in the first half, we had a good start but we stopped a little bit and then they’re a team that they feel more comfortable when the tempo of the game is slow and then they do a good job on that. In the moments that we were able to increase the tempo and the speed, it was good for us, and they had more issues. We knew that some players were going to rest and come into the game like [Sergio] Cordova, he’s getting fit, like [Pedro] Vite, you usually have to do some rotation. But you know, they’re professionals. They know that they have to play every three or four days. And I think they also did a good job of the rotation that they had.”
SEBASTIAN IBEAGHA
On scoring his first FC Dallas goal
“It’s been a long time since I scored a goal, so it is good to be back on the score sheet. For it to be assisted by Kos (Tafari) is great because he’s my guy. We looked at each other and I told him to put the ball in the box and that is exactly what he did. It was a good goal and it makes it a little extra special that Kos assisted it for me.”
On the change formation mid game
“Switching to a back three means we will be more aggressive and attack more. We missed the chance to get in the lead in the first half and Nico saw that. We tried to push the game more and go forward in the second half. Changing us to three at the back allowed us to go more forward and that is exactly what we did.”
On the different pairings at the center back position
“José (Martínez) and Kos (Tafari) are two different players. Kos is similar to the athletic play style I have, while José has that technical play and is very good on the ball. It’s about knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses so we can push each other and become better. We always rotate in training and try different pairings because we don’t know what could happen in a game and we need to all be on the same page.”
It was just what the doctor ordered for Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Wednesday evening, as the Canadian champions returned to CONCACAF Champions League action for the first time since 2017. After a poor start to their MLS campaign, the Whitecaps were looking for a confidence boosting win and they got it in some style, turning in a five star performance to dispatch Honduran side Real C.D. Espana 5-0 in the first leg of their Round of 16 matchup.
A first half header from Tristan Blackmon set Vancouver on their way before second half tallies from Ryan Raposo, a Devron Garcia own goal, Pedro Vite, and Brian White saw the ‘Caps go nap and take complete control of the tie as they head into next week’s second leg.
Vanni Sartini made four changes to the team that started the loss in San Jose, with Raposo and Blackmon coming into the backline and Cristián Dajome and Sergio Cordova coming into the attack, and there were to be some key contributions from the additions.
As comfortable and as dominant as the win was for Vancouver in the end, the first 10 minutes of the match told a different tale, with Real on the front foot trying to force an early away goal. Jhow Benavídez brought two strong saves out of Yohei Takaoka in the opening eight minutes, but that was to be as good as it got for the visitors and the MLS side started to turn the screw.
A short corner in the 21st minute saw the ‘Caps take the lead. Dajome played the ball to Julian Gressel and the the German claimed his third assist in as many games with a pinpoint delivery onto the head of Blackmon, who rose well and powerfully headed home.
GOAL @WhitecapsFC OPEN THE SCORING!
Tristan Blackmon's rising header off a corner routine gives #VWFC a 1-0 lead over Real España in this #SCCL23 clash
https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/XzXEZfCIIU
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 9, 2023
After that there was no looking back for Vancouver.
Pedro Vite should have doubled their lead on the half hour mark but a Dajome pass came at him a little bit too quick and he couldn’t direct his effort on target.
The ‘Caps had to settle for a one goal lead at the half. Real Espana had to endure a 22 hour trip to Vancouver from San Pedro Sula and the fatigue started to show in the second half, as Vancouver ran rampant. So much so that one of their players collapsed in the dressing room after the match and had to be transported to hospital. His identity and condition is currently unknown, but we wish him all the very best for a speedy recovery.
Ryan Gauld and Cordova had chances to increase the ‘Caps lead but they had to wait until the 59th minute to finally add to their tally and it was a nice team goal, with excellent build up play and an even better finish from Raposo, who got the ball, cut inside and fired past Luis López to make it 2-0.
GOAL
Ryan Raposo, my word! @WhitecapsFC go up 2-0 over Real España in this #SCCL23 clash via a bit of magic from the Canadian #VWFC | #MLS
https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/2FyBpqTMFb
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 9, 2023
Six minutes later it was three, when Devron Garcia turned a Dajome cross into his own net in the 65th minute. Pedro Vite made it 4-0 five minutes later and Brian White finally rediscovered his goalscoring form to round off the scoring with 12 minutes left.
It was an excellent and much needed victory for Vancouver, easing the pressure on them for next week’s second leg in Honduras, and allowing them the opportunity to not go as full strength as they would otherwise have gone with, a boost for a tough spell of MLS games coming up.
Is this the win the team needed to finally kickstart their league season? I guess we’ll find out on Saturday.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 5 – 0 Real Espana
ATT: 13,644
STATS:
Possession: VAN 53.9% – RES 46.1%
Shots: VAN 27 – RES 10
Shots on Goal: VAN 11 – RES 2
Saves: VAN 2 – RES 7
Fouls: VAN 13 – RES 5
Offsides: VAN 3 – RES 0
Corners: VAN 5 – RES 1
VANCOUVER:
Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović (Karifa Yao 79), Tristan Blackmon, Ryan Raposo; Julian Gressel (Sebastian Berhalter 71), Andrés Cubas (J.C. Ngando 79), Ryan Gauld (Russell Teibert 71); Cristian Dájome, Pedro Vite; Sergio Córdova (Brian White 62) [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Isaac Boehmer, Déiber Caicedo, Luís Martins, Ali Ahmed, Javain Brown, Simon Becher]
REAL C.D. ESPANA: Luis López, Getsel Montes, Franklin Flores, Devron García, Carlos Mejía, Júnior García; Jhow Benavídez (Aaron Zúñiga 79), Gerson Chávez, Juan Vieyra (Exon Arzú 70); Ramiro Rocca (Pedro Báez 70), Darixon Vuelto (José Reyes 89) [Substitutes not used: Michael Perelló, Maikel García, Marco Aceituno, Darlin Mencia]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the opening minutes of the match:
“We knew that it’s a team with not too much intensity, but with skills. They have players that can do some things. We knew the clock would have been in our favour, in the sense that we also because of the quality of the league where we play, we are obviously used to playing longer bouts at a certain intensity. We did a mistake on the first chance because Yohei called the ball and I don’t remember who didn’t leave the ball to him. It’s an easy cross. And the second one was actually a great play from them and a good save by Yohei. Then after that, I think we had like 20 chances to score and you know, we’re still not in the ideal where it is an ideal thing to score at least one out of two. At least today we finished in the second half. We were much more clinical than we’ve been in the last two games and I’m very happy. Of course the work is not finished. Everyone saw the game yesterday of Austin being smashed 3-0. When there was a 3-0 they had the chances at the end, Austin had a couple of chances to do 3-1, 3-2. But on the 3-0 they had the chance to score the 4-0, the other team. So qualification is not yet reached, but of course, it’s much better to go there with five goals advantage and being I would say enormously in charge of our destiny.”
On managing competitions with two legs:
“These kinds of games where we have two games to play and we need to, I would say, plan a half at a time. So the first half will be: let’s try to win the first half again in San Pedro Sula. Then we can talk about game management in the second half there if things hopefully, they’re going in the right direction. But for sure we won’t make the mistake of underestimating their team. Because you know soccer is a crazy game, so we’ll go there with the best lineup possible. So we want the best lineup possible also because we fly on Monday to Honduras then we stay away until the Saturday game in LA. So we’ll bring all the team and now the objective is not yet reached, to reach the quarterfinal.”
On the starting formation:
“Yes, ideally, of course scoring as many goals as we can. First of all, I’m happy, the first time in my year and a half tenure that we have never scored five goals. So it’s the fact that a lot of players arrived to have chances. It means that we are there, we’ve seen even against Salt Lake a lot of players had a lot great chances. If we would have scored more than one goal, it would have been multiple goal scorers too because it’s not the same players who had the same chances. That’s the kind of idea: we arrived and created in that position because of the way of playing, it’s not about relying on one player to make the magic.”
After a quite disappointing beginning to the MLS campaign, perhaps the Whitecaps need a bit of a change in scenery in order to kickstart 2023. Or at least, a different competition to compete in.
Wednesday night marks the beginning of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, a tournament the ‘Caps have not competed in since 2016. That year they reached the semi-finals before losing to Tigres, in a CCL that was radically different in its structure. Long gone is the group stage, now it’s a knockout bracket the whole way through, beginning with sixteen teams.
First up for the ‘Caps is Real España, a Honduran side who are making their first appearance in the tournament since 2014. The ‘Caps are hosting the first leg before traveling down to San Pedro Sula next week. Having to play the second leg in hostile territory means a strong result this week is a must, given that it will be quite a unique test for this squad to play a competitive match in such a foreign environment.
The biggest question is how much lineup rotation there will be, given that this is the second match in a stretch of five in fifteen days, quite a daunting schedule given that it includes a trip to Honduras in the middle of it. There’s a reason why Champions League participants often get off to slow starts in MLS play, because it’s quite hard to prioritize and get strong results in both competitions.
Of course, the ‘Caps can ill-afford an even slower start in the MLS regular season. But it would also be exceedingly wasteful to not put everything behind a CCL campaign when it’s been a rare occurrence for the club to have a shot in this competition. They certainly won’t be favoured to win it but crashing out early would only add fuel to the fire sprung out of back-to-back losses to start the year.
Some of the biggest question marks for the lineup at the moment surround the backline. Both of the last two weeks saw the ‘Caps give up pairs of goals less than ten minutes apart, collapsing and giving up all three points after taking an early lead. They’ve looked vulnerable at the fullback positions, currently occupied by Luis Martins and Javain Brown.
If one or both of them are taken out of the lineup, it will be very interesting to see which direction Vanni Sartini chooses to go. Tristan Blackmon played at right-back before coming to Vancouver but does Sartini see him now as a centre-back only? Will Mathias Laborda slide over after playing all across the backline in preseason? Will either Ryan Raposo or Ali Ahmed get minutes there? Cristian Gutierrez has been hurt and once he’s back we’ll have to see if he’s still banished to the shadow realm as he was last season.
Russell Teibert and Sebastian Berhalter are both logical starters for this match to spell some rest for the midfield trio who started both of the first two matches, while we might also see the first start of Sergio Córdova who has yet to really find his footing off the bench in his first two appearances. The ‘Caps will really need him to show he’s worthy of the price they paid for him as the top of the attack has looked a little toothless at times in the early going this year.
Looking at the visitors, Real España are one of the biggest clubs in Honduras although they’ve only won two titles in the last decade. Last season they finished as runners-up in both the Honduran Apertura and Clausura seasons and qualified for the CCL by reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 CONCACAF League, where they lost to Costa Rican side Alajuelense. That run saw then go undefeated in their four road games, keeping two clean sheets in the process. Definite food for thought for Vancouver.
Honduras is currently in the middle of its Clausura season in the 2022/23 campaign. Real España finished 4th in the Apertura and lost in the first round of the playoffs, and currently sit 5th in the Clausura having only won one of their last six matches. They have a balanced attack with their 18 Clausura goals scored by 10 different players.
This year is a busy one for the Whitecaps with four different competitions to take part in. With the Sounders breaking new ground for MLS in the CCL last year a shot at glory is available. The ‘Caps just really need to pick up the pace to grasp it.
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
Another week, another Whitecaps halftime lead given up, another loss. After all the talk about the need to get off to a fast start, it’s all gone a bit wrong for the ‘Caps to start the new MLS season. There’s been two good halves of football and two horrible ones. Which showed the real Whitecaps? Can they turn things around quickly with two big games coming up this week and how much pressure is Vanni under after these two losses?
We pick over the bones of all of that, talk to Vanni about the form of Brian White and zonal marking and take a deep dive in the Whitecaps’ CONCACAF Champions League opponents Real Espana. Plus we look around the action in week 2 of MLS and Football Violence Awareness Month returns in Wavelength!
01.35: Intro – it’s our anniversary month!
03.25: Earthquakes v Whitecaps analysis
36.30: Brian White’s form and the striker situation
40.20: Vanni and Michael disagree on zonal marking
45.25: How much pressure is Vanni under after poor start?
56.31: A deep dive into Real Espana and the CCL
78.08: MLS Week 2 round-up
96.50: Wavelength – Violent Affair – Hooligan
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
What a difference a week makes. Unless you’re Vancouver Whitecaps, where it makes no difference at all. For the second straight week the ‘Caps got themselves a first half lead, let their opponents back into the game in the final quarter of the match, and ended up empty-handed. As starts to a new season go, this has been a pretty horrible one for those of a blue and white persuasion.
It all started so promisingly. Alessandro Schöpf fired Vancouver into a 17th minute first half lead with his first MLS goal. But it wasn’t to be all Österreich on the night for the ‘Caps as another second half collapse saw San Jose to come storming back with goals from Jeremy Ebobisse and Carlos Akapo to secure all three points and their first win of the new campaign.
Vanni Sartini made two changes from the team that started last week’s loss at home to Real Salt Lake. Mathias Laborda came in for Tristan Blackmon in the middle of the backline for his MLS debut, while Pedro Vite came in for Cristian Dajome as the Whitecaps once again went for the 4-3-2-1.
Cade Cowell had the first chance of the match in the 14th minute for San Jose, rising above two Vancouver defenders but flashing his header just wide of the left post.
The Whitecaps responded three minutes later with the opener and it was a goal made in Europe. Schöpf won the ball midway in the San Jose half after a giveaway, played a nice one-two with Julian Gressel, and showed nice footwork on the return pass to knock it past Daniel in the Quakes goal to get his first tally in MLS.
GOAL ALESSANDRO SCHÖPF!!!
17’
1-0Watch free on #MLSSeasonPass on the @appletv app https://t.co/4QXlFrcjqV#VWFC | #SJvVAN https://t.co/pz5D94vqh9 pic.twitter.com/mFnxfY5cvk
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 5, 2023
It was another example of some of the good movement we saw in the first half of the first game, and certainly bodes well for what could come this season.
Whitecaps keeper Yohei Takaoka made a routine save to keep out a Miguel Trauco header in the 20th minute, but the home side were offering little to get back into the match.
The Whitecaps had a great chance to double their lead in the 38th minute when Brian White played the ball into the six yard box, but it was agonisingly just behind Ryan Gauld, who couldn’t swivel himself around to get onto it.
The Quakes went up the pitch and Ebobisse headed narrowly wide, when he really should have got his effort at least on target, then Paul Marie forced a save from Takaoka as San Jose tried to get in on level terms, which they couldn’t.
The ‘Caps were outshot 11 to 4 in the first half, but their solitary effort on target went in the back of the net, so there was that.
The second half started to feel like last week, with the opposition starting to take a hold of the game and turning up the pressure. And much like last week came to collapse around the midway mark of the half.
San Jose got their reward in the 68th minute when Ebobisse rose above a very deep playing Whitecaps defence to powerfully meet a Jamiro Monteiro cross and head home past Takaoka, with the ‘Caps keeper unable to get a strong hand on it to keep it out.
Miro Jebo
Two goals in two games for Ebobisse!#VamosSJ pic.twitter.com/ERL7Jy1Orl
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 5, 2023
It’s maybe far too simple to say it was Déjà vu. The timings may have been slightly different, but the end result was the same as the ‘Caps went from leading at the midway point of the half to giving up two goals and falling behind within a matter of minutes. Last week it was three, this week it was nine.
A great nine-pass move, that left the Whitecaps defence seemingly rooted to the spot, saw the ball come to Akapo at the back of the box and he drilled home a fierce strike to beat Takaoka at his near post. The shot had power, but it the position you simply do not want to get beat at as a goalkeeper.
HIS FIRST GOAL FOR SAN JOSE!
AND WHAT A GOAL IT WAS! pic.twitter.com/03A65yyZtK
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 5, 2023
The Whitecaps looked shellshocked but there was still time to try and salvage something from the game.
They had a chance to get back on level terms in the 84th minute but first Ranko Veselinovic and then Javain Brown couldn’t get their head onto a dangerous free kick that was whipped into the box.
Substitute Russell Teibert came within inches of scoring moments later, getting onto a nice layoff from Sergio Cordova, but Daniel came up with the big save.
That was to be as good as it got for Vancouver, and they nearly gave up a third in stoppage time, with Takaoka producing a point blank stop to tip over a Benjamin Kikanovic header.
A winless and a pointless start now for the Whitecaps. There’s been two decent halves of football in there, but no complete game, and two inexplicable collapses in the last quarter of each match.
After all the talk of the need to get off to a fast start and the improvement in preseason, it’s all counted for nothing and the pressure is already starting to mount.
FINAL SCORE: San Jose Earthquakes 2 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 18,000
STATS:
Possession: SJ 59.7% – VAN 40.3%
Shots: SJ 20 – VAN 7
Shots on Goal: SJ 6 – VAN 2
Saves: SJ 1 – VAN 4
Fouls: SJ 8 – VAN 10
Offsides: SJ 0 – VAN 0
Corners: SJ 12 – VAN 6
SAN JOSE: Daniel; Paul Marie, Jonathan Mensah, Rodrigues, Miguel Trauco (Carlos Akapo 63); Jackson Yueill, Carlos Gruezo, Jamiro Monteiro; Cristian Espinoza, Jeremy Ebobisse, Cade Cowell (Benjamin Kikanović 78) [Substitutes not used: JT Marcinkowski, Tanner Beason, Jack Skahan, Tommy Thompson, Daniel Munie, Ousseni Bouda, Michael Baldisimo]
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown, Mathías Laborda, Ranko Veselinović, Luís Martins; Julian Gressel (Russell Teibert 65), Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf (Sebastian Berhalter 75); Pedro Vite (Cristian Dájome 65), Ryan Gauld; Brian White (Sergio Córdova 55) [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Tristan Blackmon, Karifa Yao, Ali Ahmed, Ryan Raposo]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“I would say, an even game in the first half and an even game in the second half. But I think we had the same amount of chances. I think it was a game that we could have tied. Unfortunately, we missed a couple of chances in front of the goal. Especially the second goal [conceded], we were a little bit too soft. We were in numerical superiority and they broke us centrally to free the space for the play on the side. We knew that it was going to be very difficult here because it’s no secret that it’s hard for us, we haven’t won here since 2015. We fought, we tried to put fresh legs in the second half, the game was very dynamic up and down. Unfortunately after the second goal we had two big chances, one with Javain [Brown] and Sergio [Córdova] where he saved the ball, because if not it would have been a goal and then a great save by the keeper against Rusty. I think we deserved to tie, but it looks like we need to be better, because if we deserve to win last time and we lost, if we deserve to tie today and we lost. They say three coincidence makes a clue, let’s make it two and stop it and start making points for Wednesday.”
On the second half substitutions:
“The game went through the eights a lot. I think Luís [Martins] and Javain [Brown] actually were doing an honest job on the sides. The game went through the eights a lot with [Jamiro] Monteiro and [Jackson] Yueill moving a lot. So I wanted the fresh legs there, that’s the reason why I put Rusty and unfortunately, the substitution was meant to happen five minutes later, mainly with the [Cristian] Dajóme substitution. [Alessandro] Schöpf got a little injured on the ankle which is the reason why we put Sebastian [Berhalter] in.
JULIAN GRESSEL
On the opportunities throughout the match:
“I think we’re maybe just not clinical enough, especially on the road and where you maybe don’t get as many chances as we did last week. Certainly got to capitalize when you get them, it kind of just comes down to being ruthless and clinical and having that final quality that maybe we are lacking at the moment a little bit, unfortunately.”
On the midfield trio with Cubas and Schöpf:
“I mean, it just adds another number in there, which first of all helps in terms of creating a little bit more of a headache for the other team. Especially with our two number 10s, also kind of playing really inside and really creating almost a box at times for us in the midfield and almost having five midfielders in there. So it really overloads other teams and our understanding is really good. I think you can see that with Andrés [Cubas], then Schöpf and with Gauld up front and Pedro [Vite] tonight, [Cristian] Dajóme last week. I think our understanding of our roles are clearly defined and we play off each other really well and have a good understanding for each other’s game and that obviously helps so it’s something that we do well. Obviously last week we did well, especially in the first half, this week, again, I thought we were good in the first half and then we got to try and find a way to carry it into the second and really control the game out of that midfield. I think we can still do a better job of being more of a force for a full 90 minutes. I think it’ll be good moving forward. But it’s coming together quite nicely. and I enjoy playing with those other guys.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
LUCHI GONZALEZ
On the team’s victory against Vancouver:
“Last week we learned multiple lessons and I said it after the game last week. I am proud of the group and our performance. We didn’t sustain for the 90-plus minutes but overall, I thought we went there and pushed the game. It just didn’t go our way unfortunately by the end, but we’re working well and we’re confident in how we’re doing things and it’s about moving forward. So, I thought the boy’s showed that overall today. In the beginning, Vancouver had a compact block and made it difficult to play between lines. We got picked off and we conceded an offensive transition by Vancouver. Not the way we wanted to start but we stayed calm. I am proud of the group for taking it one moment at a time. Being present one at a time. We talked at half about where else we can break lines and find advantages if it’s difficult through the middle because of the compactness and that we needed to find other spaces to hurt them in terms of in behind or diagonals and push with flank play. So, I thought our players adapted to that and pushed the game, got pressure on the ball to force them to play direct. Got on the ball and possess and create and we didn’t stop believing. Credit to the guys to not stop, to not give up, to be relentless in their attitudes, their beliefs, their energy, their intensity. We have to be really proud of them. And for us to come back down one and win 2-1 shows character. It will be a good reference point for us moving forward for the rest of the season.”
On the team’s first-half performance:
“I think there’s nerves, excitement, maybe over excitement and playing at home. We had a great turn out with our fanbase. We really felt them. Their energy was amazing and contagious, and I think it helped us turn the game around. But I alluded to the tactical adjustment we needed to make. Vancouver was very compact, didn’t allow passes between the lines. We got stripped with a few balls between lines and I’ll give credit to Vancouver. We want to break lines. We want to be able to play through teams and around teams and over teams. But we got caught a few times and that’s something we have to sharpen up. We opened up in transition and it cost us a goal. I felt we weren’t good enough in second balls. We weren’t winning enough second balls from their direct balls and from our own. That was an adjustment we needed to improve in the second half if we were going to get more pressure on the ball. Winning more second balls, getting possession, and creating and generating more opportunities to score. So, that cycle is connected. We have to keep working. The boys found a way. Even though you say what you say about the first half, tactically we weren’t where we wanted to be, we still created and generated very good opportunities to score. So, that’s good to know. We can be playing at our best or not and we can still be a dangerous team.”
On the team’s preparation for tonight’s game:
“Set pieces are game changers and we know that. Unfortunately, in Atlanta, it didn’t bounce our way in terms of how we defended set pieces. We know the importance of set pieces. We think we have a team that can defend well and respond. Like I said from last week’s game to this one. And also, be a threat offensively. Our staff works really hard, and they care a lot about the details and how we want to attack and defend set pieces and they did make a difference for us tonight.”
JONATHAN MENSAH
On the differences in the second half that led to the comeback victory:
“I believe the sense of urgency changed. Of course, we could’ve started better, but being a goal down you need to do anything you can to come back and win the game. We sensed it right away that we needed to change gears and we did.”
On what the focus in training was ahead of tonight’s game:
“I believe that every day we go to practice, we just want to improve, we just want to get better individually and collectively, and that’s what we’ve been doing. It was a tough loss on the road in the first game of the season, so we needed to get the first one at home. We’ve been working really hard, and of course it has been showing on the field, so we just need to continue to work and improve.”
On his chemistry with defender Rodrigues and midfielder Carlos Gruezo:
“It comes down to having the understanding with not just myself and Rodrigo [Rodrigues], but with the whole back line and Carlos [Gruezo] in front of us, making sure that we communicate early, making sure we are aware of where the strikers are, and helping each other. We cannot defend one-on-one throughout the game, but we need to do collective defending, and we have done a great job of minimizing the chances that the other team creates. We are two games into the season, so we are just going to continue to work and understand each other better.”
On how he feels after winning in front of a sellout home crowd:
“We took all the lessons from the Atlanta game. Coming back home and playing in front of our fans, we just wanted to win, and that is what we did tonight. Like I said earlier, we are going to keep working. This team is an ambitious team and young group of guys that are eager and hungry to succeed. So, we are going to continue to work and always give everything we have on the field.”
Well, for about a half of play last weekend the Whitecaps looked like a new team! Then, they looked like an all-too familiar team and lost a match they definitely should not have lost to open up 2023. With the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 tie looming midweek, the ‘Caps need to pick up a point or three to get some mojo going to start this season.
The positives from opening day included the midfield trio, who for the most part did their job quite well, especially in the first half. Andrés Cubas was his usual destructive self, Julian Gressel provided a spark often historically lacking in ‘Caps’ midfield groupings, and Alessandro Schöpf showed better than he did in his appearances last season. I would be surprised if Vanni Sartini makes a change in that area.
Where changes are more likely to be made are at the back and up front. Mathias Laborda riding the bench against RSL was a surprising decision, and he’ll surely have to figure into the starting lineup this week whether Saturday or Wednesday. He could slide in for either Luis Martins or Javain Brown, with Ryan Raposo and Ali Ahmed also options to fill in on the outside (although I will remain skeptical of the Raposo at fullback experiment until I’m proven wrong).
Up front, Brian White was not able to get anything going – not the performance he would have wanted with Sergio Córdova ready to jump into the starting XI as the new DP signing. Pedro Vite is another likely candidate to receive a start, especially as the ‘Caps improved somewhat late on after he and others were substituted on.
In terms of the overall balance of play last weekend, the ‘Caps definitely looked better in the box score than they did many times last season. They had more possession, more shots, and more set piece opportunities than RSL, and had a slight edge in the xG. Now, RSL are not titans in the Western Conference but in terms of positives to glean there are some available.
What needs to improve is the ruthlessness in the final third. The ‘Caps were quick to spring counterattacks and got the ball up the field with numbers on a few occasions only for those attacks to fizzle out without too great of a scoring chance at the end of it.
Given that San Jose conceded the most goals in the West by a large margin last season, a trip down south for a third wheel rivalry clash could be what the ‘Caps need to get that offense more unglued. The Quakes’ first match under new manager Luchi Gonzalez was a heartbreaking 2-1 loss on the road in Atlanta last Saturday, where the hosts scored twice in injury time to steal all the points.
The Quakes’ offseason additions include former ‘Cap Michael Baldisimo, who made his first appearance for San Jose off the bench last weekend. With other central midfielders Judson and Niko Tsakiris out injured, Baldisimo could feature against his former side on Saturday. Centre-back Nathan is also hurt.
Jeremy Ebobisse scored the lone goal for San Jose on opening day. He led them with 17 goals last season, more than double anyone else on the team. The Quakes were involved in plenty of high-scoring matches last season, as their matches averaged 3.6 goals for the two teams combined, compared to 2.8 for Vancouver.
The Whitecaps haven’t gotten off to an 0-2 start in a season since 2019 when they lost each of their first three matches. The MLS season is long, but the ‘Caps don’t have the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being able to successfully turn around slow starts (hello, Seattle). So, let’s hope that they can get their feet under them here!
Unfortunately we’ve had so much on to start the year that our weekly local soccer round-ups had sadly gone out the window. But they’re back from this week and we’ll kick them off by rounding up what’s happened in the 2023 Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Jackson Cup so far this year.
The Jackson Cup is the most prestigious trophy in the VISL, and has been competed for since 1915. It used to be open to any in the League who wanted to register, but now it is strictly for the top two divisions on the Island.
The beautiful sterling silver trophy was donated by the Jackson Construction Company who built Ogden Point. While it has been slightly damaged or temporarily lost; the same trophy has been competed for every year. It has a decorated past does this trophy including the “fall” over a BC Ferries boat en route to Powell River, thankfully the diving team that was hired by the team was able to locate it!
The competition has been in play every year since it started except for two years – 1917 and 2020. This year’s final will take place on Saturday March 25th at Starlight Stadium.
This year’s tournament kicked off with Play-In Round matches on February 3rd and 4th and there were some big scores around, with the four games producing a staggering 31 goals between them, with a couple of serious gulfs in quality between teams as you can see from the results below.
James Cameron hit a hat-trick for Gorge in their win, while Salem Almardy got a hat-trick in Vic West’s big victory. The standout performance of the round, however, was from the Highlanders Zidane Mwinyi, who put in a performance his namesake would have been proud of, scoring a double hat-trick in his side’s win.
The Round of 16 games took place over February 10th and 11th and they were much more evenly contested affairs, with three of the ties needing penalties to settle them.
Vic West (Div 1) and Gorge (Div 1) were both victorious over Div 2 opponents Gorge & Saltspring – both with score lines of 4-0. Kaelan Cooke led Vic West with a couple goals and doing the same for Gorge was Hussen Sayed.
In Powell River, visiting Cowichan defeated the hosts in penalty kicks in an all-Division 1 battle. It took seven rounds to determine a winner, while Gorge United Division 2 defeat Lakehill Division 2 by score of 1-0.
Division 1 Lakehill were also victorious as they shell shocked Prospect Lake (Div 2) 5-0.
Patrick Nelson and Chris Peereboom led the way with 2 goals apiece. While a tight North Island battle saw Comox (Div 1) defeat Campbell River (Div 2) 2-1.
Saturday night in Langford got interesting as Westcastle Lakers (Div 1) needed penalties to slip by Nanaimo’s Division 2 side, with the top flight side only able to get there after a goal from Aiden Grew at the 88′ mark squared things up.
Nanaimo’s Division 1 defeated Victoria Highlanders and it took penalty kicks as well.
A goal from Vasilos Bagiopoulos in the 88th minute was needed to save the day for the defending champions Nanaimo United, but their victory saw the chance of back-to-back cup lifting still very much alive.
So all of that brings us right up to date to the quarter-finals action that took place this past weekend.
There’s nothing like a little bit of snow to really make a weekend of soccer complete, but three of the four quarter-final ties were able to be played over the weekend.
Friday started out with league champs Lakehill slipping by Cowichan 2-1. Surprisingly, the game could not be played on grass and had to be moved to the turf field! Lakehill had goals by Blair Sturrock and the game winner by Tarnvir Bhandal. Cowichan’s lone goal was scored by Connor Crichton.
Next up on Friday; Vic West defeated Westcastle 2-1, with the game moving from Starlight to Braefoot as there was too much snow in the Westshore. Vic West had goals by MacKenzie Cole and a match-winning goal just before the final whistle from Kaelan Cooke. Westcastle’s only goal was scored by Matteo Hilton.
Saturday saw an exciting game at Hampton Park as Gorge defeated Comox Valley 2-0.
Gorge goals were had by Hussen Sayed and Bryce Marinus.
The match between Nanaimo and Gorge Utd, the only remaining Division 2 side, was postponed as there was too much snow in Nanaimo. It will be made up this week on Friday night. Nanaimo is favored to take the match, but the Gorge Utd team is no pushover. This will be an interesting game to take in.
Those results set-up a couple of interesting semi-finals next weekend.
Gorge will host Vic West, in a battle between the 2nd and 3rd placed sides in the league, while league champions Lakehill will host either last season’s cup winners or the last remaining Division 2 side in the competition. Tasty stuff!
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat and we’re joined by Harjeet Johal again this week to talk about it all.
It’s big breaking news to kick things off as we look at the resignation of Nick Bontis as Canada Soccer President as the pressure mounted from the provincial associations, media, players, and fans. Where does this leave the CSA now and what does the future hold in store? Who will replace him, is it time for a new approach by appointing a former national team player, and can they be a unifying figure?
We entered the new MLS season full of confidence, hope, and expectations for the Whitecaps, and it only took 90 minutes of football to have us reconsidering all of that after a 2-1 home loss to RSL in the season opener! It wasn’t a great start to the season and we pick over the bones of the match – the good, the bad, and the ugly, the latter of which just sees us screaming “zonal marking, aaarrrggghhhh”. Plus we see who knows the most about the first Whitecaps goals of the season over the MLS years so far.
All of this and there’s still time to look over the rest of the weekend’s action around the MLS Western Conference and the Canadian teams out east, look at how the MLS Season Pass experience was on Apple TV, talk some Vancouver FC and TSS Rovers, and The Meffs are in this week’s Wavelength and we have the new single from Got Got Need.
02.16: Bontis gone from Canada Soccer!
26.03: Whitecaps v RSL analysis
81.43: MLS Week 1 round-up
106.15: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV – first thoughts
121.23: Vancouver FC and TSS Rovers News of the Week
126.30: Wavelength – The Meffs – Football
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On hindsight, you don’t actually want to have Real Salt Lake as your season opener. The Utah side set a MLS record at BC Place on Saturday night, with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Vancouver Whitecaps that saw them move to a staggering 14 match unbeaten run in season openers from 2010 to this year. Impressive stuff, but even more so when you factor in that 13 of those matches have been on the road.
But it could have been all so different if the Whitecaps had made their first half dominance and play pay.
This was a proverbial game of two halves, with the Whitecaps bossing the opening one, taking the lead through a 24th minute Javain Brown header, before handing the reins to the visitors in the second, losing two goals in a three minute spell to Justin Glad and Damir Kreilach to get their season off to a very disappointing start on a snowy night in Vancouver.
Vanni Sartini went with a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation for his first line-up of the new season, with perhaps a couple of surprises as new Uruguayan centre back Mathias Laborda was on the bench, with Tristan Blackmon in the middle of the back four and Javain Brown coming in at right back. At the other end of the pitch, Cristian Dajome earned the start after an impressive four-goal preseason, but Pedro Vite made way for him, with the very much out of form Brian White chosen to lead the line. Yohei Takaoka made his MLS debut in goal.
The Whitecaps came out strong and took the game to RSL in the early going. Their first look on goal came nine minutes in when White played in Ryan Gauld and his strike was tipped over by Zach MacMath in the visitor’s goal.
The Whitecaps were looking solid defensively with the extra defender and a confident ball-playing keeper and they were moving the ball well going forward. Their play got the breakthrough it deserved in the 25th and came courtesy of their first set piece goal of the season when Julian Gressel’s corner was met by Brown, who headed home the opener and the ‘Caps first goal of 2023.
Javain Brown heads it in from Gressel's corner to give the 'Caps the lead! LET'S GO!
24'
1-0Watch live on #MLSSeasonPass on the @AppleTV app https://t.co/9SGZaP2d5E#VWFC | #VANvRSL pic.twitter.com/5ANtJg2cA6
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) February 26, 2023
Dajome had a chance to add a second moments after the restart but MacMath stood tall as the ‘Caps sensed blood.
But for all their dominance they couldn’t add to their tally and allowed RSL to get back into the game. The visitors caused a few scrambled clearances as the half wound down, but the Vancouver defence held firm and they went into the break with the narrow lead.
The ‘Caps had a couple of long range efforts to start the second half but RSL really started to take the game by the scruff of the net, patiently building up on the edge of the box and forcing some big saves from Takaoka.
The Japanese keeper saved a Marcelo Silva header and shots from Anderson Julio, Jasper Löffelsend, and Jefferson Savarino in a six minute spell around the hour mark to keep Vancouver’s lead intact.
Then came a moment that proved to be a gamechanger.
A quick Whitecaps three man break saw Gauld play a perfect pass inside with White and sub Pedro Vite to his left. White needed to leave the ball and let it run through to Vite, but instead the striker took a heavy first touch and clattered into MacMath, killing the goal threat and the chance to open up what you felt would have been an important two goal lead in the 67th minute. A bad decision by White or was there no shout to leave it?
Instead of that, the ‘Caps found themselves trailing just six minutes later.
As good as Takaoka had been in the second half, he was left rooted by a ball in from Maikel Chang and Glad ghosted in unmarked at the back post to bundle home a 70th minute equaliser.
Aren’t you Glad he scored the first goal of 2023? pic.twitter.com/4yZtar55ha
— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) February 26, 2023
It was the kind of horrible marking we saw all too often last season from the ‘Caps, allowing opponents to just run unchecked onto dangerous balls. There were two wide open RSL players in the box. Four RSL players in total and eight Whitecaps. Five, arguably six, Whitecaps players don’t have a man and half of the RSL players are unmarked, one of whom scores. It was truly terrible stuff.
Three minutes later and things went from bad to worse, as the visitors took the lead.
Jefferson Savarino danced into the box and played the ball back to Kreilach, who had been kept very quiet all night up to this point. It just takes one moment of magic to make people forget that and that’s exactly what the Croatian delivered, with a curling shot to beat Takaoka and give RSL a 2-1 lead.
He's back!
Damir Kreilach finds the game winner for @realsaltlake. pic.twitter.com/lxBsN7muJp
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 26, 2023
It had been a tale of two halves for the Whitecaps but they started to find some of their play they had in the first as they tried to get back onto level terms. Despite the build up, the end product was simply not there.
A disappointing end to a game that had offered so much with the Whitecaps’ first half performance. A lot of questions around the team coming out of this one too, from game management and substitutions, to playing a striker in White for the full 90 when he is clearly struggling, to the continued terrible marking of spaces and not actual players.
After such a promising preseason and a lot of optimism going into this one, it feels like a massive comedown. It’s only game one, but it’s got the season off to an uninspiring and enthusiasm sapping start. Onwards and upwards. Hopefully.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 2 Real Salt Lake
ATT: 19,614
STATS:
Possession: VAN 55.3% – RSL 44.7%
Shots: VAN 18 – RSL 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – RSL 7
Saves: VAN 5 – RSL 6
Fouls: VAN 10 – RSL 3
Offsides: VAN 4 – RSL 3
Corners: VAN 10 – RSL 6
VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Javain Brown (Ryan Raposo 76), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Luís Martins (Ali Ahmed 86); Julian Gressel (Sergio Córdova 76), Andrés Cubas; Alessandro Schöpf, Cristian Dájome (Pedro Vite 66), Ryan Gauld; Brian White [Substitutes not used: Thomas Hasal, Mathías Laborda, Karifa Yao, Sebastian Berhalter, Russell Teibert]
SALT LAKE: Zac MacMath; Andrew Brody (Bode Hidalgo 88) Justen Glad, Marcelo Silva, Bryan Oviedo; Jasper Löffelsend, Braian Ojeda (Scott Caldwell 88); Maikel Chang (Andrés Gómez 74), Damir Kreilach, Jefferson Savarino (Justin Meram 79); Anderson Julio (Danny Musovski 79) [Substitutes not used: Gavin Beavers, Erik Holt, Ilijah Paul, Moses Nyeman]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
VANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“You can do what you need to do and because you know, it’s MLS. Every team has quality, every team has a spell during the game where they can have a little bit more of the possession against you. Because even in the second half they were doing more, but we had two clear transition moments. One with Brian if front of the goal and one with Ryan [Gauld]. And if we score one of those two it’s 2-0, and we’re talking about a different game. It should have been more than 1-0 in the first half because we played really well. Unfortunately we didn’t capitalize on the work that we did, in terms of build up and arriving in the final third and then we got punished. The meaning of today is that playing well is not enough. We need to be also cynical inside the box.”
On the first and second halves:
“I think the first half was fantastic. We pushed, pushed, pushed. We created a lot of chances and their best player was the goalkeeper probably, then they scored their first and second goal. In the second half we didn’t have the best half, we were playing against a good team, a team that makes the playoffs every year, it’s a good team. Again, thinking that we are dominating the game for 90 minutes, it’s not realistic. So today, we actually were the best team in my opinion, for 65 minutes so that should translate to winning the game but unfortunately it didn’t. I would say, we need to be proud of our attitude and our way of playing. Also we need to be pissed and disappointed and critical with ourselves, because we need to be better.”
RYAN GAULD
On what changed between the first and second half:
“It’s hard to say. In the first half we were passing the ball really well, pressing quite high. For one reason or another in the second half, we weren’t doing that and they started pressing a little bit higher and it was harder for us to build out. They had success with finding their fullbacks higher up, and they started keeping the ball a little more and we found it tough to get out. So there’s a lot for us to look at to try and improve and get a result next week.”
On Yohei Takaoka’s debut:
“think he’s done well. You can see straight away the quality he’s got with his feet and it gives us the option to turn back and keep the ball a little bit more. He didn’t have too many saves to make. When he was called upon he’d done well. The two goals he really didn’t have much of a chance. You know, the first one was a good ball at the back post and the second one’s a great finish not much of a chance for him but I think he had a good solid performance and he’s going to be a good player for us.”
YOHEI TAKAOKA
On his debut:
“Not a good result, I’m disappointed. Next game is coming so I have to analyze it and keep my head up and focus on the next game.”
On the match:
“In the first half we played well, in the second half a little bit changed. We have to be patient, it was too easy to concede the goals. Sometimes it happens, but two goals in a row, we can change.”
REAL SALT LAKE
PABLO MASTROENI
On using his wingers:
“Watching their preseason film, their wingers are always front screening, and that sets up perfectly for us with our outside backs a little bit higher. Again I think we did a really good job in preseason of exploiting those wide areas. The execution in the first half wasn’t good enough, but I think in the second half we created some great opportunities that always start in the wide areas for us. Some really good finishes that culminated in a good result.”
On Damir Kreilach scoring after returning from lengthy injury:
“It’s amazing. The things that Dami brings to the group are so much more than what you see with your eyes. He brings just an unbelievable amount of leadership to the group, managing the game the right way, leading the press from the front, linking through the midfield. But his greatest asset is scoring goals. I’ve never seen a player that is so lethal in front of goal. He takes his chances well. So after spending a year away and watching his teammates play last year, I’m just so happy for him to be able to share in that moment and score the game winner, because he is the leader of this group and he waited a long time for this moment.”
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out, a 40 minute show continuing our build-up to the new MLS season kicking off today.
We look ahead to the Whitecaps games against RSL, the prospect of snow disrupting fans and stadium staff getting to the match, and hear from head coach Vanni Sartini and Sporting Director Axel Schuster.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know.
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2023 is gonna be a busy one for the Vancouver Whitecaps. For the first time since 2016 they are back in the CONCACAF Champions League. The first-ever Leagues Cup will take place in the summer, adding at least three matches and potentially more in a month-long MLS break. And of course, the ‘Caps will try and defend their crown in the Canadian Championship beginning in May.
That’s four different competitions, making it at least 39 and up to as many as 60 matches between February 25th and December 9th. Are the ‘Caps going to play close to the maximum? I doubt it! But it just shows the strain that the ever-expanding MLS puts on its clubs.
How are the ‘Caps attacking this season? Well, the squad doesn’t actually look too different from the last season’s team. 2022 was a year of mid-season acquisitions trying to get integrated quickly, some more successful than others. The 2023 offseason was a time of tinkering more than wholesale changes, adding just three new presumptive starters to the side (with only two likely to start on Saturday).
Those two are Mathias Laborda, a defender who played in every position along the backline during the preseason, and Yohei Takaoka, a new number one goalkeeper who arrived just in time to play in the final preseason match. Given that the ‘Caps ended 2022 tied for the second-most goals conceded in the Western Conference, both of these additions are going to be counted on to help turn the ship around on that end of the pitch.
Joining them at the back will likely be the trio of Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, and Luis Martins. The ‘Caps primarily employed a 4-3-2-1 formation during preseason although with the personnel out there it can morph quite quickly into more of a 3-4-3 with Martins pushing high and the right-back (Blackmon or Laborda) back.
That adaptability is shown by the fact that Julian Gressel lines up as a central midfielder, as he continues to meander around the pitch and play nearly every position available to him. Joining him in the midfield is Andrés Cubas, one of the two more important players on the team, and Alessandro Schöpf, who struggled in his seven appearances last year but Vanni Sartini has raved about him in the build-up to this season.
If Schöpf can be the type of player he was billed as when he was brought in that would be a big boost to Vancouver’s attack, which has swapped out its old DP striker for another, bringing in Sergio Córdova to lead the line. Ironically enough Córdova played at RSL, the ‘Caps’ opponents on opening day, last year, although being the newest addition it will likely be Brian White starting on Saturday.
Behind White is the talismanic Ryan Gauld and the man who will hopefully be the team’s breakout player of the season in Pedro Vite. Vite definitely showed flashes by the end of last season and if the young Ecuadorian can begin to grow into his potential the ‘Caps will be able to begin to dream of finishing closer to the top of the West.
Looking at the visitors, RSL snuck into the playoffs four points ahead of the ‘Caps last season. They then lost in the first round of the playoffs on penalties to Austin FC. The Utah side haven’t brought in a huge number of players, but they did break their club’s transfer record to sign 20-year-old Colombian winger Andrés Gomez and also brought in fullback Brayan Vera who has played in both Italy and Colombia.
The Whitecaps have been strong at home under Sartini with a record of 16-5-4 in MLS play at BC Place. RSL have beaten the ‘Caps here in Vancouver just once in the last decade, with the ‘Caps holding an 11-2-1 all-time record against RSL at home. With three of their first four matches here at BC Place to start 2023 (including the first leg of their Champions League tie), let’s hope that this new season brings similar results!
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
It’s the second part of our 2023 MLS season preview. We’ll take a look around the Western Conference and give some predictions for both the Whitecaps and the rest.
Plus we’ll look at the official announcement of the the ‘Caps’ new DP striker Sergio Cordova, hear some thoughts about him from Vanni Sartini and Axel Schuster, and we pay tribute to John Motson in this episode’s Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.25: Intro
03.30: Cordova is finally an official Whitecap
12.50: Whitecaps season predictions
19.45: MLS 2023 season predictions
57.10: Wavelength – John Motson – FIFA 97 track
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat.
The new MLS season is just days away. Excited yet? Well you should be because this feels like it could be a good year for the Whitecaps. We look at how ready the team feels heading into it’s season opener at home to RSL and chat with head coach Vanni Sartini and Sporting Director Axel Schuster to gauge how they’re feeling ahead of the new campaign.
Their final two preseason signings have finally been announced and we hear from new Japanese goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka about why he’s chosen to make the move to MLS, why Vancouver is a great landing spot for him, and how excited he is to get this new chapter of his career underway. We also hear from Axel Schuster about why they were so keen to bring the J1 champion to the Whitecaps.
All of this plus we look at the Whitecaps new jersey and the announcement of a new shirt sponsor, take a look at the best and worst of the 2023 jerseys around MLS, and ponder whether the new Apple TV deal is going to be beneficial or detrimental to the Whitecaps in the short term.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.30: Intro – RIP Christian Atsu, Whitecaps STH package, Hot Chocolate Festival is over
09.57: Vanni Sartini chats as Whitecaps preseason wraps up
22.56: How ready are the Whitecaps for 2023 season ahead?
46.02: Yohei Takaoka talks about coming to the Whitecaps and MLS
54.40: Whitecaps goalkeeping discussion with audio from Axel Schuster
68.38: Axel Schuster looks ahead to the 2023 season
79.40: Is Apple TV deal beneficial or detrimental to the Whitecaps?
95.12: The ‘Caps have a new jersey and a new shirt sponsor
108.25: 2023 MLS jerseys discussion
129.20: Wavelength – Jackdaw4 – The Beautiful Game
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out, a 66 minute show around the whole CWNT vs Canada Soccer mess.
We bring you some audio from Christine Sinclair, Janine Beckie, Sophie Schmidt, and Quinn’s call with media on Tuesday to discuss what they can about the current situation and hear a little bit from head coach Bev Priestman ahead of the SheBelieves Cup opener against the US, a difficult position for all involved.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know.
Not a subscriber yet? You can read all the details about what our ‘Extra’ podcast is, how you can get it, and how we deliver it to you, HERE.
This episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via WeTransfer) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
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Subscribe today and help support AFTN in continuing to bring you some of the best independent Whitecaps, Canadian, and local soccer coverage around.
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat. We are spreading the love this Valentine’s week and we’re joined by Harjeet Johal to help us do it.
The big talking point in Canadian soccer this past weekend has been the continuing battle between the women’s national team and Canada Soccer. The players’ fight for equality and better working conditions has turned quite ugly. We delve into the raft of statements that have been coming out from both sides and try and make what we can from what has become a giant mess and an embarrassment for the governing body.
On the domestic front, the Whitecaps have three more preseason matches under their belt down in Palm Springs and are still unbeaten. We delve into those and the other Whitecaps news of the week from new signings still not yet announced to the appointment of Ricardo Clark as new WFC2 head coach. Plus we chat to head coach Vanni Sartini about the form of Cristian Dajome and what he would ideally like to see the MLS playoff format be amidst rumours that 62% of teams will make it to the postseason this year.
We also hear from Canadian men’s national team players Sam Adekugbe and Atiba Hutchison in the horrific aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, as they try and raise awareness of the relief efforts. You can donate to Sam and Atiba’s Red Cross appeal for the victims HERE.
Plus there’s still time to chat to Vanni Sartini about his Love of Football, find out what the Whitecaps’ Ryan Raposo is watching on his TV, look at the Vancouver FC news of the week, talk the Canadian Championship, and take another trip to the 13th Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.06: Intro and a love poem for football
07.55: Sam Adekugbe and Atiba Hutchison on the Turkish/Syrian earthquake disaster appeal
19.45: Hot Chocolate Boy – Butter Baked Goods
25.21: 2023 MLS playoff format rumours
31.40: Vanni Sartini’s ideal MLS playoffs
39.40: Whitecaps still unbeaten in Palm Springs!
50.00: TVOD – Ryan Raposo in 2023
53.13: Ricardo Clark appointed WFC2 head coach
59.20: My Love Of Football – Vanni Sartini
67.31: Canadian Championship dates set
77.20: Vancouver FC News of the Week
84.58: The Canadian national teams’ players take on Canada Soccer
117.00: Wavelength – Kunt and the Gang – Female Referee
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: Vancouver FC)
Last April’s announcement that a new Canadian Premier League was coming to the Fraser Valley drew a lot of excitement and anticipation, but subsequent information about the new club have moved at what’s felt like a glacial pace in the 10 months that have followed.
In fact it was pretty much radio silence till November when we got to learn of the new club’s name, identity, and who their first head coach was going to be. The announcement of players has sporadically followed since Callum Irving’s reveal as their first ever addition on December 14th. There’s also been draft picks, local trials, training sessions with 30 of those players to make it through, and even a friendly match against Trinity Western Spartans, which TWU won 2-1.
But fans have been clamouring for more information on a number of things, and it has to be noted that not all of the delays in getting stuff out there has been the fault of the fledgling club.
Speedbumps along the way have been innumerable, but Vancouver FC finally revealed one of the most sought after snippets of information on Thursday afternoon, the first rendering of its new stadium (as pictured above).
The 6,500 capacity soccer-specific stadium is a first in the Lower Mainland. The stadium’s modern modular design is based on the likes of Empire Field, the temporary and oft-missed venue which Vancouver Whitecaps called home for most of their inaugural MLS season in 2011. Built by SixFive Stadium Experience, the company set up by Vancouver FC owners SixFive Sports & Entertainment after their initial involvement with Pacific FC, the stadium is built as part of their aim to improve the soccer infrastructure in Canada by building similar, fan-friendly professional stadiums across the country.
“The modular stadium system dramatically reduces onsite construction time and allows municipalities to create professional and intimate soccer-specific venues for a fraction of the budget typically spent on arenas and concrete stadiums,” Dean Shillington, Managing Partner of SixFive Sports & Entertainment, parent company of SixFive Stadium Experience and Vancouver Football Club, said in a club press release.
“We hope to create a true, authentic soccer destination for all. This stadium will become the heartbeat of the community for years to come and is a very flexible amenity that can expand as the sport of soccer continues to grow in Canada.”
The first shipping containers housing the club’s unique flat pack stadium arrived at the Port of Vancouver on Wednesday. Work is underway at the future home of Vancouver FC to lay the concrete foundations and site services that will support the prefabricated modular structure, with construction expected to take just six weeks.
@aftncanada @vanfootballclub Was out for a walk earlier and checked up on the progress of the future CPL pitch. Construction well underway on the east/west seating areas. @CPLsoccer pic.twitter.com/kvGrutuGHJ
— Alex (@alex60494) January 20, 2023
The club say that the new, currently unnamed stadium will offer up to 6,560 local soccer fans “an immersive game day experience” during Vancouver FC’s first season. As to exactly what that means, the aim is to build an atmosphere to rival some of the best in the game worldwide. The stadium, located at Willoughby Community Park at the Langley Events Centre, is designed to grow with the club and its surrounding community, and is able to expand in capacity and amenities to serve its supporters now and in the future, with the hope is that the “electric atmosphere” that the ‘Caps saw at Empire can be replicated and bettered in Langley 12 years later.
The south end of the stadium will be home to Vancouver’s supporters’ groups. The east grandstand will be home to a Cabana Club, while VIP dining and Tunnel Club-style experiences will be offered below the west grandstand. Vancouver’s youngest fans will be entertained in the Family Zone, located at the north end of the stadium, and there will be several entertainment plazas located throughout the stadium, including an area designated to house a mini food truck festival on each match day, offering a selection of eats from local businesses.
“We are delighted to share our vision for our future home with our fans, who can expect a stadium to rise before their eyes in the coming months as we look ahead to hosting our first match in club history later this year,” said Rob Friend, President, Vancouver FC. “We are excited to provide a proper football experience for every fan that walks through our doors, and to see this stadium come to life in the near future.”
Vancouver is scheduled to host its inaugural home match on Sunday, May 7 at 4 p.m. PT against Cavalry FC.
While there is a lot to like about the new stadium design, including the intimate nature of it and the proximity of all fans to the pitch, there is one glaring omission and that is roofs over the stands.
To build modern, stadiums in Canada without coverings continues to baffle me. To do so in an area which has such heavy rainfall is staggering. Now you can argue that much of the season will be played in the nicer weather and that Canadian are a hardy bunch, but the fact of the matter is, if you’re targeting the more casual fans and especially families, they are not going to want to sit and get drenched for two hours or burnt to a crisp or get heatstroke under the beating sun. Not to mention the added atmosphere a roof brings with it in containing the noise.
If you want to have a prime example of that locally, you can look at some of the issues that Altitude had in that regard in their inaugural L1BC season with uncovered bleachers.
Having commentated on the CCAA nationals at the venue in October, the way the sun moves around the stadium is going to make for some very uncomfortable viewing in the summer months. Plus you also have to consider what damage the sun and rain will do to the seating in the stadium over time.
Now, again, it has to be said that this is not Vancouver FC’s ideal rendering. The initial plans we saw last year had a roof over all of the stands and that is still what the club are hoping to add down the line in phase 2 of the development. For now, it’s just a case of getting something up there for this fast approaching first season.
Construction will begin very soon and we’ll bring you regular updates here on the site and on our Twitter page. Fans can also expect a slew of further announcements soon on more players, including local ones, jerseys, and preseason plans, which will see a number of matches against local and CPL sides played around the area to get the club out and about more in the community.
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian football chat and this episode is part of the CiTR Radio Fundrive week.
After the lack of news last week, there’s a lot to chat about in Whitecapsland this time around as the team continue their preseason prep down in Palm Springs, California. They’ve got two more games under their belts and there’s two new players set to join them very soon – striker Sergio Cordova and goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. We chat about all of that and hear the thoughts of how things are looking as the new season approaches from ‘Caps head coach Vanni Sartini.
We’ve two feature interviews for you this episode with two Whitecaps Canadians. We kick things off with a in-depth chat with Ryan Raposo. About to enter his fourth season with the team, Ryan is now one of the veterans on the side, despite his young age. We chat with him about his MLS journey so far, his standout 2022, and what lies in store for him in the season to come. We also chat with Vanni Sartini about what role he sees for the young Canadian in 2023.
From a player still in his fledgling career, to one hanging up his boots after a stellar 14 year one for clubs and country – Tosaint Ricketts. We chat to Tos about his decision to retire from playing, the highlights of his career, his front office role with the ‘Caps, his recent punditry work at the World Cup and more.
Plus there’s still time to chat about the new Apple TV MLS season pass that’s been launched, take another trip in the 13th Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, and there’s music from new Artists of the Month, Television Personalities, Werd (SOS), and Arema Arega.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.28: Intro and CITR fundrive info
09.07: Christian Atsu and the Turkish/Syrian earthquake disaster
13.05: Hot Chocolate Boy – Honolulu Coffee
18.22: Cordova and Takaoka signings incoming
41.10: Whitecaps unbeaten in Palm Springs!
47.22: Vanni Sartini talks preseason and more
60.25: Vanni on the role of Ryan Raposo in 2023
64.20: Ryan Raposo interview and discussion
92.58: Tosaint Ricketts interview and discussion
128.50: Apple TV’s MLS season pass is live
130.45: Wavelength – Arema Arega – Always In The Air (Are You Ready?)
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
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iHeart Radio
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Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian, and North American football chat!
It’s been pretty quiet on the western front when it comes to the Whitecaps (should we be concerned yet?), but there’s been other stuff to talk about to make up for it, a lot of which we’ll discuss in this episode.
The draw for the 2023 Canadian Championship has been made, we delve into that and look at the paths ahead for the three BC sides, one of those being TSS Rovers. We sit down for a chat with TSS head honcho Colin Elmes about the club’s stellar 2022 on and off the pitch, what lies ahead in 2023, and the team’s first ever shot at the Voyageurs Cup.
We also sit down for an in-depth chat with League1 BC General Manager Sian Bagshawe about the league’s successful inaugural season, expansion, the upcoming season, and future plans.
Plus there’s still time to chat about the new strategic partnership between CONCACAF and CONMABOL, we wrap up our musical tribute to Terry Hall, and take another trip in the 13th Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.28: Intro
06.33: Hot Chocolate Boy – Doughgirls
10.10: Whitecaps News of the Week, or lack of
22.40: Canadian Championship draw
35.55: Colin Elmes interview and TSS discussion
70.52: There’s only one Minister of Defence
74.35: Sian Bagshawe interview and L1BC discussion
108.27: CONCACAF and CONMEBOL sign strategic partnership
117.51: Wavelength – Flacid Palms – Soccer Mum
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
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iHeart Radio
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Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out!
We’re saving the next episode of the AFTN Soccer Show until the wee small hours of Wednesday this week to let us cover the Canadian Championship draw, so to make up for your Monday void, we have another AFTN Extra podcast for your listening pleasure.
Episode 68 is a 40 minute show looking at the demise of FC Edmonton, which includes some audio from head coach Alan Koch and his assistant Todd May. Michael and Zach look back at the team’s extremely tough 2022, the league finally pulling the plug on them, and what the future might hold in store for football in the city.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know.
Not a subscriber yet? You can read all the details about what our ‘Extra’ podcast is, how you can get it, and how we deliver it to you, HERE.
This episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via WeTransfer) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
12 month recurring annual subscription ($30 per year):
Recurring monthly subscription ($3 per month):
If you don’t have paypal and want to pay a different way, or just want to buy this single episode (cost is $3 for a one-off episode), or if you have any further questions about the service, then drop us a line at: aftncanada @ hotmail.com.
Subscribe today and help support AFTN in continuing to bring you some of the best independent Whitecaps, Canadian, and local soccer coverage around.
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer chat!
The Whitecaps preseason is in full flow and the Spanish part of it has now wrapped up with a couple of games under their belt against good quality European opposition. We look at the two matches and performances, talk about the continuing transfer rumours, and chat with head coach Vanni Sartini about the team’s time in Spain, the Tai Baribo and Salif Sane transfer rumours, and the ‘Caps Leagues Cup draw.
We have two feature interviews for you this episode. First up is 2022 draft pick Simon Becher, who recently signed his first MLS deal with the club. We chat about his year with WFC2, his goalscoring MLS debut, signing his first pro deal, and his hopes for the season ahead. We also chat with this year’s first round draft pick J.C. Ngando about his journey to Vancouver and hear from the Whitecaps’ Julian Gressel about his US national team call-up.
All of this plus Fatt Father features in this episode’s Wavelength, we continue paying tribute to the legend that was Terry Hall, along with the recently passed Jay Briscoe and Anton Walkes, we find out if Simon Becher fancies a chocolate digestive, and take another trip in the 13th Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.27: Intro and Jay Briscoe/Anton Walkes tributes
09.35: Hot Chocolate Boy
13.38: Whitecaps wrap up Spain trip with two tough tests
30.25: Whitecaps Baribo and Sane transfer rumours
50.48: Julian Gressel on USMNT call-up
69.55: Simon Becher interview and striker discussion
90.51: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Simon Becher
99.22: Jean-Claude Ngando interview and discussion
112.55: Vanni on Whitecaps’ Leagues Cup draw
117.43: Wavelength – Fatt Father – Soccer Dad (explicit lyrics)
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
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iPhone App
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out! Episode 67 is a 72 minute one looking at the gift that keeps giving in North American soccer and that is the Berhalters/Reynas US Soccer spat.
It’s real life drama that will no doubt be turned in a movie or television one down the line and as entertaining as it might be for the neutrals, it’s also very unsavoury and unfortunate for all of those involved. Who will lose coming out of it? Is there any way back for Gregg Berhalter as US coach, Gio Reyna as a US player, and Claudio Reyna as a US club executive?
Michael and Zach delve into it all and we hear from the impromptu US soccer media call about it all.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know as there were some issues with Outlook deleting our distribution list after and update.
Not a subscriber yet? You can read all the details about what our ‘Extra’ podcast is, how you can get it, and how we deliver it to you, HERE.
This episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via WeTransfer) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
12 month recurring annual subscription ($30 per year):
Recurring monthly subscription ($3 per month):
If you don’t have paypal and want to pay a different way, or just want to buy this single episode (cost is $3 for a one-off episode), or if you have any further questions about the service, then drop us a line at: aftncanada @ hotmail.com.
Subscribe today and help support AFTN in continuing to bring you some of the best independent Whitecaps, Canadian, and local soccer coverage around.
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show as we chat Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver FC, Major League Soccer, and the Canadian Premier League.
The Whitecaps are in Spain and getting set for the first of what is now going to be two preseason matches in Espana against European opposition. We look ahead to those games and chat about the new man in camp, Senegal international centre back, Salif Sane. Is there a real chance he could sign or is this just a win-win situation for both club and player? Would he need to be a DP if he did? And what about those injury concerns?
We also look at some of the news coming out of Montreal as Kei Kamara looks to move on and they look to move on Kamal Miller. Could either or both end up in Vancouver? One man that was in Vancouver this past week was MLS Commissioner Don Garber. But why?!
Turning our attention to the Canadian Premier league, we bring you a quick 2022 season in review, as we sum up each club’s year in one to three words, look at the demise of FC Edmonton and ahead to some future expansion plans, including a third team here in BC. This year sees Vancouver FC take to the pitch for their inaugural season. We look at their slow offseason build, chat with head coach Afshin Ghotbi, and hear from their first ever signing, goalkeeper Callum Irving.
All of this and Armchair Loyal are back in this episode’s Wavelength and we continue paying tribute to the legend that was Terry Hall.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.28: Intro and Mailbag on rules of the game
15.05: Whitecaps and MLS talking points from the past week
30.22: Why was Don Garber in Vancouver?
44.27: 2022 Canadian Premier League season in review
61.30: The demise of FC Edmonton and future expansion
71.25: Vancouver FC are coming, but are they ready?
84.33: Afshin Ghotbi chat Vancouver FC work in progress
91.47: Callum Irving audio and discussion
110.10: Wavelength – Armchair Loyal – The Goalie’s Faux Pas
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
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iHeart Radio
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Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The boys are back in town! Vancouver Whitecaps 2023 preseason camp is underway and we’ve got your covered with all the news, rumours, and chat on this episode of the AFTN Soccer Show.
We hear from head coach Vanni Sartini as he talks about the preseason ahead and getting the team ready for the tough season to come, where the ‘Caps will be fighting on four fronts. How many more players does he see coming, what will he do with the ones he has, where does new signing Mathias Laborda fit in, can the club avoid the Champions League hangover that many others suffer?
We delve into all of that and more, including the search for a new shirt sponsor, plus we bring you two interviews with two of the new Canadian faces in the squad – defender Karifa Yao and forward Levonte Johnson. We chat about their journey to Vancouver, their careers so far, and their hopes for the season to come. Plus we find out the burning question – do either of them fancy a chocolate digestive?
Plus we talk about the rise of Wrexham FC and is it a good or a bad thing for lower league football in the UK, chat about some possible rule changes we’d like to see implemented in the game, and pay tribute to another footballing legend gone way too soon, Gianluca Vialli.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.30: Intro and Gianluca Vialli tribute
17.12: The Rise of Wrexham – good or bad for lower league UK football?
28.05: The Whitecaps preseason has begun
42.50: Vanni Sartini talks preseason and the campaign ahead
54.41: Bell ends
61.17: Unpacking Vanni – 22 man rosters, formations, Laborda
70.07: Karifa Yao interview and discussion
80.26: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Karifa Yao
85.12: ‘Caps Chat – the goalkeeping situation, Tai Baribo rumours
96.25: Levonte Johnson interview and discussion
109.26: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Levonte Johnson
113.17: Talking Point -changes to the rules of football
127.58: Wavelength – Chelsea 2000 FA Cup Squad – Blue Day Tomorrow
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
Happy New Year everybody! The AFTN Soccer Show is back with our first show of 2023, so there’s no better time to kick off our year end reviews and year to come previews, starting with a Vancouver Whitecaps focused show.
2022 was certainly a bit of a mixed bag for the Whitecaps both on and off the pitch. It felt in many ways a season of regression. Can they advance again in 2023 and can they take the great leap forward that they really need to do after 12 fairly mediocre MLS seasons to date? We look at all the highs and all the lows and ponder what may be in store for them this year as they fight for glory in MLS, the Canadian Championship, the CONCACAF Champions League, and the new Leagues Cup.
With the team back in training at the end of this week, we take a look at the new season that’s coming up fast, delve into the schedule, the transfer rumours, and chat about the players selected in last month’s MLS SuperDraft, getting some thoughts from head coach Vanni Sartini and Sporting Director Axel Schuster along the way.
Plus we pay tribute to the legend that was Pele, find out if Stephanie Labbe fancies a chocolate digestive, and reveal the top three in AFTN’s 2022 Festive Fifteen.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.53: Intro
05.19: Pele tribute
19.05: Whitecaps Year in Review (Part One) – Canadian Championship success and the CCL path ahead
45.20: Whitecaps Year in Review (Part Two) – MLS, WFC2, and L1BC
69.54: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive – Stephanie Labbe
71.53: Hopes for the 2023 Whitecaps
82.09: Whitecaps 2023 schedule discussion
92.35: Prioritising the six trophies the Whitecaps will play for
102.20: Whitecaps transfer news and rumours
107.26: Whitecaps draft picks discussion with Vanni and Axel audio
132.08: Wavelength – Luis Alberto del Parana – O Rei Pele
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
It’s Chriiiiiisssssstmaaaaaassssss!
The weather outside may be truly frightful, but fear not because we’ve got a bumper AFTN Soccer Show Christmas special to keep you entertained. There’s fun, there’s games, there’s music, and there’s lots of football and Christmas chat. You can play along with all the games during the show, including our latest Jeopardy rounds, which you can find the questions for HERE.
We talk about the proposed expanded club World Cup coming in 2025. Could we see it held in the US and Canada? And with that in mind we have an early look ahead to the 2026 World Cup. Plus we delve into our all-time favourite World Cup mascots and shock results.
All of that and we hear what Christmas is like in the Axel Schuster and Stephanie Labbe households, we talk about our favourite Christmas movies, and bring you three more songs from AFTN’s 2022 Festive 15.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.36: Intro
07.15: Football Jeopardy
31.55: An Axel Schuster Christmas
44.23: Outburst – Football Edition (part one)
54.05: An extended Club World Cup for 2025
70.47: Christmas Movies Flash Five
91.27: Outburst – Football Edition (part two)
106.22: A Stephanie Labbe Christmas
111.13: An early look ahead to the 2026 World Cup
118.55: World Cup Shock Results Flash Five
135.53: 20 Questions – World Cup players
149.30: World Cup Mascots Flash Five
167.15: Wavelength – The Whitehawk Isolators – Christmas For All
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer and World Cup chat.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is over and Argentina have won a third title in what was an absolute classic final against France with Lionel Messi finally becoming a World Cup winner. Will this finally put an end to the boring Messi v Ronaldo debates? How will the tournament be remembered, where will it rank amongst the others, and how was it actually to be at it on the ground?
We chat about all of that and a lot more, as Zach gives us some insight as to what it was like to be at the tournament in aspects like ticketing, transportation, the weather, the stadiums, atmosphere, and merchandise as he regales us with tales of Arabian nights.
Plus a Flash Five of our favourite World Cup mascots, we round up the Whitecaps, MLS, and CPL News of the Week, and we continue our 2022 Festive Fifteen.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.30: Intro
02.35: Argentina are World Cup champs again
20.09: Does this finally clear up the Messi v Ronaldo nonsense?
26.18: Where does this World Cup rank in the tournament’s history?
34.35: Canada’s World Cup – an on the ground perspective
64.50: Zach’s Qatari tales – getting there, accommodation, conditions, opening ceremony
105.35: Zach’s Qatari tales – getting around, ticketing, the stadiums, merch
134.12: How to go viral with a German flag
152.55: MLS and Whitecaps News of the Week
161.47: CPL News of the Week
168.16: Wavelength – USA Soccer Guy – Kick That Soccer Ball
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer and World Cup chat.
The 2022 World Cup is down to four teams. We look back at an exciting weekend of quarter-final action and the main talking points coming out of the four matches, where win or lose, no-one seemed to like the referees! Plus we look ahead to this week’s semi-final action.
Turning our attention back to the domestic game, we look at rumours that Vancouver Whitecaps’ Derek Cornelius is moving to Malmo in Sweden and chat about a move that has been confirmed, CF Montreal’s Ismael Koné to English Championship side Watford, plus we hear from the man himself about his time at the World Cup in Qatar, his time at CF Montreal, the move to the Hornets, and his development with CS Saint-Laurent.
Plus Goldie Lookin’ Chain make a return to our Wavelength feature and we continue our 2022 Festive Fifteen.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.30: Intro
03.12: Grant Wahl RIP
14.00: World Cup chat – Brazil v Croatia
23.40: World Cup chat – Argentina v Netherlands
35.32: World Cup chat – Morocco v Portugal
44.15: World Cup chat – England v France
62.45: World Cup chat – a look ahead to the semis
77.20: Whitecaps’ Cornelius going to Malmo?
79.30: Ismael Koné media call and discussion
95.55: Wavelength – Goldie Lookin’ Chain – Football, Football, Football
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out! Episode 66 is a 48 minute one around the newly proposed women’s soccer league that is set to kick off in Canada in 2025.
The brainchild of the Project 8 group, we bring you audio from the media call detailing info about the proposed new league on Tuesday of this week featuring Diana Matheson, Christine Sinclair, and Axel Schuster, and talk a little bit about some of the stuff coming out of the call and the subsequent reactions from Canada Soccer and the Canadian Premier League after the announcement and interviews.
All subscribers should have the download link in their emails. If you don’t let me know as there were some issues with Outlook deleting our distribution list after and update.
Not a subscriber yet? You can read all the details about what our ‘Extra’ podcast is, how you can get it, and how we deliver it to you, HERE.
This episode and podcast is only available to paid subscribers. You can get hold of your copy in one of the following ways. A link to the show (via WeTransfer) will be emailed to you once payment has been received:
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Subscribe today and help support AFTN in continuing to bring you some of the best independent Whitecaps, Canadian, and local soccer coverage around.
The snow wiped out all of the Week 13 Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) Premier Division action last weekend and the weather’s effects are still going to have an impact on some pitches around the lower mainland this weekend.
So while that obviously means no recap, it does let us round-up the Week 12 action from the weekend before that we ran out of time to bring you last week.
Although the standings don’t quite show it due to BB5 United CCB’s three games in hand, it was really a top of the table clash at a chilly and very Christmassy looking Cunnings Field in Coquitlam on Friday November 25th.
Current league leaders Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves played host to defending champions BB5, with an eight point advantage over the Surrey side but knowing that if they win their games in hand they’d be knocked off stop spot. And the two teams served up an absolute cracker of a match that fully lived up to its billing as the Match of the Week, if not the month. sharing six goals and the points between them.
BB5 almost scored straight from the kick off, with an audacious chip earning a corner, which was then put in the net but questionably ruled out for an infringement in the box.
The Surrey side eventually got their breakthrough from a Riley Pang shot in the 10th minute and when Nic Morello tucked away a loose ball in the box with nine minutes of the half remaining, things were looking good for BB5. But Metro Ford came storming back in the second half, pulling one back through Carlo Basso five minutes after the restart.
Thomas Powell scored an absolute stunner with 15 minutes remaining to level things up and set up a barnburning finale. Devin O’Hea must have thought he’d earned all three points for BB5 with a great individual goal with five minutes to go, cutting inside and going past two players in the box before firing home, but the league leaders had other ideas and the Golden Boot leading Jovan Blagojevic bundled the ball over the line from a corner for his 11th goal of the season and a share of the spoils in a highly entertaining match.
You can see our highlights of the game on our YouTube channel and in the video below:
The other match on that Friday was at the other end of the table and Columbus FC came away with all three points in a 3-2 victory at Newton against bottom side SFC Pegasus, in a game which could be very important come the end of the season. Gurmaan Jhaj opened the scoring for Pegasus from the spot in the 36th minute and when Tyreese Meas added a second nine minutes into the second half, it was looking good for the Horsemen. But Columbus came storming back and Matthew Chow pulled one back from the spot in the 72nd minute. Three minutes later and they were level through a Adriano Clemente goal and John McEown won the match for Columbus with an 89th minute winner to give them a big seven point advantage over Pegasus.
Saturday saw four games, with a 9th minute Connor Robillard goal giving West Van a narrow 1-0 win over Croatia SC in the first game of the day at Empire.
Coastal and BCT Rovers Hurricanes played out a 1-1 draw at South Surrey, with Taylor Richardson putting the home side into a 26th minute lead before Javid Khan levelled for the Hurricanes 10 minutes into the second half.
Inter EDC kept the pressure on at the top with a hard-fought come-from-behind victory over Westside at the Point Grey turf. Two goals in a two minute spell from Daniel Accettura and Taiga Nakamura gave Westside a half time lead but Burhan Waisy pulled one back for Inter just before the hour mark and Edris Najm tied things up in the 63rd minute. The winner came from Cesar Aldea Cona 10 minutes from time to move Inter into joint second in the table, five points behind Metro Ford.
The final game of Week 12 saw a comfortable 3-0 victory for VUFC Hibernian at Port Moody. Mario Kovacevic poked Hibernian ahead from six yards out just two minutes in and added a second in the 53rd minute with a lovely chipped goal. Patrick Braun secured the points with a nice finish after being played in with five minutes to go.
You can see Sports Revolution’s highlights from the match below:
So after that action, here’s how the VMSL Premier Division standings are looking:
Things are shaping up nicely for a very exciting second half of the season, which could potentially be made even more so if the weather keeps disrupting things.
The pitches at Burnaby Lake don’t seem to have been cleared, somewhat bizarrely, in time for this weekend, seeing one Premier game falling foul, but here’s what else is in store over the next four days:
You can find all the latest results, fixtures, and standings across all of the divisions on VMSLsoccer.com and catch highlights from other recent matches on the Sports Revolution YouTube channel.
It was an odd weekend of amateur men’s top flight soccer on the Island. Snow and travelling conditions played a factor as two of the five Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Division 1 games were not able to be played because of those conditions.
But six teams were in action and here’s what took place over the weekend.
League leaders Lakehill got things going with a 6-0 drubbing over Westcastle Lakers who were on the swing up. Lakehill had a two goal performance from Blair Sturrock, but that was eclipsed by an amazing four goal performance from Patrick Nelson. Shutting out the Westcastle team was Lakehill goalkeeper Marko Ilich.
Friday also saw a dandy of a match at Hampton where the Victoria Highlanders defeated Gorge 3-2. Zidane Mwinyi scored all three goals in succession, and within a nine minutes for the Highlanders. Matthew Olaks and rookie sensation James Cameron were on target for Gorge.
The Nanaimo versus Bays Utd game had to be postponed because of the travel advisory first and foremost, but also because there was still snow on the Nanaimo fields.
Another cancellation on Saturday saw Comox not being able to host Cowichan as the snow was still on the field there as well.
With travel advisories removed, Powell River were still able to get their road game in against Vic West.
Vic West were not hospitable at all and defeated the Villa squad by score of 5-1. Scoring for Vic West was Kaelan Cooke, Salem Almardy, Daniel Pritchard, and Yassin Guitourni hit a double. The lone marker for Powell River Villa was courtesy Patrick Osakabe-Green.
So after all of that action, the VISL Division 1 table looks as follows:
Lakehill were able to keep their undefeated streak intact and did separate from some teams. Vic West and Highlanders wins allow them to move up the standings some in 2nd & 4th spots respectably.
The bottom four of the division still look exactly the same – and they will be anxious to get back at it.
The goalscoring leaderboard certainly changed.
Patrick Nelson was the big individual winner over the weekend and he vaults up to first place all alone after his four goal performance. Of note though, everybody else on the leaderboard also scored at least one goal over the weekend.
Here is how the Golden Boot leaderboard now looks:
While there was a shutout over the weekend, for the second week in succession, it does not affect the Golden Gloves leaderboard with five players sitting on two clean sheets each.
The final week of 2022 has come upon us, at least the final week of top flight amateur men’s soccer on the Island anyways!
Week 14, a week that will give teams a strong indication of where they could finish up, a very important week in all divisions. Here’s what on the slate.
Remember you can check out all of the VISL results, standings, and fixtures across all of the divisions at VISL.org.
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian soccer and World Cup chat.
The World Cup is into the knockout stages and only eight teams remain. We look at the action and talking points since the last show and ponder some more about what’s next for Canada, their players, and head coach John Herdman.
Back here in Canada the exciting, and long overdue, announcement that a domestic women’s league is finally coming to the country in 2025 was made on Monday. We’re joined by Harjeet Johal to talk about what we know about it all so far and how we hope things will play out.
Right now there’s two clubs named as founding members, Vancouver Whitecaps and Calgary Foothills, and we sit down for an in-depth chat with the ‘Caps General Manager of Women’s Soccer, national team legend Stephanie Labbe to talk about the new league, her role with the club, and her golden career.
All of this and there’s still time to chat Whitecaps transfer rumours, the continuing exodus in Montreal, and we kick off our 2022 Festive Fifteen.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.28: Intro
03.10: Whitecaps and CF Montreal News of the Week
14.49: Canada three and done in Qatar as thoughts turn to the future
30.00: Chris Jones makes Michael angry
45.15: World Cup 2022 chat
81.10: Stephanie Labbe interview
114.17: A new professional women’s league is coming to Canada
147.20: Wavelength – New Order – World In Motion
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
All of last weekend’s results in the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL)Division 1 were decided by the difference of one goal or less, and while league leaders Lakehill dropped a couple of points, their closest challengers, Vic West, couldn’t take advantage and actually fell a further point behind by the end of the weekend’s action.…
We’re back with another packed show of Canadian national team and World Cup chat. After the promise and excitement of the Belgium game and the raised expectations that came with that excellent performance, Canada crashed and burned at the World Cup in their second match against Croatia and have been eliminated with one group game…
The pitfalls of doing a lot more commentary for the end of the college season, and other work commitments, is that unfortunately we’ve not had the time to devote to our coverage of the local leagues on the site, and that’s also meant not being able to get out to any Vancouver Metro Soccer League…
It’s been just over a month since we were able to bring you our weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL), but as things quieten down here at AFTN, we’re back with a bang. So what’s been happening in the last few weeks in the top flight of…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, World Cup, and Canadian soccer chat. The 2022 World Cup is in full flow and after a wait of 13,316 days, Canada were back playing a group game at the finals. We talk about their battling performance against one of the world’s best teams, Belgium, the…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, World Cup, and Canadian soccer chat. It’s been a busy week in Whitecapsland with new players coming in, some departures like Lucas Cavallini finally confirmed, and the preseason plans officially announced. We’re joined by Harjeet Johal to chat about all of that, plus…
The long awaited FIFA World Cup is just one day away! The Canadian Men’s National Team is due to make their return to the global stage, but face a very tough group. Belgium are seen by many as legitimate contenders for the world title, Croatia were runners up in the 2018 World Cup, and Morocco…
We’re back with another packed show of World Cup and Canadian soccer chat. The 2022 FIFA World Cup gets underway in Qatar next Sunday. There may have been a lot of issues in the run up to this first winter World Cup, but now that it’s here, we’re very excited and we get in the…
We’re back with another packed show of Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. The World Cup in Qatar is just weeks away and as the tournament gets closer, the injury concerns for the Canadian national team continue to grow, with two players confirmed out and a scare with Alphonso Davies’ hamstring.…
(Photo Credit: Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds) There is simply no room for error for UBC Thunderbirds men’s side at this weekend’s Canada West Final Four. With Thompson Rivers Wolfpack hosting next week’s U SPORTS national championships in Kamloops, that leaves Canada West with just one berth available to them and four teams battling it out to…
(Photo Credit: Bob Frid/UBC Thunderbirds) It’s been a senior season for the ages for UBC Thunderbirds striker Danielle Steer. The fifth year forward is finishing off a fantastic college career by sending records tumbling and earning plaudits, and as her time with the program comes to an end, Steer wants nothing more than to cap…
Wednesday night saw the official identity launch of the newest Canadian Premier League team, Vancouver FC. First announced in April of this year, the new Langley based side now has a name, a crest and logos, and a head coach, with the experienced Iranian Afshin Ghotbi taking the reins. The building towards their first season…
What a year it’s been for UBC soccer. Both their men’s and their women’s sides won the Canada West Pacific Division and both now host this weekend’s Final Four tournaments at Thunderbird Stadium, places at next week’s U SPORTS nationals up for grabs. To celebrate and get you prepared for what is sure to be…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. It’s our annual awards season at AFTN and we kick off handing out the gongs with our ones for Whitecaps Player of the Year, Young Player, Academy Player, Female Player, Unsung Hero, and the best game,…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. The Whitecaps offseason is officially underway, with some squad decisions already announced, some still being considered, and the planning for a 2023 season that will be fought on four fronts already in full flow. We look…
A third of the season is officially in the books for the Island’s top flight of men’s amateur soccer, VISL Division 1. Like some of the local elections on the weekend, there were some surprises and shocking results to report after all the votes, or at least the goals, were counted. Here is a snapshot…
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out! Episode 65 is a 50 minute BC college soccer special. The Canada West regular season has wound up for the women and comes to an end for the men this weekend, and it’s been another good one for UBC Thunderbirds. We look at the season for both teams,…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. The MLS and CPL postseason are in full flow and it’s been an exciting weekend of action, which we round up in this episode. Sadly for the Whitecaps the season is over and the big decisions…
It’s all still to play for. Cavalry FC and Forge FC held each other to a 1-1 draw at Spruce Meadows on Oct. 15, in the first of their two-legged Canadian Premier League (CPL) semi-final series. Though the hosts didn’t come away with the momentum of an all-important win as they prepare for a rendezvous…
The 2022/23 Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) Premier Division season is shaping up to be one of the most wide open for a few years, with teams continuing to take points off each other to keep things tight at the top. There’s definitely a few clear title contenders at the moment, with some clear relegation…
Week 5 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Division 1 has been completed over the Thanksgiving weekend. Some teams were thankful, others feasted, and some just wanted to get to the table. Here is an overview of how things went in the island’s top flight. Friday started out with Vic West flexing a little…
It’s a good year to be a Quebec soccer fan. On the back of CF Montreal flying high in Major League Soccer and AS Blainville winning the inaugural League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship, the 2022 Canada Soccer Boys and Girls National U17 Championships wrapped up on Thanksgiving Monday in Surrey, and when the last ball…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian Premier League chat. The Whitecaps run to the playoffs are over and just as quickly as the team raised our hopes, disappointment reigns once again as they fall short of the finishing line. We look back at the season ending loss…
It’s been a glorious week of weather at the Canada Soccer U17 Nationals at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey and it’s brought out some glorious footballing action in both the boys and the girls sides of the competition, with hosts Surrey United looking set to be playing in two medal games on Thanksgiving Monday. Both…
Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2022 season has been a bit of a roller coaster. From the absolutely horrendous first few weeks, to the high of winning the Canadian Championship and a proper playoff push, to everything seemingly crashing down only to be followed by a last-minute winning streak and a symphony of perfect scoreboard-watching results…there’s been a…
We’re back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian Premier League chat. What a few weeks it’s been in Whitecapsland. What looked like mission impossible to get into the playoffs has seen an amazing run of results, sparked by three straight wins for the ‘Caps, to leave Vancouver with a…
Cavalry FC clinched a Canadian Premier League (CPL) playoff spot for the fourth year in a row on Oct. 2, downing Valour FC 2-1 at Spruce Meadows in their penultimate match of the 2022 regular season. Tied 1-1 with just under 10 minutes left to play, Cavalry’s Ali Musse produced a piece of magic, smashing…
Vancouver Whitecaps headed into their match up with Austin FC at BC Place on Saturday night knowing that they had no room for error, but equally knowing that their postseason fate was far from being in their own hands. The Whitecaps needed to close out the season with two wins to even give themselves a…
It’s now October, and the Whitecaps are getting into the Halloween spirit by trying to resurrect their season and make a zombified push across the finish line. It’ll take quite the convergence of outside results – we have to root for all of Minnesota, Real Salt Lake, and Seattle to fall flat at the end…
Week three of the new Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) season is in the books, and this past weekend was a perfect example of why games actually get played as opposed to just assigning points to the team that maybe should win. Early season upsets was the common theme this past weekend. Here is the…
A stunning weekend up and down Vancouver Island saw all top flight amateur men’s games played in glorious conditions. Here is a quick snapshot of what took place in Division 1, some of which was close and pretty, some not so much. Friday started with Cowichan Axis defeating Westcastle Lakers 3-1 in North Cowichan thanks…
Week 2 of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) season is in the books and if it’s a gauge of what we can expect from the new campaign, we’re in for a cracking season in the Premier Division. Only three teams still have their 100% record intact by the end of the second round of…
We’re back with a shorter than usual but still packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and the Canadian men’s national team. What a week it was in Whitecapsland as a six point home stand kept Vancouver’s season alive and…
After five years and five months, Vancouver Whitecaps have finally beaten their rivals from middle Cascadia. A fantastic all-round team performance, and a first half blitz that saw goals from Pedro Vite and Julian Gressel, gave the ‘Caps a well-deserved 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders on Saturday night, keeping their playoff hopes alive and dealing…
Well, what a difference 45 minutes can make. In the first half of Wednesday night’s match against the Galaxy, the Whitecaps looked overmatched and like they were about to suffer another loss on this dreary end-of-season stretch. Then, suddenly, they scored. Then they scored again. Then, just for fun, they scored again, and won 3-0.…
The Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) is back for the 2022/23 season, with the traditional Premier League opening weekend festivities taking place at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey on Saturday. All 12 teams were in action at Newton, and not a draw in sight, with the six games producing 23 goals and some close contests.…
The Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) returned to action last weekend and it was an exciting couple of days that saw all games played, narrowly missing some bad air situations, as the action in Division 1 got underway with some high scoring affairs. The Division 1 action started off on Friday in Cowichan with the…
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out! Episode 64 is a 30 minute Vancouver Whitecaps-centric one. The Whitecaps’ 3-0 win at home to the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night was impressive, pleasing, and infuriating as it showed what this team is capable of but unfortunately fails to show enough. They’re fighting till the end but…
With their season looking all over bar the shouting heading into their match with the LA Galaxy at BC Place on Wednesday evening, what kind of Vancouver Whitecaps were we going to see to finish the season? With the team falling down the standings at an alarming pace, just a month after being in the…
(Photo Credit: @SJEarthquakes/Twitter) Vancouver Whitecaps headed to California to take on San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday evening, leaving on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline that all but kills off their chances of a second straight postseason appearance. Jeremy Ebobisse and Jamiro Monteiro’s first half strikes did the damage for the Quakes and although…
Things came crashing down fast for the Whitecaps, with a drubbing at the hands of Nashville shunting them to five points adrift of the final playoff spot in the West. With just six matches to play, three of them on the road, time is running short to pull a miraculous turnaround. The ‘Caps have a…
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter) After a few glorious days of sitting in a playoff place, the Whitecaps dropped back down again after the 1-1 draw in Salt Lake last weekend. That was the end of a tumultuous week for the ‘Caps that saw them get thumped embarrassingly in LA, rebound with a big win over Colorado…
(All Photo Credits: Scott Strasser/AFTN) Cavalry FC’s frustrating run of results against Atlético Ottawa continued on Aug. 21, as they fell 3-0 to the capital city side at Spruce Meadows. The Canadian Premier League (CPL) result keeps the Calgarians in fourth place in the league table, but catapults Ottawa into top spot for the time…
We’re back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer. Football conjures up so many feelings. From the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows, fans across the world can feel so many emotions, with different groups experiencing…
(Photo Credit: @LAGalaxy/Twitter) Vancouver Whitecaps have had some horrific outings in Los Angeles over the recent years. Most of those have come at the hands of the black and gold side of the city. It’s been a different story against the LA Galaxy, where the ‘Caps have had a decent record of late. That was…
(Photo Credit: LA Galaxy) Ten matches left, five at home and five on the road. Sitting in 11th place but only three points back of 7th and six points back of 3rd. That’s the situation Vancouver Whitecaps find themselves in, and the next couple months could see them finish with anything from a home playoff…
We’re back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and football on Canadian TV. The Whitecaps left it late again to get the job done against Houston Dynamo on Friday night, but two late goals gave them a dramatic last ditch victory and…
The Cardiac ‘Caps, the Comeback ‘Caps, call them whatever you want, but this is a Vancouver Whitecaps side that simply will not quit. Two goals at the death gave the Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over Houston Dynamo at BC Place on Friday night, and although it may be a bit hyperbolic to say with over…
(Photo Credit: Houston Dynamo FC) After an absolutely horrendous start to the season on the road, the Whitecaps have managed to avoid losing any of their last four matches away from home, winning one and drawing three of them. That’s a solid improvement, but they haven’t gained ground in the standings in that time because…
We’re back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and League1 BC. And we’ve come over a little German for this episode (we apologised to Hans) with a Deutsche theme running throughout with our chats and our musical selections this week. We kick…
If you want your finals packed full of drama, then both the inaugural League1 BC championship games provided them in droves and served up a great advertisement for football in the lower mainland and the talent on offer. Vancouver Whitecaps’ Girls Elite were crowned the first ever L1BC women’s champions in stunning style at Swangard…
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter) Vancouver Whitecaps’ never say die attitude came to the fore once again in Nashville on Saturday evening, with Javain Brown’s 87th minute equaliser earning the ‘Caps a crucial late point against their Western Conference playoff rivals. Any questions that the Whitecaps would be suffering a Voyageurs Cup winning hangover can be dispelled…
Well, mission accomplished! The Whitecaps have won some silverware for the first time in seven years! The Canadian Championship victory on Tuesday was a momentous occasion, with a rocking stadium and the most memorable match experience for me personally since Alphonso Davies suited up in the white and blue for the final time back in…
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps and their Canadian Championship final win! It’s been a long wait of seven years, but the Whitecaps finally lifted only their second ever Voyageurs Cup on Tuesday night with a penalty shootout win over Toronto…
“Oh, what a night Late July back in twenty-two What a special time for me and you I remember, what a night” Vancouver Whitecaps lifted the Voyageurs Cup for only the second time in their history after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Toronto FC at an electric BC Place on Wednesday night. It was…
As things stand the Whitecaps don’t look like a contender for a deep run in the MLS playoffs. They’re still within striking distance of the red line, but the loss to Chicago on the weekend – a truly dismal performance at times – shows that some of the lows are far from gone. That makes…
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and Canadian football. The good work done on the road by Vancouver Whitecaps was undone by a second straight home 3-1 defeat against Chicago Fire on Saturday. It was a disappointing outing but did…
After two battling draws on the road, in games where they deserved more, dropping all three points at home to the visiting Chicago Fire undid a lot of the good work Vancouver Whitecaps have done of late. But the in-form Fire were fully deserving of their victory after the ‘Caps served up one of their…
After two gruelling months and 11 fiercely contested matches for each team, the battle to claim the second spot in the inaugural League1 BC women’s championship game is going down to the wire. With one week, and one match, of the regular season remaining, three teams are still very much in the mix to take…
Heading into the latest Cascadia Cup clash for Vancouver Whitecaps down in Portland, if you’d offered me a point, I’d have been absolutely delighted. Coming away from it, there’s a feeling of being gutted that that was all that they did come away with after a tremendous performance that saw them take the lead through…
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, as guest co-host Harjeet Johal joins us again to talk Vancouver Whitecaps, the current CSA shambles, and women’s soccer. Vanni Sartini certainly doesn’t have his troubles to seek when it comes to injuries. A banged up Whitecaps side battled hard…
Cavalry FC scored three goals in an eight-minute stretch on a sizzling hot evening July 14, shutting out the visiting HFX Wanderers 3-0 at Spruce Meadows. Up a man following a red card for Wanderers in the 25th minute, Cavalry’s win came courtesy of an attacking flurry in the second half that produced three goals…
The latest AFTN Extra podcast is out! Episode 63 is a 41 minute episode looking at the League1 BC season so far and what’s to come. It’s been an exciting and entertaining inaugural season for the new league and with three weeks until the men’s and women’s championship matches at Swangard Stadium on BC Day,…
Coming into Saturday afternoon’s match at Clarke Stadium, FC Edmonton were riding high on the back of a 3-0 victory over York United on Canada Day and had the chance to propel themselves off the foot of the League table with a victory. It has been a difficult campaign for the Eddies. They are still…
The last 10 games have seen Vancouver Whitecaps on something of a tear. The in-form team in all of MLS and late, late show specialists. But despite it all, questions remained. How sustainable were those late wins? Is this a good Whitecaps team, a fighting one, or just a lucky one? And when it came…
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, as guest co-host Harjeet Johal joins us to talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and women’s soccer. The Whitecaps are the form team in MLS right now and they’ve just knocked off the league leading LAFC thanks to another late show at…
We keep saying it. You simply can’t leave BC Place early this season. Vancouver Whitecaps have become experts at grabbing points at the death and they did it in some style on Saturday night with Andres Cubas’ 89th minute winner from the edge of the box being all that separated the ‘Caps from the Western…
We’re back with another episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS chat. The Whitecaps were in action twice this past week again on league and cup duty. Sunday saw a battling point earned at home to New England Revolution in MLS action, but midweek saw…
Striker Aribim Pepple continued his fine goal-scoring form and Cavalry FC set a club record of eight consecutive unbeaten matches on June 26, as the Calgarians downed FC Edmonton 3-1 at Spruce Meadows. On a sunny Sunday evening that drew their biggest home crowd of the regular season, Cavalry’s win keeps them atop the Canadian…
Not a classic is one way you could describe Vancouver Whitecaps’ goalless draw with New England Revolution at BC Place on Sunday. Whether it was the baking hot conditions or both sides just cancelling themselves out, chances were at a premium, and although the ‘Caps were much livelier in the second half and forced saves…
[For the basis of this round-up, we’ll be looking at matches played from Sunday June 12th to Sunday June 19th] As the inaugural League1 BC campaign moves into the second half of the season, the three horse race that was building may have added another runner, with the top three teams dropping some points and…
It wasn’t necessarily pretty or swashbuckling at times, but Vancouver Whitecaps put in a workmanlike performance at BC Place on Wednesday night to dispatch Canadian Premier League side York United 2-1 and book their place in next month’s Canadian Championship final against Toronto FC. The scoreline doesn’t really do justice to how much the Whitecaps…
After two straight years where the Whitecaps failed to beat a CPL side in the Canadian Championship, they have done so twice in 2022 and now look to do it a third time. A win on Wednesday night will send the ‘Caps to the Canadian Championship final for the first time since 2018. It’s been…
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and World Cup chat. What a busy week of football news it’s been, with perhaps the most exciting news of all being the official confirmation that Vancouver will be a host city for the…
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter) What a difference four days makes. Vancouver Whitecaps headed into the Dallas heat on Saturday night and looked unrecognisable from the side that simply didn’t turn up in Seattle midweek, coming away with a big 2-0 win after goals at the start and the end of the first half from Lucas Cavallini…
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Can you feel it? The change in the air. The sense that it might be worth being a little optimistic. The jingling of the playoff bells heard faintly on the horizon. Yes, after an absolutely horrid start to the year the Whitecaps have slowly started to climb the standings and are now just a single…
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Varsity FC will look to build upon their unbeaten start to the new League1 BC season with their home openers on Saturday against Victoria Highlanders at Thunderbird Stadium. Both Varsity’s men’s and women’s teams kicked off their inaugural L1BC campaign with 2-0 wins at Unity FC on May 26 and looked good in doing so…
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(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter) Three games in a week and seven matches in three weeks is bound to take a toll on any team, never mind one down to the bare bones due to injuries, absences, and health and safety protocols. That’s been the hand dealt to Vancouver Whitecaps in a hectic month of May. To…
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Yes, there’s yet another Whitecaps game coming up on Saturday! It’s the final stop on the stretch that has seen the ‘Caps play seven matches in just 21 days, with this match against SKC their third road match in the last week. Perhaps surprisingly, this very busy stretch has coincided with the ‘Caps’ best run…
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A 5-3 penalty shootout victory ensured the cup-sets of 2019 and 2021 did not happen again for Vancouver Whitecaps on May 25, as the MLS side overcame Cavalry FC in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship. Following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, Vancouver scored all five of their spot kicks, while Cavalry managed to…
You can’t always read too much into the opening weekend of any league season, especially when it’s a brand new league with six teams playing their first ever matches in it. Teams still have to mesh, chemistry needs to be found after just a few weeks together, and no-one really fully knows what to expect…
Guildford FC and VUFC Snipers set up an all-Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) BC Provincial B Cup final on Saturday after a couple of hard fought semi-finals last weekend. The action kicked off at Newton Athletic Park Stadium on Saturday evening with a tantalising encounter between two teams that won their leagues with unbeaten seasons…
It wasn’t the most exciting soccer, but the Whitecaps took care of business against Valour FC on Wednesday to advance to the quarter-finals of the Canadian Championship and have now won two in a row for the first time this season after scraping out a win against Toronto last weekend. The homestand continues on Saturday…
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It wasn’t the return to BC Place that Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos would have wanted, but probably the one he expected. Nine months ago the then Vancouver Whitecaps assistant coach was in the dugout in Langford as the ‘Caps were knocked out of the Canadian Championship by Pacific FC. That defeat cost…
With the inaugural League1 BC season getting underway in less than two weeks, it’s time to ramp up the coverage here on AFTN with the start of our squad breakdowns and profiles to help you get to know the 14 teams a little bit better. Over the coming days we’ll take a look at all…
New signing Myer Bevan scored twice and Cavalry FC overcame FC Edmonton for the second time in the span of a week on May 10, advancing the Calgarians into the quarter-finals of the Canadian Championship with a 2-1 win at Spruce Meadows and setting up a potential showdown with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. The New…
We continue our Groundhopping tour of League1 BC venues with a look at what is going to be the home of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ men’s and women’s sides. You can catch up with our previous L1BC Groundhopping features below: Swangard Stadium – home of TSS Rovers Thunderbird Stadium – home of Varsity FC Centennial Stadium…
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major Soccer League, and Canadian football chat. It’s been a great weekend for the Whitecaps as both their MLS and MLS Next Pro teams came up with big wins. The ‘Caps first team saw off…
It feels a bit early to be talking about must win matches two months, and eight games, into the MLS season, but here we are. Vancouver Whitecaps’ dire start to the season had them firmly rooted to the bottom of not just the Western Conference, but the entire league. With a four game homestand in…
The inaugural League1 BC season is now less than three week’s away. So far on AFTN, we’ve brought you a quick primer on all seven teams, and introduced you to the coaches on both the men’s and the women’s side. We’ll also be bringing you some squad profiles and interviews on the podcast in the coming weeks, but for the next few days we’re going to take you on a groundhopping trip around the seven grounds and stadiums that the teams will be calling home this summer, kicking things off with Swangard Stadium – the home of TSS Rovers.
Swangard Stadium really is a jewel in the crown of football grounds in British Columbia.
Swangard will always hold a special place in my heart. It was the first stadium I saw a football match at in Canada, during a vacation to Vancouver in October 2001. It was then the place I called home for my football watching when I subsequently moved to Vancouver six years later, making many friends among the Southsiders back in those fun days of the Whitecaps in the USL.
With one of the best playing surfaces in Canada, Swangard Stadium hasn’t seen the use for football in the last 5 to 10 years that it really should have. But that all now appears to be changing. This year alone Swangard is the new home for Whitecaps FC 2 in MLS Next Pro, has hosted a couple of BC Soccer showcases, and will host the men and the women’s BC Provincial A Cup finals this month.
But the tenant we’re most interested in here is TSS Rovers, who have called Swangard Stadium home since 2017 and will continue to do so in League1 BC this summer.
Let’s have an in-depth look at the wonderful stadium.
Swangard Stadium – view to the west
L1BC Home Team: TSS Rovers
Location: 3883 Imperial Street, Burnaby (Northwest corner of Central Park)
Capacity: 5,288 (with 4,500 seated)
Opened: April 26th 1969
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Pitch Size: 115 x 75 yards (105 x 68 metres)
Swangard Stadium – view to the northwest
Swangard Stadium – view to the north
History: Swangard Stadium was officially opened on April 26th 1969 after Vancouver Sun Managing Editor Erwin Swangard led a campaign to raise $1 million to enable the stadium to be built, one of many such sports-based campaigns the German helped to make happen in the Vancouver area.
Swangard was a remarkable man. After fleeing to Canada to escape the Nazi regime in the early 1930’s, the former sports editor of both the Vancouver Sun and Vancouver Province wanted to make Vancouver a sporting hub and his work earned him a place in the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Burnaby’s stadium take his name.
Initially imagined as an athletics stadium with the ability to be used for a number of different sports, Swangard’s first event was actually a soccer match, a cup final between local side Burnaby Ramblers and the wonderfully named North Vancouver Burdett Black Beavers (as per BC Sports Hall of Fame curator Jason Beck’s recent tweet). The match was broadcast live on CBC and finished 2-2 after extra time.
Swangard was home for the Vancouver 86’ers from 1987 to 2000 in the Canadian Soccer League, the American Professional Soccer League, and the A-League, before the team reverted to the Vancouver Whitecaps name in 2001. The Whitecaps then played at Swangard in the A-League, the United Soccer League, and the USSF Division 2 league until the club joined Major League Soccer in 2011 and moved away from the stadium for their first team matches. The club still played some reserve league and PDL games at the ground over the subsequent years, returning this year full-time with WFC2 in MLS Next Pro. The club’s women’s team also called Swangard home in the 2000s.
Swangard has also seen it’s fair share of international matches, playing host to the Canadian national team in many World Cup qualifiers over the years, often with crowds of over 10,000. The stadium also hosted seven matches in the group and Round of 16 stages at the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2007.
Swangard Stadium – view to the east towards Central Park
Swangard Stadium – view to the south towards Central Park
Facilities: Swangard has one main grandstand on the west side of the stadium that seats 4,500 on primarily bench seating, with a handful of actual plastic seats in front of the press box in the middle of the stand.
Uncovered bleachers run along the east side of the stadium, opposite the main stand, and for certain events can also be situated in the north and south side of the stadium, along with standing room along a perimeter fence to take it up to full capacity.
The stadium has four dressing rooms, a concessions, and permanent men’s and women’s toilets all situated under the grandstand. There is one scoreboard located at the south end of the stadium.
The stadium is multi-use, hosting field sports and community festivals, along with a number of full track and field events. The grass pitch is surrounded by an eight lane 400 metre Olympic regulation running track, which was replaced in 2019, and there are sandpits for long jump and triple jump athletic events. There is also a steeplechase pit, and high jump and pole vault facilities.
Swangard Stadium grandstand
Swangard Stadium – centre grandstand view up to the press box
Swangard Stadium – inside the press box
Swangard Stadium scoreboard
Swangard Stadium athletics facilities
After an exciting weekend of BC Provincial A Cup action, the semi-finals are all set and we are guaranteed to have a Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) versus Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) match-up in the final at Swangard Stadium on May 15.
There was drama and twists and turns galore over the four quarter-finals, with two of the matches needing extra time to settle them, and three of the games being settled in the end by a single goal.
The action kicked off at Newton Athletic Park Stadium in Surrey on Friday night as defending Provincial and National champions BB5 United CCB of the VMSL took on FVSL side FC Faly.
The VMSL champions were the heavy favourites going into this one, but Faly pushed them all the way after a stirring second half comeback that saw them have chances of pulling off the upset before BB5 regained control of the match in extra time.
BB5 came out of the gate fast and were 1-0 up with less than two minutes on the clock when Faly’s defence went awol and a wide open Bobby Jhutty sidefooted home a Nic Morello cross.
Jhutty turned provider on the second goal in the 13th minute chipping the ball in to Connor Glennon, who capitalised on defensive hesitation from Faly’s Rafael Elias de Oliveira to drill the ball home and seemingly have BB5 coasting to a comfortable victory.
And they certainly had chances to add to their tally before the half was out, but that failure to finish them off was to come back and haunt them in the second half.
Faly’s half time team talk transformed the team who came out all guns blazing in the second half and they pulled one back in the 58th minute when Sairoob Sairoob fired home a low free kick around the wall that BB5’s Andrew Metcalfe in goal really should have done better with.
The game was going end to end now, but Faly’s pace was causing huge problems for BB5 and they tied things up in the 76th minute when Wonder Tarr ran on to a lovely chip forward from Sairoob Sairoob and got to it just before the home keeper to nick it past him and into the net.
BB5 could have gone back ahead moments later after an amazing sequence in the Faly box (missing from our highlights below as I was changing the camera battery!) that saw a good save from a Morello shot followed by Mark Talisuna crashing the rebound off the crossbar.
Both teams had chances to win it in normal time but couldn’t find the breakthrough and we were heading to extra time.
After being the ascendency for much of the second half, Faly started to fade and BB5 eventually took back over, going ahead three minutes into the second half of extra time when Morello showed nice composure and footwork in the box to curl one past the Faly keeper.
It was a lead they weren’t to give up and Talisuna put the icing on the cake for BB5 two minutes into stoppage time when he quickly pounced on some slow play in the Faly defence to make it a 4-2 final.
You can watch our highlights from the match on our YouTube channel HERE and in the video below:
Full credit to FC Faly who made BB5 work very hard for their win but the VMSL champions now advance to an intra-league semi final with Rino’s VSC Coastal, who were also pushed all the way in their semi-final at South Surrey Athletic Park on Saturday afternoon.
Like BB5, the VMSL side looked like they had put the game to bed against Bays United from the Vancouver Island Soccer League, but after knocking out another VMSL side in West Van last week in the first round, Bays fancied their chances in this one and came storming back before giving up a late goal to lose 3-2.
Coastal were in control in the early going and Jake Starheim put them into an early lead that they held until half time, as Bays slowly got themselves back into the match.
Coastal started the second half strongly again and when Isaac Kyei put them 2-0 up, they must have thought that was the job done but the VISL side had other ideas and launched a fantastic comeback. Bays pulled one back with just over 15 minutes remaining and then around 10 minutes later the islanders tied things up with a great finish.
With extra time looming Coastal found their groove again and they grabbed the winner in the closing minutes when a wide open Sean Kamensek headed home at the back post from a corner. There was still time for Coastal to get a late penalty, that was saved, and after a late scare and a fighting performance from Bays, Coastal booked their spot in the final four with a 3-2 victory.
That now sets up a tasty all-VMSL semi-final on Saturday at South Surrey Athletic Park with Coastal hosting BB5 United (4pm kick off). The two teams finished 12 points apart in the league, with BB5 getting the better of their two games by 4-0 and 4-1 scorelines. BB5 will certainly head into the semi as favourites, but they’ve had to work hard in their first two matches and will be hoping they can get all their players healthy to play in this one, especially Caleb Clarke who missed Friday’s quarter-final.
The island’s last hope of a place in the last four was Nanaimo United, and although they gave FVSL treble winners FC Tigers a battle at Burnaby Lake on Saturday afternoon, it was the home side that came through the tie 2-1.
It was a tight first half, with Nanaimo putting in a solid defensive showing, but the Tigers wore them down in the 43rd minute when Erik Edwardson broke up the right and sent a cross in to Farivar Torabi at the near post. The FVSL Golden Boot winner seemed to get a slight touch as the ball went through to Ivan Meija, who ran in unmarked and made no mistake from six yards out to give Tigers the 1-0 lead.
The islanders kept it to a one goal game until the 85th minute when the Tigers grabbed their second and once again it was Edwardson who was in the thick of the action, when his shot cannoned off the left post and the rebound hit an unfortunate Nanaimo defender on the line and into the back of the net.
Matthew Mehrassa headed home a long free kick for Nanaimo a minute into stoppage time to make the last couple of minutes interesting, but there wasn’t enough left on the clock for the VISL runners-up to find the dramatic late equaliser and the Tigers roar on.
You can watch the full match on Sports Media BC’s YouTube page HERE (they don’t allow embedding on websites so you’ll have to watch this over there instead).
The last quarter-final was the one we felt was the match of the round at Matsqui Recreation Centre in Abbotsford on Saturday evening and it didn’t disappoint.
It was a FVSL v VMSL battle as Abbotsford United played host to Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves and the teams needed 120 minutes to find the winner in this one.
Both teams exchanged chances in the first half, but Abbotsford were looking the slightly more dangerous side and controlled the majority of the play. The FVSL side were rewarded with the opening goal three minutes before half time when Wolves keeper Dillan Fogliato saved a Connor Hildebrant shot but the rebound fell to Colton O’Neill, who pounced quickly to fire Abbotsford ahead from a few yards out.
The goal lit a fire under Coquitlam who came out looking a much different team in the second half and they tied things up in the 51st minute when Kyle Jones curled the equaliser in straight from a corner.
Metro Ford almost took the lead moments later but were denied by two goalline clearances and although both teams had their chances to win it in normal time, the game headed for an extra 30 minutes.
It was still a wide open game, with both sides fancying their chances of grabbing the win before penalties, and they both had early chances to go ahead but the VMSL team’s task was made more difficult when Connor Moe was sent off three minutes into extra time for a contentious last man tackle on Daniel Davidson. The Wolves bench weren’t happy and it saw coach Alfredo Valente given his marching orders by the ref.
Abbotsford turned up the pressure on the ten men and they got the breakthrough in the 103rd minute. Fogliato denied Davidson with a leg save, but the rebound once again fell to O’Neill, this time six yards out in front of goal, and he had time to compose himself and fire home what proved to be the match winner.
The home side had the opportunity to put the game to bed two minutes later when Davidson was brought down in the box, but Folgiato saved the striker’s spot kick and it set up a nervy final 15 minutes. Coquitlam tried to find the equaliser but couldn’t and Abbotsford advanced to the last four.
You can watch our highlights from the match on our YouTube channel HERE and in the video below:
Abbotsford’s victory now sets up an intriguing all-FVSL semi-final clash with FC Tigers at Hjorth Road Park in Surrey on Sunday (kick off is 3pm). FVSL treble winners Tigers are looking to add another trophy to their cabinet and will face an Abbotsford side they finished 18 points ahead off and beat three times in the Premier Division standings. Their last meeting, however, was in April’s Pakenham Cup final with the Tigers needing a stoppage time goal to secure a 2-1 victory, so you can be sure Abbotsford will be up for this one.
You can find all the results and fixtures for all the men’s and women’s Provincial Cup games on the BC Soccer website HERE.
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps and Major Soccer League chat.
It’s been a weekend with no MLS action for the Whitecaps. A much needed break for the first team to rest, recharge, re-evaluate, and work on how to start to turn things around, which they badly need to do and quickly. Can Vanni Sartini turn things around? We sit down with the ‘Caps coach to talk about just that and the team’s current issues.
There is going to be help coming soon with defensive midfielder Andres Cubas’ signing becoming official last week. We look at what he will mean to the team and hear from Whitecaps Sporting Director and CEO Axel Schuster about the player and the team’s current plight.
But not everything is doom and gloom in Whitecapsland, we still have WFC2 to enjoy and they made it three straight wins on Saturday. There been many standout performers for the team so far this season and we chat with two of them this week, centrebacks brothers Cristian and Matteo Campagna.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.40: Andres Cubas is officially a Whitecap
23.54: Vanni Sartini interview
55.27: WFC2 round-up
59.11: Cristian and Matteo Campagna interview
77.40: Wavelength – Booze and Glory – Hooligan
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: CFC Media/Mike Sturk)
There’s no place like home.
Cavalry FC proved the old adage right in their first home match of the 2022 season, shutting out visitors Pacific FC 2-0 at Spruce Meadows on May 1 to earn their first Canadian Premier League (CPL) win of the year.
Goalkeeper Marco Carducci kept a clean sheet in his first game back for Cavalry after missing the opening three matches following a testicular cancer diagnosis and ensuing surgery in February. The 25-year-old ‘keeper made a couple of important saves in his return, to help keep the CPL table-toppers Pacific from improving upon their 3-0-1 record.
Following the match, Carducci said it was a “special feeling” to return to his spot between the sticks after revealing his cancer diagnosis in a public letter to fans back in February.
“As the game went on, it was about just doing what I know how to do,” he said during the post-game press conference. “To be honest, at the end of the game with a couple minutes left, I started to feel a little more emotional than I thought. It was incredible just to have the guys around me fighting just to hold on and not only win the game but come away with a clean sheet.”
While Cavalry came into the Week 4 match languishing in the basement of the CPL with a 0-2-1 record, the Calgarians looked more like their old selves on Sunday, with an assured performance against the defending CPL champs.
With four points from four matches, the victory also means Cavalry leap-frog FC Edmonton for the seventh spot in the CPL table.
Despite the loss, Pacific remains in first place with 10 points, and the Langford-based team will be taking on second-place Atlético Ottawa on May 7 in a top-of-the-table clash.
In the pre-game press availability on Friday, head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and captain Mason Trafford both spoke about the benefit of finally having home-field advantage in the May 1 match. Cavalry had struggled on the road in the three weekends prior: in three consecutive trips to Ontario to take on Atlético Ottawa, Forge FC, and York United, the Calgary squad managed just one point, scored twice, and conceded five goals.
Many fans likely had not even taken their seats on Sunday before Cavalry FC got the ball rolling, with Ali Musse scoring for the hosts less than two minutes into the match. Winger José Escalante slid to keep the ball from rolling out for a goal kick along, and after the ball landed back at the Honduran’s feet a few seconds later, he laid it off for Musse, who placed his shot into the bottom-right corner.
Cavalry doubled their lead in the 37th minute thanks to a well-taken strike from Mason. Pacific left-back Nathan Mavila tried to dribble out of the visitors’ end, and Jean-Aniel Assi nicked the ball away from the former Cavalry defender. The ball fell to Mason, who was able to touch it forward before picking the top-left corner with a shot from just outside the 18-yard box.
Carducci had to stop a few efforts from Pacific winger Marco Bustos and midfielder Manny Aparicio to keep the visitors from clawing their way back into the match. His biggest moment came in the 61st minute, when he blocked a close-range effort from Bustos.
“I have to give credit to the guys in front of me who put in an absolute shift – we stuck to the plan, we scored goals, and we didn’t concede,” Carducci said.
“There was a moment there on a friend of mine Marco Bustos where I came up big, but at the end of the day, it’s about everyone pulling their weight and for me being there was an opportunity to keep us up two goals.”
“It was a great win for Marco and everyone for what he’s been through,” Wheeldon Jr. added in the post-game press conference.
“The lads fought for him and his big save at the end to keep the shutout. That’s all I wanted – a shutout for him, because he’s an impressive human being.”
Cavalry’s next outing will be on May 6, when the team will travel north up the Queen Elizabeth II Highway for the first Al Classico of the season to face FC Edmonton, who are currently the only CPL team still chasing their first win of 2022.
The two Alberta teams will then resume the rivalry on May 10 at Spruce Meadows in the first round of the 2022 Canadian Championship.
There were some shocks, late drama, and a lot of close encounters in the eight first round matchups in the Keith Millar Provincial B Cup last weekend, with the competition looking wide open as the quarter-finals get set to play out this Saturday and Sunday.
The first round produced 23 goals between them, saw four Divisional champions advance to the last eight, and two more crash out as four leagues (the Vancouver Metro Soccer League, the Fraser Valley Soccer League, the Vancouver Island Soccer League, and the Richmond Adult Soccer Association) still have teams representing them in the quarters. Only the Burnaby Metro Soccer Association teams have been all eliminated.
The action got underway in Burnaby last Saturday evening with VMSL Division 3B champs getting the better of BMSA champions Coasters FC 1-0 in a close game at Burnaby Central that saw the Surrey side’s excellent season continuing after an unbeaten league campaign and a narrow loss in the VMSL Division 2 cup final.
In a battle of two second teams, FVSL side Abbotsord United B headed to Ambleside and came away with a 2-0 victory over the VMSL’s West Van B, in what was a bad afternoon for the home side’s teams in this year’s Provincials.
There was a shock at Hugh Boyd Park in Richmond as RASA League Cup champions West Coast FC beat VMSL Division 2B champions FC Romania 2-1 after extra time.
Over on the island it was an all-VISL clash between VISL Division 3A and George Pearkes Challenge Cup champions Gorge-Us Guys and the Juan de Fuca Kings at Victoria’s Hampton Park, with the Gorge-Us ones running out 2-1 winners.
FVSL Division 2A and Presidents Cup champions Mission SC looked strong in a 3-0 win over BMSA side Mundiavocat at Mission Rotary Sports Park.
The final first round match on Saturday was an all-VMSL affair, with Division 2A champions VUFC Snipers just coming out on top 1-0 over Division 2 Cup winners Vancouver Harps at Trillium.
There were two remaining first round ties played on Sunday evening, with the action kicking off at Hugh Boyd Park in Richmond with what proved to be the tie of the round and it was an absolute barn burner between unbeaten RASA champions Richmond All Blacks and VMSL side Gastown Astro.
After a tight and goalless first hour, it was Astro that took the lead in the 61st minute before the All Blacks pegged them back six minutes later from the spot. Gastown went back ahead in the 81st minute and as the minutes ticked down they must have been thinking they had done enough to clinch a place in the quarter-finals but the Richmond champs had other ideas and staged a dramatic late comeback.
The All Blacks tied things up in the 86th minute and then with extra time looming, Richmond grabbed the winner with a minute remaining to clinch a dramatic 3-2 victory and a place in the last eight.
The final first round match saw FVSL side Aldergrove United Highlanders head to Newton to take on VMSL side Lobbans FC and come away with the 3-2 victory.
So after all of that action, here’s how the weekend’s four quarter-finals shape up:
SATURDAY APRIL 30
GORGE US-GUYS (VISL) v ABBOTSFORD UNITED B (FVSL)
12.15pm kick off – Layritz Park, Saanich
RICHMOND ALL BLACKS (RASA) v ALDERGROVE UNITED HIGHLANDERS (FVSL)
8.00pm kick off – Minoru Oval, Richmond
SUNDAY MAY 1
GUILDFORD FC (VMSL) v WEST COAST FC (RASA)
6.00pm kick – Newton Athletic Park Stadium, Surrey
VUFC SNIPERS (VMSL) v MISSION SC (FVSL)
6.30pm kick off – UBC South Turf, Vancouver
You can find all of the results and fixtures for all of the BC Provincial Cup games HERE.
The inaugural League1 BC season kicks off on May 22. Seven men’s and seven women’s team will battle it out to become the league’s first champions and with the squads starting to take shape, the countdown to kick off is fully under way and the excitement is building.
Over the next month we’re going to bring you an in-depth build up to the new league on both the site and the podcast, with an almost daily selection of articles and features.
We kicked things off on Friday with a quick primer on all seven teams, and yesterday we profiled the seven coaches charged with leading the men’s teams into the inaugural season.
In the second part of our ‘Get to know the L1BC coaches’ we look at the seven coaches that will be leading the ladies in this year’s league.
ALTITUDE FC – DEHARA SEPTEMBER
We profiled Altitude co-owner Faly Basse in the first part of this feature. Basse will be the head coach of both Altitude’s men’s and the women’s sides, but on the latter his assistant will be the very experienced Dehara September.
September is a founder and head coach at the all-female She Plays Soccer Academy and along with being the assistant with Altitude this summer, she’ll coach the academy’s adult Venus FC team in the PCSL. She’s been involved with girls’ soccer on the north shore for a number of years now, coaching with NSGSC and West Van FC.
As a player September played professionally for Newcastle United in England and Northampton UK Laurels in the WPSL in the US before injury ended her playing career and she moved into coach. She also played internationally for the South African national team.
September holds a Canada Soccer C licence, a Provincial B licence, and a US Soccer E licence.
Away from the football pitch September is a very talented jazz and soul singer and is the secretary and treasurer of the Vancouver Anti-Racism Coalition. She also serves on the viaSport BC Diversity in Coaching committee.
RIVERS FC – MARK PENNINGTON
(Photo Credit: Andrew Snucins / TRU Athletics)
Like the men’s side, Rivers FC’s women’s team will be led by the head coach of the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack women’s team, Mark Pennington.
Pennington was appointed the head coach of the Wolfpack in 2019 after three years as an assistant to Jesse Symons at UBC and two years before that under Graham Roxburgh at Trinity Western, both now fellow L1BC coaches. It’s been somewhat of a baptism of fire for the Englishman, whose young team have managed just three wins in the two seasons of play he’s been at the helm.
Outside of the college game, Pennington was a guest coach with the U17 national team, was a Vancouver Whitecaps prospect coach, and coached teams to a National Championship gold medal and bronze medal at youth level. He also coached two winning programs in the PCSL and spent time as a guest coach at Tottenham Hotspur with their U18 program.
Locally in BC, Pennington has previously been the Club Technical Director of the SurDel Soccer Club in Delta, and was the head coach of the Coastal FC U18 and U13 girls programs in South Surrey in the BCSPL.
Pennington holds an English F.A. Coaching certificate, a Canada Soccer A licence, and US Coaches Association professional development certificates in College Coaching and Sport Psychology.
TSS ROVERS – CHELSEY HANNESSON
Chelsey Hannesson was appointed the TSS Rovers women’s head coach in January and will lead the team into their first L1BC campaign this summer, having previously been a Whitecaps REX staff coach where she worked alongside Rhian Wilkinson amongst others.
Hannesson brings a wealth of coaching experience in the girls’ game including spells with River City SC and Surrey United, and she is the current Assistant Technical Director with the Langley United Soccer Association. She has previously been a staff coach with BC Soccer and is currently working with Canada Soccer as a Coach Developer for the Youth Licence and A Licence courses.
As a player, Hannesson spent four years playing at Eastern Washington University, where she earned herself a reputation as a free kick specialist.
Hannesson holds a Canada Soccer A Licence, a Canada Soccer children’s licence, and a BC Soccer Technical Director Diploma.
UNITY FC – GRAHAM ROXBURGH
The most experienced and decorated head coach among the L1BC women’s sides, Graham Roxburgh has been the man in charge at Trinity Western University since 1999, guiding the Spartans to five USPORT national championships and a slew of Canada West titles.
Roxburgh first came to TWU in 1993 as an assistant to the men’s team before being appointed head coach of the women’s side in the fall of 1998. He has won the USPORTS Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2021, the latter of which came after an undefeated Canada West season and a silver medal in the national championship game. Roxburgh has also been named Canada West Coach of the Year on six occasions.
Roxburgh is also the director of TeamUp, which works alongside local organizations to use sports for the greater good, whether that be the beginning of sustainable impact or a component of a long-term community development strategy.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS – KATIE COLLAR
Katie Collar was appointed the head coach of the Whitecaps L1BC team and their Girls Elite program on Tuesday. Her role with the ‘Caps will also oversee the club’s Pre-Girls Elite program and the Mainland Girls Academy and she comes to Vancouver with a wealth of coaching experience to her name and most recently led the Whitecaps Calgary Academy and REX program.
Prior to the Whitecaps, Collar was with Calgary Foothills as Development Phase girls manager and assistant coach of the club’s UWS women’s team and has also been the assistant coach of the University of Calgary Dinos and previously worked in Nova Scotia’s REX program as an assistant coach. She was recently named Alberta’s Canada Summer Games head coach for 2022.
As a player Collar made 68 appearances in a five-year NCAA career at Eastern Kentucky and had a youth career with Calgary Foothills Colts, winning back to back Canadian National Championships at U16 and then U18 level.
She is in the process of completing her Canada Soccer A Licence. She currently holds the B licence.
VARSITY FC – JESSE SYMONS
UBC Thunderbirds women’s head coach Jesse Symons takes the reigns at Varsity looking to build on a solid six seasons in charge of the T-Birds that saw him guide the team to a USPORT national title in 2019.
Symons came to UBC in 2016 after 10 years in the Whitecaps system that saw him as head coach in the academy, the ‘Caps W-League team in 2012, and the Girls Elite program.
Symons has also been a BC Provincial team coach, and has been a Technical Director with the North Shore District Metro Program and the North Shore Girls Soccer Club.
Most recently, Symons has taken on a role last month as Manager of Coach and Player Development at BCSPL side Fusion FC where he will be “supporting staff who build curriculum, providing coach development for partner clubs, and helping establish and support academy programs”.
Symons was named a MLS Works Community MVP in 2020 for his work with Hope and Health, an organisation who work with Indigenous children and youth in many communities, putting on clinics and camps.
VICTORIA HIGHLANDERS – NEIL SEDGWICK
Neil Sedgwick has been the head coach with the University of Northern BC Timberwolves in Prince George since 2016, but he’ll be heading back to Vancouver Island this summer to lead the Highlanders women’s team in L1BC, returning to the club where he served as assistant coach on their PDL team for four seasons from 2011 to 2014 and was their Director of Youth Development.
Sedgwick guided the Timberwolves to their first ever Canada West playoff victory in 2017 and then set team records for wins, points, and goals the following season.
Sedgwick’s coaching career started in 1999 when he had a two year spell as head coach of the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks’ women’s team before moving on to the USC Trojans in various roles and then as head coach of the University of Montana Grizzlies. He has also served as a Technical Assistant with Canada’s women’s U17 program.
Sedgwick played his college soccer at Dalhousie University and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax and played in the Canadian Soccer League for three different team – Winnipeg Fury, Nova Scotia Clippers, and Montreal Supra.
A native of Leeds in England, Sedgwick achieved his Masters degree in coaching in Victoria in 1998 and holds both a Canada Soccer and US Soccer A licence. He is the co-founder and Director of Youth Development for Victoria based academy EPIC Sport.
The inaugural League1 BC season kicks off on May 22. Seven men’s and seven women’s team will battle it out to become the league’s first champions and with the squads starting to take shape, the countdown to kick off is fully under way and the excitement is building.
Over the next month we’re going to bring you an in-depth build up to the new league on both the site and the podcast, with an almost daily selection of articles and features. We kicked things off on Friday with a quick primer on all seven teams. Next up, we’ll help you get to know the coaches taking charge, and in the first of this two part feature, we’ll look at the seven coaches at the helm of the seven men’s teams, with a look at the coaches of the seven women’s sides in part two.
ALTITUDE FC – FALY BASSE
Altitude’s men’s and women’s teams will be led by Faly Basse, a Frenchman who has called Vancouver home since 2008. A former footballer in his native France, Basse played football from an early age and came through the youth ranks with Strasbourg FC, making his pro debut with them as a teenager and was capped by the French U17 national team.
At 21 he suffered an injury that kept him out for eight months. After trialling around Europe, Basse suffered another injury that signalled the end of his professional playing career and he moved into coaching, first in London and then in Vancouver, where he set up the Faly Academy in 2008.
The Academy has gone from strength to strength and their U21 side entered the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL), winning the BC Soccer Doug Day Provincial Men’s U21 Provincial Championship in 2018 as well as the VMSL U21 league title. Most recently FC Faly competed in the VMSL Division 1 during the abbreviated 2020/21 season before moving to the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) Premier Division this past season, where Basse guided them to a 4th placed finish.
The holder of a B level licence, this will be Basse’s first taste of coaching at the semi-professional level, and with a number of long-term FC Faly players on the Altitude squad, that familiarity should help him get the best out of them in what will be a tough first season in L1BC.
RIVERS FC – JOHN ANTULOV
With Kamloops based Rivers FC affiliated with Thompson Rivers University, it was no surprise that the Wolfpack’s John Antulov was named the club’s first head coach.
A former professional player with the Vancouver 86ers, Antulov won back to back Canadian Soccer League titles with the club in 1990 and 1991, making 17 appearances across the two seasons, and had a successful college career with Simon Fraser University.
Antulov brings a wealth of coaching experience to the club after eight years as the head coach at TRU and a further seven seasons before that on the coaching staff of the Wolfpack, guiding them to a historic first bronze medal at the USPORTS national championship in 2017.
He has also been the head coach of the Whitecaps Kamloops Academy since 2013 and is a coaching facilitator with BC Soccer. He holds a Canadian National A Licence.
TSS ROVERS – WILL CROMACK
With over 20 years of experience in coaching in youth and adult soccer, Will Cromack returns to the helm at TSS Rovers having taking over coaching duties for the 2019 USL League 2 season. He is also the General Manager of the club.
Cromack’s playing career saw him spend five years at UBC Thunderbirds, winning four national championships, and he was on the books of the Vancouver 86ers.
Cromack holds a Canada Soccer A licence and is currently going through his UEFA A Licence certification, having held his UEFA B badge since 2016.
UNITY FC – MIKE SHEARON
Mike Shearon took over as the Trinity Western Spartans men’s soccer head coach in 2016 after serving as the team’s associate head coach for the previous six seasons, and first joining the team as an assistant coach in 1998 after moving to Canada from Ohio in the US.
Unity are affiliated with TWU allowing Shearon to continue the work he has done with the program’s players in recent years, having guided them to a 4th place finish at the 2018 USPORTS nationals, but now with some fresh additions added in to the mix.
Shearon has been coaching since 1995 and holds an Advanced National Coaching Diploma from the NSCAA. He’s coached in the PCSL and has also taken teams on a number of international tours.
As a player, Shearon played his college soccer with the Wheaton College Thunder in Illinois and played club soccer with Cleveland Internationals.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS U19 – RICH FAGAN
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Rich Fagan has been a part of the Whitecaps organisation since 2010, working up and down the various levels on both the men’s and women’s side, which included becoming head coach of Whitecaps FC 2 in their final USL season in 2017.
Prior to coming to the ‘Caps, Fagan was involved in the local youth soccer scene in BC since 2004 with Surrey FC.
Developing the younger players to get them ready for that next step and first team football has long been Fagan’s passion and he has been working as the head coach with the ‘Caps High Potential Players since last year under Vanni Sartini. That role sees him working with every head coach from U15 to U23 and liaising with head coaches and contacts throughout the nationwide Whitecaps Academy system to identify and evaluate players.
He will now be combining that role with taking the U19 side after Nick Dasovic stepped up to take charge of the returning WFC2.
Fagan hold a Canada Soccer A License, a USSF A License, and a FFF Elite Formation License.
VARSITY FC – MIKE MOSHER
Mike Mosher is the most storied of the coaches that will lead teams in L1BC this season, entering his 27th year as head coach of the UBC Thunderbirds where he has guided them to four national titles in 2005, 2007, 2012, and 2013, and was named Coach of the Year on that last occasion.
Now 52-years-old, the passion is still there and he has just won the 2022 VMSL Imperial Cup with VUFC Hibernian, a team which much like Varsity, is predominately made up of Thunderbirds players, so fantastic preparation for the upcoming L1BC season.
As a player, Mosher was a Thunderbird for five years, during which time he contributed to three national championship runs in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1989 gold-medal squad and is in the UBC Hall of Fame. Mosher also played four years with the Canadian Olympic team and spent four seasons in the Canadian Soccer League with the Edmonton Brickmen and the Winnipeg Fury.
VICTORIA HIGHLANDERS – STEVE SIMONSON
It’s a welcome return to Victoria for Steve Simonson who was in charge of the Highlanders in their PDL days for two and a half seasons from 2012 before leaving the organisation in 2015 when he became the head coach of the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves.
During his previous spell with the Highlanders, Simonson took them the 2013 PDL Final Four and he’ll be hoping to rekindle some of that success in L1BC.
Coaching since 1998, Simonson holds a Canadian Soccer B Licence and has previously been an assistant with the Whitecaps women’s team in 2006 and a technical assistant with the Canadian women’s national team from 2000 to 2004.
(Graphic by @VictoriaGooner/Twitter)
There was BC Provincial A Cup action for the first time in three years over the weekend, and the eight matches didn’t disappoint.
After 33 goals, late drama, extra time, penalties, and sending offs across the matches, there were eight teams left standing, providing a great split across the three local leagues with three teams left from the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL), three from the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL), and two from the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL).
The action got underway in Coquitlam on Friday evening as Metro Ford Wolves played host to Inter EDC in an all-VMSL matchup at Charles Best.
As expected this was a closely contested affair, with the deciding goal from Connor Moe coming in the first half as Metro Ford came away with the narrow 1-0 victory.
Friday night also saw another all-VMSL first round matchup at Newton Athletic Park with local rivals BB5 United CCB taking on BCT Rovers Hurricanes.
We’d deemed it our ‘Match of the Round’ and the game certainly lived up to the billing as the two Surrey sides, and the last two winners of both the Provincial Cup and the national Challenge Trophy, served up a pulsating affair.
In the end it was VMSL champions BB5 United CCB who came through it with a 3-2 victory, but they were certainly pushed all the way by the Hurricanes, who nearly forced extra time at the death with a header that just flew agonisingly wide.
The Hurricanes had actually taken an early lead when Nick Soolsma fired home from the spot six minutes in, but their lead was to be very short lived and BB5 came roaring back to tie things up just three minutes later when Nic Morello scored after getting onto a flicked on header at the back post, possibly with the help of Elie Gindo on the line as the ball was crossing the line.
Both teams had their chances to grab the crucial next goal but it was BB5 who got it when Connor Glennon started and finished a nice passing move in the 44th minute, volleying home a deflected Eric de Graaf cross at the back post.
BB5 added to their lead in the second half when Morello grabbed his second of the game in the 54th minute, taking a nice touch to make room and curl a low one into the bottom left corner.
Down 3-1, it was the talismanic Soolsma who reduced the deficit for the Hurricanes back to one, running in on goal to slot home in the 70th minute.
Both sides had their chances to add to the scoring, and although it was the Hurricanes who had the best of them, they couldn’t find another goal and VMSL champs BB5 moved on to the quarters.
You can see highlights of the match on our YouTube channel HERE and in the video below:
Saturday saw another five first round matches across the lower mainland and Vancouver Island and there were some big scores, controversy, and surprises along the way.
The action got under in Nanaimo in the only all-VISL match up of the round, and it was a close one as Nanaimo United saw off their league counterparts Vic West 2-1, with tempers getting a little heated towards the end after the home side advanced to the next round with a penalty.
And Nanaimo were soon joined in the quarters by another VISL side, as Bays United Liquor Plus pulled off the cupset with a 3-2 extra time win at West Van FC in Ambleside Park.
It was a deserved victory for the islanders, who were the more dangerous side throughout, but had to work hard to get over the line after seeing their two goal lead pegged back by a home side that never gave up.
It could have been very different if West Van had taken the early chance afforded to them when Paul Kelly went down in the box. Up stepped Eoin McCormack, but he hit his penalty high over the bar and minutes later they found themselves behind to a sweet Manny Straith volley from the edge of the box 20 minutes in.
The teams exchanged chances but Bays held their lead till half time. The cup shock was on, and it looked even more so when Jack Hill doubled the VISL side’s lead five minutes into the second half, running in on goal and brilliantly chipping the West Van keeper to make it 2-0.
The Victoria side weren’t able to enjoy their cushion though as the deficit was immediately brought back to one when Stefan Crameri went down in the box and Colin Phillips made no mistake from the spot this time around, drilling home the 52nd minute penalty.
West Van pushed for the equaliser, while Bays looked to capitalise on quick breakaways, but the home side tied things up in the 81st minute when Thomas Arnott rose to head home in the second phase from a free kick into the back of the box.
That could have broken Bays’ resolve, but instead they strengthened it and pushed hard to settle the game in the 90 minutes. It wasn’t to be, however, and the match headed for an extra 30.
The deciding moment came three minutes into the second half of extra time when Jose Sagaste ran through a tired looking West Van defence to tuck away what proved to be the 108th minute winner and book the VISL side a place in the last eight.
You can see highlights of the match on our YouTube channel HERE and in the video below:
While the first four ties in the round were all decided by one goal, the next two matches were very much one-sided affairs, racking up a couple of lopsided victories for two teams that will really fancy their chances of going all the way in this competition.
FVSL champions, and treble winners, FC Tigers were in action at Cloverdale against fellow league opposition in the shape of Surrey United. Tigers were the heavy favourites to win quite handily in this one and that proved to the case as they moved into seventh heaven with a 7-1 rout.
Leading scorer Farivar Torabi struck first for Tigers in the 12th minute, running onto a lovely long Erik Edwardson ball and finishing with aplomb. Two minutes later though Surrey were back level, heading home the equaliser from the second phase of an indirect free kick in the box that had crashed off the bar.
That was to be as good as it got for Surrey, who fell behind again in the 20th minute and after that there was to be no looking back for the FVSL champs.
Connor MacMillan drilled home a third in the 21st minute with a fierce volley at the back post and that was how it stayed until half time. Tigers continued their dominance in the 51st minute when Torabi grabbed his second to make it 4-1, showing nice footwork in the box to stay on the ball and score after the Surrey keeper had saved his first effort.
A 62nd minute own goal saw Tigers go nap, then they made it six in the 69th minute with a long range strike. Torabi rounded off the scoring in the final minute with a neat finish to grab his hat-trick and make it a 7-1final.
You can see the full match on Sport Media BC’s YouTube channel HERE.
While that one was playing out, VMSL side Rinos VSC Coastal were producing a rout of their own 20 minutes away in South Surrey, hitting VISL team Cowichan for six in a 6-1 triumph.
Coastal got off and running early in this one when Taylor Richardson stooped to head home a corner from four yards out in the 8th minute. Eight minutes later it was 2-0 and it was Richardson again who did the damage, running in unmarked at the back of the box and slotting the ball home.
The VMSL side were rampant and had several opportunities to score more, eventually adding their third five minutes before half time when Richardson drilled a low one in from 20 yards out after Cowichan failed to clear the danger, sealing his hat-trick.
It was four, 10 minutes after the restart, when Jake Starheim scored from the spot after Jeevan Minhas had been brought down in the box and Coastal went nap in the 69th minute when Noah Thompson swept the ball home from six yards out.
To their credit, Cowichan kept fighting and they scored the goal of the game in the 80th minute when Mateo Kostering volleyed home a beauty from the corner of the box. That wasn’t to be it for the scoring though and James Farenhorst made it 6-1 a minute into stoppage time, firing home from a corner from close range for a very comfortable win for the VMSL side.
You can see highlights from the match on Sports Revolution’s YouTube channel HERE and in the video below:
The final action on Saturday night came at Empire Field in Vancouver, and the all-FVSL clash between two sides that had very little separating them over the regular season – FC Faly and Langley United.
In a very fast-paced match, it was always going to be a close affair, and it was only finally settled in stoppage time with FC Faly running out 3-1 winners against a Langley side that played the last 55 minutes of the match with 10 men.
Both teams had several attacking chances in the early going, with Langley perhaps just edging it, but it was Faly who went ahead in the 32nd minute through a long distance Sairoob Sairoob strike, that had the help of a deflection oon the way to goal.
The big game changer came three minutes later when Langley were reduced to 10 men after Scott Barling was sent off for an apparent stamp on Faly’s Bernardo Illoz. It had been a bit of a chippy game up to that point and that kept going with a few more coming togethers and cards handed out before the end, just no other red ones.
The ten men of Langley got back on level terms, however, on the stroke of half time, with John Craig heading home a Brennen Slawter cross from a three yards out, and all of a sudden they were back in the game.
Faly used their extra man advantage well, using their pace to stretch the game, and went back in front in the 53rd minute when Sairoob Sairoob brought down a Wonder Tarr cross in the box and volleyed home a beauty from 14 yards.
Despite creating numerous scoring chances, Faly had to wait until late in the game to seal the deal and the victory. They thought they had done it in the last minute of normal time when Rafael Elias de Oliveira was brought down in the box, but Anastazi Nahayo’s penalty crashed off the right post to keep Langley hopes alive.
Three minutes into stoppage time is was to be 3-1 to Faly, with Steev Salim having a nice turning finish in the six yard box, sparking jubilant scenes on the Faly bench. With a lot of this Faly team on Altitude FC’s League1 BC roster, this is excellent preseason preparation for them, although they now face a tough task in the quarter-finals against VMSL champs BB5 United.
You can see highlights of the match on our YouTube channel HERE and in the video below:
And there was still time for more action on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the weekend.
It was another one that was vying for the title of the ‘Match of the Round’ on paper when the draw came out, with second-placed FVSL side Abbotsford United heading to the island to take on VISL champions at Braefoot Park in Victoria.
Lakehill had the edge and home field advantage in this one and it felt even more so when Craig Gorman opened the scoring for them in the 20th minute, a narrow lead they took into half time.
Abbotsford hit back just before the hour mark when Atle Koellmel buried a rebound from close range to tie things up in the 57th minute and the FVSL side were in dreamland when Reece Branion gave them the lead with 10 minutes remaining, completing the turnaround.
But there was to be late drama as Lakehill sent the crowd into rapture when leading scorer Blair Sturrock scrambled the ball home in the 88th minute to send the game into extra time.
The deciding moment came just two minutes into the extra period when David Parfett’s long ranger was parried by the Lakehill keeper. The rebound fell to Ben Shumbusho, who buried it in the Lakehill net to give Abbotsford a 3-2 lead they weren’t to give up, booking them a spot in this weekend’s quarter-finals.
A lot of great games there and there’s another four in store this weekend in the quarter-finals. Here’s what’s on the slate:
FRIDAY APRIL 29TH
BB5 United CCB (VMSL) v FC Faly (FVSL)
8.30pm kick off – Newton Athletic Park Stadium, Surrey
SATURDAY APRIL 30TH
FC Tigers (FVSL) v Nanaimo United (VISL)
3.30pm kick off – Burnaby Lake West Field
Rinos VSC Coastal (VMSL) v Bays United (VISL)
4.00pm kick off – South Surrey Athletic Park
Abbotsford United (VMSL) v Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves
6.00pm kick off – Matsqui Recreation Centre, Abbotsford
You can check out all of the results and fixtures across all six men’s Provincial Cups on the BC Soccer website HERE.
Whitecaps FC 2 are really starting to hit their stride. A second straight victory sees them sitting atop the MLS Next Pro Pacific Division standings, with nine points from their five matches played and with 10 goals to their name and seven different goalscorers contributing.
Nick Dasovic’s side put in an assured performance, scoring twice in each half to come away with a 4-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City II, managing the game well after taking the lead and never really looking in trouble after going ahead from Simone Masi’s 23rd minute opener.
Emiliano Brienza made it two in two matches for him, adding a second for the ‘Caps two minutes later and Filip Rakic put the game to bed when he made it 3-0 in the 67th minute. SKC pulled one back five minutes later through Michael Lenis, but Joe Hanson restored Vancouver’s three goal lead with six minutes to go, securing a comfortable victory for Vancouver.
AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was there to capture all the action before, during and after the game. Here’s his “Story In Pictures”, with a full Flickr slideshow at the end.
**Another fun Sunday afternoon at Swangard awaits
Your WFC2 starting XI
After dealing with some early KC pressure, that saw the visitors hit the bar eight minutes in, the Whitecaps get a corner in the 23rd minute which Filip Rakic sends into the box
Where it’s met by Simone Masi
Who fires it home to give the Whitecaps the lead and give Masi his first goal as a pro
The ‘Caps kept the pressure going and two minutes later Chris Lee sent a ball into the box
Which broke to Emiliano Brienza, who fired home his second of the season to make it 2-0 WFC2
Sheer joy!
SKC had their chances to pull one back before the break, but the ‘Caps defence held firm
Much to the visitor’s disbelief
The Whitecaps started the second half strongly and added to their lead in the 67th when Filip Rakic powered forward
Rounded KC keeper Kendall McIntosh
And slotted home his first goal as a pro to make it 3-0 WFC2
SKC II pulled one back five minutes later through Michael Lanis
But the ‘Caps three goal lead was soon restored in the 84th minute when Ali Ahmad played in Joe Hanson
And Yukon’s gold hit home his first goal as a pro to make it 4-1 WFC2 and round off the scoring
Frustration for KC
But ecstasy for the Whitecaps, who march on looking better and better with every game** You can see all of Tom’s photos from the game HERE and in our full Flickr slideshow below:
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps and Major Soccer League chat.
The Whitecaps are in a rut and they’ve got to get out of it pronto or risk being cut adrift very early on in the season. Their latest loss in Austin leaves them bottom of the Western Conference and the entire league, eight points back from the playoff line. The season may only be a quarter of the way in, but it’s already looking bleak.
Can they turn things around? We delve into where it’s going wrong and what needs to change, while looking at what the latest defeat tells us. Plus we chat with Vanni Sartini about team chemistry, getting the best out of certain players, and what the team need to do to stop the rot.
But it’s not all doom and gloom in Whitecapsland as there is the shining light that is WFC2. The young ‘Caps won again at the weekend and lead their division. We look at how the team is playing and chat with head coach Nick Dasovic about what he’s seen from the team so far.
Ali Ahmed was the latest player to get a first team call up, making his MLS debut against Austin then turning out for WFC2 less than 24 hours later. We caught up with Ali after the game to talk about that debut, an emotional couple of days, making the move to Vancouver from Toronto, and his hopes for the future.
All of that, plus we round-up the weekend’s action in MLS and how things are shaping up two months into the season across the league.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.18: Whitecaps lose in Austin
36.25: What now for the ‘Caps? – with Vanni Sartini
65.41: MLS round-up
103.58: WFC2 win again
106.57: Nick Dasovic interview
120.55: Ali Ahmed interview
132.15: Wavelength – I Can I Can’t – 3 Nil-Nils
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo credit: Scott Strasser/AFTN)
Less than two weeks before they kick off their 2022 CPL campaign against Atlético Ottawa, Cavalry FC has entered a new stage of preseason training.
With the bulk of an eight-week preseason behind them and a base fitness well established, Cavalry head coach and general manager Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said the squad’s players are shifting their focus away from their own training and tactics, and starting to think of how best to overcome Ottawa in their CPL season opener at TD Place on April 9.
“I think Ottawa put on paper one of the best groups they’ve put in the three years they’ve been in existence,” said Wheeldon Jr. “But we know the game isn’t played on paper – it’s played on grass.
“It’s whichever team performs their tactics, strategies, and has the physical capabilities to do so early in the season. We’re hoping that’s us, with the preparations we’re putting in place.”
Cavalry’s preseason has been much more comprehensive than the last two pandemic-hampered years, according to Wheeldon Jr. Having several weeks in a row to put the players through their paces – and even travel internationally – has given Cavalry the opportunity to not only prepare their bodies for the toll of a 28-game regular season, but also gel as a squad.
The team recently returned from a 10-day trip to Monterrey, Mexico, where they spent nine days training and took on three professional Mexican sides – Correcaminos, Tigres reserves, and an unnamed third-division team – finishing the trip with a 1-1-1 record.
Since returning to Canada, Cavalry has faced the University of Alberta and CF Montreal in a pair of additional preseason friendlies.
“Every preseason you’re going to have challenges,” Wheeldon Jr. said, highlighting the niggling injuries that players can develop in the early weeks of training after months of less physical activity.
“Preseason is always a challenge for that, and then getting the competitive games you need to prepare. But I think we have an advantage this year because this is the first time we’ve had a full preseason since 2019. We’re trying to maximize it as best as we can.”
Reinforcing the squad
When it comes to developing chemistry, most of that should already be established this year. Unlike in 2021, Wheeldon Jr. noted how the majority of Cavalry’s roster from the previous season is still intact. He mentioned how Cavalry brought in 16 new players in 2021, but such a squad revamp was not necessary this spring: just four new player signings and two loanees have been announced in 2022.
“We never wanted [2021] to be a rebuild, but essentially it was,” Wheeldon Jr. said of last year’s CPL campaign, which finished with a disappointing semi-final showing for Cavalry. “We still finished level on points with Forge, and could tell as the season went on, with the congestion of fixtures, that there were a few things we couldn’t quite get clicking by the time we hit the playoffs. This year, we decided to actually retain around 16 [players], so we’re in a different mindset.”
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any new faces spotted around Spruce Meadows or the Macron Performance Centre, however. The departures of seven players from 2021 – including fan-favourite wingback Mo Farsi (who went to Columbus Crew II) and captain/central midfielder Nik Ledgerwood (now on the Cavalry FC coaching staff after retiring from playing) means some reinforcements were always going to be necessary.
New signings have included goalkeeper Julian Roloff from FC Köln’s reserve team in Germany’s Regionalliga West, Fraser Aird from FC Edmonton, youngster Jean-Aniel Assi on loan from CF Montreal, Calgary native Charlie Trafford, who is returning home after nearly a decade of playing in Europe, and New Zealand striker Myer Bevan, who joins the club from Auckland City FC and previously played in Canada for Vancouver Whitecaps’ USL side.
When asked which of the signings could become new fan-favourites among the Foot Soldiers and Cavalry faithful this year, Wheeldon Jr. said only time will tell.
“Assi is a dynamic young player that we feel has a massive upside, but he still needs some nurturing,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “He’s still only 17. He’ll turn 18 this calendar year, but he’s got absolutely electric pace and a great mindset.”
As for the Scottish-Canadian Aird, Wheeldon Jr. touted the former Glasgow Rangers and Vancouver Whitecaps player’s goal-and-assist contributions for an FC Edmonton side that struggled last season, adding he could see Aird taking over Farsi’s role as one of the team’s offensive sparks.
“Beyond that, we really like the addition of Myer Bevan, who makes us a little more dynamic in the attack,” he said. “And Charlie Trafford. It feels like he’s always been here, even though he’s never played for us. This is his home city and he wanted to come back and help us compete for a championship this year.”
Another player who Cavalry fans will likely be happy to see on the pitch again is Elijah Adekugbe. The central midfielder was a key cog in the team’s 2019 and 2020 campaigns and is coming back after a full season out with a torn Achilles tendon.
At the other end of the pitch, the return of centre back Karifa Yao, set for another on-loan season from Montreal, will be a boon to Cavalry’s back line. Yao was another fan-favourite among Cavalry’s supporters’ group, and was selected as the Foot Soldier’s choice for Cavalry’s Player of the Year in 2021.
Goalkeeper Marco Carducci, of course, will be out of the line-up for the first part of the season, after announcing publicly that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in February. In an interview with the Calgary Sun this week, Carducci said he is on the mend after his surgery and hopes to be back in the squad before long. Until then, Tyson Farago and new signing Roloff will be tasked with being Cavalry’s last line of defence.
Road Warriors
The early weeks of the season will have some added adversity for Cavalry in the form of a trying league schedule. The Calgarians will start the 2022 campaign with three consecutive away matches – after facing Ottawa they will be on the road to take on perennial rival Forge FC on April 16 and York FC (now coached by former Cavalry assistant coach Martin Nash) on April 22.
Cavalry will have to wait until May 1 before they will play in front of their own fans – and it will be against defending champs Pacific FC, who of course knocked Cavalry out in the CPL semi-finals last season.
In fact, among Cavalry’s first 14 games of the CPL regular season, the head coach noted just five will be at Spruce Meadows.
“We have to have that ‘Road Warrior’ mentality,” Wheeldon Jr. said of the first half of the season. “It won’t be easy. We’ll be on the road a lot, and Ottawa will be trying to pack TD Place [in our first game]. We know for the first game of the season, we want to go crash the party.”
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with more Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian national team chat.
It’s official! Canada have done it and are heading back to the World Cup for the first time since 1986. It was a historic day in Toronto and our man on the ground Zach shares the experience with us as we chat about qualifying for Qatar, what John Herdman has meant to this team, the rise of Canadian soccer, and a lot more. Plus we hear the thoughts of Atiba Hutchinson on just how good this Golden Generation of young Canadian talent can be.
Turning our attention back to the club game, our feature interview this week is with WFC2 head coach Nick Dasovic. We chat about the team being back and what it means for the club, the new MLS Next Pro league, developing young talent, and lots more.
We also chat with new North Texas head coach Pa Modou Kah about the new league, leaving CPL champs Pacific FC for a new challenge with a MLS2 team, and how he’s grown as a coach during his time on the island.
Plus we chat with Vanni Sartini about what the Whitecaps need to work on during this international break and how they can turn their fortunes around, and we look ahead to the ‘Caps game with Sporting KC this coming weekend.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.32: Canada are going back to the World Cup
44.43: Nick Dasovic interview
74.38: WFC2 chat and thoughts of Vanni Sartini
82.33: Pa Modou Kah interview and MLS Next Pro chat
103.14: Vanni Sartini interview
108.30: Whitecaps chat and a look ahead to SKC
115.14: Wavelength – Scotland 1986 World Cup Squad – Big Trip To Mexico
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The end of the local amateur men’s season on the Island is here. The Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Cup Finals Day will mark the end to what has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding, seasons in recent history.
Coming out of a cancelled year, something that had not happened for over 100 years, and coming out of strict protocols during a pandemic, we are all grateful to be playing the game.
The VISL has four cup finals at Starlight Stadium in Langford this year on Saturday March 26th. Here’s what’s on the championships slate.
10.00am will see Nanaimo United go against Lakehill in the George Smith Under 21 years Cup.
Nanaimo are heavily favoured and have had a very good year. It will take a special effort from the Saanich team to take down the division champs. The U21 division is meant to keep young men playing, bridging the gap for some so that they get ready for the older teams in the open men’s divisions. Both teams are quick, both teams have great skill, and we look forward to these players progressing on to the next level.
12.30pm will see Juan de Fuca Kings go up against Gorge Us-Guys in the George Pearkes Challenge Cup.
The Challenge Cup is the second tier for players, known to go on and compete in the B Cup for BC Soccer in the Provincials, which kick off next month.
This will be the last game formally for the Us-Guys as the team has been promoted to the 2nd Division, and will most likely go a different direction. They have had a great run for the past almost decade, and will look to finish in style. JDF has had a coming out year and will continue to have good success as their senior program is trending in the right direction. JDF is considered the David here, and will look to take down the Gorge Goliaths.
3.00pm will be a live streamed game – the Tony Grover Masters Cup. This is for the player group that is 35 years plus and streaming will be on the VISL Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/VancouverIslandSoccerLeague/live_videos.
Many of the participating players have had long successful years with the VISL and abroad and this years game will have Cowichan 49ers vs Vic West FC.
This is a pretty evenly matched game as the teams have defeated each other once and had a draw this season. Cowichan did have a better regular season overall and were in a battle with nemesis UVic last weekend to just miss out on winning the division. Vic West has had a come back type season adding new players and hoping for successes while celebrating their 125th year of local soccer.
This game will also have a mini Timbits style game at halftime as TIDE Soccer Academy players from Duncan/Cowichan aged 5-9 will battle it out.
5.30pm sees the last game of the day, and without a doubt the most prestigious trophy in the VISL cabinet – the battle for the Sir John Jackson Cup.
This game will also be live streamed, and can be followed along at: https://www.facebook.com/VancouverIslandSoccerLeague/live_videos.
Competed for since 1915, this year’s match will feature Nanaimo United vs Bays United.
It was an especially tough draw for Nanaimo as they had to defeat both the Division 2 and Division 1 champions to get to the show. Finishing 2nd in the Island’s top tier, they are the team to beat. Bays had a tough start to the season, but through excellent community support, have rallied to get back to the show themselves.
There is no doubt this will be a highly contested match, but Bays will need that special effort to overcome a Nanaimo team as they look to repeat as Jackson Cup champs.
There will be another mini timbits game at halftime and these teams will feature some of the U7/U8 boys that play out of Lakehill. Team Green (Jalapenos) vs Team Black (Ninja’s) – it will be 10 minutes of goals, the occasional good tackle, and attempted nutmegs.
As with all our Finals, post game trophy presentations will take place, as well as individual medals, and game MVP’s. Like the majority of our games here on the Island, local referees will be officiating the game. These individuals have worked hard over the course of the season to stay in shape, and do a great job. Congrats to all officials selected to the cup finals.
Admission for the whole day is just $5.00 per person. Kids 12 and under are no charge. There will be a full concession open and vaccination passports will be checked at the entrance gates.
Thanks for continuing to support local grassroots soccer – the kids and men that live, work, and go to school in your community up and down the Island. It’s been a great season and Finals Day starts an exciting couple of weeks for football at Starlight Stadium with Pacific FC kicking off their campaign to defend the North Star Shield in the Canadian Premier League on April 10th and the Canadian women’s national team continuing their Olympic Gold Medal celebratory tour with a game against Nigeria the following evening.
Vancouver Metro Soccer League’s (VMSL) Finals Day is all set after an exciting weekend of semi-final action that saw a number of close games, penalty shootouts, and red cards.
West Van FC will meet VUFC Hibernian in next Saturday’s Imperial Cup final, after both teams came through two tough semis that produced a lot of drama up at Empire Field in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon.
On the 11th anniversary of the Whitecaps’ first MLS match at Empire Stadium in 2011, VMSL Premier Division champs BB5 United CCB battled it out with West Van FC in the first semi-final, and some battle it was, with penalties being needed to secure the Amblesiders place in this year’s.
BB5 will wonder how they let this one get away from them after Eric de Graaf’s 37th minute header had them one step closer to a league and cup double.
The Surrey side were by far the more dangerous team and pushed hard to put the game to bed, their best chance coming when the West Van keeper saved a Rylan Sangha effort before a goalline clearance off the rebound saw Sangha denied for a second time.
It looked like their one goal would prove to be enough but Konstantin Vasic headed home an unlikely 90th minute equaliser to send the game into extra time.
You still fancied BB5 to go on and get the job done, but the momentum swung two minutes into the extra period when BB5’s Mark Talisuna was sent off for a second yellow card.
There weren’t many chances in the extra 30 minutes. West Van came closest with a late effort that crashed off the bar, but the deadlock couldn’t be broken and it was to be decided by penalties.
West Van put away their first, with Caleb Clarke missing for BB5. Both teams scored their next, but with West Van then missing and BB5 scoring theirs, we were all tied up again and it soon sat at 3-3 with just the final shooter of each team’s first five left to go.
West Van went ahead again and then it was up to BB5’s co-leading scorer Nic Morello to force the teams to sudden death. But Morello went for the panenka and his weak effort was saved, sparking joy for the Amblesiders.
But the drama wasn’t over. The officials deemed the West Van keeper to have come off his line and a retake was ordered. Morello stepped up again, but this time he blasted high and over and West Van could celebrate once again.
You can see our semi-final highlights on our YouTube channel HERE and on the video below:
The second Imperial Cup semi-final on Saturday after was another close affair, with VUFC Hibernian edging out Rino’s VSC Coastal 2-1 to both their berth in the final.
All the action came in the second half of this one, with Connor Mrazek firing VUFC into the lead. Logan Chung added a second with a nice finish on a quick counter, before Sean Kamensek pulled one back for Coastal in stoppage time.
There’s wasn’t enough time left to find the equaliser and the Hibs lads held on to face West Van in next Saturday’s Imperial Cup final at Burnaby Lake.
That final will take place at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex next Saturday, along with six others across the divisions and the relegation/promotion playoff between the Premier and Division 1.
Disappointingly the Imperial Cup final is currently set to the clash with the Whitecaps game at BC Place. Here’s the full line-up for VMSL Finals Day:
IMPERIAL CUP – West Van FC v VUFC Hibernian (6.30pm – Field 2)
DIVISION 1 CUP – Columbus FC v Coquitlam Metro Ford Lupi (4.30pm – Field 1)
DIVISION 2 CUP – Guildford FC v Vancouver Harps (1.30pm – Field 2)
DIVISION 3 CUP – FC Serbia United Narps v Mainland Athletic (5.30pm – Field 4)
MASTERS A CUP – Port Moody SC Rangers v SFC Pegasus TU (4.00pm – Field 2)
MASTERS B CUP – Gastown Astro FC v Strathcona Primo FC (2.00pm – Field 1)
U21 CUP – Langley United v Fusion FC U21 (4.00pm – Field 4)
PREMIER DIVISION PROMOTION/RELEGATION PLAYOFF: – SFC Pegasus or Burnaby Selects White Eagles v Port Moody SC or Metropolitan FC (7.00pm – Field 1)
You can find all of the results, standings, and fixtures across all the divisions at VMSLsoccer.com.
Whitecaps FC 2 are back. We’re excited here at AFTN and we want you to be too! So to get you hyped for the inaugural MLS Next Pro Season, which gets underway for the Whitecaps in Houston on Saturday March 26, we’re helping you get to know the new WFC2 squad a little bit better.
We’re running a series of articles profiling the squad in the build up to the season kick off, and we’ll be bringing you coverage of the team and the league all season long.
If you missed the first three, check them out:
Part One – Owen Antoniuk, Elage Bah, Emiliano Brienza, Lucas Dasovic, and Vasco Fry
Part Two – Ali Ahmed, Christopher Lee, Finn Linder, Simone Masi, and Joshue Ndakala
Part Three – Giovanni Aguilar, Simon Becher, Theo Collomb, Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador
This time around we look at six more that have just inked their new deals.
BEN ALEXANDER
(Photo Credit: WhitecapsFC)
Arguably, the greatest continuing success story in the Whitecaps academy has been their conveyor belt of goalkeeping talent, and Ben Alexander is another in this long line.
Alexander joined the Whitecaps academy in August 2016 as a 13-year-old, playing the 2016/17 season with the U14s before moving up to the U15s the following season, where made 15 appearances as the young ‘Caps won the USSDA Northwest Division title.
Working through the age groups and playing at higher ones a number of times, Alexander is still just 18 and has spent this past winter season playing with the Whitecaps U19 side in the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) Premier Division, sharing minutes with fellow keeper Max Anchor. Both of them recorded three clean sheets.
The Chilliwack native played his youth football with Chilliwack FC and Fraser Valley FC before making the move to the ‘Caps.
Alexander played in the recent preseason friendly against CPL side York United, keeping a clean sheet, and he has signed an amateur contract with WFC2, which would allow him to keep his college eligibility if he decides to go down the NCAA route.
CRISTIAN CAMPAGNA
Of all the players signed to WFC2 deals, 20-year-old centre-back Cristian Campagna is certainly right at the top of the pecking order to sign the next MLS homegrown deal with the ‘Caps.
We’re very high on Campagna here at AFTN and this season is an important one for the academy alumni’s development and how he performs at the next level after impressing in both the youth and college ranks.
Campagna joined the Whitecaps MLS academy as a 13-year-old in August 2015 after catching the eye with Surrey United in the BCSPL, where he started playing at the age of four and was selected for the Western Canada side at the Danone Nations Cup national final in 2013.
Campagna played for the Whitecaps U16 side in the 2016/17 season, playing eight games, just one of them starts, before coming into his own with the U17s the following two seasons, making 57 appearances, all but two of them starts, and scoring seven goals.
After a Covid curtailed 2019/20 USSDA season with the U19s, Campagna headed to college at the University of Albany, majoring in Business Administration. He played in all nine matches for the Great Danes in his Freshman year and was named to the America East All-Rookie XI and the FTF All-Canadian Freshman XI.
After a year at college, Campagna returned to the Whitecaps fold in 2021, signing with the U23 development squad.
Campagna was part of a Canadian national team U15 identification camp in 2016, but more recently, and intriguingly, Campagna has been a training player at a number of the national team camps ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, which is not only fantastic experience for him but a testament to his talent.
Campagna has been a key player for the U23 in their series of friendly matches over the past year, captaining the side and marshalling the defence. This will continue into MLS Next Pro, and with his brother Matteo, who is on a season long loan to WFC2 from the first team with an option to recall, we’re going to see a Campagna brother backline and we can’t wait.
JOE HANSON
It’s been a long road travelled for Joe Hanson. The 18-year-old from Whitehorse became the first Yukon player to sign a professional deal after inking a WFC2 contract this month, but his journey has taken him from the northern territory to Vancouver Island, the lower mainland, and even to US as he chased his footballing dreams.
Hanson’s youth career saw him start playing with his dad Jake’s Total Soccer Excellence Academy in Whitehorse as a 5-year-old and it wasn’t long before he knew he want to be a professional footballer, moving on to the Yukon Junior Selects.
It was a dream his family supported, and to further those ambitions Hanson was a guest player for an Alaskan team before heading south to play with the Crossfire Premier in select games, winning Washington State championships with the team at U10, U11, and U12 levels between 2014 and 2016, all the while still playing with Yukon Strikers Selects.
Hanson played for the Yukon Selects at the Canada Soccer National U15 Championships in Quebec in 2018, where he scored a couple of goals on the way to the team’s 7th placed finish, a historic high for a team from the territory.
Hanson was soon on the move again, this time to British Columbia where he joined BCSPL side Vancouver Island Wave in May 2019, helping their U16 side to a BC Soccer Premier Cup the following month.
Hanson, who can play as a forward and an attacking midfielder, then came to the Whitecaps MLS academy in August 2019 at the age of 15, soon moving up the ranks and has been a part of the U23 developmental squad since May last year. With an impressive goalscoring record at every team and level he’s played, it’s going to be interesting to watch how Hanson fares at his highest one yet.
JAY HERDMAN
After playing his youth soccer with BCSPL side Surrey United, Jay Herdman made the switch to the Whitecaps MLS academy in August 2017 at 13 years of age. Four and a half years later, after moving up through the ranks from U13 to U19 level, the midfielder has signed his first professional contract with WFC2.
The son of Canadian national team head coach John, Herdman has got where he is on his own merit, impressing many as he’s moved through the age group at youth level and now looking to cut his teeth in the adult game.
Jay Herdman followed that up by going Han Solo from way downtown
It's good! #VWFC pic.twitter.com/KGLUrxYlun
— Whitecaps FC MLS Academy (@WFCAcademy) October 11, 2018
Jay Herdman scored the other, putting it outside of the keeper's range pic.twitter.com/JsBturCxc2
— Whitecaps FC MLS Academy (@WFCAcademy) April 8, 2019
The attacking midfielder, who can also play in the forward positions, has a sweet right foot on him as you can see from the two goals above. Take a bow after those two strikes!
Can we expect more of the same in MLS Next Pro? While an exciting talent, it should be remembered that Herdman is still only 17 and will be one of the youngest players on the WFC2 roster. I expect him to get a lot of playing time, but he’s been playing with the U19s in the FVSL Premier Division this past winter season, scoring one goal, so I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him get minutes for the ‘Caps in L1BC as well.
Herdman has been involved in the last two Whitecaps preseason camps, playing in the match against Indy Eleven last year, and played in a number of friendlies for the U23s. This year has seen him feature in all of WFC2’s preseason matches, scoring the opening goal in their 3-2 loss to Valour FC last week.
FILIP RAKIC
Filip Rakic has been playing football since the age of five with the New Westminster Tigers soccer academy. And he returns to the Whitecaps fold having first joined their academy as an 11-year-old back in 2012 after impressing with the Italian Canadian Sports Federation youth sides.
Now 21, the Serbian born attacker has been playing the last couple of years in the local leagues, where he once again caught the Whitecaps’ eye after a string of strong performances.
Rakic left the Whitecaps academy after a couple of seasons to join BCSPL side Fusion FC, where he was selected to take part in a Canadian national team U15 identification camp in Burnaby in 2015, before moving on to play for Coastal FC.
Last year saw Rakic play for Port Moody SC in the Pacific Coastal Soccer League before playing the winter season for Fraser Valley Soccer League champions Rino’s Tigers, where he scored twice in league play.
Rakic has already had an impact for WFC2 in their recent preseason friendly against Valour FC, scoring the second Whitecaps goal in a 3-2 loss, and also featured in the game against York United and the recent Blues v White intrasquad match.
ERIC WHITE
A versatile player who can play both as a defender and a midfielder, 19-year-old Eric White has been part of the Whitecaps academy since August 2016, and has been playing more as a winger as he has moved through the ‘Caps system.
The Coquitlam native came through the Coquitlam Metro-Ford ranks in the BCSPL prior to joining the ‘Caps and was described by U17 head coach Rich Fagan as a “David Beckham style wide player” ahead of the USSDA playoffs in 2019.
White was a key part of the Whitecaps U15 side that won the USSDA Northwest Division title in the 2017/18 season, scoring eight goals in 22 appearances, 21 of them start. Moving up to the U17s the following year and for the curtailed 2019/20 season. He won the male Academy Player of the Year award in 2020.
He’s also been keen to share his soccer knowledge with the kids coming through and has helped with coach camps for both the Whitecaps and Coquitlam Metro Ford.
White started the recent WFC2 friendly loss to Valour FC and the Blues v Whites intersquad game and has been involved with the U23s for a couple of years training with the first team on a number of occasions. He’s signed an amateur contract with WFC2, which would allow him to keep his college eligibility if he decides to go down the NCAA route.
The Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Division 1 2021/22 regular season, the top flight of amateur soccer on the Island, has come to a close.
With a very imbalanced schedule, all games were played, and heading into the last week, final placements near the bottom were still to be decided.
Here is what happened at a glimpse:
In a late finishing game from the previous week, Juan de Fuca finished their season by defeating Comox Valley 2-0 after goals from Ethan Emile and Devon Austin. Earning another clean sheet was keeper Cody Carter.
On Friday night, Lakehill saw off Bays United 4-2, where benches were thin and permitted players were common. Craig Gorman, Keegan Lang, and Matthew Olaka with a pair, were on target for the champions, with Patrick Nelson scoring both goals for Bays.
Saturday ended up deciding who would finish 9th and 10th and it was decided early in the afternoon as Powell River Villa defeated Gorge FC 2-0. Scoring both goals for Villa was James Timothy, while earning the shutout was keeper Scott McKenzie. The win for Powell River cemented their 9th place finish in the standings, just ahead of Comox.
Saturday saw the last Division 1 game of the season and it was Comox Valley over Westcastle 2-1 after goals by Kyle Bate and Ambrose Tinmouth. Scoring the lone goal for Westcastle was Kieren Erickson.
So with all game results entered, here is what the final VISL Division 1 standings look like:
Spots 8 to 10 came down to the wire, and there will be a lot of what ifs discussed.
What it all means is that Juan De Fuca Allflows are clear of the relegation zone in 8th and Powell River finishes in 9th. The Villa will not need to worry about relegation as the 4th place team from Division 2 (JDF Hellas) does not plan to challenge for a spot.
It should be noted that teams in 1st and 2nd from Division 2 have declined promotion as they have club teams in the top flight already.
Finishing in 10th place was Comox Valley United. This is important as there is speculation that the 3rd place team from Division 2 (Prospect Lake) may challenge for the chance to be in Division 1 for next year. Prospect Lake will have one week to declare their intentions, so the overall drama may not be over quite yet.
The Golden Gloves leaderboard was fun to track this year. While not an official award in the VISL, seeing which goalkeeper led their team guarding the cage ended up pretty close. Hardeep Gahunia from Lakehill sits atop the heap of goalies that did the business over the course of the year.
Here is how that race finished up:
Another leaderboard we track is the goal scoring leader for the division.
Blair Sturrock of Lakehill stayed atop the Golden Boot list, even with Patrick Nelson of Bays giving it his all and notching a brace in their final game head to head.
An impressive year by both veterans, but Blair Sturrock earns the Div 1 Nanaimo Centennial Award for top scorer in the top division.
Here are the totals on the impressive list of goals scorers:
So that is a wrap on the regular season side of things. All divisions were completed over the weekend, and all results across them all can be found at www.visl.org.
Eight divisions, almost 2000 players, covering 71 teams.
Thanks for continuing to support local grassroots soccer, and the people that work and live in your community.
But the action is far from over. Cup Finals are this weekend and while those will wrap up the local season, the 2022 Provincial Cup begins next month.
Whitecaps FC 2 are back. We’re excited here at AFTN and we want you to be too! So to get you hyped for the inaugural MLS Next Pro Season, which gets underway for the Whitecaps in Houston on Saturday March 26, we’re helping you get to know the new WFC2 squad a little bit better.
We’re going to run a series of articles profiling the squad in the build up to the season kick off, and we’ll be bringing you coverage of the team and the league all season long.
If you missed the first couple, check them out:
Part One – Owen Antoniuk, Elage Bah, Emiliano Brienza, Lucas Dasovic, and Vasco Fry
Part Two – Ali Ahmed, Christopher Lee, Finn Linder, Simone Masi, and Joshue Ndakala
This time around we look at the four MLS SuperDraft picks that have just inked their new pro deals.
GIOVANNI AGUILAR
Selected 49th overall by the Whitecaps in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, the third of their five picks this year, Giovanni Aguilar has been the one that has been the stand out performer so far from this year’s crop.
The 24-year-old central midfielder impressed enough in the early days of the ‘Caps preseason camp to be part of the second stage in San Diego, where he saw minutes in three of Vancouver’s four preseason matches, scoring the winning goals in the 1-0 victory over San Diego Loyal and the 4-2 defeat of LA Galaxy.
A native of Olivehurst, California, Aguilar’s youth career saw him play for Lindhurst High School, where he earned All-League honours three times and was team MVP, and local side Davis Legacy before joining Sacramento Republic’s academy for their inaugural 2015 USSDA season.
After impressing with the Republic, where he was named to the Western Conference Best XI after helping the U18 team reach the playoffs in the 2016/17 season, Aguilar headed off to college at California State University Northridge making 72 appearances for the Matadors, 71 of them starts, scoring three goals and adding 11 assists.
Aguilar was named to the 2017 Big West Conference All-Freshman Team in his rookie season and the 2021 Big West All-Conference First-Team in his senior one. His last season as a Matador saw him as co-leading scorer with three goals and he played 1,483 of a possible 1,654 minutes during the season, with his head coach Terry Davila feeling he is one of the best midfielders to have ever played with the program.
Signing with WFC2 isn’t Aguilar’s first pro deal, however. The midfielder, who can play as both a number six and an eight, returned to Sacramento, signing a deal with the Republic in December for the 2022 USL season ahead of this year’s draft.
Impressed by what they’ve seen so far, the Whitecaps secured a transfer of Aguilar last week for an undisclosed fee. His preseason form has shown that he is far from being out of place at the higher level and Vanni Sartini will take a good look at him in MLS Next Pro to ascertain what ceiling that next level could now be.
SIMON BECHER
The Whitecaps first pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft was 22-year-old forward Simon Becher. Selected 16th overall, Becher had impressed as a goalscorer during his four years at college and the ‘Caps saw his potential at the next level.
Originally going to Holy Cross University for his Freshman year in 2018, Becher scored seven goals and added two assists in his 17 appearances, before transferring to Saint Louis for the final three years of his degree and college career.
Becher’s goalscoring prowess continued with the Billikens, where he scored 21 goals and recorded 13 assists in his three seasons and 47 appearances. His final season in Saint Louis saw Becher finishing tied for first in NCAA goal contributions with 14 goals and 10 assists, which included goals in nine straight matches and a goal or an assist in 11 straight games.
His exploits saw him named a First Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches, Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference, Top Drawer Soccer First Team Best XI, and he was a Hermann Trophy semi-finalist.
Becher came through the youth ranks with Oakwood Soccer Club, playing with them from the age of 13 and going on to score over 70 goals in his time there, guiding them to a USSDA U16 Northeast Division Championship in 2016, where he was also named to an Eastern Conference Best XI.
There was no way that football wasn’t going to be in the future of the 6-foot-1 Brooklyn, Connecticut native. It runs very deep in his family with both of his parents playing collegiately for Missouri S&T Miners. His grandfather Bill is in the St Louis Hall of Fame, as is his uncle Bill, who had a 13 year professional playing career, managed Harrisburg City Islanders for 14 seasons, and is now involved in the youth side of the team, now rebranded Penn FC.
Becher has been called into US national team camps on three occasions, the most recent of which was a U20 camp in 2019. He also has two seasons of USL2 experience under his belt, playing for Reading United in 2019, where he scored seven goals in 10 appearances, and Ocean City Nor’easters in 2021, where he scored 12 goals in 14 appearances and was named to the Eastern Conference XI.
Becher clearly has an eye for goal and you have to feel he will be a key component to the WFC2 attack this season. This is his highest level to be tested at yet, but he already has an assist to his name in the preseason friendly against Valour FC. More to come in both the goalscoring and assist department? You’d certainly expect there to be when you look at the previous numbers, but the pro game can take a little bit of time to adjust to.
THEO COLLOMB
Another forward with a proven eye for goal, 21-year-old Frenchman Theo Collomb was the Whitecaps fourth pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, selected 72nd overall.
A native of Clermont, France, Collomb has played just one year of college soccer for the University of North Carolina Greensboro in the NCAA, but two seasons due to Covid disruption. His Freshman spring season saw him start all 14 matches for the Spartans, scoring eight goals and earning co-Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and All Southern Conference First Team honours.
The fall sophomore season saw Collomb start all 17 matches for the Spartans and he finished the regular season leading the NCAA with 15 goals, 1.00 goals per game, and 35 overall points, helping UCNG win the Southern Conference championship. In amongst those goals was Collomb’s first career hat-trick against VMI in September, five multi-goal games, and three game-winning goals.
Collomb’s exploits saw him named Southern Conference Player of the Year and to the United Soccer Coaches All Region First team, earning him an invite to the MLS showcase, where he clearly impressed the Whitecaps enough to select him. You have to feel that his international status put a number of clubs off picking the talented French forward, as mock drafts had him going in the first round, so he could be an absolute steal for Vancouver.
Collomb isn’t your usual player available in the draft, he has a solid footing in the game at a high level over in Europe, having played three seasons on the second team of French club Clermont Foot 63, starting 15 of his 30 appearances and scoring nine goals.
He could be the real surprise package of the four draft picks and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do in the blue and white.
LUIS FELIPE FERNANDEZ-SALVADOR
Originally hailing from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Luis Felipe Fernandez-Salvador was the Whitecaps first pick of the second round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, selected 44th overall.
Heading to Vancouver from NCAA 2021 national champions Clemson, 22-year-old Fernandez-Salvador finished his collegiate career with 11 goals and 14 assists in 69 appearances and 51 starts.
After finding the net just three times over his first three college seasons for the Tigers, Fernandez-Salvador had an explosive senior year, scoring eight goals and tallying five assists, including two goals in the playoffs, efforts that saw him named to the College Cup All-Tournament Team.
After emigrating to the US with his family in 2016, Fernandez-Salvador played his youth football with Minnesota based Shattuck-Saint Mary’s in the USSDA.
Fernandez-Salvador can play as both a central and an attacking midfielder. He got the start in the recent Blues v Whites game at BC Place and friendly with York United.
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with more Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian Premier League chat.
The new MLS season may only be four games in but they’re already going on a break for the international window and the Whitecaps will be delighted by that. The ‘Caps latest loss seems them winless in their opening month of matches and missing a number key personnel to injury.
We look back at the loss to LAFC, what the ‘Caps can take from their first four games of the season, and where they really need to put in the work in the two week until their next match.
Our feature interview this episode is the latest in our series building up to the new CPL season as we sit down for an in-depth and entertaining chat with Cavalry FC head coach and GM Tommy Wheeldon Jr. We look back at the Cavs 2021 season and their three years in the league so far, delve into the new additions to the squad and what the team will look like this season, the future for the game in Alberta, and there’s still time to talk tea, biscuits, waistcoats, and bunnets amongst many other things.
We also round up the weekend’s action in MLS for the other two Canadian teams and around the Western Conference, The Delgados continue their residency as our artists of the month, and we have a song for Everton fans in this week’s Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.40: LAFC v Vancouver postgame analysis
17.33: The Whitecaps building blocks
26.33: MLS Canadian round-up
30.33: MLS West round-up
51.03: Tommy Wheeldon Jr interview and Cavalry FC discussion
97.05: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive? – Tommy Wheeldon Jr
101.18: Wavelength – The Toffee Rappers – Rap of Honour
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter)
Not as bad as it could have been. I think that could certainly be one of the takeaways for Vancouver Whitecaps after their 3-1 loss at LAFC on Sunday night.
A beat up Whitecaps side, missing a growing number of key starters, head into the international break still in search of their first win of the new MLS season, with some “building blocks” according to head coach Vanni Sartini but also with a lot to think about as they desperately try to turn their fortunes around.
I don’t think many people would have given the last placed Whitecaps much of a chance against table toppers LAFC, but Tristan Blackmon returned to his old stomping ground to fire Vancouver ahead in the 12th minute.
And it was a well worked goal too off a set piece.
Pedro Vite spent so long looking to place the ball for a free kick that you knew something was planned. LAFC, however, seemed slow to cotton on to that as Sebastian Berhalter whipped the ball into the box. It was met superbly by Lucas Cavallini, whose header crashed off the right post but the rebound fell straight to Blackmon who poked the ball home from a few yards out to give Vancouver the lead and the centre-back his first goal as a Whitecap.
Sometimes these scripts just write themselves #VWFC | #LAFCvVAN pic.twitter.com/0UpqZa2796
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 21, 2022
The visitors looked lively. Could the shock be on?
Well this proved to be as good as it got for the ‘Caps, but it shouldn’t have been, as a game defining moment came five minutes later which should have put the ‘Caps 2-0 up.
Thomas Hasal produced a fantastic sprawling save to deny a José Cifuentes header off a Carlos Vela cross. It was a top drawer stop, and as LAFC committed men forward for the subsequent corner, a Hasal punch set up a quick 2-on-1 counter as Cristian Dajome and Cavallini bore down on the home goal. As Dajome streaked into the box, he had Cavallini wide open, with the goal gaping, to his left but chose to shoot instead, which former ‘Caps keeper Max Crepeau saved and the danger was cleared.
Selfish, a lack or awareness, over confidence, or a combination of all of the above, it’s hard to say, but it was the wrong decision and a costly one, as Vancouver weren’t really at the races after that miss.
When the Colombian watches it back, he’ll realise his mistake, but the damage was done and LAFC soon hit back in the 27th minute when Hollingshead got the better of Berhalter in the box to head home a pinpoint Vela corner without even having to leave the ground.
Vela Hollingshead #LAFCvVAN 1-1 pic.twitter.com/9I9UBGbcoO
— LAFC (@LAFC) March 21, 2022
This was going to prove to be a test of the Whitecaps’ fighting ability and they battled but it always felt that the home side were going to go on and secure the victory.
Carlos Vela made it 2-1 to home side in the 38th minute at the second attempt after Hasal had stopped his first effort, but the work on this one was all set up by some magical play by Kwadwo ‘Mahala’ Opoku, who showed footwork trickery the Whitecaps can only dream off right now to waltz his way through Russell Teibert, Javain Brown, and Jake Nerwinski on the right wing to set up Vela for the finish.
Fantastic play by the Ghanaian but abysmal stuff from the three Whitecaps.
The pass.
The finish.
The celebration.
Perfection. @Mahala_jnr @11carlosV pic.twitter.com/hq8duZkvfX— LAFC (@LAFC) March 21, 2022
It was nearly game over three minutes after the restart when having not learned of his danger from the first half, the Whitecaps allowed Hollingshead a free header off a corner, which Hasal saved on his line.
But the home side couldn’t put the game to bed and although the Whitecaps weren’t offering too much threat in return, they were at least still in the match.
That all changed with 20 minutes remaining when LAFC did finally put the final nail in the ‘Caps coffin, and who else would be the man with the hammer than Hollingshead again.
The Whitecaps had two chances to clear the pressure from another LAFC corner, with the second one falling to Hollingshead on the edge of the box and his low rocket powered past Hasal to make it 3-1 and game over.
MAMA THERE GOES THAT MAN AGAIN!!! @rmhollingshead WITH A LASER. pic.twitter.com/RYizTP49iL
— LAFC (@LAFC) March 21, 2022
Mahala drilled the ball wide for LAFC a few minutes later as you worried the game could now get out of hand, but the Whitecaps held firm, and almost reduced the deficit to one two minutes into stoppage time, but substitute Deiber Caicedo saw his goalbound shot knocked away by a Doneil Henry block.
All things considered, it wasn’t the worst we’ve seen the Whitecaps play down at LAFC by a long way but no wins from their first four matches and just one solitary point to show for their efforts is not what anyone hoped for after the strong end to last season.
It looks such a different team in terms of danger, bite, and just fight really. Missing Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Caio Alexandre, and Erik Godoy to early season injuries is a killer. That’s four key starters out and I think the depth has been shown to not be what is needed.
There is at least a two week break now until the next game when an equally beat up Sporting Kansas City come to BC Place on April 2. That will give the Whitecaps time to get some players back, Gauld and White are expected to be good to go, and work on what is going wrong, especially how to get something, anything coming to increase the pressure and danger in the final third.
It’s still very early days, but the feelgood factor from last year has already gone and Sartini now finds himself in his first rough patch as a head coach. This will test his coaching chops and we’ll see soon what his response will be.
FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles FC 3 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 22,065
STATS:
Possession: LAFC 61.5% – VAN 38.5%
Shots: LAFC 18 – VAN 7
Shots on Goal: LAFC 9 – VAN 2
Saves: LAFC 1 – VAN 6
Fouls: LAFC 15 – VAN 12
Offsides: LAFC 3 – VAN 0
Corners: LAFC 11 – VAN 3
LOS ANGELES: Maxime Crépeau; Kellyn Acosta, Jesús David Murillo, Mamadou Fall (Doneil Henry 81), Ryan Hollingshead; Latif Blessing, Ilie Sánchez, José Cifuentes (Francisco Ginella 87); Kwadwo Opoku, Carlos Vela (Cristian Arango 81), Brian Rodríguez (Ismael Tajouri-Shradi 74) [Substitutes not used: John McCarthy, Diego Palacios, Sebastien Ibeagha]
VANCOUVER: Thomas Hasal; Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović, Jake Nerwinski (Ryan Raposo 74); Marcus Godinho (Cristián Gutiérrez 61), Russell Teibert (Leonard Owusu 79), Sebastian Berhalter, Javain Brown; Cristian Dájome (Déiber Caicedo 74), Pedro Vite; Lucas Cavallini [Substitutes not used: Cody Cropper, Florian Jungwirth, Michael Baldisimo, Matteo Campagna, Tosaint Ricketts]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPSVANNI SARTINI
On the goal:
“It seems crazy to be positive after two defeats in a row and in four games we never won, but I see a lot of progress these games to be honest. We executed the plan like we were trying to do. We had chances, we knew that [when] we came here they are probably the best team in the league to be honest, in terms of talent, in terms of players that they put on the field. And we play a very brave game. We were trying to stay compact, and trying to play direct to attack them in the space, and we did it. The differences in the game has been the great play that Opoku and Vela did the for the second goal, and then the banger that Hollingshead scored. But you know, there’s no shame in losing here because I think a lot of teams are going to lose here and we need to think about us and that’s a building block, resetting the thing, working. We’re going to BC Place for the next two games and with the hunger to make points, to make possibly six points in the next week two home games. That’s what we need to do.”
On scoring first but falling in a tough environment:
“I think we did well. We actually had the chance to score the 2-0 with Dajo in that counter attack. I want to see the play. I don’t know if he had the chance to pass the ball to Cava when Max made that save. We knew that they were going to push a lot, we conceded the goal on the first corner kick, and that’s the only play that I would say we could have done much better. But then we keep playing, we were doing well. The midfielders I think did a very good job in shielding the ball from Vela, they were trying always this long ball because they were unable to play in between us. Even at the beginning of the second half I told the guys, we need to keep playing like this. And in fact we had a couple of chances on the crosses and everything, but at the end we concede at third goal. For sure better decision making in the final third would have helped, but we will analyze the game better when we come back to Vancouver.”
JAVAIN BROWN
On the game:
“I think it was a good game, we played against a good team. I think we did a lot of stuff right, but we also did stuff wrong that we have to look back and go back to the drawing board. Everything is on us. We can’t blame anyone. I think this is a great group, we’re going to get things right.”
THOMAS HASAL
On improving performances:
“I think we’ve got to look at the games we’ve played, we’ve got to take the positives and we’ve got to work on them and keep building off that. At the same time, we’ve got to take the rest of the game and look what we can do to improve. I think each game we’ve had spells where we’ve played well and we’ve shown what we can do. I think our biggest thing is going to be improving the length of those spells and how can we turn those 30-40 minutes of playing well in a game to 90 minutes because that’s what we need to get a performance and get a result.”
LAFC
STEVE CHERUNDOLO
Overall thoughts
“Another home game and another victory, which makes us happy. We are happy with the result and very happy with the reaction after going down with a goal in the first half. Two elements of the game tonight that we were not ecstatic with were in the first half. Our ball movement was a little slower than we wanted. We wanted to move the ball quickly and laterally first, and then expose them deep in some pockets and channels. We were not able to do that, and we let the guys know at half time. There was also a little bit of concentrated moments on set pieces, which we were disappointed in. Again, we lost a little focus in those moments, but other than that our build up, our reaction, counter press and offensive pieces worked really well. There was a lot to take from this game and something that I have got to know from this group is their ability to react to situations and come together and find a way to win. They did that again tonight and I am pleased with that.”
Improvements during this game
“It was a better performance than last week. We connected more passes and we created more high-quality chances. Our buildup was much better, which we spent a lot of time working on. But we can get much better and I think that it’s very important and I shared that with the guys. We are satisfied with the effort, with the action, and the result. However, we are not satisfied yet with our play throughout the course of the night.”
Positions/combinations the next couple games
“It’s week to week. It is really about looking at who we are playing and finding good match ups to break them down as well as finding weaknesses in our opponents. It is also about who in our roster can give us the best chance at winning those games and seeing what combinations work. However, it is more about rotating than finding the right eleven. I am a big believer in smaller groups and seeing who gels with who. We must look at the right flank, the left flank, the front 3, our 3 midfielders, and the back 4, so we can see who is working well in these smaller groups and which players are connecting in these groups. Those are the things we are looking for, so it goes beyond just the qualities of the players. It goes into areas such as characteristics, personality, and the who gets along with one another. These are all the thoughts and factors that we take into consideration for the starting lineup.”
RYAN HOLLINGSHEAD
First career brace
“It is a good feeling. As a defender, I am not in goal scoring opportunities enough to get braces very often but I do sneak some goals in there. Every year I am in the 4 to 5 goal range, which I love but let’s double it up this year.
Set pieces and mentality
“We’ve been talking all season that we need to win the set piece battle. We want to be positive on set pieces so I got a header back so that matches but defensively we know that’s one of the ways teams are going to try and beat us. They can’t break us down and they’re not going to get in behind us. It’s catching us sleeping in a set piece. It is something we’re emphasizing and working on. We need to be better on it. We’re also really dangerous on attacking set pieces.”
JESÚS DAVID MURILLO
The importance on building chemistry amongst the players
“I feel that we are living it (team bond) differently day to day and it reflects on the pitch. We have many things to correct, and we are conscious that with the quality of players we have we can give more. This is what we live day today and what we are working for while being conscious that we can give more. We are a team with great quality people, we are happy, but we are aware that we can build every day whether you’re a substitute or a starter. As we say in Colombia we are part of a strong family.”
Things needed to correct or improve on
“Adding to what Ilie (Sánchez) said, we know teams like Vancouver sometimes do not have options beyond looking for a counter-attack of scoring on set pieces. We must reinforce our selves and know that we will face many teams with that profile.”
Well, three matches down and the Whitecaps are already four points adrift of a playoff spot. Does it make sense to be looking at the standings that way this early? No, but it illustrates how the ‘Caps have started quite slow this season. The only other Western Conference team without a win is San Jose, and the ‘Caps now head to the City of Angels to take on an LAFC side that have conceded just once this season and sit top of the standings.
But the doom and gloom doesn’t stop there, as on top of the continued absences of Érik Godoy and Caio Alexandre, the ‘Caps will be without Brian White for the second straight match, and it’s highly likely that Ryan Gauld will miss out as well with an adductor strain. The fact that Gauld is dealing with an issue isn’t too surprising giving how unimpressive he looked against Houston, but is obviously still worrying.
If the Scotsman is out on Sunday, then the attack – which has already struggled to generate quality chances – will be a bit of a patchwork job. Déiber Caicedo would be the most likely name to slide back into the starting lineup, and Pedro Vite will probably be given another shot to truly show what he has to offer.
Vite’s very early substitution last weekend due to concussion protocol was quite unfortunate, with the good news being that he at least isn’t listed on the injury report for this match and Sartini confirmed this week that he is good to go. The young Ecuadorian attacker has shown flashes in his brief appearances so far, although he has also had moments of struggling to connect with his teammates. If Gauld is out, he will be one of the key links in the attacking third, someone counted on to carry the play in possession.
Of course, the ‘Caps might not have a ton of possession anyway. They’ve had between 29% and 43% in their three matches this season, and LAFC in their home opener had a shade under 70% of the ball (although that was helped by Portland receiving a red card). While being a counterattacking team can work well for certain sides, the ‘Caps have lacked true bite when they are able to get out and push the ball forward.
To that point, the ‘Caps have generated 34 shot attempts through three matches. Not amazing for sure, but it’s only a bit below average. However, only three of those shots have been on target! That’s an absolutely horrendous number. A shots on target percentage of under 10% while there’s no other team in MLS that’s under 20%. That has led to the ‘Caps producing a paltry 0.71 expected goals per game per Football Reference, last in the league.
Are the ‘Caps due for an amount of positive regression in that area? You’d hope so, as over the last four years no team in MLS has had an expected goals per game mark below 0.95 or a shots on target percentage below 20% for a full season. And this team, on paper, shouldn’t be a contender for the league’s worst offense in a half decade. But it’s not been a great start! And with key attacking pieces out, it may be a few games yet before we see a turnaround in fortunes here.
So what can the ‘Caps do to try and change this against LAFC? The good news is that Lucas Cavallini was at least able to get on the scoresheet against the Dynamo, so hopefully that sparks him into finding his form once again. He can be a streaky player.
There needs to be a better connection between the front three and the middle four (the two wingbacks + midfield pivot) so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some sort of shakeup there, whether that’s bringing someone like Sebastian Berhalter into the lineup or pushing Cristian Dájome further forward and starting Javain Brown from the beginning.
At the back, I don’t see too much being changed unless Jake Nerwinski comes back in to replace Florian Jungwirth. Tristan Blackmon has played well enough that the ‘Caps have already extended his contract through 2023, and Ranko Veselinović has been entrusted with marshalling the group from the middle of the three. Thomas Hasal has been fine in goal, and I don’t think he’s in danger of losing his starting spot to newcomer Cody Cropper any time soon.
Looking at the hosts, LAFC are tied for first in the west with an undefeated 2-0-1 start and are coming off a 2-0 road win over Inter Miami. They’ve been a bit fortunate in that their opponents have been shown a red card in both of their last two matches and have taken advantage of that, although one of those ended in a draw.
The big story, of course, is that the ‘Caps are set to face off against former goalie Maxime Crépeau, who left in shocking fashion somewhat late in the offseason. He’s not the only former point of connection either, as Doneil Henry could start in defence and Marc Dos Santos is back on staff in Los Angeles. This is also a homecoming for Blackmon, who made 79 appearances over four years with LAFC.
There are sure to be plenty of hugs and handshakes on the pitch between those listed above and their former teammates, and Whitecaps fans will hope that the shows of love will bookend a stronger performance than the ones we’ve seen so far. It won’t be an easy test (Banc of California stadium never is), but hopefully we’re due some goals.
Sunday’s MLS match-up in Los Angeles is a good old top versus bottom clash as Western Conference table toppers LAFC take on cellar dwellers Vancouver Whitecaps in a game with a lot of emotion and a lot of potential drama attached to it, with some key personnel swapping sides and facing off against their old team.
When these two teams met at BC Place seven months ago Marc Dos Santos was the Vancouver head coach, Maxime Crepeau made six saves on the way to a 2-1 Whitecaps victory, and Tristan Blackmon was an unused sub on the bench for LAFC that day. The teams met again on league business in November, but I don’t need to tell you that oh my, how times have changed since that game in August.
A lot of focus on this weekend’s match will be on Crepeau and Dos Santos. The two, reunited again in sunnier climes, would love nothing more than to put one over on their former team. On current form, they very well might.
What shouldn’t be forgotten in all of this is that on the blue and white side will be a returning Blackmon, heading back to the team that started his professional career in the game and the place that he called home for four season until being traded to Vancouver, via Charlotte, in December.
“I’m really excited,” Blackmon told AFTN about his emotions heading back to his old stomping ground. “It will be an incredible atmosphere like it always is, so I’m really excited to go back.
“I actually had a conversation with one of my good friends, Tyler Miller, who also played there, about a week or so ago about his first time going back to the stadium. I think it will be a warm welcome, but I’ll start to realise what I’m up against because I’ve always been on the other side and now it’s like okay, this is what it’s like coming to a stadium like this.”
While it’s bound to be an emotional return for Blackmon, he wants to go back there and give a good showing of himself and the team. It hasn’t always been the happiest hunting ground for the ‘Caps, with some heavy defeats in the past, but Vancouver came away with two battling draws there last season and will be hoping for at least the same again this time around.
A look at the early standings, however, shows what a tough task lies ahead of the Whitecaps on the pitch. Factor in a fervent fanbase at the Banc of California Stadium, one of the best atmospheres in the league, and there’s a 12th man to fight against, something Blackmon knows all about having them in his corner these past four years.
“It was nothing like anywhere I’ve been,” Blackmon said of the LAFC atmosphere. “The fans, from before the kick off till after the kick off, just non stop. Always cheering the guys on, were always there for the team, win, lose, draw. It was an incredible environment to be part of for sure. Now, being on the other side of it, it’s going to be interesting.”
LAFC selected Blackmon third overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, signing him to a MLS deal the following month. That draft day and the whole experience still gives Blackmon “the chills” just thinking about it and after four years and 64 MLS appearances there, he looks back fondly at his time in the City of Angels and what it’s meant to his development both on and off the pitch.
“I was opened up to a lot of things that I wasn’t aware of as a player at LAFC,” Blackmon told us. “They opened my eyes to a lot of different things. I definitely became more mature there as a player and as a person. The coaching staff definitely pushed me to another level. I learned a lot in my years there.
“It’s credit to the guys. Bob [Bradley] has always had a way of helping manage young players and putting them in a good way to develop. I definitely felt that when I was there, especially with the group of players I was around every year. Even though it changed, there was a core group that was there from the time that I was drafted that was always around me and always pushing me to be the best I could be and always challenged me from day to day, which made me a better player all around.”
Blackmon started to find himself out of favour at LAFC towards the end of last season, making only two starts in their last eight matches. After four seasons in LA, the 25-year-old was open to a change and when he found out on MLS Expansion Draft day that Charlotte FC were going to select him, then flip him to Vancouver, he was more than ready for a new chapter in his career.
“It’s a new opportunity for me,” Blackmon told us. “It’s a blessing to keep playing this game at this level. Basically, I just came here and wanted to work. I wanted to get in with the guys as soon as I could. It’s a little bit ways from home but this is my new home and I’m looking to make it that.”
Blackmon has started the season strongly for the Whitecaps and already looks like he is going to be a key defensive piece this year and beyond. His reward for that strong start has been a contract extension, with the centre-back inking a deal to keep him in Vancouver through 2023 with club options for 2024 and 2025.
Vancouver is going to be in his new home for a while, and the Whitecaps look set to reap the benefits of that.
* You can hear more from Tristan Blackmon in Episode 503 of the AFTN Soccer Show where we talk about his early days in soccer, his debut, his first professional goal, and life in Vancouver *
It was a sad day when Vancouver Whitecaps shuttered their WFC2 USL side at the end of the 2017 season. The team was a crucial link in the pathway to pro between the Whitecaps academy and the MLS first team and it’s a key component that has been crucially missing in the team’s development of young talent in the subsequent years.
Four and a half years later, WFC2 are back, in a new league and with a team rebrand planned for next year.
When Major League Soccer finally launched their U23 league, MLS Next Pro, late last year, the Whitecaps were one of the 21 teams announced to be taking part in the inaugural season. With the logistical and financial reasons that forced that decision to fold four and a half years ago no longer applicable when it comes to this new league, the Whitecaps can finally get their development pathway back on track, affording the club’s top academy talent a chance to prove themselves and get valuable competitive minutes in high level matches.
Whitecaps FC 2 will play 24 regular season games, 12 home and 12 away, across 26 weeks, beginning with a trip to Houston on March 26 and culminating on September 18. All of the Whitecaps home games will be played at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, affording long-time fans the chance to reminisce of the fun pre-MLS days.
Led by head coach Nick Dasovic, Whitecaps FC 2 are allowed a 39-man roster consisting of 29 signed players and 10 players that can be added on amateur contracts. Players signed to the MLS roster will also be able to flit between the two squads.
Over the next week or so, we’ll be bringing you a series of articles to help you get to know the new WFC2 squad a little bit better, with full coverage of the team and the league on AFTN over the course of the season. The ‘Caps are slowly releasing the names of those players signed to the roster, so we’ll bring you a cluster of the signings in each article, kicking off today with getting to know five of them:
OWEN ANTONIUK
Central midfielder Owen Antoniuk has been a part of the Whitecaps MLS academy since August 2018, having transitioned from the ‘Caps Alberta Academy Centre out of Calgary.
Antoniuk has been a standout prospect from an early age, coming through the Calgary Blizzard youth program and representing Western Canada at youth level.
The 19-year-old two-footed midfielder was also part of Canada Soccer identification camps at U15 level and moved into the Whitecaps U23 development team last year, training with the first team squad on a number of occasions.
ELAGE BAH
At 17-years-old, Elage Bah will be one of the youngest player of the WFC2 roster but he’s most certainly one to watch and has already turned heads within the Whitecaps organization since he made the move to Vancouver’s academy in August 2020.
Playing his youth soccer with St Anthony Futuro Soccer Acdemy, the Ottawa native primarily plays as a full-back and wingback on both sides of the park, but the versatile teenager can also play as a central midfielder and a winger, so it will be interesting to see where the ‘Caps see him settling into positionally.
Bah was a starter in the recent Blues v Whites preseason intersquad match, where he played a left wingback role, and was a regular for the ‘Caps U23 development team last season, along with playing with the ‘Caps U19s in FVSL Premier Division this past season, where he scored a couple of goals.
With attacking play and an eye for goal (he led the 2019 Ottawa East Region Soccer League summer season at U15 level with 28 goals), Bah has been highly touted for a few years now, and impressed on a youth tour in England where he played against Bristol Rovers, Cardiff City, Swansea City, Southampton, and Leicester City.
A very popular player in the locker room, I’ve only seen Bah play a few times so far, but I’ve definitely liked what I’ve seen and looking forward to seeing more of him at the higher level.
EMILIANO BRIENZA
Emiliano Brienza has been within the Whitecaps system since 2018, becoming the first academy player to sign a MLS Next Pro contract at the end of last month, along with a four-day short term deal with the first team, making his pro debut in the opening day loss in Columbus and giving a good account of himself in his brief time on the pitch.
The 19-year-old forward came to the Whitecaps after a successful spell in the BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL) with Mountain United and immediately impressed the ‘Caps management, earning a place in the 2021 and 2022 preseason camps.
Expectations were high that Brienza could sign a MLS Homegrown Deal last year, but unfortunately a preseason injury derailed that path and the Mexican born attacker saw time with the U23 development team instead, playing, and impressing, in a number of friendlies, which included this first half hat-trick against FVSL champions FC Tigers last summer.
Final score at Burnaby Lake tonight was @WhitecapsFC U23's 4 @fctigerssoccer 0. First half hat-trick from Emiliano Brienza, who spent preseason with 'Caps first team. He looked, good, sharp, and hungry. Here's his three goals. pic.twitter.com/HTLGhXbLZB
— AFTN (@aftncanada) June 22, 2021
Brienza will add some versatility to the “Caps attack and can also be used as a midfield playmaker. He certainly has an eye for goal and having progressed through the U17 and U19 teams into the U23 set-up now, it will be interesting to see his development at this next level.
LUCAS DASOVIC
Lucas Dasovic has been with the Whitecaps academy since August 2020, following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a professional footballer by signing his first pro deal with WFC2 this week.
The 6-foot-2 ball playing centre-back had a stellar career with BCSPL side Mountain United prior to coming into the Whitecaps, winning the 2017 U15 and the 2019 U17 provincial titles with them.
Dasovic has been with the U23 development team last year, playing in the majority of their friendly matches, and was a starter in the recent Blues v Whites preseason intersquad game at BC Place, where he formed a solid defensive partnership with Cristian Campagna, holding the ‘Caps MLS team to just one goal.
This will be the highest level that Dasovic has played at to date and it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles to pace and aggression of opposition players outside of the youth ranks. From what we’ve seen of him so far, I wouldn’t expect the latter to be too much of an issue. Not sure about the Alice band though!
VASCO FRY
Dual Peruvian-Canadian midfielder Vasco Fry spent his early formative years with the academy of Lima based side Sporting Cristal, spending three and a half years with them before joining the Whitecaps academy in August 2018 when his family moved to Burnaby.
The left-footer was a key player for the Whitecaps U19s during the 2018-19 USSDA season, scoring 10 goals in 20 appearances, impressing enough to sign for the ‘Caps U23 development team in July 2019.
First up, Vasco Fry with another banger for the U-19s #ArribaPeru #VWFC pic.twitter.com/6Dab55KaKy
— Whitecaps FC MLS Academy (@WFCAcademy) March 14, 2019
His potential has been clear to see for a few years now and he earned two caps with the Peru U17 national team and was part of their squad at the 2017 U17 South American championship tournament, making one sub appearance against Paraguay.
Pursuing a major in Business Management at Capilano University, Fry can play a central midfield and left midfield role and was one of the U23 players brought into the Whitecaps’ preseason camp this offseason, featuring in the matches against Club Tijuana and San Diego Loyal.
Like many in this WFC2 squad, Covid disruption has meant that Fry has had limited opportunities to show what he can do at the higher level so far. He was playing in the VMSL for FC Tigers in 2020 before the season was curtailed, helping the team to six wins out of six, and this season will certainly be a key one in terms of the future road travelled for the 21-year old.
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with more Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian Premier League chat.
The Whitecaps are still looking for their first win of the season after going down to a disappointing defeat in Houston. We pick over the bones of that one and look ahead to next week’s match-up at LAFC.
We have two feature interviews for you this episode, the first of which is with the Whitecaps standout defender so far this season, centre-back Tristan Blackmon. We chat with Tristan about his career so far, life in Vancouver, and going back to his old club LAFC next weekend.
Our second feature interview is with Valour FC head coach and GM Phillip Dos Santos. We sit down for an in-depth chat about his first six months in the Winnipeg hotseat, the CPL season to come, and heading back to Vancouver to take on the Whitecaps in the Voyageurs Cup.
We also round up the weekend’s action in MLS for the other two Canadian teams and around the Western Conference, and look at this week’s Canadian Championship draw.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
03.12: Houston v Vancouver postgame analysis
44.21: MLS Canadian round-up
52.00: MLS West round-up
67.18: LAFC preview
78.28: Tristan Blackmon interview
107.09: Phillip Dos Santos interview
148.05: Valour FC discussion
154.47: Canadian Championship discussion
166.08: Wavelength – Armchair Loyal – A Cliche Of Gaffers
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
(Photo Credit: @WhitecapsFC/Twitter)
Going into Saturday afternoon’s Matchday 3 fixture, Vancouver Whitecaps and Houston Dynamo were in similar boats. Both sides had only one point from their opening two games, they were both looking for their first goals, and their respective coaches were still trying to assess the best way to set up their sides to get their first win.
For the third consecutive match, Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini went with a different formation. First it was the 3-1-4-2, which didn’t work out at either end of the pitch. Then it was the 3-4-1-2 that saw the side tighten things up at the back, but still lack the ability to capitalize on the few chances they created going forward. This afternoon it was the 3-4-2-1. These may seem like minor changes, but the Italian gaffer has been tinkering to try and unlock his squad’s creativity going forward without sacrificing their defensive solidity.
The only change to the lineup came as a result of this formation alteration with Ecuadorian Pedro Vite replacing fellow South American Déiber Caicedo. This meant Lucas Cavallini was the lone striker, while Vite shared creative playmaking duties with Ryan Gauld. It also meant that they would kickoff with their wingbacks once again inverted. Left footed Cristián Gutiérrez began on the right while right footed Cristian Dájome was on the left flank.
Houston’s Paulo Nagamura made one more change to his starting XI compared to his counterpart. Both switches were to the Dynamo’s midfield three in their 4-3-3 setup. It was Memo Rodríquez and Darwin Cerén making way for Darwin Quintero and Adalberto Carrasquilla. Quintero, the 34-year-old Colombian, known for his attacking creativity and brilliant finishing abilities, had only made a pair of substitute appearances for a total of 44 minutes. It would turn out to be an inspired decision by Nagamura to play “Darwin Jr.” from the start.
It was the diminutive attacking midfielder who would carve out the first attempt on goal in the game. In the second minute, using his freedom to roam, Quintero popped up on the left side just outside of the box to collect an overhit cross from Griffin Dorsey. He then shaped up to put in a cross-come-shot that Thomas Hasal could only palm over the crossbar. This was a warning sign of things to come.
The first definitive moment for Vancouver came in the 11th minute when Sartini did what has become a regular part of his tactical plan or adaptations within a match – swapping his inverted wingbacks on to their more natural sides. This played a significant role in the Whitecaps taking the lead only three minutes later.
Dájome took a throw in on the right just inside the Dynamo half and played the ball to Ryan Gauld. The Scotsman played back-to-back passes with Russell Teibert near the touchline before laying on a through ball for the overlapping Dájome. The ‘Caps Colombian bent in a quick cross with the inside of his right foot that was met at the near post by an onrushing Cavallini. The Canadian international had made a quality run to the top of the six-yard box, in-between two of the orange shirted defenders. His side-footed shot with his favoured left foot found the back of the net with a kiss off the inside of the post he was sprinting toward.
The jubilation for the Designated Player was evident for all to see has he celebrated by headbutting the ball he had just scored with before rushing to his teammates and coaches. It was a well taken first goal of the campaign for Cavallini and the ‘Caps squad.
The build-up play down the wing
The ball in from Dájo
The finish from Cava #VWFC | #HOUvVAN pic.twitter.com/QdsqEPtYIg— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 13, 2022
The next incident of note was an awkward one. A 24th minute substitution of Vite due to experiencing dizziness from a blow to the head. The attacking midfielder didn’t want to come off, but the medical officials in the stadium deemed he must due to Concussion Protocols and Vancouver used the Concussion Substitute Initiative. This meant the ‘Caps didn’t lose one of their five available subs and Houston gained the ability to make an extra sub. Vite was replaced by Javain Brown. The Jamaican defender took up Dájome’s role at right wingback, who in turn moved further forward in attack next to Gauld.
The teams traded half chances and speculative efforts before the match took another twist. Cavallini gave away a cheap free kick 10 yards into his own half. Houston took it quickly and played it to the left side to Carrasquilla who, after a one-two with Fafa Picault, lobbed over a diagonal ball to Corey Baird. With his first touch he played an easy ball past a sprawling Hasal where Quintero was waiting to tape home into an empty net. The cross from Carrasquilla froze the Whitecaps backline who were appealing for offside, but to no avail as the Dynamo were onside and the match was all tied up.
Just beautiful #HoldItDown pic.twitter.com/9aJ7BCZqOb
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 13, 2022
Cavallini had a chance from a second phase of a corner blocked before Quintero was thwarted from giving his side the lead in the 39th minute. Hasal did very well to get his right hand up as he dove to his left to stop the left footed shot from Quintero. The young ‘Keepers’ heroics would see his side head into the locker room level.
The sides returned unchanged after the interval, but both coaches would have fancied their chances to take all three points after a first half that saw both sides produce spells of positive football.
It was the hosts who would take the lead. Lucas Cavallini laid off a pass, inside the Houston side of the centre circle, for Gauld that was behind him and the Dynamo intercepted. Their quick counter attack seemed to be closed down as Ranko Veselinović challenged Sebastián Ferreira. However, the Paraguayan Designated Player was able to pull the ball back to Quintero. The dangerman’s run was totally unmarked and he smashed home his first-time strike with aplomb from a few yards outside the box.
It's @darwinJR3's world, we're just livin' in it pic.twitter.com/gkA44oviwY
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 13, 2022
Vancouver would go on to struggle to break the hosts down and level the score.
Their best chances were a Brown header from a Gauld free kick in the 66th, a flurry of chances around the 72nd minute that saw Steve Clark get his finger tips on a Tristan Blackmon header and Dorsey block Cavallini’s back post header, and finally in the 86th minute Gauld volleyed over after a broken corner kick.
In the end both sides got their first goal of the season, but only the home team took points. It is a bitter loss for the ‘Caps who felt this was possibly the most winnable match in this early phase of a long season. They are alone in the boat now at the bottom of the Western Conference.
All their attention now is focused on next Sunday’s 7pm kickoff in California versus LAFC and an interesting rendezvous with former colleagues Doniel Henry, Marc Dos Santos, and Maxime Crepeau.
FINAL SCORE: Houston Dynamo 2 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 13,028
STATS:
Possession: HOU 59% – VAN 41%
Shots: HOU 16 – VAN 17
Shots on Goal: HOU 4 – VAN 2
Saves: HOU 0 – VAN 2
Fouls: HOU 12 – VAN 9
Offsides: HOU 1 – VAN 2
Corners: HOU 9 – VAN 10
HOUSTON: Steve Clark; Griffin Dorsey, Tim Parker, Daniel Steres, Adam Lundkvist; Darwin Quintero (Memo Rodríguez 75), Matías Vera, Adalberto Carrasquilla (Darwin Cerén 78); Fafa Picault (Teenage Hadebe 90+2), Sebastián Ferreira (Thorleifur Úlfarsson 75), Corey Baird [Substitutes not used: Michael Nelson, Zarek Valentin, Tyler Pasher, Sam Junqua, Zeca]
VANCOUVER: Thomas Hasal; Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović (Ryan Raposo 84), Florian Jungwirth (Marcus Godinho 66); Cristián Gutiérrez, Russell Teibert (Tosaint Ricketts 90+5), Leonard Owusu (Déiber Caicedo 66), Cristian Dájome; Ryan Gauld, Pedro Vite (Javain Brown 24); Lucas Cavallini [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Sebastian Berhalter, Javain Brown, Jake Nerwinski, Michael Baldisimo]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPSVANNI SARTINI
On the match:
“A little sad, to be honest. We lost and I think we didn’t deserve to lose, especially in the second half, we were the much better team. First half was very open. I think it was very good when we had the ball, our pressure wasn’t good. The second half we were very good. We had the chance to tie, we pushed, we pushed. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to score and I see a lot of positives. I’ve seen a lot of positives in the performance.”
On Pedro Vite:
“So Pedro basically took a little knock in the head, he felt dizzy for like a minute so he told us ‘I’m feeling dizzy’. Then after two minutes he was okay. So we wanted to keep him on the field but the medical officer of the stadium reviewed the play on video and told us that we needed to take him off. It was a mandatory sub so I didn’t want to stop him because of course he was playing very well. I think he was being one of the best players in the field. But of course, it’s okay. I think it was an overly cautious call by the doctor, but I’m 100 per cent with the doctor because we don’t want anything to happen to our players. So it is what it is.”
On Lucas Cavallini’s match:
“You know playing and being fit, of course helps and we tried also to make the setup that was I would say, helping these characteristics or not doing like kind of a high pressing, but starting with a little lower line in order for him to not consume all the energy when we don’t have the ball. Being able to be our point of reference in the box, I think he did well, in some parts of the game. In some other parts of the game, he drifted too much right and left and we didn’t have him in the box, but, you know, it’s one when a striker scores and wins the duel, and he also had another couple of headers in the box that I think his performance was positive for sure.”
TRISTAN BLACKMON
On the match:
“Like you said, tough result. Coming in here we had a good chance of getting three points and putting our momentum going into next week. I think we had better chances this week than we did last week. That’s about capitalizing, more in our offensive end then being solidified again in that defensive end, so, tough match. Looking forward to next week.”
On the two goals against:
“I think the first one was on our right side and got clipped over the left side of our defense. I guess we thought it was offside, and they played a good ball back into the middle where Quintero was waiting. Then the second one, I think Ranko won the tackle and it trickled out to Quintero again, he took it well, he showed the class he has as a player. Simple things that we can work on in training, try to emulate and get better at and hopefully as we go on through the season we can minimize those circumstances.”
LUCAS CAVALLINI
On his goal:
“It felt good, it felt good. But you know, collectively, I just wanted as a team to win the game. Finally put it in the net but it didn’t mean a lot because we ended up losing, but I think we deserved to win this game today.”
On his fitness:
“Physically, I’m feeling good. So you know, I can make extra runs and create extra chances and set up extra plays. So I mean, it’s how I feel comfortable, and I mean, Vanni tells me to get in those pockets a lot, that’s what I’ve been doing better at it. So it’s been working. We’ve been generating a lot of chances off that. We just need to be more clinical, again, a lot of chances today, but there’s only one goal and I think we deserved to put more in the net, but Houston defended well, a lot of chances, creating a few off the line. Yeah, I mean, unlucky today.”
HOUSTON DYNAMO
PAULO NAGAMURA
On tonight’s game:
“Yeah, awesome. Awesome feeling, but I think we have to praise the group of players that stepped on the field and were very disciplined, showed a lot of character never, never put their head down when we conceded the first goal. Very pleased with the performance, very happy for the win and now let’s hope we keep building from this. I think they played very well. I think they were very disciplined to how we wanted to approach this game. We need to get a little bit patient with our possession to break them and find the guys out wide. So, they tried that, they kept doing that and we created a lot of chances. I think the work that we did throughout this week really paid off in the game and again praise the players for their performance. I think they were very, very good.”
On Darwin Quintero’s performance:
“Absolutely. I think (Darwin Quintero) was awesome. I think with the game plan that we had and the strategies going into this game I think he did really well, for Darwin’s game, it paid off on the field. I think Darwin had a very good 70 minutes, started getting tired there at the end, so he needed to come off. That’s what is great for our group that we have players that understand that sometimes they are going to come off the bench, sometimes they are going to start and they are really responding well to that and Darwin gave everything that he had today from the start and as everyone saw, he had a big influence in the score tonight.”
On Darwin Quintero having a free role on the pitch:
“Again, every game there is a different strategy, a different game plan and I’m going to say it again, it was his play and the way that we need to approach the game today, I think it fit him really, really well and again, I was pleased with his performance.”
On giving up the goal early and if he has had a chance to see how it was conceded:
“Yeah, I haven’t seen the video yet, but I need to see the position of our backline. We have to look back (at the video) and fix that with our players. I think we had one play there in the first half result in their goal other than that, I think we were in control (even when we were) behind and pushed the game and created chances. So, I would like to come out of this game. I’m happy with the performance and everything that we worked on throughout this week to create more opportunities, to be more dangerous up front, to be more dangerous on the offensive third and I think we did that today.”
On the team’s mentality this year compared to last year:
“The coaching staff was really, really proud after the final whistle was blown. This team showed a lot of character. We bent but we never broke. We conceded first. We never changed the way that we wanted to approach the game. The guys believed in the game plan, the strategy for the game. We made it very, very clear how we could break Vancouver and I think they were very disciplined with that, and I think it paid off in the game. I think (Houston) created a lot of chances to score even more goals tonight. But again, the guys showed a lot of character and a lot of great mentality throughout the game even in the final 10 minutes when we were under pressure and we were trying to just keep the 2-1 score.”
On Adalberto Carrasquilla’s performance:
“Coco (Carrasquilla) had a very good game. Very good game Coco and we talked early this week and how we need to keep increasing his fitness levels and I think he showed well when he came on against Sporting (Kansas City) and today another fantastic performance from him. We just got to keep improving so he can help us for 90 minutes, but again very influential in the middle, keeping possession and moving the ball around and spreading the game and that’s what we wanted from him. So, very happy for his performance as well.”
FAFA PICAULT
On the win:
“I think it is very important – even better to get it at home. But definitely we are happy and our fans are happy. The locker room is happy and we want to keep that going.”
On the team’s performance:
“I think it was good on both sides of the ball. We had some other chances to score and have a higher scoring game. But overall, we defended and had some key saves defensively and everybody did their part and that is what got us to win tonight.”
On his conversations with Darwin Quintero:
“I think with every player you play, when you play with center midfielders. Your movement is going to be different and obviously certain through balls I don’t get from other players, but I get from (Darwin Quintero) because of the way he plays. When you are playing with him, you have to have confidence that the ball is going to come in the right spot. I think we connected a few today, but I think throughout the year it will get better and better. It was a great start and good that we talked – we talked all week about it and we just have to keep going with that.”
On how Darwin Quintero helps him on pitch:
“For me it’s good because it allows me to make the run and expect where the ball is going to land. And it freezes me up to get isolation with wingbacks. Obviously, Vancouver plays with a different style and formation than us — different teams. But him being in that spot, eliminates the double or triple pressure that I get and I’m able to take my man on and do what I do best.”
On Darwin Quintero’s second goal:
“It was the best, the timing was perfect and it kind of came out of nowhere. Seba (Ferreira) ran across the goal line, it kind of deflected and Darwin (Quintero) was there to pick it up and just slap it into the goal. Very emotional moment and we just want to keep that going.”
On the potential of the team:
“Definitely. I think we have known that for a while. In some of the games even if we go back to last year, didn’t go the way we wanted them to go. But if you look at last year, it was just one or two mistakes that took away from us winning games. This year our mentality is to go at teams – maybe the first two games weren’t the direct resemblance of what we wanted to do, but now we came into this game saying that that’s what we wanted to do, and we have to continue keeping that going. We don’t want to go too high, but we don’t want to go low. We will strive to get better.”
On securing a win for Paulo Nagamura and his relationship with team:
“I think it is important – we have only been together for two months with the new staff, but it’s important to give our coach his first win. But more importantly, we want to build off of that. It’s early in the season, it is not the moment for us to go crazy and jump around. But we are very happy and happy for the coach and staff. We want to continue going in the direction that they are putting us in. Our whole thing now is to continue to work and stay positive and go in the coaches direction.”
On if he felt that the victory was ever in doubt:
“As a group we were mentioning if we ever go down, we need to come back. When we were down 1-0, we fought and find the goal to equalize and find the winning goal. We had some other opportunities to score but we just kept fighting and believing in ourselves that we’d win.”
On closing out games:
“It was very important for us to win today in front of our crowd. We didn’t want to linger, people don’t have patience and we wanted to win and now we have our first win which is huge for us. And we have the confidence of the group and the locker room, now we want to take this win and build off it. We know it’s a marathon and not a sprint, and we just want to build off of it and keep going from here.”
DARWIN QUINTERO
On what the victory means to him:
“We had the mentality that it was important to get the three points today, that it was important for the morale of the team, for what we are trying to build, to get that first victory. We had played two good games, we just couldn’t earn the full three points or score till today, so I think this is very important for the group’s confidence.”
On the difference with the Dynamo team this year and those in the past:
“More than differences, today was about the approach. They gave me a lot of freedom in the final third, with a specific defensive role, which I managed to fulfill until I was exhausted. They gave me a lot of freedom to move where I wanted, get behind the lines and that helped me due to how I play the game.”
On his second goal:
“It’s inexplicable. What one thinks or does on the field happen in thousandths of a second. When I saw the ball there, I said to myself: ‘Let’s hit it, see if it turns into something memorable.’ Thank God the ball found the back of the net. The most important thing is our teamwork. What the team did. The goals are always a team effort. Sebas (Ferreira) left it for me to hit it and now we are able to leave happy with a victory.”
The Imperial Cup took centre stage this past weekend in Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) action with the four quarter-final ties producing 21 goals and a lot of talking points between them, with two of the matches needing extra time to decide the winner.
The action got underway in Coquitlam on Friday night as VUFC Hibernian headed to Cunnings Field to take on Metro Ford Wolves in what proved to be a more one-sided encounter than many expected.
Chris Fisher put Hibernian ahead in the 24th minute but Jadon Lashley’s sending off for a second bookable offence 12 minutes later hit Metro Ford’s comeback hopes hard. Sebastian Dzikowski put the visitor’s two up on the hour mark, and although Devin Phelin pulled one back for Coquitlam in the 74th minute, a goal from Bradley Richardson three minutes later restored the two goal advantage and Daniel Kaiser struck in the final minute to round off the 4-1 victory for VUFC and book their place in the semi-finals.
VUFC Hibernian had already clinched a Provincial Cup spot through their league play, but the UBC side have disappointingly decided to withdraw from that competition due to schooling and League1 BC preparations, opening up some hope to other VMSL sides for a berth in their place.
While that match was playing out, a wild one was taking place at Burnaby Lake as West Van FC needed an extra 30 minutes to see off a determined nine-man Inter EDC side.
It wasn’t a classic game but it was certainly a dramatic one, with all four goals being quality as the Amblesiders eventually came away with the 3-1 victory.
Kamyar Amini put West Van ahead with a low 39th minute free kick that nestled into the bottom corner amid Inter protestations about players near the wall. Their frustrations grew and the tackles were flying in from both sides with nine bookings and two sending offs coming over the 90 plus minutes of regulation time.
As the game headed into stoppage time, it looked like Amini’s goal was going to be enough to send West Van through, even more so when Inter’s Burhan Waisy was sent off for a second yellow in the 92nd minute and Alan Camacho followed for a crunching challenge two minutes later.
But Inter kept fighting and scored a dramatic last ditch equaliser seven minutes into stoppage time when Nikolas Papakyriakopoulos put one away from the edge of the box to send the Inter bench wild.
West Van had seemed happy to settle for the 1-0 win and had disappeared from being much of an attacking threat in that second half, but they stepped it up again in extra time, although nine-man Inter also had some quick forays forward when they could.
Inter’s resolve was finally broken in the 113th minute when Fergus McDonald’s long ranger flew into the net. Four minutes later and it was another long one from Keelan Eyers this time that finally ended it for Inter and gave West Van the 3-1 victory and a spot in the semis, boosting their hopes of making it into the Provincials in the process.
Quite the drama and you can watch our highlights of how it all played out on our YouTube channel HERE and on the video below:
It also took extra time to split BB5 United CCB and Croatia SC at Newton Stadium on Friday night, before the Premier champs booked their place in the final four as they look for the league and cup double.
Yassin Essa put BB5 ahead nine minutes in but two quick goals from Mario Kovacevic in the 39th minute and David Malamura two minutes later gave the visitors a 2-1 lead at the half.
Caleb Clarke brought BB5 level 10 minutes after the restart, but with no further goals the game headed into extra time, with the decisive strike coming from Ryan Sangha with just five minutes remaining.
There wasn’t any need for extra time to decide the last quarter-final of the weekend as Rino’s Coastal VSC ran out very comfortable 6-1 winners at home to MAFC Elite at South Surrey Athletic Park on Saturday afternoon.
Amazingly all the goals came in the second half of this one, with Jake Starheim opening the scoring for Coastal a minute after the restart. Isaac Kyei hit a brace in the 57th and 66th minutes to make it 3-0, before Sidrit Vukaj made it four with 15 minutes remaining.
Anthony Paiero pulled one back from the spot for MAFC in the 80th minute, but Gurminder Chattu saw Coastal go nap a minute later, before Taylor Richardson rounded off the scoring with two minutes left.
So all that action sets up the following semi-final matchups at Empire Fields on Saturday March 19th:
BB5 United CCB v West Van FC (1.30pm kick off)
Rino’s VSC Coastal v VUFC Hibernian (2.15pm kick off)
The league action returns this week, and there’s still a lot to play for in the season run-in with Provincial Cup placing and relegation issues still to be settled.
Here’s what’s on the slate this weekend:
Friday March 11th 2022:
West Van FC v NVFC Norvan (7.30pm – Ambleside Park, West Vancouver)
Inter EDC v VUFC Hibernian (8.10pm – Burnaby Lake Field 3)
BB5 United CCB v BCT Rovers Hurricanes (9.00pm – Newton Athletic Stadium, Surrey)
Sunday March 13th 2022:
Burnaby Selects White Eagles v MAFC Elite (6.00pm – Burnaby Lake Field 4)
You can find all of the results, standings, and fixtures across all the divisions at VMSLsoccer.com.
Two matches, one point, zero goals. That’s where the Whitecaps stand heading into Week 3, with a clash against the likely-improved-but-still-not-a-powerhouse Houston on the docket Saturday afternoon. Yes, another afternoon game, quite the adjustment from past years.
The biggest storyline coming into this match is how the ‘Caps have been firing blanks on the offensive end through the first 180 minutes of play. There were brief flashes in the home opener, but the ‘Caps were not dominant by any means and the visitors did have the better chances overall.
There has been a lack of cohesion in the attacking third to this point, with the feeling at times that the only plan is to pump the ball up to one of the front three and hope that they can do something with it. The two Cristians, Gutiérrez and Dajome, were able to get involved sometimes (with Gutiérrez perhaps the closest of any ‘Cap to scoring against NYCFC) but there wasn’t a sense of controlled play for the most part.
The change to the lineup that’s most likely to happen this Saturday is the insertion of Brian White back into the starting XI. He didn’t make much of an impression in his substitute appearance last weekend, but given his form last season and the fact that it was his first action of 2022 he’ll have more of a leash to get himself involved in the early going here. If fully fit.
The question is whether it will be Lucas Cavallini or Déiber Caicedo who makes way for White. On the surface it seems like White for Cavallini is more of a natural like-for-like swap, but Sartini did say after the NYCFC match that he would have kept the two big number 9s out there together longer if Cavallini hadn’t picked up his standard booking earlier in the match.
Playing both White and Cavallini up front together provides multiple big targets to aim for when looking to play more direct, which fits with what the ‘Caps have tried to do through the first couple weeks of the season. The midfield pair in the centre of the park (whether it’s Russell Teibert, Leonard Owusu, Sebastian Berhalter, or Michael Baldisimo) haven’t figured as much into buildup play.
They’re often bypassed, as the ‘Caps throughout their MLS history have traditionally lacked that star number six or eight who can truly put their stamp on the ball and control the flow of the game. Although Owusu had his moments at times last weekend, both he and Teibert often felt like they were just there, and that’s a common theme. Axel Schuster has said they’re looking to bring in another number six, and that’s the position I’d be looking to spend big bucks on next for this team.
At the back, Tristan Blackmon looks like he’s started to settle in as he put in a MOTM-worthy performance along the backline (although perhaps a little overshadowed by Thomas Hasal pulling out a couple clutch saves). It’ll be interesting to see if Vanni Sartini immediately puts Jake Nerwinski back into the XI, likely in place of Florian Jungwirth. The German was definitely shaky with the ball at his feet last weekend, but helped provide more stability defensively and the ‘Caps as a whole were clearly more solid on that end compared to the match in Ohio.
Looking at the hosts, the Dynamo are also 0-1-1 and also have not yet scored a goal this year! They opened with a 0-0 home draw against RSL before falling 1-0 on the road in Kansas City last weekend. In that home opener Houston held over 60% possession, and given how the ‘Caps played against NYCFC you’d expect there to be similar numbers on Saturday.
The Dynamo have a new owner and changes in the front office, looking to revamp their roster. The biggest splash was the signing of Mexican national team captain Hector Herrera, although he won’t arrive until the summer. In the meantime, MLS vets Steve Clark and Daniel Steres were brought in to help shore up the defence, while Houston broke their club transfer record in January to sign Paraguayan forward Sebastian Ferreira.,br>
It’s not been a picture perfect start to the season for the Whitecaps, but after the disaster of the opener last weekend provided some more solidity. We’ll see if that upward trend continues on Saturday.
It was another superb weekend of top flight amateur soccer action on the Island, with Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) cup action taking centre stage.
The chase for the Sir John Jackson Cup had a variety of results, with some great matches taking place.
Here is how the top half of the draw worked out:
Gorge defeated Powell River 2-0 at Hampton Park. Goalless at the half, Gorge got the job done with two goals in a seven minute spell midway through the second. Bryce Marinus put Gorge ahead in the 62nd minute and Dominic Colantonio sealed the deal with their second in the 69th minute. Providing the clean sheet for Gorge in goal was Nick McCue.
In a match that could have passed as the final, 2nd seed Nanaimo United defeated top ranked, and newly crowned Division 1 champions, Lakehill 2-1 at Braefoot Park.
All the goal action came in the first half in this one. Callum Magog put Nanaimo ahead nine minutes in but Craig Gorman levelled things up for Lakehill in the 23rd minute. With the teams looking to head into the half on level terms, Hussen ‘Suka’ Behery put Nanaimo ahead three minutes before the break with what proved to be the winning goal.
Gorge now host Nanaimo on Friday night at Hampton Turf at 8pm in the first semi-final.
This has the appearance of an easier game for Nanaimo, especially coming off a win against the top seeded Lakehill. No doubt that Gorge will need to have an excellent performance to take down a team destined to win it all.
The teams do match up well and Gorge have actually played well against Nanaimo, but they are without one of their top players, Dominic Colantonio, due to yellow card accumulation suspension.
It’s another roadtrip to Saanich for Nanaimo, and they are huge favorites to leave as victors again.
The bottom half of the draw looks like this after the weekend games were played:
Cowichan went up to Comox and took it on penalty kicks after a 1-1 score after 120 minutes of football couldn’t split the teams.
Nick Marinus scored the early goal for Comox just two minutes in and that was how it stayed until they put the ball in their own net in the 69th minute to bring Cowichan back level.
With no further goals it headed to penalties, with Cowichan keeper Robbie Cochrane saving three of the four kicks he faced to give his side the dramatic win.
What in night in comox both teams battled hard to till the 120th minute. Robbie Cochrane gets play of the game saving 3/4 pks. No need to keep rambling on just watch pic.twitter.com/7Y3q5rUiPP
— Cowichan FC Div 1 (@1Cowichan) March 6, 2022
The other semi-final on the bottom side saw Bays Utd defeat Vic West 3-2 in a exciting match at Oak Bay High.
Bays came storming out in this one and Jack Hill gave them a 10th minute lead, which was doubled just before the half hour mark by Patrick Nelson.
Hill added a second of the night five minutes after the restart to give Bays a three goal lead, but Vic West soon pulled on back through Marcus Campanile. And that was how the scoring stayed until three minutes into stoppage time when Chris Merriman brought Vic West to within one, but there was no time left for them to force extra time.
Cowichan will be hosting Bays on Friday night at the Sherman Road turf. This will be a battle as these two teams always do fight hard. Cowichan has the upper hand on Bays this year. Look for the same as they will be motivated to work hard for their fans.
Just a super exciting weekend of soccer played on the Island and it will be hard to match next weekend, but the players will try.
You can find all the latest results, standings, and fixtures across all of the VISL divisions and cups at VISL.org.
Thanks for supporting local grassroots soccer, and people in your community.
You wouldn’t be surprised if Vanni Sartini had some sleepless nights after last week’s performance, but as the sun shone over BC Place, the Italian looked anything but stressed, sporting his best casual Friday look, with his t-shirt tucked into his Levis.
Going into the match against the champions, Sartini made three changes, bringing in Florian Jungwirth in defence for the suspended Jake Nerwinski, Cristian Gutiérrez at right wing-back for Javain Brown and Leo Owusu for Michael Baldisimo in the middle of the park.
In contrast to last week’s thumping, the team looked much more assured and cohesive, moving as a unit and competing for second balls with greater aggression and tact. Forget about the result against Columbus Crew, this game was the real foundation from which a positive ‘Caps season can grow!
Starting at the back, Thomas Hasal finally got some touches other than picking the ball out of his net. I’m not going to refer to him as a “youngster” because as the saying goes: “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough”. The goalkeeper started with a slightly sketchy clearance after charging out of his box in the opening five minutes, but from that point on, he looked well fitting of the number one shirt.
NYCFC managed to get off 19 shots, but Hasal only had to deal with four efforts on target. His first real save was a smart one, down to his right with a strong hand to deny a low drive from New York’s Talles Magno. The only other trouble the ‘Caps goalie faced in the first half was a header from Alexander Callens, but luckily the crossbar was there to help him maintain a clean sheet.
Going into the second, Hasal was on vacation till the 89th minute when he was called into action to deal with Thiago Andrade’s volley. Whether it was for the cameras or not, the goalkeeper sprung up to tip the ball over the bar, finally giving the Whitecaps faithful a talking point.
A clean sheet against the champions will do Hasal’s confidence a world of good — importantly hushing any doubters that questioned his capability. Final note on goalkeepers: Maxime who?
In general, the defence was much better this week. Both Tristan Blackmon and Jungwirth set the tone with some big challenges that really perked up the crowd — Blackmon’s last ditch block on Thiago Andrade got arguably the biggest cheer of the night.
Whilst the centre-backs looked good, I was more impressed with the wing-backs, who improved tenfold — I say that mainly on the basis of them being so bad last week. While the Cristians, Dajome and Gutiérrez, didn’t do anything special in the game, their positional play was solid, forming a good unit with the back three. It seems wise to stick with Gutiérrez for a time to give the team some stability. Brown can have good moments, but he’s too unpredictable.
If there is one area of improvement for the wing-backs, it would be getting the ball into the box. As with last week, the majority of deliveries have been poor. We all know the ability of Lucas Cavallini and Brian White in the air, let’s get them some better service! May I suggest watching some videos of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson…
As with the wing-backs, the midfield was much improved with the trio of Owusu, Russell Teibert, and Ryan Gauld complimenting each other well. Owusu particularly was good on the ball at times — he had an infectious determination that gave the ‘Caps strength in stifling attacks and transitioning on the counter.
Combining Owusu’s skill on the ball with Teibert’s dogged approach also gives Gauld more licence to pick up dangerous pockets of play in the opponents’ final third. Granted, this didn’t happen too often in this match due to the lack of possession for the ‘Caps, but in future games, this trio could be key in unlocking the Scots technical ability and helping us see some of the play that ignited the league last season.
When Owusu started to look a bit leggy, he was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter, who I think also has the dynamism to work in this midfield — he was a bright spark amidst the despair last week and also looked comfortable in this game.
We’ll spare you the heat maps that illustrate the 30%-70% possession stats in favour of NYCFC, but it’s worth noting that the ‘Caps largely contained the New York pressure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sartini fall back on the same defence and midfield next week.
In attack, Cavallini looked like a man on a mission. The big man was relentless in smashing into the opposition — it was quite the spectacle. I’m sure he’d do well under Sean Dyche at Burnley. However, if he wants that dream move to Turf Moor, Cavallini will need to start adding goals. The forward had a couple of good moments, but lacked conviction in his efforts. BC Place was on its feet willing him to connect with that scissor kick but sadly it wasn’t to be.
In his post match interview, Sartini said he would have kept Cavallini and White on together if the Canadian hadn’t picked up a yellow card, believing that the pair could have given NYCFC some concerns in the closing stages. This was great to hear because Sartini could have easily been pleased shutting up shop against the champions.
Next week the ‘Caps are down in Houston against the Dynamo in a match where I predict goals. Building on this week’s performance, I picture nothing other than some delicious Gauld deliveries into the big men in the middle, with Cavallini and White to both the bag their first goals of the season.
It has to happen at some point. Doesn’t it?!
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with more Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer chat.
The Whitecaps are still searching for their first win of the new MLS season, but at least they have their first points on the board after a 0-0 draw at home to NYCFC. We pick over the bones of that one, dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly from the players and performance, and look ahead to what already feels like a big game in Houston next Saturday.
We also round up the weekend’s action in MLS for the other two Canadian teams and around the Western Conference.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.47: Whitecaps v NYCFC postgame analysis
34.44: Whitecaps players – the good, the bad, and the ugly
52.33: Houston v Vancouver preview
66.28: MLS Canadian round-up
84.25: MLS West round-up
110.40: Wavelength – My Brother Woody – Stranded On Saturday
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
“To be the best you have to beat the best.” Or so the modern colloquialism goes. Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club have started their 2022 campaign by taking on the reigning Major League Soccer title holders of the previous two seasons. Matchday 1 saw the British Columbia side travel to Ohio to take on the 2020 champs and Columbus Crew put on a dominating performance in a 4-0 win. This afternoon at BC Place, the ‘Caps looked to bounce back playing host to the 2021 victors, New York City Football Club. And bounce back they did, well at least in some aspects.
Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini made three changes to his starting XI from the debacle versus the Crew. The Italian also switched from the new “secondary” 3-1-4-2 to last year’s main setup that led to the remarkable run to a playoff spot, 3-4-1-2. Florian Jungwirth came into the side for the suspended Jake Nerwinski in the left side centreback role. Nerwinski was serving his one game suspension after being sent off for a second bookable offense in the opener. Cristián Gutiérrez came in at the wingback position to replace the underperforming Javain Brown. Finally, it was Leo Owusu taking the spot of Matthew Baldisimo in the heart of midfield.
NYCFC’s Ronny Deila maintained his teams favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, but still made two alterations from the starters that were unfortunate to lose 1-0 away against LA Galaxy to a 90th minute strike from Chicharito. Thiago Andrade for Santiago Rodríquez on the right wing and Keaton Parks for Nicolás Acevedo as the right sided holding midfielder were both straight swaps. Many expected more rotation to the City Football Group team as they were playing their fourth competitive match of 2022 and have reached the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions’ League. The general sense is that the New York club has serious aspirations to add a continental trophy to its newly minted cabinet.
Before the match, football was laid to the side as the clubs, the league, and all those in attendance took time to recognize the tragic situation taking place in Europe – namely the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. The Caps’ players wore “We Stand With Ukraine” shirts during warmups, club captain Russell Teibert not only wore a Ukrainian flag armband, but also led his team out waving the country’s flag. The Ukrainian national anthem was played before the match and funds were collected for the Red Cross Ukrainian Humanitarian fund. It was one of those reminders that there are much more meaningful things in life than football. May peace reign in this situation and throughout the earth.
Very moving rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem ahead of #VANvNYC #VWFC #MLS #GloryToUkraine pic.twitter.com/LwfbN1AcBR
— AFTN (@aftncanada) March 5, 2022
As the game got underway, the most intriguing element of Sartini’s tactical and formational approach was how right footed Cristian Dájome lined up as the left wingback and left footed Gutierrez lined up as the right wingback. The intrigue wasn’t only that they started as inverted wingbacks, but that they kept swapping flanks with each other. It was somewhat reminiscent of Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben at Bayern München in the last decade or Ryan Giggs and David Beckham at Manchester United in the one before that. However, before this unique approach could pay dividends it was the visitors with the first real opening of the match.
In the 7th minute the lively and creative Talles Magno tried to slip in a pass to the on-rushing Thiago Andrade on the right. Jungwirth did well to slide in to intercept, however his touch brought the ball back to Magno, who was following up his pass. The Brazilian took one touch before taking aim at the far bottom corner. Thomas Hasal did ever so well to get down and get a strong right hand to the low drive. One could sense that if last week was detrimental to the young ‘keepers’ confidence, this early quality stop did a lot to raise it.
There was another nervy moment early in the half when the guest’s big centreback Alexander Callens rattled his header off the crossbar from the second phase of a broken corner. That 15th minute chance seemed to spark some life into the home side and they began to create some opportunities going forward. In the 17th minute the ‘Caps quickly countered off a corner. Tristan Blackmon with the clearance found the talismanic Ryan Gauld bursting forward. The Scot brought the ball under control before playing in Déiber Caicedo. Unfortunately for the home fans the Colombian was caught by the chasing defenders and had his shot blocked.
In the 21st minute Deila had to replace one Homegrown player for another when rightback Tayvon Gray went down with a left quad or hamstring issue. Andres Jasson took his place and shortly thereafter the ‘Caps chose to attack the newcomer. Gutierrez had switched it his preferred left side of the field and had a couple of good interchanges with Leo. The Ghanaian then played Lucas Cavallini in out wide on the left. The striker put in a respectable cross but Caicedo couldn’t make good contact on the volley and the chance was wasted.
Only moments later came the Whitecaps’ first shot on target of the new season. Blackmon connected with Dájo on the right. He passed to Rusty who laid it off for Gauld. His in swinging left footed cross found the head of Cava, but the Canadian Designated Player’s header was too central and easily saved by NYCFC captain Sean Johnson. A few minutes later, with Dájome switching back to left, he connected with his fellow countryman Caicedo, whose cross was narrowly missed by Cava’s scissor kick attempt. The ball fell to Gutierrez, but his shot ended up grazing the roof of the top of the net.
Cava was quite involved in the first half. He had poorly timed and/or questionable challenges in the 9th and 32nd minutes before adding his name to the referee’s book in the 39th minute. This time it was a poor decision to needlessly take down Keaton Parks in the attacking third. In the fifth minute of stoppage time in the first half, Cava was fortunate not to be sent off as he ran through the back of Callens. It appears as though the talented striker is still coming to grips with how play on the edge in MLS.
If the first half had a sense that both teams were up for taking all 3 points, the second had a vibe that seemed both sides might be willing to settle for a draw. Brian White made his season debut replacing the somewhat subdued Caicedo in the 64th minute, but his partnership with Cavallini was short lived as he was replaced by Brown in the 72nd minute and Gauld got pushed more forward.
The two biggest plays of the half were by arguably the two strongest performers on the home side. In the 86th minute it was Man-of-the-Match Blackmon with a sliding tackle to stop Thiago Andrade from having a clear shot at goal. Then in the 89th minute Hasal showed his quality palming a point-blank volley, also from the dangerous Thiago Andrade, over the bar.
The match ended in a goalless draw, but there were many positives for players, coaches, and fans alike to take away from this encounter. A clean sheet and overall much better team defensive performance from the ‘Caps.
Many people will point out that they shouldn’t allow a team like NYCFC to have 70% possession, but ultimately they did well to limit what they did with that possession. Vancouver were also much improved going forward and although Cava’s header was the only shot on target, they created a number of encouraging chances. It will be interesting to see what Vanni does now with the next couple of matches on the road. Does he stick with the 3-4-1-2, which seems to be currently more well suited and known by the players or go back to the 3-1-4-2? Tune in to TSN 1 (or 4) next Saturday at 3:30pm when VWFC take on Houston Dynamo to find out.
Are the Whitecaps the best in MLS? No. Are they the worst? Clearly not. That position is saved for 0-2 sides like the Seattle Sounders.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 0 New York City FC
ATT: 18,463
STATS:
Possession: VAN 29.9% – NYC 70.1%
Shots: VAN 10 – NYC 19
Shots on Goal: VAN 1 – NYC 4
Saves: VAN 4 – NYC 1
Fouls: VAN 17 – NYC 21
Offsides: VAN 1 – NYC 1
Corners: VAN 5 – NYC 8
VANCOUVER: Thomas Hasal; Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović, Florian Jungwirth; Cristián Gutiérrez, Russell Teibert, Leonard Owusu (Sebastian Berhalter 82), Cristian Dájome (Pedro Vite 81); Ryan Gauld; Lucas Cavallini (Javain Brown 72), Déiber Caicedo (Brian White 64) [Substitutes not used: Isaac Boehmer, Ryan Raposo, Michael Baldisimo, Matteo Campagna, Tosaint Ricketts]
NEW YORK: Sean Johnson; Tayvon Gray (Andres Jasson 22), Maxime Chanot, Alexander Callens, Malte Amundsen; Keaton Parks (Gedion Zelalem 64), Alfredo Morales (Thiago Martins 79); Santiago Rodríguez, Maximiliano Moralez, Talles Magno (Santiago Rodriguez 64); Valentín Castellanos (Héber 64) [Substitutes not used: Luis Barraza, Chris Gloster, Thiago Andrade, Vuk Latinovich, Justin Haak]
REACTION:
VANCOUVER WHITECAPSVANNI SARTINI
On the game:
“We got our foot on the ball, and that’s the key, try to press, winning the ball because they bring a lot of players up front and try to counterattack. I think we’ve been good a couple of times, winning the ball going inside and then attacking the space. We have to do much more if you want to win games. Today was enough, in order to not lose, but we need to do much more in order to win games. And again, we need to be a little more clean. I think a couple of times we had potential chances, like Déiber had a ball on the side and then he decided to come back. You know, on the side, the little thing that when you have to make the choice to play the simple part we tried to do two more I would say high-risk pass but it wasn’t the right choice. Hopefully, we will work on some of this next week, I think there’s a solid base to try to make quality opportunities if we keep playing like this.”
On Hasal’s performance:
“I think he was very good. I think he made two very good saves one after five minutes and one at the end of the of the game. He also I would say followed the gameplan in terms of build up, tried to play very simple, tried to not overplay, tried to be in charge of the defence. So I’m happy that he got this performance because, of course, he needs to be confident so Thomas was very, very good today.”
LUCAS CAVALLINI
On the match:
“I think we could have finished with a win, no doubt, I got unlucky with my chances but personally I’m feeling good and taking it day-by-day, game-by-game, so a little positive energy for myself. Team wise, much better than last week for sure. We showed a lot of improvement but I think we’re lacking a little bit of intensity, high intensity and just capitalizing on our chances, which it shows, zero goals in our last two games. So I mean, still a long season and you know, we just got to believe in each other. A good group of guys here, everybody gets along well. So I’m happy to be a part of a good team like this.”
On Thomas Hasal’s performance:
“He had a very good day, I’m happy for Thomas. We’ve just got to give him all the confidence, I think before his injuries, he was unbelievable. I think personally that after his injuries, he hasn’t been the same, lacking that confidence, but that’s normal. Now he demonstrated who he was before his injury and he’s just getting better game-by-game, so we all have to support him.”
THOMAS HASAL
On the match:
“I think, especially with last week, we were able to come out with a different attitude, really, as well as collectively. You know, it’s always a tough task against the defending champions but the game could have gone either way. This is what we have to bring, we have to bring more and more of this, as this is the game we have to build off. So I think it was much better than last week, we got to keep going.”
On building his confidence:
“I think as a goalkeeper in the first part of the season, you want to build off different set pieces, performances in different games and 100 percent on clean sheets, to get a good home performance. That’s something I can build off and keep going with the rest of the season.”
NEW YORK CITY
RONNY DEILA
“I think we were much better than them. We created six, seven, eight chances. We didn’t take our chances and we gave them one or two. That’s good when you are away. There was really good energy was a lot of fight in the team. We created enough to win, but we didn’t take our chances today. We just can keep on defending well and create chances. We know we have players that will start scoring.”
“We knew exactly how they were going to play so it was a lot about balance in the counter-attacks. It was about moving the ball well so we’d get it into the final third as much as possible. In the end of the game it opened up a bit more that’s why we introduced Thiago Martins into the field. We wanted a goal at the same time so we tried to get two strikers, but it wouldn’t go in today but that’s how football is sometimes. It’s about belief, continuing what we’re doing, create enough chances, and as I said before, we have players that can score goals.”
They say that a week can be a long time in politics. Well if we’ve learned anything in this modern era of football, it’s that a year can be an absolutely crazy period of change in the game and at clubs.
If you’d told us a year ago that Marc Dos Santos would be back at LAFC as an assistant coach, with Maxime Crepeau joining him in the City of Angels as the team’s new number one goalkeeper, we’d have found that hard to fathom. Yet here we are.
Crepeau’s trade to LAFC last month sent shockwaves throughout the Vancouver Whitecaps fanbase and was a statement of intent from his new side, who gave up a million dollars in General Allocation money to land the Canadian international, who is enthused, excited, and raring to go with his new club.
“I was right for that new chapter with the organisation who has the mindset of winning,” Crepeau told media on a zoom call on Tuesday. “Even though it’s five years in the league that winning mentality and the culture of winning within the organisation and the fans. It’s fantastic timing. There were some great additions in the offseason so now it about gluing everything together and getting ready for that campaign.”
From a Whitecaps perspective, the timing was far from great. Crepeau hadn’t arrived for the team’s preseason camp and the trade was announced four days later, with a very special personal situation being cited as the reason why the ‘Caps keeper needed to move on.
When AFTN spoke with Crepeau in December, he was excited and looking forward to what the 2022 season would hold in store for the ‘Caps. Six weeks later and he was away, traded to a Western Conference rival. So just how did that timeline play out?
“When we spoke before Christmas, there was some stuff going on in Vancouver before my move here to LA,” Crepeau told AFTN on the call. “The best fit for me for my career and for what I want to achieve, LA was interested, and to be honest that was the best solution for me for my career to develop as a goalkeeper. And to gain a lot experience in this league, this was the next step for me and that’s how I see it.”
Crepeau made it clear that he isn’t viewing this move as a temporary stopgap to a bigger move overseas. His goal is to be in LA for the long term, although he wasn’t ruling out a dream move to Europe at some stage down the line.
“I’m going on 28 in May,” Crepeau said. “My goal is to be one of the guys that can bring the club into the playoffs and fight for silverware every single year. To be in that core group of guys for the organisation that can make it happen.
“How do I see my stay? I want to be here for the club to make something great. To write history. And then if there’s an opportunity overseas in one, two, three, five years, and it makes sense to everybody, of course. To play in European competition is the dream of pretty much every athlete, but my focus is here at LAFC for many years to come.”
Crepeau has played in LA a couple of times in his MLS career with the Whitecaps, loving the atmosphere at the Banc of California stadium. And he’ll have a familiar face to help him transition into his new club quicker, with former Whitecaps head coach, and someone Crepeau has known since he was 15-years-old, Marc Dos Santos officially confirmed as one of LAFC’s assistant coaches again today.
And those previous experiences, along with some chats with Dos Santos about life at LAFC, helped Crepeau know that this was the right move for him.
“I came here to LA in 2019 and in 2021, which were amazing experiences in being with the opposition locker room,” Crepeau said. “The fans brought the energy to the bank and the atmosphere is a proper football one. That’s the only experience I had at LAFC before, but yeah I spoke with Marc, maybe once or twice, just before things got into movement before the trade. That was a smooth transition.”
Crepeau finally got the chance to join up with his new teammates in LA this week after being away on international duty with Canada. Two sessions in and head coach Steve Cherundolo is already seeing the signs of why they wanted to make Crepeau their million dollar man.
“Max has proved over the last three seasons that he’s one of the top keepers in this league,” Cherundolo said. “On top of that, his personality and character are things we’ve been looking for as well. He’s a great communicator, a great guy.
“He brings a lot of energy on a daily basis, which is something we’re trying to inject in this group. He’s been here a couple of days and it’s been exactly that. So we are very excited about that acquisition and what he can bring to this team.”
LAFC are getting a keeper with three seasons’ experience as a MLS starter. A player who has become better year upon year, for both club and country, and who they hope will solidify an, at times, shaky looking backline.
When Crepeau looks back at the player he was when he first came to Vancouver in 2019, to the player he is now in LA three years later, he sees it as a natural growth, and just the start of what he is capable of achieving in the game.
“Playing games, there’s no secret as a goalkeeper, will work on your craft and will make yourself better as a goalkeeper and as a person,” Crepeau told us. “You have experience with situations that you have no idea how to deal with without playing.
“As a goalkeeper you need to go and play a full season, which my chance was in Ottawa back in 2018 and then with Vancouver I had the opportunity to do it in MLS and within the league. The fact that I was able to play in Vancouver helped me a lot to understand where I was at, where I can improve in my game, and what’s next for me.”
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure and we’re covering a lot of bases this week as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, the Canadian national team, the Canadian Premier League, and more.
It’s been a week of joy for Canadian soccer, with the men’s national team all but booking a spot at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. We chat about the latest win in El Salvador, the job that John Herdman has done, how the rest of the year should look, and the team’s continuing rise in the FIFA rankings.
It’s also been a busy week in Whitecapsland and we look at all the main stories from Brian White’s contract extension, to the signing of midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, to a couple of departures. Plus we look at the announcement of how the MLS Next Pro roster will be made up and we find out if Javain Brown fancies a chocolate digestive.
We also take a look at the 2022 CPL schedule and how Pacific FC’s offseason has been going, travel around the world to chat about some stories making the news in Australia, Africa, and Scotland, talk about the BBC documentary Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League in this week’s TVOD section, and The Jam debut as our Artists of the Month.
This episode is part of CiTR Radio’s 2022 Fundrive, the radio station’s annual fundraising campaign. You can make a donation at citr.ca/donate. Make sure to mention AFTN sent you there!
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
01.57: CiTR fundrive details
04.26: TVOD – Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League
21.10: Canadian national team chat
44.17: Whitecaps News of the Week – Bair sold, White extended, Awuah departs
56.10: Anyone Fancy A Chocolate Digestive? – Javain Brown
57.35: More Whitecaps chat – San Diego beckons, Berhalter joins, Caio visa issues
66.24: MLS Next Pro roster rules announced
79.42: Canadian Premier League chat
96.45: News of the World – Robbo sacked down under, African Nations Cup, Raith Rovers debacle
113.20: Wavelength – Grimdeluxe – Football
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
The battle for the 2021/22 Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) Premier Division title got a lot more interesting this past weekend with just four points now separating the top five teams after leaders BB5 United CCB fell to their first defeat of the season.
The Surrey side still have at least two games in hand over the chasing pack, but the season run-in should be fascinating to watch play out with a fierce battle for Provincial Cup spots brewing and Imperial Cup action getting set to get underway this weekend, where two berths can also be won.
BB5 headed to a chilly Cunnings Field on Friday night to take on a Coquitlam Metro Ford side who have been in up and down form these past few games. But the home side were too strong on the night in this one, running out worthy 3-1 winners after a strong all-round team performance that saw their defence in particular deal well with their opponents dangerous attack.
Both teams were moving the ball forward well in the early going and exchanged some half chances before the deadlock was eventually broken in the 23rd minute by the home side. It was both a goal from quick anticipation and a howler by the keeper as Andrew Metcalfe came racing out of his goal to try and cut off a through ball that Jovan Blagojevic was chasing down. The BB5 keeper completely mistimed his slide, allowing the former Whitecaps draft pick, who had just flown back from an Australian summer, to nick the ball away and saunter goalward to tap the ball home.
Coquitlam doubled their advantage with nine minutes of the half remaining when Ryan Ashlee fired home after a scramble in the BB5 box following a corner. That was how it stayed until just past the hour mark when Nic Morello was brought down in the box and Caleb Clarke fired home from the spot for his 16th of the season.
BB5 pushed to keep their unbeaten record intact but Metro Ford restored their two goal advantage 10 minutes later and it was Ashlee again who was in the right place at the right time to grab the clincher with a superb diving header.
You can see our extended highlights of the game on AFTN’s YouTube channel HERE (subscribe please if you’re not already!), and in the video below:
That defeat still kept BB5 at the top of the table with a couple of games in hand, but it will certainly have given Metro Ford, who are four points off the top now in fourth place, and the rest of the chasing pack some hope that their march to the title might not yet be guaranteed.
Rino’s VSC Coastal remain nipping at their heels in second and now sit just two points behind, with an abandoned match with BB5 still to be played to a finish and tied at one apiece this coming Wednesday. Coastal headed to Newton Athletic Park on Friday night and came away with a 3-1 victory over SFC Pegasus. Sean Northcote set Coastal on their way in the 23rd minute, with Jake Starheim making it 2-0 nine minutes later. Northcote grabbed his second of the game just past the hour mark to put Coastal out of sight, with Jora Soran grabbing a 71st minute consolation for the Horsemen.
VUFC Hibernian sit a point behind Coastal in third after two first half goals gave them a 2-0 win over West Van FC at Thunderbird Stadium on Friday evening. Sebastian Dzikowski opened the scoring for the UBC boys in the 26th minute, with Chris Fisher adding a second six minutes later to secure three big points and they now meet Coastal this week.
Inter EDC continued their excellent recent form with a 3-0 win over BCT Rovers Hurricanes at Newton on Friday, with all the drama coming in an action packed final 13 minutes. Alex Marrello fired Inter ahead from the spot in the 77th minute after Massud Habibullah had been brought down in the box, with Nikolas Papakyriakopoulos doubling their lead two minutes later with a stunning long range free kick. Javid Khan saw red for the Hurricanes for a second yellow shortly after, before Habibullah grabbed a third for Inter in the 89th minute with a fantastic run and finish for his 8th of the season for the team.
You can see highlights from the match in the videos below from Inter’s Instagram account:
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Another week, another wonder goal from Massud Habibullah for @clubinterfutbol. He's on at the moment. This was his 8th of the season for Inter last night (9th in @vmslsoccer altogether). Surprised the Whitecaps let him go but surely a bright future ahead of him. What a goal! pic.twitter.com/c06yprcLNs
— AFTN (@aftncanada) January 29, 2022
With the match between MAFC Elite and Croatia SC postponed, the final game of the weekend took place at Fen Burdett Stadium in North Vancouver on Saturday afternoon with a battle at the bottom between NVFC Norvan and Burnaby Selects White Eagles finishing goalless.
So after all of that action, here’s how the VMSL Premier standings look after Week 19 of the season:
So a lot of football still to be played and a lot still to be decided.
With the First Round of the Imperial Cup getting underway this weekend there’s a reduced league schedule, but here’s what’s on the slate in the VMSL Premier:
Friday February 4th:
Inter EDC v SFC Pegasus (8.10pm – Burnaby Lake Field 3)
Saturday February 5th:
Rinos VSC Coastal v VUFC Hibernian (4.00pm – South Surrey Athletic Park Field 10)
Sunday February 6th:
Croatia SC v Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves (3.10pm – Burnaby Lake Field 2)
Wednesday February 9th:
BB5 United CCB v Rino’s VSC Coastal (9.00pm – Newton Stadium, Surrey – last 16 minutes to be played)
There’s also four first round Imperial Cup matches taking place this weekend:
You can find all of the results, standings, and fixtures across all the divisions at VMSLsoccer.com.
What a weekend for soccer!
Youth and adult players of all ages are getting the extra boost from seeing our Men’s National Team doing so well and it will only keep building grassroots soccer on the Island and more.
The Island’s top flight, Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL) Division 1, had all five games played on the weekend, and here is that breakdown.
Friday night had plenty of fireworks as Vic West defeated Cowichan 4-1. A spirited affair saw Cowichan receive three red cards, and a goal scored by Colin Knight, but they were outgunned by Vic West, who had goals from Isaac Agyeman, Salem Almardy, and a double from Marcus Campanile.
Friday also saw a tight match in Nanaimo as the hosts slipped by Westcastle 2-1 thanks to goals from Hussen Sayed and Declan Brown. Westcastle’s lone goal was scored by Norbert Cedric Aba.
Saturday started out with a couple of surprising results, the first being Gorge and Powell River Villa battling to a 1-1 draw. The Villa goal that opened up scoring on the day was by Jake Kenmuir, but Kaelan Cooke tied things up for Gorge and the points were shared.
There was another surprising result at Vanier Turf in Comox as Comox Valley held Bays Utd to a 0-0 draw. It was a shared shutout by two Comox Keepers, while the clean sheet for Bays was Mark Rankin.
Saturday wrapped up with league leaders Lakehill defeating Juan de Fuca Allfows 5-3, and making their magic number three points to secure the Garrison Cup. Blair Sturrock hit a hat-trick for Lakehill, with Isaac Koch and Matthew Olaka also on the scoresheet for the leaders. Allflows had a goal from Keevan Webb and Ethan Emile with two.
So after all of that action, the VISL Division 1 standings look as follows:
The biggest news from the set of games is Lakehill getting that much closer to winning their second Garrison Cup in three years. They just need one more win, or a Nanaimo loss to hoist the trophy again.
The other big news had both Comox and Powell River securing single points in their games. Those could very well be very important points come time to declare relegation. With Vic West and Nanaimo winning, they have positioned themselves nicely to finish near the top, and qualify for BC Soccer’s Provincial Cup.
The leaderboard for clean sheets remains the same as last weeks, with Lakehill’s Hardeep Gahunia still leading the way on five.
It was a big weekend for scoring for Lakehill’s Blair Sturrock. His three goals gives him a comfortable lead on the leaderboard for the Golden Boot Award. Here is how that race looks:
It’s a loaded weekend, and the VISL’s top flight will have it’s busiest weekend of the year starting Friday. Seven games are on tap as four different teams are playing double headers to get more games in.
Out of the gate on Friday night is Lakehill hosting Cowichan at Braefoot – the first game of two that these teams will have against each other this weekend. Lakehill will be looking to capture the divisional trophy – the Garrison Cup. It is the oldest competition in Island League soccer and one of the oldest of all sports on the Island too. A win will allow the Reds to hoist the trophy again – the team that last won the championship before COVID started.
Another game on Friday will have Bays Utd hosting Gorge FC. Both teams are looking for full points as they have been disappointed of late – Bays to get back into the top four discussion, and Gorge to separate from the bottom three and relegation discussion.
Saturday will see Powell River Villa hosting Nanaimo Utd. Powell River are coming off a couple impressive road matches and seem to be playing well. They will need to be as second place Nanaimo are still rolling, but just by slimmest of margins.
The Victoria Highlanders will also host Juan de Fuca Allflows on Saturday at Goudy Turf. JDF will be looking for points so to avoid the bottom three scenario but they will be in tough against a quick young Highlanders squad.
In game 1 of 2 for these teams and their double header, Vic West will host Comox at Finlayson on Saturday. Vic West are coming off a convincing win and Comox coming off a hard fought draw, but Vic West can keep themselves in the top four with a result or two. Comox would love some points to get out of relegation zone.
Sunday sees the back end of both double headers. Cowichan will host Lakehill on an infrequent game on Kesserich Grass field, while Vic West will travel up to Vanier Turf in Comox for their second game as well.
Here’s the full slate of matches in store for you this weekend in Division 1:
You can find all the latest results, standings, and fixtures across all of the divisions at VISL.org.
Thanks for supporting local grassroots soccer, and people in your community.
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show, your Vancouver Whitecaps and North American football podcast, and what a week it’s been for Canadian soccer.
There’s two windows left in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying and with four games remaining, Canada are sitting pretty and on the verge of qualification to Qatar 2022 after wins over Honduras and the US. We look back over those important victories, the key moments that earned the six points, and the standout performances.
Plus Zach joins us from Hamilton to chat about what it was like to be at the game and the atmosphere in the stadium, and we look over the current Octagon standings and what is left to play out over the next two months.
Our feature interview this episode is with a Canadian national team legend and current Whitecap Tosaint Ricketts. Tos talks to us about recently completing his degree, his role in the Whitecaps front office, his desire to continue playing in MLS, the introduction of ‘Stand By Me’, and more.
Plus we chat about Max Crepeau leaving for LAFC and hear for the first time from the player himself and Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster, talk about Theo Bair leaving for St Johnstone in Scotland, and there’s a special Canadian national team themed Wavelength.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.35: Canada v Honduras and the US
35.05: More Canada and CONCACAF World Cup qualifying chat
65.14: Tosaint Ricketts interview and discussion
88.40: Theo Bair is heading to St Johnstone in Scotland
98.11: Max Crepeau transfer to LAFC confirmed
112.45: Wavelength – Sons Of Andrew – Canada We’ll Proudly Play For You
You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:
Direct Download
Apple podcasts.
iPhone App
Spotify
Google Podcasts
iHeart Radio
Podbean.
Stitcher Radio Network.
Our CiTR Radio Show Page
Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
BB5 United CCB’s march to the Vancouver Metro Soccer League (VMSL) Premier Division title became a step closer to reality this past weekend as the Surrey side picked up three more points in another commanding performance, while their two closest challengers both dropped points and fell further behind the league leaders.
It was an entertaining and exciting week of VMSL action, with the six Premier games producing 18 goals between them, as the battle for Provincial Cup places started to get really interesting with just a few more weeks of the league season to go.
The league leaders were in action at Newton Athletic Park on Friday evening and they put in another dominating performance as a Caleb Clarke hat-trick and goals from Connor Glennon and Nic Morello gave BB5 a 5-0 victory over bottom placed MAFC Elite. Those goals took Clarke and Morello to 14 goals apiece on the season and saw the Surrey side take a five point lead at the top of the VMSL Premier standings with eight games left to play, and with having two games in hand on their nearest rival.
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Rino’s VSC Coastal held on to second spot in the table but lost ground on the leaders after throwing away a two goal lead in a highly entertaining match at Burnaby Lake on Friday night with Inter EDC, going down 3-2 in the end in a fantastic advert for the league.
The match was an end to end affair from the start, but Coastal had the better of the early going and took the lead eight minutes in when Adam Staschuk was quick to pounce on a rebound in the six yard box to drill home the opening goal. Both teams exchanged more chances, but Coastal were still looking the more threatening team and they doubled their lead in the 19th minute.
Isaac Kyei was brought down in the box and Jake Starheim stepped up to tuck away the resultant spot kick, but Coastal’s lead was reduced back down to one just five minutes later when Inter got a penalty of their own after a handball in the box, which Alex Marrello made no mistake of dispatching.
Four minutes later and we were all tied up after after former Whitecaps academy prospect Massud Habibullah fired home the goal of the game, with a lovely low strike from the edge of the box.
Both teams created numerous chances in the remaining hour, and how there was only one more goal added to the tally is a mystery, but the winner came on a quick counter for Inter with eight minutes remaining, with a composed Andres Rojas’ coolly finishing into the far corner.
You can see our extended highlights of the game on AFTN’s YouTube channel HERE (subscribe please if you’re not already!), and in the video below:
The loss was a big blow to Coastal’s fading title hopes, but put Inter right back in the thick of things as they battle for a top four spot and a guaranteed place in this year’s Provincial Cup. On the form they showed in this match, you have to think they will clinch one.
Inter were certainly one of the big winners this past weekend in terms of the standings, as were VUFC Hibernian, who moved up to third in the table to sit just one point behind Coastal now after a Bradley Richardson goal gave them a narrow 1-0 win over Burnaby Selects White Eagles at Burnaby Lake on Sunday evening.
Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves dropped down to fourth in the standings after dropping two points in a battle with BCT Rovers Hurricanes at Newton Athletic Park on Friday night, and it was both teams’ tops scorers that found the back of the net in this one in a 1-1 draw.
The home side had the better of the opening chances and they got the breakthrough in the 27th minute when the league’s Golden Boot leader, Nick Soolsma, hit his 22nd of the season, firing home from the spot after a handball was called in the box.
The Hurricanes couldn’t put the game to bed though and they were punished for some sloppy defending in the 74th minute when they were dispossessed at the corner of their own box, allowing the ball to be played in across goal for Carlo Basso to sweep home his 12th of the season.
Both sides had their chances to win it in the closing minutes, but neither could find the breakthrough and a share of the points it was.
You can see Sport Revolution’s highlights of the match below:
The other two games last weekend saw West Van draw 1-1 at home to SFC Pegasus at Ambleside on Friday night and Croatia SC ran out 2-1 winners over NVFC Norvan at Burnaby Lake on Sunday afternoon.
So after all of that action, here’s how the VMSL Premier standings look after Week 18 of the season:
So a lot of football still to be played and a lot still to be decided.
Here’s what’s on the slate over this weekend in the VMSL Premier:
Friday January 28th:
VUFC Hibernian v West Van FC (7.30pm – Thunderbird Stadium, UBC)
Coquitlam Metro Ford Wolves v BB5 United CCB (8.00pm – Cunnings Field, Coquitlam)
BCT Rovers Hurricanes v Inter EDC (8.45pm – Newton Athletic Park 4, Surrey)
SFC Pegasus v Rino’s VSC Coastal (9.15pm – Newton Athletic Park Stadium, Surrey)
Saturday January 29th:
NVFC Norvan v Burnaby Selects White Eagles (4.30pm – Fen Burdett Stadium, North Vancouver)
You can find all of the results, standings, and fixtures across all the divisions at VMSLsoccer.com.
The top division of Island soccer did not disappoint on the weekend with several strange results – you can decide for yourself which fall into that category. Is definitely why you play the game instead of just awarding results to those that SHOULD win.
Sp here is the snapshot of the weekend results in Division 1 of the Vancouver Island Soccer League (VISL).
Friday started out with a lopsided result at Finlayson as Vic West shutout Juan de Fuca Allflows 4-0 thanks to goals from Andres Algarin, Marcus Campanile, and a pair from Salem Almardy. Vic West keeper Daniel Young-Mercer secured the clean sheet for the Greens.
Friday also saw Cowichan come down the Malahat and surprise Bays Utd by dealing them a 3-1 loss. Colin Knight, James Henry, and Dan Citra were all on target for Cowichan, while the Bays loan goal was scored by Patrick Nelson.
Saturday started out with a bang as Powell River Villa defeated Comox Valley Utd 2-0 through goals from James Timothy and Griffin Leach. Keeping everything out of the Villa goal was Scott McKenzie.
A close match in Nanaimo on Saturday saw Nanaimo Utd slip by Gorge FC 2-1 after a brace from Colin Jacques. The marker for Gorge scored by Kaelan Cooke.
The night, and weekend, wrapped up at Starlight Stadium as Victoria Highlanders shutout Westcastle 2-0 thanks to goals from Lachlan Will and Godwin Babu. Earning the shutout for the Highlanders was keeper Aden Lauzon.
And those results meant some big changes in the standings. Leaders Lakehill had a bye week, but here are how the table looks after all of that action.
The surprise shift came mostly from the bottom half of the table as Nanaimo, Vic West, and the Highlanders did what they were “supposed” to do. The big Cowichan win allows them to leapfrog Bays and go into 5th spot.
Powell River’s win shifts some of the pressure on to Comox now as teams battling to get out of the relegation zone keeps getting interesting.
What we know for sure – one team from Division 1 will drop to Division 2. There could be another two teams to drop down – and that will be dictated by the top teams in Division 2 – and if they decide to promote, or exercise their potential option to stay in the second tier.
The next two weeks could spell out the fortunes for several clubs, some positive, some not so much.
The Golden Gloves leaderboard for clean sheets didn’t change too much as Hardeep Gahunia of Lakehill wasn’t in action but still leads the way on five for the season, two ahead of the chasing pack. The scoring race though got a little tighter this week as the current leader also had a week off.
Blair Sturrock of Lakehill still leads the way with Patrick Nelson nipping at his heels.
But that’s another week in the books, and another week closer to crowning a Garrison Cup winner – a trophy that has been competed for since 1904.
Matchweek 18 starts Friday night, and the Island’s top flight will take inspiration from the Canadian National Team into the weekend.
Friday starts out with a game at Sherman Road Turf as Cowichan FC host Vic West. Both teams are coming off victories last week and this will be a good test for both squads. A Vic West win will see them pull away from Cowichan, while the hosts would like the points to level up with the Greens.
Another game Central Island sees Nanaimo hosting Westcastle at Nanaimo District Secondary School. Westcastle will have their work cut out for them as they try to get out of the basement. Nanaimo are still clinging on to hopes of catching Lakehill, and should keep their dream alive come Saturday morning.
Saturday sees a match at Hampton Turf as Gorge FC host Powell River Villa. Villa are coming off a huge win over Comox and will look to add valuable points to their total to get out of the relegation zone. Gorge are coming off a tight loss to Nanaimo, but playing well. It will be a tough match for the visitors.
Saturday also has a game North Island as Comox Valley hosts Bays Utd at Vanier Turf. A huge game for Comox as they want to separate from Westcastle at the bottom. Bays will need the points to get back into the top four discussion. Should be a tough match.
Saturday wraps up with Juan de Fuca Allflows hosting the division leaders at Starlight Stadium. Nobody will forget the last time these 2 teams met and JDF had the Reds on the ropes, leading by three goals. Lakehill fought back and snatched the game from JDF in the end. This will be a tough match for JDF, but anything is possible.
Here’s the full slate of Division 1 matches coming up this weekend:
You can find all the latest results, standings, and fixtures across all of the divisions at VISL.org.
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The latest AFTN ‘Extra’ podcast is out and Episode 59 is a one hour look ahead to a very busy and very important week of World Cup qualifying matches for the Canadian men’s national team, as they look to take further giant strides to booking a berth in Qatar.
Michael and Zach chat about the matches against Honduras, the US, and El Salvador and what would be a reasonable number of points to take from them and the differing threats posed. They also look at John Herdman’s squad make up, what the team might look like with the absence of Alphonso Davies, the ticket allocation process for the US game, the retirement of Scott Arfield from international football, and more.
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When the news broke on Wednesday evening that Vancouver Whitecaps were set to trade goalkeeper, and Player of the Year, Maxime Crepeau to Western Conference rivals LAFC, it was met with shock and bewilderment by the long suffering ‘Caps fanbase.
So much of this trade didn’t make sense then and now that the deal has been officially announced less than 24 hours later, there are still many questions left unanswered. Some of them we may never get the answer to or don’t necessarily have a right to get an answer to.
But in one fell swoop, the Whitecaps have strengthened a conference rival that didn’t make the playoffs last season and weakened their own team in the process. Nothing about this trade can make you feel anything but that the club has regressed as an on-pitch entity.
Crepeau is heading to the City of Angels in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) plus a natural first round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft and conditional GAM if certain performance metrics are met. The ‘Caps will receive $250,000 in 2022 GAM, $250,000 in 2023 GAM, and $500,000 in GAM between 2023, 2024 and/or 2025. Vancouver also will retain a percentage of the transfer fee if Crepeau is moved to an international club.
It’s a bumper deal in general MLS terms, but considering the lack of value goalkeepers seems to command in the league, it’s a blockbuster amount of Garber bucks being given up by LAFC, showing just how much they covet and respect Crepeau and what he can bring to the team. This is the biggest every trade for a goalkeeper in MLS history.
There’s so much to break down here and we already looked at a few angles in the latest AFTN Soccer Show podcast..
When the news first broke on Twitter last night, it quickly developed, with MLS’ Tom Bogert tweeting that Crepeau asked for the trade for “family reasons”. With his family being Montreal based, none of this really made sense, but Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director shed a little more light on the situation in a media call on Thursday afternoon.
“While we were approaching Max and his agent [about a new deal], they made us aware of a very special personal situation he is dealing with,” Schuster explained. “They were telling us that to get that solved he doesn’t see any chance to prolong his contract, he doesn’t even know how to get his problem solved if he stays in Vancouver. This was nothing we had planned. We had no idea of trading him or selling him to somewhere.”
Crepeau is coming off a career year for both club and country. Unquestionably, the Whitecaps would not have been a playoff team without his saves, especially in some of the most crucial matches. He was named Player of the Year by ourselves and many others and was riding a high.
His remuneration for that was a guaranteed salary of $277,500. That made one of the top five goalkeepers in the league the 23rd best paid keeper overall, although the club had reached out to Crepeau and his agent to begin negotiations on a new contract.
And Schuster was keen to stress that this was not about money and indicated that nothing the club could have offered him would have been able too keep him in Vancouver.
“His agent confirmed to me that this has nothing to do with money, this whole deal,” Schuster said. “This has nothing to do about a contract. This has only to do with his very special personal situation.
“From that moment on we were discussing how we can help. We want to be an organization that is taking care of our players beyond only the pitch. We don’t want to part of a problem, we want always to be part of a solution. While we were continuing to discuss all of that we found out that Max would have a hard time to return and that he would not feel good being here.
“That was something that was also important for us. He was our MVP. He was the best goalkeeper in the Western Conference, but not the best in the league. But would he be able to be the same or to come back and to repeat what he did last year with all of that in mind? So we said that we are open to look for solutions but only if someone acknowledges what Max means for us. Not only as a player on the pitch but as a leader in the locker room.”
That someone was LAFC.
This all naturally raises more questions than provides answers, but ultimately, unless Crepeau wants to share more details himself about what is clearly a very personal situation, none of us have any right to know any more details and I hope other members of the media and supporters recognise that. I would hope the vast majority will.
The deal is now done and Max Crepeau heads to LAFC in what in purely financial terms is a wonder piece of business for Vancouver, even if I like to still (foolishly?) think of football as more than just numbers on a balance sheet. The profit they have made on Crepeau in three years in astounding.
Crepeau was acquired for $50k of GAM and a 3rd round draft pick that Montreal ended up passing with in the Super Draft. The return on investment if this goes ahead will be astounding. https://t.co/MG4afS4huB
— Joe Deasy (@JoeDeasyVAN) January 20, 2022
What isn’t ideal is where Crepeau has ended up. Strengthening a conference rival is never ideal. The problem Vancouver seem to have had is that there weren’t many viable options out there if they wanted to get the return they demanded. Not a lot of teams will pay that kind of money for a goalkeeper.
“LAFC were the only club in the league that was able to give us what we wanted to acknowledge what Max means for us,” Schuster said. “No other MLS destinations were really possible because no other club would be able to afford Max. At least those who were looking for a goalkeeper or were at least interested.”
Vancouver rightly value the Canadian international high. That ruling out some possible suitors is very understandable. But why the rush to get this done now?
Crepeau is about to head into the national team set-up for the next two weeks. Would putting it out there that he was available not have brought other potential teams to table? Maybe one that could have given some GAM and/or a player or two in return? Maybe an Eastern team like New England Revolution, who are set to lose their own highly rated keeper Matt Turner to Europe by all accounts in a few weeks time.
“First of all, we wanted to also get it solved because we wanted to make decisions,” Schuster explained. “There was no guarantee that LAFC would wait forever. What was also a little bit challenging is that Max is a foreigner for every single US club, so he is occupying a foreign spot in every US team. So with that offer that LAFC was making to us, they could go to every single market in the world and try and get a goalkeeper because it doesn’t make a difference if they sign someone from Europe, from Asia, from Africa, from South America, or if they sign Max Crepeau.
“There was also some form of a deadline from LAFC because if we would not commit to something, they would have to solve their problem because they need a goalkeeper. So it isn’t that we haven’t checked in with other clubs, and we have checked in about other possibilities, but the offers haven’t been even close for the possibilities that those clubs had because you also need a club that has this amount of GAM.”
Financially, Crepeau immediately becomes one of the top ten trades in league history and the top traded goalkeeper. Scant consolation for Whitecaps fans, but that should give the team some money to play with for a blockbuster trade of their own.
Except Schuster confirmed that the club weren’t needing any more GAM at this point in time. They have plenty sitting in the Bank of Garber. And it’s for that reason that the $1 million they are receiving from LAFC will be spread out over three payments and not coming in one lump sum.
“We have a huge amount already of GAM in our MLS bank account before that deal,” Schuster said. “And GAM can also expire. You can also pull forward GAM. So we have the full flexibility to use all of that money if we would need to, but we were more running into an issue that at some point our GAM would expire because we are not using all of that at once.
“We have no DP spot to backfill so we would not even use GAM to fill that spot. So long story short, I feel this deal keeps us even more flexible because if we are in need of GAM, you can pull forward future GAM into your actual account. So if we need to, we can do that. If we don’t need, then we have no issue with expiring game.”
There is no doubting that this trade has made the Whitecaps weaker on the pitch. Schuster named Thomas Hasal as the club’s new number one keeper, and as good a player as he is and the ceiling he has, it is an immediate downgrade on Crepeau as of right now (we’ll discuss this and the goalkeeping situation in a future article).
The club now has GAM coming out of their ears. They need to use it to strengthen the team in a few areas. Deals need to get done. Others in the Western Conference have strengthened this offseason. The ball is now in Vancouver’s court to do the same otherwise a season of regression may loom large.
We’re back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show, your Vancouver Whitecaps and North American football podcast, and what a week it’s been.
As the ‘Caps got their preseason camp underway, shock news emerged from Whitecapsland that Player of the Year Max Crepeau was being traded to LAFC. We break down the move and what it might mean for Vancouver, look at how $1 million in GAM might get spent, and try and make sense of a stacked forward line and how all the pieces might fall in.
We’ve got three one-on-one interviews for you from the Whitecaps camp and we kick them off with a chat with trialist Kwame Awuah. The Canadian left back talks about heading to Vancouver looking to get a MLS deal, his three successful years at Forge FC, coming through the Sigma academy, and find out which current Whitecap used to be his roommate.
Turning our attention to the other end of the pitch, we catch up with Theo Bair to chat about his loan spell in Norway, his growth, his ambitions, and battling for minutes back in Vancouver. Plus fellow striker David Egbo chats about his first year as a pro, his loan spell in Phoenix, finally getting into Vancouver, and his hopes for the season to come.
Rounding things off we turn our attention to League1 BC and to TSS Rovers. The Rovers’ supporters share ownership scheme went live to the general public this week and we chat with Colin Elmes, Will Cromack and two representatives from the Spirit of the Rovers Trust about all the hows and whys, plus we look at the team’s preparations for the first L1BC season.
Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:
02.08: Max Crepeau in shock trade to LAFC
24.15: Whitecaps preseason camp underway
30.24: Kwame Awuah interview and discussion
51.18: Whitecaps forward line discussion
55.49: Theo Bair interview and discussion
74.05: David Egbo interview and discussion
96.31: TSS supporter ownership campaign opens to public
120.40: TSS Rovers L1BC preparation latest
137.30: Wavelength – Northern Ireland 1982 World Cup Squad and Dana – Yer Man
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