Vancouver Southsiders Announce Home and Away Pubs

I'm not a member of the Vancouver Southsiders, but if you're looking to join a passionate group of Whitecaps fans, the Southsiders are an excellent supporters group. I recently received a couple of emails from the Southsiders president informing me of the official home and away pubs. So if you're looking to watch some Whitecaps matches in a pub with a great atmosphere, the pubs below are the places to be.

Home matches: Oscar's Pub located at the corner of Broadway and Hastings, a 10 minute walk from Empire Field.

Away matches: Doolin's Irish Pub located at 654 Nelson (at the corner of Granville) in downtown Vancouver.

I'll certainly be trying to pop by when I have time, because I'm sure the atmosphere will be fantastic in those two pubs. There are also plenty of awesome benefits if you're a Southsider when you visit these pubs on matchday, like 20% off regular priced food items. If you're interested in finding out more about the Southsiders, and maybe join, you can visit VancouverSouthsiders.ca.

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Lions With Scarves: Promoting Genius

On the way to my soccer game I snapped this quick picture

I have to say, the Whitecaps have impressed me. I'm not really talking about on the field results (most recently a 2-2 draw with the U-18 USA mens national team), I'm talking more about the promotion campaign which has been taking place the past few days.

While the image to the right might look like just some poorly taken, cell-phone camera snapshot of the beginning of the Lionsgate bridge, it's much more than that. If you look closely amid the motion blur and lack of pixels, you'll see a lion proudly wearing a Whitecaps scarf. Yes my friends, the Lionsgate bridge lions have been dressed with Whitecaps gear, and that's not all the promotion which has been going on.

On February 17th, there were 30 days left until the Whitecaps kicked off their first MLS match against Toronto FC. And so, the Whitecaps marketing people have decided that each day something special is going to happen, and a video about it will be posted. Along with littering Whitecaps gear (and giving away free scarves) around important statues and places, the Whitecaps have also got Sushi master-chef Tojo to make a special Whitecaps roll, and interviewed some fans who have been supporting the 'Caps for decades.

I have to say that this has truly impressed me. I don't think I've seen so much effort gone into promoting something like the Whitecaps have done, and I'm sure it will pay off. Promoting genius in my opinion.

Here's the three videos below, and each day until kick-off a new one is going to be released. I highly suggest you check out the Whitecaps FC website, or download the application to stay up to date at TheCountdownBegins.ca. I recommend for you to watch all three videos, because they're well done, and a joy for any Whitecaps fan to watch.

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Whitecaps Lose 1-0 to Chivas USA in Preseason Friendly

We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in the preseason matches from the Whitecaps. The good came right away, with the 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake. The bad came against the Seattle Sounders, the 105 minute training match which finished 1-0 for the Sounders. And the ugly came today against Chivas USA, especially in the first half when the team was too defensive.

You could say it was a cruel 1-0 loss. Although the team was brutally defensive in the first half, letting Chivas create chance after chance, in the second half Thordarson got the team to play with more spirit. While I complain about the team being defensive, they were relatively solid at the back. DeMerit played the first half (replaced by O'Leary at halftime) alongside Janicki in the middle, with Leathers and Rochat the fullbacks, and the back four kept the score at 0-0 until the 89th minute.

The second half started poorly, with Brovsky conceding a penalty for Chivas just two minutes in. Luckily Trujillo shot his penalty wide, giving the idea that this match was destined to be a tight 0-0. After the penalty, the Whitecaps really woke up, and the team started to go forward and create some opportunities for themselves. The Chivas keeper Jack Thornton was forced to make some great saves, and on another day the Whitecaps could have scored a couple of goals from the opportunities they created.

But the heartbreaking winner for Chivas came in the 89th minute, when Padilla latched onto Umana's long ball and finished. It was a perfectly timed run from Padilla, and the Whitecaps were unlucky to not have finished with a draw. What are your thoughts on the Whitecaps and their loss to Chivas USA? Can they bounce back against the USA U-18 National team? Share your comments below!

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Become the Official 2011 Whitecaps FC Anthem Singer!

Do you have a beautiful voice? Can you sing the Canadian and American national anthems? Can you do it in front of thousands of fans? If you can, then the Whitecaps FC are looking for you!

I recently noticed the the official Whitecaps FC website that the club is searching for the next singing sensation. While I'm not going to be applying anytime soon, it's nice to see the club expanding its horizons into broader areas of culture.

This is how the official website phrases the search for Vancouver's next top singer:

Whitecaps FC are searching for the best singing talent in British Columbia, in the hopes of finding the official anthem singer for their 2011 inaugural MLS season. The club has decided to open the door to accept submissions from the public to uncover fresh undiscovered talent in the area.

Whoever will be singing in front of thousands at Empire Field and BC Place, they'll need to be good. Therefore, Whitecaps FC is allowing people (at least 16 years-old) to submit videos of themselves singing online. From there, 10 finalists will be chosen which will participate in a live audition at Empire Field, where the winner will be determined.

If you have talent and you're interested in applying, you can click here for more information on how to apply.

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2011 MLS Schedule Released

While the preseason is interesting, it's all building up towards the actual season. Although we do know that the Whitecaps will be hosting Toronto FC in their first match, the rest of the MLS matches were a mystery until now. Finally, the fixture list for 2011 has been unveiled, and you can find it here. I've bookmarked that page, and I suggest all you Whitecaps fans do it as well.

One interesting thing worth noticing in the schedule: BC Place's debut game will be against the other new MLS team, the Portland Timbers. Will it be a winning start in the new stadium? What do you think about the schedule? Share your thoughts below!

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Vancouver Whitecaps FC Partner With TEAM 1410 Radio

The Vancouver Whitecaps have officially partnered with TEAM 1410, and the radio station will have the exclusive radio broadcast rights to the Whitecaps's matches for the next couple of years. It's good to know we can listen to the Whitecaps matches along with pre-game and post-game analysis.

Here's what the Vancouver Whitecaps FC website says about the partnership:

Vancouver’s TEAM 1410 is now the official voice of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, with exclusive radio broadcast rights to the club’s matches for the next two years. The new deal makes TEAM 1410 the home of all 34 regular season matches, all playoff games, and all international “friendly” matches, kicking off with the club’s MLS debut at Empire Field against Toronto FC on Saturday, March 19.

Good news without a doubt, and I'll certainly be listening in to some matches when I can't watch them on TV. What do you think about the deal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Loss Against Seattle Will Strengthen The Whitecaps

Looking at the 1-0 loss to the Seattle Sounders, I've been trying to find some positives about the friendly. Of course, it's a poor result, and it highlights a few overall problems which the team has, but there were certainly some good things seen. It's important to remember that this wasn't an ordinary match. It was 105 minutes split up into three 35 minute periods.

The Whitecaps started well, pressuring the Sounders while remaining compact and organized. Both sides created chances, the Whitecaps having the majority of them. But in the 63rd minute, a moment of distraction led to the only goal of the match. The frozen White and Blue defence let Estrada backheel the ball for Evans, who blasted the ball into the roof of the goal.

I could complain about the defence not closing down the two players (who were in the Whitecaps box), but it was an unlucky second of hesitation (which hopefully won't happen again). After the goal, the Whitecaps fought hard to equalize, hitting Seattle's crossbar as they created plenty of scoring chances. But the match eventually came to an end, with Sigi Schmidt's side winning the preseason friendly 1-0.

Although the Whitecaps lost, it was a good loss. The team was full of energy right from the start of the match, and coach Teitur Thordarsson was happy with the result as well. Here's what the Whitecaps coach said after the match.

"All in all, it was a very good game from our side... For me, Seattle didn't really have any big chances, so it was unfortunate for us to lose the game like we did. However, results do not matter at this time, as we wanted to look at players today."

Here's the official Whitecaps video below which interviews some players along with the coach.



While Thordarson was looking at the players, I was looking at the players which weren't there. While I'm content with the team as it is, I feel like it's lacking slightly up front. An experienced center-forward would be useful, and he would have probably scored a few of the good chances created in the match.

It was an exciting match, and the Whitecaps will have a chance to extract revenge because they'll be playing Seattle again in the preseason on March 6th. The Whitecaps will be facing Columbus Crew next, on Tuesday February 8th. The team will certainly be hungry for a win, and I think this loss will give Thordarson a few things to improve before the 'Caps take on Columbus Crew.

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Whitecaps Win First Preseason Match 2-1 Against Real Salt Lake

It was a big win for coach Teitur Thordarson

I was fearful with the Whitecaps about to play their first match. Yesterday I kept on wondering, "What if they were to lose this match?", that eventually became, "What if a losing streak started?!". I was shuffling around, thinking of happy things in an attempt to remain hopeful.

Yet among all my negative thoughts, the Whitecaps managed to play an exciting 135 minute match (broken up into three 45 minute segments) in which they won 2-1. While Joe Cannon, Jay DeMerit, and John Thorrington didn't play due to injury problems, 25 Whitecaps players played in the friendly.

While I was worried about the forwards, and whether they'd provide enough goals, they proved me wrong just 17 minutes into the game. Swiss international Alain Rochat played Russell Teibert through towards goal, and the youngster scored the Whitecaps's first goal as an MLS team. After the goal, the Whitecaps kept the pressure on Real Salt Lake, forcing Real's keeper, Tim Melia, to make some great saves.

Russell Teibert, one assist and one goal

The first 45 minutes ended, and Real Salt Lake got a chance to reorganize before playing the second set of 45 minutes. The Whitecaps conceded just four minutes into the second half, with Real Salt Lake's Alvarez taking advantage of a slightly distracted defence to equalize.

But it didn't take long for the Caps to find the winning goal. Teibert swung in a corner, and Terry Dunfield finished from close range for the winning goal. The rest of the match was a tough battle, with Real Salt Lake fighting hard to try and equalize. Yet the Whitecaps remained solid and held on to their first victory as an MLS franchise.

A goal and an assist for the young Teibert, the team played together as a group, and the preseason continues with an added boost after this first win. The Whitecaps's next friendly will be against Columbus Crew next Tuesday. If you're interested in the full preseason schedule, you can check it out here.

What do you think about this win? It's a great result, and it proves to me that the Whitecaps should have a strong first season. Remember to share your comments below!

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