Lack of first-team Canadians making Whitecaps a tough team to support 15 Jul 2011 Now, if you’ve ever heard Lenarduzzi speak about the team that went to World Cup finals in 1986, he’ll talk about the number of players on the squad who couldn’t find teams on which to play. It was a ragtag group of players, many of whom didn’t escape the realm of semipro North American soccer. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Lenarduzzi is the boss. He’s on the club side. And he has obviously learned that management is a cruel business.
TFC remakes its roster and gets Vancouver’s hometown hero 14 Jul 2011 On Thursday, TFC made two major deals — drastically remaking the roster. The Reds acquired Terry Dunfield, who scored against TFC on opening day at Empire Field, from the Vancouver Whitecaps for allocation money and future considerations. Dunfield, who was the lone Vancouverite in the regular ‘Caps lineup, didn’t start in the the team’s most recent match, a loss at Colorado.
Hassli’s ESPY nomination a bright light in a dim Whitecaps’ season 13 Jul 2011 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.
Three weeks after walking out on contract talks in Belgium, Jarju is Whitecaps’ new Designated Player 12 Jul 2011 What’s interesting is that just three weeks ago, Jarju had told Gambia’s Daily Observer that he was ready to sign a contract extension with Mons, and was looking forward to getting an EU passport. “I am keen to extend my stay with the team at least for one more season with the condition that they will help me secure a Belgian passport,” Jaru told the Observer on June 24. “I have spent five years in Belgium which now qualifies me for Belgian citizenship so it makes no sense to move to another country at the moment.”
Montero named MLS Player of the Week; The 11 opts for Hesmer 11 Jul 2011 Seattle Sounders’ striker Fredy Montero finished at the top when the votes were counted, and was named MLS Player of the Week on Monday. It wasn’t a huge surprise. Montero scored twice, one on an audacious free kick, another on a tap-in after a goalmouth scramble as the Sounders came back from two one-goal deficits to win 3-2 against the hated Portland Timbers at JELD-WEN Field.
A week away from kickoff, and “great seats” still available for MCFC-Whitecaps friendly 11 Jul 2011 It is Vancouver’s first season in Major League Soccer, and you already have to wonder if the city is suffering from the same friendly fatigue we have seen developing in other North American cities.
Whitecaps of 2011 resembling the Union of 2010 10 Jul 2011 But, in the one-goal loss, like so many of the Whitecaps other losses that season, a silly mistake undoes 90 minutes of work.
Harvey trade suggests more Whitecaps’ deals to come 8 Jul 2011 Unless the trade that sent left back Jordan Harvey to Vancouver on Thursday isn’t the first of many dominoes to fall for either the Whitecaps or Philadelphia Union (or both), this deal makes no sense.
Unhappy days: Cunningham ties MLS scoring mark in win over Whitecaps 7 Jul 2011 It’s OK if, until late Wednesday night, you had forgotten that Jeff Cunningham still played in MLS. After spending most of the first half of the season riding the pine, arguably the greatest villain in the history of the league is now tied with Jaime Moreno atop the MLS all-time scoring list. His 133rd career goal, his first for the Crew since he returned to the club in the off-season, gave Columbus a 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps at Empire Field.
Draw! MLS stalemates continue at an amazing pace 6 Jul 2011 Last season, there were 58 draws in MLS play. In 2011 — at just the halfway mark of the season, we are now at a whopping 64 draws. With six of this past week’s nine games ending up in draws — including both matches played as part of a July 4 doubleheader broadcast on ESPN2 — 2011 continues to show parity in MLS like we have never seen before.