Tag Archives: Vancouver

Articles, Soccer

Whitecaps Residency Continues Cascadian Dominance

A young Caps fan celebrates amid the smoke after Vancouver drew level in the first half of Saturday's U-18 tilt. Photo by Chris Withers.
A young Caps fan celebrates amid the smoke after Vancouver drew level in the first half of Saturday’s U-18 tilt. Photo by Chris Withers.

In their last home games of 2013, the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency sides took to the pitch at Coquitlam’s Percy Perry Stadium on Saturday in front of perhaps 200 spectators, and handed the visiting Portland Timbers a pair of losses. The U-18 squad overcame an early blunder to win 3-2, while the U-16’s rode a pair of Dario Zanatta goals to a 2-0 victory.

It was an inauspicious start for Vancouver, and especially goalkeeper Nolan Wirth. Early in the first half, a Timbers attack died when a foul was assessed to one of their forwards. Wirth shooed his teammates away, opting to take the free kick himself from just outside his own 18-yard box. Instead of clearing the ball up the field, however, he tried to kick the ball across the field to left back Sam Adekugbe. The cross was easily picked off by the Timbers player – who must have blended into the turf, or something – and he had acres and hours to roll the ball in for a 1-0 Portland lead. Continue reading Whitecaps Residency Continues Cascadian Dominance →

Articles, Soccer

Darren, Darren, Darren…

When Whitecaps striker Darren Mattocks plays at his best, he has some of the fastest feet in Major League Soccer. Less than 48 hours after landing in Jamaica for the off-season, he ran off his mouth on a television program called Soccer GPS, blaming Martin Rennie for both his own lacklustre play this season and the team’s failure to make the playoffs.

Forward Darren Mattocks was one of the few Whitecaps to resort to blatant simulation on the pitch this season. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Forward Darren Mattocks was one of the few Whitecaps to resort to blatant simulation on the pitch this season. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

“When Darren lead [sic] the team as a rookie, Vancouver was in the playoffs, right?” Yes, Mattocks referred to himself in the third person throughout the interview. It gets better. “In my second season, the coach have me on the bench the majority of the season. We couldn’t agree. The player who lead the MLS in scoring played for Vancouver, couldn’t put them in the playoffs. So you read between the lines.”

Let’s not forget, last Christmas Mattocks predicted it would be him, not Camilo, who would score 20 goals this season.

More after the jump.

Continue reading Darren, Darren, Darren… →

Articles, Hockey

Giants sock it to the Hitmen

The Vancouver Giants came out swinging in the first period, then held on for a gritty 4-3 overtime win over Calgary Wednesday night. In the first period, Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger didn’t look much like the young man who stopped 38 of 39 shots to gift his team a 2-1 win over Kelowna on Tuesday night. He was beaten three times in the first period, including once on a spectacular dangle by rookie Alec Baer.

Forward Alec Baer scored a beauty midway through the first period en route to a 4-3 win for the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head
Forward Alec Baer scored a beauty midway through the first period en route to a 4-3 win for the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

He wouldn’t allow another puck past him until 2:04 of overtime, however, when Tim Traber swept home a rebound to seal just the third win of the season for the Giants.

More after the jump.

Continue reading Giants sock it to the Hitmen →

Articles, Hockey

Giants bump the slump with 5-1 win

They say the first game home after a road trip is the hardest game to play. The Vancouver Giants put the spurs to that urban legend Friday night, spanking the Kamloops Blazers 5-1 at the Pacific Coliseum to end an eight-game losing streak. The majority of that stretch came during a brutal road trek that included six games in six cities in eight nights. Let’s not forget that in the Dub, all of those klicks are logged by bus — it was a two-day jaunt from Vancouver just to reach the first game in Brandon, Manitoba.

Vancouver Giants defenseman Brett Kulak delivered a dominant performance in a 5-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers, scoring once and adding two assists. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver Giants defenseman Brett Kulak delivered a dominant performance in a 5-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers, scoring once and adding two assists. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The G-men had been outscored 36-15 since their last win on September 21. A game against the 4-7 Blazers was just what the doctor ordered, then, as the Giants desperately needed a win to put a little wind in their sails in the still-young season.

They came out gunning, jumping out to a 1-0 just 2:20 into the game. The Giants would score early in each period, and overall outshot the Blazers 38-24 in the win. Calgary Flames prospect Brett Kulak scored once and added two helpers to become the team’s top scorer this season. Kulak now has two goals and eight points in 11 games played.

More after the jump.

Continue reading Giants bump the slump with 5-1 win →

Articles, Soccer

Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, Portland Timbers 2

If it seems the Whitecaps have been playing must-win games for pretty much the entire 2013 season, it’s only because it’s true. The MLS Western Conference is, to quote Roger Waters, as tight as a funeral drum. Sadly for Vancouver soccer fans, that’s exactly what the Southsiders might as well be beating after the club has taken just six points out of a possible 24 since mid-August.

Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers offered wonderful entertainment — not least of which was Camilo’s world-class scissor kick strike in the 78th minute to draw the homeside even — but leaves Vancouver six points below the playoff bar with just three games remaining in the regular season.

Camilo scored on a spectacular side scissor kick to pull Vancouver Whitecaps FC even with the Portland Timbers in MLS action October 9, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Camilo scored on a spectacular side scissor kick to pull Vancouver Whitecaps FC even with the Portland Timbers in MLS action October 9, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Continue reading Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, Portland Timbers 2 →

Articles, Hockey

Just saying

Three things:

1) The Vancouver Canucks have started their season with a loss. Please refer to the last three years’ opening week articles about how this team will be just fine, and that we shouldn’t judge them based on the first ten games of the season.

2) Inside info from someone in the Abbotsford Heat organization (someone who doesn’t blow smoke unnecessarily): “This team has more talent, more passion and more speed than last year’s team. It’s going to be an exciting year in Abbotsford.” Listen to Heat games live on CIVL Radio or at 101.7 when you’re out in the valley. Schedule here.

3) Just saying:

Miley the Cat

Articles, Hockey

World Record, baby

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When Dom Hasek and the Czechs played for the shootout in the 1998 Winter Olympics, something clicked in this country. Canadians of all stripes called for heads on platters and executives on ice. The consensus? This is our game, damn it, so fix it and bring home the gold medal. Enter GMs Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman. Enter heroes Joe Sakic and Sidney ‘Golden Goal’ Crosby. Enter come-from-behind goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo.

Table hockey is Canada's game, damn it. Photo by Clint Trahan / ShutterDreams.
Table hockey is Canada’s game, damn it. Photo by Clint Trahan / ShutterDreams.

A few months ago we found out that the Guinness Book of World Records recognized a group of eight Czechs for the longest continuous table hockey game, a 26-hour, 16-minute affair by Martin Ženíšek and seven friends in 2008. We at Pucked in the Head believe that this is our game, damn it. So we fixed it. We brought home the record.

More after the jump.

Continue reading World Record, baby →

Articles, Soccer

How unlucky is “The Unluckiest Fan”?

Long-suffering Southsider Duncan Nicol has gone a loooooong time — and even longer road trips — without seeing a Whitecaps FC away win. Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider, PNG , The Province

It’s Saturday morning, and Norwich City is being so drastically outplayed by Tottenham that I just can’t bear to watch anymore. I haven’t seen something get hammered this efficiently on Canadian television since This Old House went off the air. It’s so bad that I would rather do math problems. In Friday’s edition of The Province newspaper, Whitecaps beat writer Marc Weber did a fantastic piece chronicling the misfortunes of one Duncan Nicol. Duncan, a passionate Caps fan who can often be found pitch-side with his camera at home games, has been to an incredible TWENTY away matches for Whitecaps FC. To date, he has not seen a win. The title of the piece was “The Unluckiest Fan.” This got me thinking: how unlucky is Duncan? Anyone who watches Vancouver with regularity knows that they are shit on the road. And not just any shit, we’re talking about the kind of intense coiler that Sigi Schmid drops pre-game after his 37th pie.

Continue reading How unlucky is “The Unluckiest Fan”? →

Articles, Soccer

Whitecaps Wednesday – Rennie Out?

Whitecaps WednesdayI’ve changed my mind on Martin Rennie over the past week. I was, in the not so distant past, a staunch advocate of the Whitecaps’ Scottish manager and a believer that he was young and intelligent enough to change his ways. A second straight late-summer Vancouver collapse (Rennie’s third in a row if you count his Carolina Railhawks tanking in 2011) and a series of bizarre decisions and comments have led me to think the club should exercise its rumoured out clause on the gaffer’s contract this winter.

More after the jump.

Continue reading Whitecaps Wednesday – Rennie Out? →