Vancouver Whitecaps: 2008 USL Champions

[mr.x]

Vancouver Whitecaps defeat Puerto Rico to win second USL title in three years

9 minutes ago

BURNABY, B.C. — Forward Charles Gbeke scored two goals in the second half as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 Sunday to win their second United Soccer Leagues First Division championship in three years.

Gbeke snapped a 1-1 tie in the 73rd minute when he leaped in the air and headed in a cross from midfielder Justin Moose. The Ivory Coast native, who grew up in Montreal, was mobbed by his teammates after the goal.

Gbeke, who at six-foot-two and 210-pounds is built like a football linebacker, gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute off a corner kick. Alfredo Valente sent the ball into the box, where it deflected off midfielder Jeff Clarke and then to Gbeke, who headed it home.

The Islanders tied the match in the 68th minute when midfielder Sandy Gbandi took a pass from Noah Delgado and headed it past Whitecaps keeper Jay Nolly.

The Whitecaps last won the USL title in 2006 when they beat Rochester 3-0. For the Islanders, it was their first final after five years in the league.

Vancouver advanced to the final after beating the Montreal Impact 3-2 in a two-game, total-goal series. Puerto Rico defeated Rochester 3-2 on aggregate.

Whitecap banners flew and Canadian flags waved among the noisy, sellout crowd of 5,822 at Swangard Stadium. A drum-pounding, bell-ringing contingent of fans from Puerto Rico sang and managed to make themselves heard.

The game was tied 0-0 at half time but both sides had their chances.

The best opportunity for the Islanders, who were dressed in pumpkin orange uniforms, came when midfielder Jonny Steele sent a ball into Gbandi who headed a shot over the Vancouver net.

Puerto Rico's Bill Gaudette, the league's goalkeeper of the year with a .85 goals-against average, was forced to make a couple good saves. Early in the first half he came out of his net and slid in front of a shot from forward Eduardo Sebrango. Later, Gaudette made a diving block off a header from Gbeke following a nice cross from Valente.

The Islanders finished the regular season first in the league, one point ahead of the Whitecaps, with 54 points from a 15-win, six-loss, nine-tie record. Vancouver had 53 points and was 15-7-8.

The game would have been played in Puerto Rico but the USL deemed the Islanders' venue unsuitable and the final was moved to Vancouver.

Vancouver won the North American Soccer League championship in 1979 and took the Canadian Soccer League title four consecutive times from 1988 to 1991.

Notes: It was the first time the USL championship was played between two teams from outside the United States. ... Six members Vancouver's 2006 championship team remain on the Whitecaps roster this season. ... A distance of 6,097 kilometres separates Vancouver from Puerto Rico. The only league with two teams further apart is in Russia where there is 7,363 kilometres between Vladivostok and Kaliningrad.

[WBC]

Woho - the one and only non-loser team in this town....

[Rusty Gull]

Just got back from Swangard Stadium and the big game, and what a game it was -- with a boisterous and noisy homeside crowd. Truly a great day for soccer in Metro Vancouver.

Now the big question: Will this be an additional upside to the Whitecaps bid to garner a MLS franchise?

[agrant]

Great news about the Whitecaps. Totally missed the game, was out for dinner...

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Now the big question: Will this be an additional upside to the Whitecaps bid to garner a MLS franchise?

No.

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by agrant

Great news about the Whitecaps. Totally missed the game, was out for dinner...

No.

Oh?

Whitecaps advance to championship

MATTHEW SEKERES
From Monday's Globe and Mail
October 5, 2008 at 11:34 PM EDT
BURNABY, B.C. — In a Major League Soccer boardroom over the coming months, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Montreal Impact might be rival bidders, both seeking expansion franchises in the best league North America has to offer.

Sunday, however, their competition was waged in a United Soccer Leagues First Division semi-final match before 4,992 at Swangard Stadium, and the clubs proved why they'd be better expansion bedfellows than opponents.

The Whitecaps, who ended Montreal's dream season, won 2-0 and advanced to the USL-1 championship final for the second time in three years. The Impact and Vancouver also met in the 2006 semi-finals, which the Whitecaps took en route to winning the league championship.

The Whitecaps will play host to the Puerto Rico Islanders in the league championship game on Sunday, but the momentum these sides built over the course of the season, combined with Toronto FC's wildly successful showing in 2007, bodes well for the Canadian bids.

[agrant]

Writers are free to write what they want. Should we believe everything we read? I don't think so.

To have an MLS bid ride on the record of the 08 season seems pretty silly to me. If I'm not mistaken, the Whitecaps have already made their point with the stadium and support from the city etc. It would be completely outrageous to think we might not get an MLS team if we had lost the final game.

[Rusty Gull]

Well, the Global Newshour had the same thing to say today -- that the championship is an enhancement on top of an already strong MLS bid. Ditto for today's Province. Surely all of the major media in Vancouver can't be wrong?

[NetMapel]

While I doubt the MLS will go "omg Whitecaps won the USL champsionship ? Let's give them the MLS status by 2011 go go go lolololol"... it certainly can't hurt to win a championship. So much better than losing it, yes ?

[Rusty Gull]

Exactly. It certainly adds a bit of lustre to the bid -- especially if the Whitecaps can showcase the sell-out, enthusiastic crowd that showed up at Swangard on Sunday night.

[agrant]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Well, the Global Newshour had the same thing to say today -- that the championship is an enhancement on top of an already strong MLS bid. Ditto for today's Province. Surely all of the major media in Vancouver can't be wrong?

Well, The Globe and Mail, Global TV, and the Province sure can be wrong. I haven't been very impressed by the local media and their coverage of soccer. For the MLS execs to make an important decision for not only the Whitecaps, but the league's future years on one game is foolish. And I think for the media to believe that MLS would get all gooed up over the Caps victory is also foolish. What the media should say is the Whitecaps have been a solid franchise over many years and gets plenty of community support....blah, blah and that's what the MLS would be looking at. I think if we're going to point to one game, it should be the one vs the Galaxy in BC Place, or perhaps winning the Soccer Bowl in 79. But that would also be silly.

[Rusty Gull]

That's besides the point, and it's not what I said. It's not about a single game, but rather how a single game can add to an already impressive MLS bid. Ultimately, it's about the entire Whitecaps package presented to the MLS.

Here it is:

1) A tremendous grassroots tradition of soccer in British Columbia; and the decades-long tradition of Whitecaps and pro soccer support in Vancouver
2) A first-rate facility in the soon-to-be redeveloped BC Place Stadium
3) Eventually, a world-class soccer facility in the proposed waterfront stadium
4) The winning ownership combination of Greg Kerfoot and Steve Nash
5) Natural rivalry (and travel) synergies with the newly-established Seattle franchise
6) The showcase 2008 season: Many sell-outs at Swangard, a nationally televised Canada Day victory over the Toronto MLS team, and a championship team, thanks to the October 12 victory at home over Puerto Rico.

Enough said.

[Distill3d]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

6) The showcase 2008 season: Many sell-outs at Swangard, a nationally televised Canada Day victory over the Toronto MLS team

lets not forget the fact that we beat the LA Galaxy in Edmonton (in front of a sell out crowd) back in May either.

[agrant]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

That's besides the point, and it's not what I said. It's not about a single game, but rather how a single game can add to an already impressive MLS bid. Ultimately, it's about the entire Whitecaps package presented to the MLS.

Here it is:

1) A tremendous grassroots tradition of soccer in British Columbia; and the decades-long tradition of Whitecaps and pro soccer support in Vancouver
2) A first-rate facility in the soon-to-be redeveloped BC Place Stadium
3) Eventually, a world-class soccer facility in the proposed waterfront stadium
4) The winning ownership combination of Greg Kerfoot and Steve Nash
5) Natural rivalry (and travel) synergies with the newly-established Seattle franchise
6) The showcase 2008 season: Many sell-outs at Swangard, a nationally televised Canada Day victory over the Toronto MLS team, and a championship team, thanks to the October 12 victory at home over Puerto Rico.

Enough said.

I guess what we're discussing is how important #6 is. Fan interest should be very important in a bid, I agree. But I tend to think winning the one championship game wouldn't make the difference, and I don't think it should. It's like putting sugar on top of sugar. The Whitecaps don't have to prove anything - they were already considered one of the top soccer organizations in the US and Canada, even before the 08 season.

[GMasterAres]

I'm not much of a soccer fan to be honest but the closer the region gets to having an MLS franchise the better I think for sports and entertainment. The 2008 victory for the 'Caps is just that, another step towards an MLS franchise.

Hopefully the port gets their heads out of their behinds and we can see a new Waterfront stadium built. Nothing against Burnaby but Swangard would need a LOT of work.

[agrant]

Originally Posted by jhausner

I'm not much of a soccer fan to be honest but the closer the region gets to having an MLS franchise the better I think for sports and entertainment. The 2008 victory for the 'Caps is just that, another step towards an MLS franchise.

Hopefully the port gets their heads out of their behinds and we can see a new Waterfront stadium built. Nothing against Burnaby but Swangard would need a LOT of work.

Well, the passage of time is a step as well. Just this morning, on one of the major FM stations, they were saying that winning the championship may help the Caps get the new Waterfront Stadium. I was like WTF?! It's up to the Port Authority. So unless you hear it straight from Bob Lenarduzzi's mouth, I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that win, which the media seem to be doing like Lemmings.

Regarding Swangard - The running track is a no no for one thing. Then there's the location...