Hassli’s ESPY nomination a bright light in a dim Whitecaps’ season By Charles Posted on July 13, 2011 Comments Off on Hassli’s ESPY nomination a bright light in a dim Whitecaps’ season 0 725 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter In 2007, Danny Dichio’s goal — the first in Toronto FC’s history — became a focal point for a tough expansion season. Fans still sing the praises of that wondrous goal that came on a spring afternoon against the Chicago Fire. You have to wonder if Eric Hassli’s ridiculous wonder goal, scored a month ago in Seattle, will go down as the defining moment of the Whitecaps’ first season, a moment of magic that gleams from a dim campaign of disappointments. Hassli, who has been nursing an injury and hasn’t played since the Nutrilite Canadian Championship second-leg loss to Toronto FC, jetted off to Los Angeles Tuesday. He’ll be at Wednesday’s ESPY Awards broadcast. His goal is one of the eight finalists for the Best Play Award. Right now, fans can vote at espn.go.com/espys to ensure Hassli gets into the final four. That cut will be made right before the broadcast (at 6 p.m. Pacific Time). Then, during the show, fans will pick their favourite out of the four, in a final vote-off that makes athletes seem like they are on American Idol. But, it’s hard to imagine any MLS goal, even a marker scored in the MLS Cup, that has garnered this kind of attention for the league. In case you aren’t one of the millions who have watched it on ESPN or caught it on YouTube, Hassli pounced on a giveaway at the top corner of the Seattle penalty area, but was running away from goal. Instead of trying to stop, he spun and cracked a volley that went over Seattle keeper Kasey Keller and inside the far post. In a season that featured a coaching change, late goals that turned wins into draws and draws into losses and a 14-game winless drought, Hassli’s goal clearly stands out as the one magic moment. Some Whitecaps fans will argue that it was more enjoyable to see him silence more than 30,000 Sounders fans than to do it at Empire Field. To do it in the den of a long-hated rival may just be sweeter than doing it in front of the Southsiders. ESPY or not, Hassli’s goal has given the Whitecaps plenty of international recognition.
