I don’t think it’s much of a secret that the Whitecaps are in a dogfight to extend their season. Yet if you were to judge the urgency of their situation on in-game performance alone, you’d have to wonder if the players’ copy of the memo ended up in the shredder.
Vancouver Whitecaps
A game report in haiku
By R. Arbuthnot
A big match at home
The Whitecaps are in a fight
The playoffs at stake
In the third minute
Chivas mounts its bicycle
Torres pedals fast
Fall behind early
A lack of concentration
An uphill battle
Dagger to the heart
Follows in minute fourteen
Torres strikes fiercely
Kekuta Manneh
Victimized before the cross
Rennie left upset
When we last heard from Kenny Miller’s boot (hereafter known as Max Webster), he was boarding a flight to Sicily. On his lace was the defiantly beautiful and curvaceous ball (we’ll call her Alana) he slotted into the net back on June 16th in a game versus the New England Revolution. See here for the back story.
Their luggage included a 40 oz. bottle of Barbados’ finest rum, a pump and needle for when the love-life gets a little ‘flat’, a disk of shoe polish and small slip of AstroTurf on which to rest their weary studs and patches. All told, it had been a marvelous week spent drinking lager and ale and sipping margaritas beneath the patio lanterns at Hacienda Del Pancho’s cabin #14.
It was such a marvelous week in fact, that at the behest of his fine lady, Max Webster booked a five-night stay in Sicily to lengthen the dream honeymoon come true. The dream, however, was about to become a nightmare.
As is his wont, our man Russell chimes in with his thoughts for Whitecaps Wednesday. Give him a read. Give him your thoughts. Whatever you do, give him a round of applause.
Vancouver, B.C. – The boys in white and blue were back in the friendly confines of BC Place stadium after earning a draw versus the Portland TImbers last weekend. With only a single blemish on the Caps home record (8-1-3), the Bell pitch has been an important ally. This week the visitors were the dirty, rotten, stinkin’ San Jose Earthquakes, who trailed our boys by just three points in the Western Conference standings.
More, including highlights, after the break.
It’s Whitecaps Wednesday, which means we at Pucked in the Head are out and about in our Vancouver soccer kits, hoisting pints and chanting in pubs all day long. As such, Chris and I don’t have time to do much writing and picturing for you. Kudos to Russell Arbuthnot (@arbuoutthere), then, for filing this literate, epithet-heavy story after Whitecaps FC finally lose a home match, 1–0 to the Philadelphia Union.
VANCOUVER, B.C. – When healthy, Vancouver Whitecaps FC boasts one of the most potent offensive lineups in MLS soccer. Camilo “Mean Muggin’” Sanvezzo currently leads the league with 14 goals, while fellow striker Kenny “The Mauler” Miller sits in a tie for seventh with six markers. Russell “Dat Good Canadian Kid” Teibert is tied for 3rd in assists with seven, despite having played in just 12 games thus far. As a team, the Caps rank 2nd in goals with 33 and have racked up 29 assists this year, good enough for 4th overall.
Even casual fans who aren’t much for the numbers notice the Whitecaps offensive style. Between Miller, Camillo, Teibert and Gershon Koffie and Darren Mattocks, Vancouver has breathtaking speed up front. They’re regularly running onto balls behind opposition defenders. Keepers have trouble gauging that kind of pace coming at them on a regular basis, forcing them to guess one way or the other. Whoosh. There’s Mattocks chipping the ball over a cheating keeper’s head in a win over Seattle. Boom. There’s Camillo burying one in the corner when the Chicago keeper gets caught too deep in his net.
More after the jump.
Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday: Marques Midfield Madness has to stop
PITH Whitecaps writer Russell Arbuthnot sounds off on the fabulous crowd at BC Place for MLS soccer matches, and laments the fact that this same atmosphere is rarely seen in an arena that sits just metres away. This season, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and their supporters are putting together a remarkable symbiotic relationship. Attending games at BC Place really is a win-win situation these days.
by Russell Arbuthnot
Here’s the thing about Vancouver. The city itself is beautiful; widely recognized as one of the premiere places to live in the world, Vancouver is the envy of many. It has it all. Cradled in the bosom of lush mountains and caressed by sparkling rivers and oceans, Vancouver is indeed a trendy metropolitan area beloved by nature lovers and urban adventurers alike.
But there’s this other thing about Vancouver. It’s the ugly bridesmaid when it comes to professional sports.
More after the jump.
For the second time in as many posts, we at PitH are proud to present a brand spankin’ new correspondent. Russell Arbuthnot (@ArbuOutThere in Twitterland) has been associated with the Abbotsford Heat hockey club over the past couple of seasons, but grew up playing, watching and otherwise obsessing about the beautiful game. He sat in the Pucked in the Head media seat at Saturday’s adrenaline-soaked Whitecaps FC match, and filed this ode to Kenny Miller’s cleats.
I’ll Be Alone Forever, Thanks to Kenny Miller
By Russell Arbuthnot
The Vancouver Whitecaps welcomed the New England Revolution to BC Place stadium for the first time on Saturday night. Both clubs came into the game with streaks on the line: the Revs (5-5-5, 20 pts, 6th in Eastern Conference) had collected points in each of their last 7 matches, while the ‘Caps (5-5-4, 19 pts, 7th in Western Conference) had yet to lose a game at home this season.
Before kickoff, Steve Nash (sort of) riled up the Whitecaps’ faithful with a (somewhat) rousing rendition of “White is the Colour.” It’s safe to say the title of “best singing voice on a local sports franchise minority-owner” still belongs to Michael Bublé — Nash’s many pitch problems were only outdone by the New England Revolution in the first half.
I’m not kidding. It’s not sure whether the visiting team’s boots were manufactured by Becel, but judging by the amount of time New England players spent on the turf in the opening minutes, someone had greased the cleats.
Despite the wardrobe malfunction(s), the Revolution jumped out to an early lead in the 10th minute, when Juan Agudelo exposed a ‘Caps defensive hole the size of Nantucket before converting a lovely through ball from left back Chris Tierney. Just 10 minutes later, Kelyn Rowe doubled their lead on a wonderful finish from12 yards out. The Whitecaps’ defensive woes, which have dogged them all season, were once again proving to be costly. This team, however, is nothing if not resilient.
Maybe it was hearing goalkeeper Brad Knighton deliver a tongue-lashing to the back line, or maybe it was seeing the image of a parched Mr. Nash solemnly eating fries on the big screen that changed the intensity of the Vancouver squad. His thirst had to be quenched, and Knighton in all of his pink-clad fury had to be heeded.
It was Miller time.
More, including a rousing Ode to Kenny Miller’s Cleats, after the jump.
Continue reading I’ll Be Alone Forever, Thanks to Kenny Miller
