Whitecaps Fan Spat at by Montreal Impact Captain

Nevio Pizzolitto, captain of the Montreal Impact

Arguably, it's the fans which keep football/soccer alive. The thousands which pack stadiums, the millions which watch on their TV, they are the ones which keep this game running. Not only is it the ticket sales and the merchandise bought, but it's also the passion and the love which fuels the players to play their best.

When Nevio Pizzolitto decided to spit on a Whitecaps fan's face, he violated a multitude of barriers. Of course, Mr. Pizzolitto might have had his reasons, but they don't seem very good ones. A group of Whitecaps fans were standing and chanting under the walkway which the defeated Montreal Impact players walked across. The players had just lost to the Vancouver Whitecaps, and were now knocked out of the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.

As the fans chanted "Au Revoir", the captain of the Montreal Impact looked at Caps fan Ashley Perry and spat at him in the face. Yes, you read correctly. The captain of the Montreal Impact decided to spit on a fan's face because they were chanting "goodbye" to him in French. It's a ridiculous insult to fans, and the professionalism that a player should carry with himself at all times.

Ashley Perry, the creator of ChampionsLeague.ca said this about the incident:

“Before I even knew it, I had a large amount of spit on my face … without going into too much detail on something that disgusting. It was instant shock. That’s a pretty low thing to do to someone in any capacity, let alone from a professional football player. What I’m most surprised and shocked about is the fact that there is no contact from the club. There have been no apologies to this date or even an attempt to apologize, absolutely nothing.”

Now, Nevio will have to deal with the results of his actions. This Monday, June 27th there will be a disciplinary hearing in Edmonton. The matter is in the hands of the Canadian Soccer Association, and hopefully we'll see something done about this. When I say, "something done about this" I hope that Nevio Pizzolitto apologizes to Ashley, because spitting in someone's face is just about the rudest thing you can do without laying your hands on them.

I don't think there's any excuse for Pizzolitto's behaviour. While he may have been angry for having lost, and unhappy to hear some fans chant "Au Revoir", that's no excuse to lose your cool and spit in a fans face. After all, without the fans there would have been no point to the game. It would be like me spitting in the face of my readers of this blog. The sad part is, Nevio Pizzolitto is paid to play soccer, and he spat in the face of the people who paid to go see him (among other players). It's unacceptable.


If you're interested in reading more about this incident, I suggest you check out this article which goes into greater detail. What are your thoughts regarding this? Share them in the comments below!

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Caps Claim Second MLS Victory Against Philadelphia Union

Finally the second MLS victory has come. After 14 very long games of draws and losses, the Vancouver Whitecaps clicked together, providing a great attacking display while also stopping the Philadelphia Union from scoring. While the match ended 1-0 at the Empire, the Caps had plenty of chances which could've/should've been scored.

Just twelve minutes in, the Whitecaps found the winner they were searching for. It was a scintillating strike by Alain Rochat from the left side of the top of the box. The outside of his left foot curled a powerful strike past Philly keeper Mondragon, and into the far side of the goal. It was a stunning follow-up to Hassli's winner in Seattle.

The goal is breathtaking, beautiful, and anything else you can call it, but what I really appreciated was the build-up to the goal. It wasn't a punt up the field which fell to Rochat's left foot, it was passing through the defence, up into the midfield, some magic from Chiumiento who laid it off to Rochat. A total of eight passes, each one done in about two touches and smoothly on the ground. That's the way you play football/soccer. While I complained about his appointment at the beginning, I now see the work Tom Soehn is doing is bearing fruits, and I hope it continues.

The Whitecaps did a lot of things well against Philly. The team kept more possession and ultimately created a wealth of great goalscoring chances. But this is where they should've improved, in putting those chances away. Eric Hassli put a couple of great chances wide or over the net, and when Nizar Khalfan was presented with an open net he was unable to tuck it away. Jeb Brovsky tried to dribble in front of the goal, when a shot would've provided him with a simple goal. These things shouldn't be happening. Instead of a nail-biting 1-0 win, it should have been an easy 2-0 or even 3-0 victory.

While I whine and complain about the chances not scored, I have to state that the team played wonderfully. The fans also played a huge part in that, as they never stopped cheering on the Caps. Jay DeMerit as usual was brilliant in the heart of the defence, and Chiumiento was a sparkling presence creating plenty of chances. While Eric Hassli wasn't able to make his mark on the game, he dealt with the horrible reffing and nasty defenders well, not losing his temper.

While making the playoffs is still a distant possibility, it can happen thanks to this latest victory. What's more, after travelling to Kansas City and then Toronto for their next two MLS matches, they'll have a chance to win some silverware in the NCC final. While three victories is a hopeful prediction, I'm expecting the Caps to win the Nutrilite Canadian Championship along with the other match against Toronto FC.


What were your thoughts from the Caps's second MLS victory against Philadelphia? What are your predictions for the next three matches? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hassli Wondergoal Attracts Worldwide Interest

When Eric Hassli flicked the ball up and promptly volleyed it into the far top corner of Seattle's goal, I was amazed. In two touches, Hassli made the difference, salvaging the Caps from a loss. While this season the Frenchman has been decent, scoring penalties without problems but also getting red cards, finally we've seen his magical touch truly save Vancouver's ass.

While seeing the goal was amazing, what really struck me was the speed in which it circulated around the web. Yahoo's Dirty Tackle picked up on it right away as did Who Ate All the Pies. While I thought that would be the end of it, I was wrong. I saw it next on Soccer Cleats 101, and after that my father found it on the Sky Sports Italy website along with a very interesting article (Google translate if you can't read Italian) about Hassli's past and future. Then, Loving That Soccer posted it, adding to the multitude of worldwide sites and blogs which were loving Hassli's goal.

It's fair to say that this goal is an amazing piece of skill, which will most likely be crowned as the best goal of the year or season. Yet, for some reason I didn't expect anyone to care. I especially didn't expect European websites and newspapers to give a squat about a 30 year-old Frenchman's goal in the MLS. I guess it shows that the MLS is expanding and becoming more popular around the world, faster than I certainly expected.

Watching all these websites praise Eric Hassli's goal, and mention the Vanouver Whitecaps made me feel proud. The goal truly lifted us Whitecaps fans, after we saw our one goal lead be decimated in the final minutes of the match. Luckily, our DP popped up with the goal that everyone has probably already seen a few times already. But in case you haven't here it is below:




It's only a good thing that so many have picked up on and seen Eric Hassli's goal. Hopefully, this means that we'll have a couple of more extra Whitecaps fans from around the world! What were your thoughts when you saw this spectacular equalizer? Share any thoughts or comments below!

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MLS All-Star Team Needs Whitecaps: Vote Now!

Let's face it, so far into this MLS campaign the Whitecaps haven't managed to shake off the "expansion team" feel. But no matter, it's time to be optimistic and talk about another topic! It's the MLS All-Star team which will be facing Manchester United, and I'm hoping to see some Caps in it. While it's pretty unlikely that any Whitecaps players are going to be voted into the team, as fans we have to try and get some Whitecaps players on the All-star team.

Only six Whitecaps players made the final nominees, DeMerit, Harris, Hassli, Camilo, Chiumiento and Rochat. I voted for all six of them (of course), and I hoping that all the Caps fans out there vote for them as well. And yes, that means you! Time to start supporting your Whitecaps players!

You might be asking yourself: 1. "how do I do this?", 2. "Do I have to sign up?", and 3. "Will my vote even make a difference?". 

Well, the answers are:

1. To vote go to the All-Star Ballot Page, and from there you can easily select a goalkeeper and ten players from the lists provided. Then, you simply click "vote".

2. No signing up required, it took me about 28.3 seconds to get to the page, pick the Whitecaps players, and click the "vote" button.

3. Of course your vote will make a difference! [Insert another cheesy line about every vote counting] Let's get some Vancouver Whitecaps players on that All-Star team!

Let's see if we can get some Caps out there against Manchester United when the All-Star game takes place at NYC. It's important to try and remain positive regarding the Caps season, and if a player got into the all-star team, it would be a huge boost of morale for all the Whitecaps.

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Tom Soehn Looking for First Win Against Real Salt Lake

A battle of the flowing locks of hair. Will Beckerman be able to shut down Chiumiento?

After my winding rant regarding Teitur's dismissal, I've decided to try and look at things with a bit of optimism. There is no point in moaning about the past or what should've been done, I think it's time to start preparing for the future. And right now the Whitecaps are preparing themselves to face Real Salt Lake this tomorrow (Saturday, June 4th).

While Real Salt Lake have been on a small slump their past three games, two draws and a loss, they're not a team to underestimate. They're above us in the Western conference standings (mainly because we're last), and if they can manage to end this small negative streak, they'll be on their way to the playoffs. They're a tough team to watch out for, and one to watch out for especially will be Espindola, the Argentine striker returning from a hamstring injury.

I really want the Whitecaps to focus on a solid defence for this game, because I read the slightly disconcerting statistic that the Whitecaps have conceded a goal every 63 minutes! The Whitecaps have allowed the most number of goals in the Western conference (18), and if they can tighten up the defence, a win would be a lot easier to come by. If there's a positive stat going into this match it's that the Whitecaps have scored four more goals that Real Salt Lake this season, which have only managed to net 10 goals so far.

Regarding the formations on the left, they're the "probable formations" put out by the MLS. Looking at the one they've put out for the Caps, it seems pretty accurate, except that I'm hoping that Salinas and Teibert play further up the field, creating a three-pronged attack fed by Chiumiento. It's a shame that Hassli won't be playing due to his third red card (which was actually just deserving of a yellow) which he picked up against Chivas USA.

Hopefully Soehn can find a way to motivate the team to what could be a massive away win. A victory against RSL would be a big boost for the next away game against the Seattle Sounders.

What are your thoughts on the game against RSL? Can Soehn get a much-needed win? Comment and share your thoughts below! 

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