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The March to March – Part 4

Whitecaps Wednesday

The international offices of Pucked in the Head were unceremoniously attacked last week by an audiophilic zombie, leading to chaos and turmoil throughout the agency. The confrontation eventually led to the production of a podcast and a brief hiatus for our beloved Whitecaps Wednesday, but it is with great pride that I report everyone here remains just as screwed up as they were prior to the zombie’s arrival. No more, no less.

As for today, the fourth installment of the “March to March” series trumpets the return of Whitecaps Wednesday, in which we will examine the Whitecaps’ matchups throughout the month of June.

Whitecaps FC ambassador Carl Valentine walks the sidelines shaking hands of the Southsiders supporters group on 15 June 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Whitecaps FC ambassador Carl Valentine often visits with supporters at BC Place. He’ll be a little more stationary throughout June this season. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Vancouver heads out on the road, where they will remain for an extended period of time, in order to allow the 2015 Women’s World Cup the use of their hallowed, lawsuit-initiating turf. Read on to find out how I expect month four of the Caps MLS season to play out. Continue reading The March to March – Part 4 →

Articles, Soccer

Photo Gallery – Vancouver Whitecaps 4, New York Red Bulls 1

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeated the New York Red Bulls 4–1 on opening day of the 2014 MLS season, marking the 13th consecutive year — and fourth MLS season — that Vancouver has won their home opener.

Kenny Miller scored twice wearing the captain’s armband, while newcomers Pedro Morales and Sebastián Fernández hit the back of the net in spectacular fashion.

The Red Bulls’ only marker came in stoppage time at the end of the match, as keeper David Ousted was left alone to fend for a long cross — he misjudged his punch, and late substitution Bradley Wright-Phillips took full advantage with a cagey header.

Here are my pics from the match — please forgive what Russell The Soccer Poet Arbuthnot calls “slim pickings”. I have to admit, I’m a little rusty at pitch side after a long off-season!

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Soccer

Whitecaps FC – First Kick 2014

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Phew. That was exciting, wasn’t it? If Saturday was any indication, Carl Robinson’s version WhitecapsLogo300of the Whitecaps will be something to keep your eyes on. The team knocked out a 4-1 win over the Henry-less New York Red Bulls in what seemed like somewhat of a cakewalk.

Granted, the Red Bulls were not playing with their full complement of personnel, but I’m not convinced the outcome would have been any different regardless of rosters. Almost everything went right for the Whitecaps, who have now won all four season openers since entering MLS in 2011.

It was a dream start for the new head coach, who watched his squad outplay their opponents in all aspects of the match. The real story though, was how the Whitecaps’ overhauled midfield controlled the game from the opening kick-off. New recruits Matias Laba, Sebastian Fernandez and Pedro Morales (in limited minutes) looked positively brilliant.

Continue reading Whitecaps FC – First Kick 2014 →

Soccer

Kickoff 2014 – Whitecaps VS Red Bulls

The dawn of a new MLS season is upon us and the anticipation surrounding Vancouver’s squad is positively palpable. A new look Whitecaps team, featuring a handful of new arrivals and a new manager, opens their season this Saturday at BC Place stadium against the New York Red Bulls.

In response to Kenny Miller's brace of goals, Hervé (@1stLineCentre) leads the Southsiders in a stirring rendition of Ludvig van Beethoven's adaptation of Freidrich Schiller's poem, Ode to Joy. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Southsiders will be back at BC Place stadium when the Whitecaps 2014 season kicks off Saturday, March 7. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The defending Supporter’s Shield winners from New York, largely unchanged from 2013, feature a stable of talented forwards and a steady backline. Although, it appears that Thierry Henry may once again sit this one out as his tender French footsies cannot handle the tough turf at BC Place. He has yet to play a game in Vancouver. Shameful.

Continue reading Kickoff 2014 – Whitecaps VS Red Bulls →

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Bienvenue, monsieur Henry

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WhitecapsLogo300I was challenged by Whitecaps FC physiotherapist Graeme Poole to Take a Bite out of the Big Apple in a #CapsNomination earlier this week. Needless to say, instead of putting together a half-arsed, iPhone filmed response tout de suite, I took four days to mine the interweb for cheesy sound effects and put together a half-arsed, iPhone-filmed response. FX make all the difference, don’t you think?

The Caps take on Thierry Henry and the New York Red Bulls at 4:30 on Saturday March 8 in their 2014 season opener. As of the writing of this post, there were fewer than a thousand tickets left.

Remember, Whitecaps FC go into the 2014 season with a substantially retooled roster — gone are the underperforming Daigo Kobayashi and the dirty, rotten, stinkin’ traitor Camilo, and in are promising attacking midfielders Matías Laba and Pedro Morales. There are numerous young players looking to stamp their cleats upon this team, and it’s new bench boss Carl Robinson‘s job to get them on the pitch a little more often than his predecessor did.

All the while, this team is looking to defend its fourth Cascadia Cup (more on that here from the ever-eloquent Chris Withers), and challenge for its first-ever Canadian Championship trophy against a massively restocked Toronto FC side (soccer poet Russell Arbuthnot is on tap for some of this action).

The Cascadia Cup looks upon BC Place, its home for the 2014 MLS season, after Whitecaps FC won the trophy for consistent performance up and down the northwest corridor last season. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Cascadia Cup looks upon BC Place, its home for the 2014 MLS season, after Whitecaps FC won the trophy for consistent performance up and down the northwest corridor last season. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Articles, Soccer

The Elusive Road Win

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The Vancouver Whitecaps have seen an impressive run of play from young Canadian forward Russell Teibert. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Vancouver Whitecaps have seen an impressive run of play from young Canadian forward Russell Teibert. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Vancouver Whitecaps pulled a rare animal out of their hat this weekend — a road victory. After outplaying and outchancing opponents in several draws (and even a few losses) over the past few weeks, the boys in blue and white stole a 2-1 win in a contest they had no business winning.

Karma dictated the Caps had to come out on top of a decision like this sooner or later. Despite riding a four-game unbeaten streak into the match, they hadn’t received all the points they had deserved. Wednesday’s heartbreaking draw against Montreal lost the Whitecaps their first Voyageurs Cup. They had run the show for 85 minutes, hitting the woodwork twice and putting several shots just wide. By all accounts they could have scored a half-dozen against the Impact but only gave Craig MacEwan two opportunities to say “it’s in the back of the net!”

The previous game was another 2-2 draw, this time against Portland. The Caps scored two marvellous goals, but the Timbers played with twelve men — unfortunately the twelfth one carried a whistle and wore a referee’s jersey. While that may seem unfair, both goals for the visitors were contestable. The tying goal in particular was quite stinky, as Jose Valencia clearly used both arms to corral a hail-mary pass in the Vancouver box before depositing it behind Brad Knighton.

So yeah, gutting out a win when the other guys probably deserved it? Karmic payback against all those other teams that have nicked points from the Caps earlier in the year.

More, including match highlights, after the jump.

Continue reading The Elusive Road Win →