Vancouver Whitecaps FC Release First Official Podcast

Every fan wants to be as connected as possible to his team. The Whitecaps are already fantastic at remaining connected with us fans, thanks to their official website, Twitter, and Facebook. Now, they've decided to step their game up with an official podcast which you can listen to here. It's not available on iTunes right now, but I certainly hope they'll make it available there soon.

The podcast is about 17 minutes long, and it features club correspondent Simon Fudge along with club ambassador Carl Valentine. The two talk about the Whitecaps and their preseason, expectations around the 'Caps, and much more regarding the team and its players. It's an interesting listen, and I'll certainly be tuning in for future episodes.

While it's a nice podcast, there's room for improvement. An intro and outro tune would be nice, along with maybe another person who offers a bit more entusiasm and excitement. An idea for the future would be to have players and coaches on the podcast every once in a while to offer some insight. I love the fact that the Whitecaps has an official podcast, and I'm only criticizing it because I want it to improve.

Remember to listen to the podcast here, on the Whitecaps's official website. What do you think about the first podcast? Share your comments below!

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What Do You Think About New Blog Design?

In case you haven't noticed, the blog has been slightly redesigned. I've abandoned the previously bland template and switched to a sharper design. I'm unsure whether this will be the final design, but if it changes it will be something relatively similar.

Here's what the new design looks like on an iPad. I took a screenshot of it, and the more I look at it, the more I love it. Don't forget to join the blog on Facebook and Twitter!

The new design on an iPad

I'd love to hear what you have to say about the new look! Do you like it? Do you miss the old design? Share your comments below!

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Umbro Unveil New Canada Kits

Umbro have unveiled their kits for the Canadian national team which will be worn in the qualification stages of the 2014 World Cup. I really like the new design which has a classic feel about it. The red jersey with black shorts will be the home kit, while the white jersey with white shorts will be the away kit.

Here's what Peter Monotpoli, General Secretary for the Canadian Soccer Association, said regarding Canada's deal with Umbro,

“We are pleased to announce our new four-year partnership with Umbro and are excited by the opportunity that this partnership brings to the Canadian Soccer Association as we continue our brand building effort for the sport in this country... It is not only Umbro’s presence on the pitch that is important for the organisation, but their commitment to ensuring that the Canadian Soccer Association brand has a strong retail presence.”

And here's a little bit of a description taken from Umbro's blog. It describes the kits in detail, talking about the stitching and other things I have trouble understanding,

"Both the home and away jerseys use the iconic national colours of Canada to great effect. The home shirt, in red with a white and black chevron, also features the Canadian national crest embroidered on the chest. The away shirt follows the same design, but in white with a red and black chevron across the chest. Both shirts feature Umbro‘s attention to design detail, with anatomically-shaped shoulder darting, mesh underarm panels for breathability and a lightweight polyester body."

It's certainly nice to have some buzz regarding the Canadian national team, and hopefully this can help spur them onto a strong showing in the 2012 Olympics and qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. The home kit will be worn for the first time February 9th in a friendly against Greece, and they'll go on sale to the Canadian public July 1st of 2011. That gives you plenty of time to decide whether you want to buy it or not. What do you think of the new kits? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The home kit

The away kit

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Whitecaps FC Preseason Schedule

New Whitecaps FC signing, Alain Rochat

The Whitecaps have been making big steps off the field. A partnership with EA Sports, USA international Jay DeMerit joining, and now signing Alain Rochat - a defender with a huge amount of experience and ability. But it's not all off the field activity which wins you the MLS Cup, the Whitecaps are going to have to sweat and work hard in their first season in the MLS.

The beginning of the season is finally approaching, and the Whitecaps are going to start training in a few days. After a few days of training, the team has three preseason trips where they'll be playing Real Salt Lake, Columbus Crew, Chivas USA, Portland, and Seattle. After that flurry of matches (with training mixed in between), the team prepares itself to play their first match in the MLS on March 19th against Toronto FC.

Here's what the preseason looks like for the Whitecaps:

January 24 – 27: Training at Empire Field

January 28 – February 9th: Preseason trip #1 in Casa Grande, Arizona

• vs. Real Salt Lake – February 1st

• vs. Columbus Crew – February 8th

February 10 – 15: Training at Empire Field

February 16 – 28: Preseason trip #2 in Phoenix, Arizona

• vs. Chivas USA – February 18th

March 2: Training at Empire Field

March 3 – 6: Preseason trip #3 in Tukwila, Washington

• vs. Portland – March 5th

• vs. Seattle – March 6th

March 19: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Toronto FC at Empire Field


It really looks to be an exciting preseason! With their defensive signings, the Whitecaps look to have a strong defence, all that's missing is for the team to score some goals. I'll certainly be trying to report on the preseason matches, how the team is doing, and any new signings, and be sure to also check out the Whitecaps official website which is filled with great information.

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BC Place Is Looking Good!

BC Place will be the Whitecaps home ground in their upcoming MLS season, and the club is doing it's best to make it look good. These are recent images of the stadium in the past few days, and while it's far from being completed, it still looks fabulous. 

You can see all the changes made so far at BCPlaceStadium.com, and from there you can also view the live webcams! Here's what the Whitecaps FC website says about the stadium:

The new BC Place stadium will be our home starting in summer 2011, as soon as all renovations and installation of the retractable roof are complete.

With the completed renovations, BC Place will allow our fans to experience soccer the way it was meant to be experienced - in an intimate atmosphere, with seating close to the pitch, and an open-air roof for balmy summer nights.

Seating capacity for soccer matches will be approximately 20,000.

Be sure to click the images for a larger sized view!

A close-up of how progress is going

The stadium off in the distance

A typical rainy day in Vancouver...

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