The 2011 Major League Soccer season see the introduction of two new teams, the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Next time out Russell Berrisford will take a look at the Timbers, but for now here is a quick primer on Vancouver, the second Canadian team to join the league.
The Whitecaps have had a somewhat star-studded history since their inception in 1986. Both Peter Beardsley and Bruce Grobbelaar had short spells at the club in the early stages of their careers and the likes of Peter Lorimer and Kevin Hector spent time in the then North American Soccer League. The peak of their success was winning “Soccer Bowl ’79″ in front of 64,000 people with a team that included Alan Ball and Phil Parkes (with Trevor Whymark scoring both the Whitecaps goals).
Prior to joining MLS in 2011 the Whitecaps maintained a position at, or near, the top of the second tier USL for some years but the leap to joining the big boys will definitely provide some challenges.
Any newcomer to the Major Leagues faces both a change in personnel and a change in quality and the Whitecaps will have to deal with both of these from the off. Over the years the club has placed a refreshing emphasis on youth development but they will need to supplement this with experience if they are to have a successful opening campaign.
It remains to be seen to what extent they will make use of the designated player rule but they may decide that they are better served by continuing with the policy of signing the likes of former Watford player Jay DeMerit and FC Zurich’s Alain Rochat, not names to set the world alight, perhaps, but ones that should make up half of a fairly solid defence. They must know though that they need to find a genuine goalscorer if they are to make an impact in 2011.
Icelandic coach Teitur Thordarson played under both Arsene Wenger and Gerard Houllier during his time in France and was a farily successful manager of the Estonian national team for four years, but a one-year extension to his contract indicates that the club is adopting a “wait and see” approach to his first season in MLS. The Whitecaps haven’t been known for playing attractive football under Thordason so it will be interesting to see what tactics he adopts and how the new fans react to his style.
Off the field the big issue is the stadium. The club has been trying to persuade the city of Vancouver to build a soccer-specific facility for some years but with little success. The first MLS season therefore will begin at the less than glamorous temporary facility at Empire Field (just outside of downtown), with a planned move to the newly redesigned multi-use BC Place mid-season (BC Place was host to the opening and closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics).
Vancouver is undoubtedly an ice hockey town (that’s just “hockey” to the locals) but the World Cup demonstrated that there is a core of fans who are willing to give soccer a try, and 16,000 (fairly high priced) season tickets sold is a good omen. If the Whitecaps hit the ground running then they could give Seattle a run for their money in terms of support and atmosphere, but how the squad develops in the next three months will be crucial in determining the future for the franchise.
Tags: Major League Soccer, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps