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
Vancouver Whitecaps FC entered Sunday afternoon with just one win in their last six games. They’d dropped from second to seventh in the Western Conference, and seen their league-leading scoring duo of Camilo and Kenny Miller suddenly go dry.
A visit from the MLS bottom dweller Chivas USA was just what the doctor ordered, then. The Caps had never lost at home to the Goats from LA, and surely they’d find their form, attack at will, and score a half dozen at least.
Right?
Uhhh, yeah. Right.
More after the jump.
We’re now into the second week of English Premier League action. The last two Saturdays, I’ve been up at 7am to watch my chosen favourites Norwich City. What can I say; sports is my religion, and this is my flagellation. I knew going into the season that Norwich would be sporting new kits , but I hadn’t yet seen them in action. Holy cow, are those nice shirts! While watching the Canaries play a superior Everton side to a 2-2 draw on opening day, I couldn’t help but look up how much one of those bad boys would cost. Holy cow, are those cheap shirts (by sports jersey standards)! As a Whitecaps fan, I’ve come to expect that the bland shirts my club wears will cost the customer well upwards of $100. Imagine my surprise when I found that I could get a shirt from my favourite premier league side for only £45. (Yeah, yeah, I’ll do the math for you. That’s $73.80 CDN.) What’s up, Adidas? Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday: What’s With The Price Gouging, Adidas?
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.
Last Saturday, Whitecaps midfielder Jun Marques Davidson almost singlehandedly cost Vancouver three points and their undefeated home record by head-butting the Philadelphia Union’s Keon Daniel, earning a red card in only the 8th minute of play. Yesterday, Pucked in the Head’s newest contributor, Russell Arbuthnot, wrote a piece slamming Jun Marques Davidson and Martin Rennie’s insistence on keeping him in the Vancouver Whitecaps starting eleven. Today, I disagree with a lot of what Russell has to say. Read why after the jump. Continue reading Marques Midfield Madness Should Continue: A Rebuttal
Professional sport can be a cruel business. The Whitecaps have been rolling recently. They’ve lost only one of their last twelve games — winning five of their last six — and a big part of that streak has been the play of goalkeeper Brad Knighton. Yet despite that stellar recent play — two clean sheets in the last four games, another that slipped away on the last kick of the game and an MLS Player of the Week award — Knighton is in very real danger of losing his starting job to incoming Danish goalkeeper David Ousted. It might not be fair, on recent form, but will it make Vancouver a better team? Read on after the jump to find out. Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday – Is It Time To Oust Brad Knighton?
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.
Tonight’s 2-0 win over the Seattle Sounders was one of the most entertaining matches to grace BC Place in years. Two wonderful goals, spectacular netminding from Vancouver Whitecaps keeper Brad Knighton, and high energy fun from supporters of both teams.
Speaking of which, here’s just one of the many fans in blue and white this night.
Match report to follow in another post.
As the month of June draws to a close, the Vancouver Whitecaps are already –somewhat sadly, in a way– sitting on their best month of the MLS era in terms of point production. The Caps’ previous best, eight points in each of March and July last season, was eclipsed when they beat bottom-of-the-West Chivas USA a week ago. Now, Vancouver looks to beat bottom-of-the-East DC United on Saturday. If they do, they’ll take 12 out of a possible 15 June points before heading in to a tough July schedule.
More after the break. Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday – July Preview
