USL-1 Championship Final preview

Published on October 9, 2008 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release


Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2-2-0 in the playoffs) look to cap a fine 2008 season when they host Puerto Rico Islanders (1-1-0 in the playoffs) in the United Soccer Leagues First Division Championship Final on Sunday afternoon.

In search of their third North American professional soccer title, and second USL-1 championship in three seasons, the Whitecaps made the Thanksgiving Sunday showdown after defeating Canadian arch-rivals Montreal Impact 2-1 on aggregate in last weekend's playoff semifinal series. Teitur Thordarson's side overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit, as well as the sending off of goalkeeper Jay Nolly in Montreal, to secure a 2-0 home victory in the second leg. Whitecaps fans were left in delight at Swangard Stadium last Sunday after captain Jeff Clarke and Eduardo Sebrango scored the decisive goals in the first half to take Vancouver to the final.

It sets up the first-ever championship match involving two clubs that are based outside of the United States in USL-1 history, as regular season champions Puerto Rico overcame a 2-0 first-leg deficit to defeat fourth-seeded Rochester Rhinos 3-2 on aggregate in their playoff semifinal series. Colin Clarke's side sent the second leg at their Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium home to extra time after first-half goals by Fabrice Noel and Taiwo Atieno pulled the Islanders level on aggregate. The Caribbean outfit then made sure of a top-two clash for the final when Cristian Arrieta struck the decisive goal in dramatic fashion near the end of the second period of extra time. It is the Islanders' first-ever trip to the final since their inaugural season as a USL-1 club back in 2004.

Should the Whitecaps win on Sunday, it will be the seventh championship won by a professional soccer club from Vancouver. Prior to winning the USL-1 title in 2006, the Whitecaps famously won the North American Soccer League's Soccer Bowl title in 1979. Years later, the current club - who were originally known as Vancouver 86ers - went on to claim four-straight Canadian Soccer League championships between 1988 and 1991.

It is fitting that the USL-1's two best clubs will meet for the title in 2008, as both the Islanders and Whitecaps battled right up until the final weekend for the regular season crown, with Puerto Rico taking the Commissioner's Cup by a single point. The Islanders also edged their three head-to-head meetings with Vancouver during the year, with the first two matches ending in stalemate. Whitecaps fans were left disappointed by the last Puerto Rico contest at Swangard on August 17, as a disallowed Omar Jarun goal resulted in the sending off of Sebrango, and the match ending in a 0-0 draw. Then came two crucial encounters in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, with Takashi Hirano's first-ever goal for the Whitecaps earning The Blue & White a 1-1 draw with the Islanders on August 31. The third game went the way of the home side on September 5, as Noah Delgado's late goal gave the Islanders their first-ever league win over Vancouver in club history.

Those results extend Vancouver's winless run versus Puerto Rico to more than two years, with the Whitecaps last victory over the Islanders being a 3-1 away win on August 4, 2006. Since then, the Whitecaps have recorded four draws and a defeat in the past two seasons, with their overall record standing at four wins, one defeat, and four draws versus the Islanders. At Swangard, however, the Whitecaps are undefeated against Puerto Rico, with a record of two wins and two draws heading into this 10th meeting all-time with the Islanders. Sunday's Championship Final will also be the Whitecaps 90th playoff match all-time, with the club's record of 43 wins, 33 defeats, and 13 draws stretching back to the 1976 North American Soccer League season.

PREVIOUS WHITECAPS TITLES

Whitecaps fans have known the feeling of a North American championship on two occasions. In fact, the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl remains the only major North American title to be won by a professional sports franchise in Vancouver.

After seeing off Dallas Tornado with two victories in the first round of the 1979 NASL playoffs, the Whitecaps lined up against Dutch legend Johann Cruyff and Los Angeles Aztecs in the second round. After losing the first game in LA, the Whitecaps won the home match before Kevin Hector scored the deciding goal in the 30-minute mini game at Empire Stadium on August 25. In the semifinals, Vancouver faced the star-studded New York Cosmos, who had German legend Franz Beckenbauer and Italian star Georgio Chinaglia in their line-up. After beating the Cosmos 2-0 in the first game at home, the Whitecaps famously booked their place in the final when Derek Possee scored the winning goal in the 30-minute mini game after New York had won the second match 3-2 at home. Then on September 8 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Trevor Whymark's two goals secured the Soccer Bowl title for the Whitecaps, who returned home to the largest reception in British Columbia history, as over 100,000 people greeted the team upon their arrival.

Fast forward to the year 2006 and the current club's success in claiming their first-ever USL-1 title. Despite finishing fourth at the end of the regular season, Bob Lilley's side made light work of Romario's Miami FC Blues with a 6-1 aggregate win in the first round of the playoffs that year. That set up an epic encounter with rivals Montreal, and after a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Swangard, extra-time goals by Sebrango and Tony Donatelli gave the Whitecaps a 2-0 aggregate victory. On September 30 in Rochester, New York, the Whitecaps secured the championship with a convincing 3-0 win over the Rhinos at PAETEC Park.

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS AT SWANGARD

Soccer fans in Vancouver have to go back to the 1992 Canadian Soccer League season to remember the last time a professional championship game was played at Swangard Stadium. In the CSL's final season of existence, the Whitecaps - who were then known as the 86ers - missed out on a fifth-straight CSL title when a 1-1 home draw with Winnipeg Fury in the second match of the Mita Cup final gave the Manitoba club the last championship to be awarded before the league folded later that year. Though things ended in a disappointing fashion that season, the legacy of the 86ers as a CSL powerhouse was underlined by their triumphs in four-straight championship matches - all of which were played at Swangard between 1988 and 1991.

On September 25, 1988, then player-coach Bob Lenarduzzi formally hung up his boots after his side defeated Hamilton Steelers 4-1 to claim their first CSL championship in front of a Swangard crowd of 6,443. The following year, a crowd of 7,942 saw John Catliff, Carl Valentine, and Domenic Mobilio score in a 3-2 victory over Hamilton at Swangard, as the 86ers defended their Mita Cup title on October 1, 1989.

Lenarduzzi's 86ers made it championship number three on October 8, 1990, when they thrashed Hamilton 6-1 in front of 6,348 fans at Swangard. A Catliff hat-trick led Vancouver to a one-sided victory over the Steelers that day, with Mobilio, Ivor Evans, current Canadian men's national team head coach Dale Mitchell all finding the scoresheet for the home side. The final Mita Cup championship came on October 6, 1991, when the 86ers won an eight-goal thriller 5-3 over Toronto Blizzard. David Norman had two goals, while Catliff, Mobilio, and Doug McKinty had a goal each, as Vancouver made it championship number four.

WHITECAPS

There has been a sense of excitement and anticipation around the Whitecaps this week. Thordarson's side not only earned the right to play in this season's Championship Final, but were awarded the right to host the match by the league, despite finishing behind Puerto Rico in the standings.

Thordarson is pleased to have the chance of ending his first Whitecaps season as head coach in grand style. "This is something that you always hope would happen," he told whitecapsfc.com. "Yet, with the problems we had in the spring and summer with injuries to key players, I was concerned that it would make it a little bit more difficult for us. However, I feel the team has improved to perform at its best, as the season has gone on."

The Icelandic tactician feels his team's work ethic and high fitness levels have been huge contributors to their success so far. "We have showed a physical presence that I have liked during some tough periods of the season by managing a high tempo during games," Thordarson said. "I feel that this physical presence in our side has been remarkable. To stay fit over a long period of time when you are only playing games and not able to train, that comes down to the effort you put into games. I feel that our players have been very good at doing this during the year."

Playoff soccer was a new experience for the Whitecaps head coach this season, but with one match left to decide the title, Thordarson feels the build-up is similar to what he has encountered with cup finals in Europe. "I thought when I came here that I would not have that kind of experience, but once we began the playoffs and reached the final, it suddenly created those same feelings for me," he said. "These are also moments in your life that you will always remember. There are so many players in professional soccer that never get the chance to play for a championship in an entire career, so our players will hopefully make the most of this weekend."

ISLANDERS

2008 has been a memorable season for Puerto Rico, with the 'Tropa Naranja' (Orange Troop) going one better than last season by making Sunday's final. When Clarke took charge of the Islanders in May 2007, few expected his side to take eventual champions Seattle Sounders to the brink of elimination as a number-six seed in last season's playoffs. Yet, after brushing aside Montreal in the quarterfinals, the Islanders took the Sounders to penalties in the semifinals before losing the shootout 4-2 after the series ended 3-3 on aggregate.

Having come so close last season, the Islanders built on their surprise run by topping the 2008 regular season standings with a record of 15 wins, six defeats, and nine draws for 54 points. A major turning point for the Caribbean outfit was the month of July, as the Islanders amassed five straight wins on the road to surge their way up the USL-1 table. They went on to secure first place by going undefeated in their final 12 regular season matches, having recorded six wins and six draws as a result. The Islanders also finished the 30-match schedule with the best defensive record after conceding just 23 goals during the year. "They're the most difficult team that we've played this season," Thordarson said of Puerto Rico. "Their main qualities are their defensive organization and ability to play a direct style by hitting teams on the counter-attack. When we played them, we struggled not because we were bad, but because they were good. The three matches we played against them were of high quality."

Thordarson feels the Whitecaps need to succeed in two key areas against the Islanders on Sunday. "First, we have to be as good as they are defensively," he said. "The second thing will be to create chances with our shape and our way playing, which has always been down the flanks. That will be the medicine again for the final. Puerto Rico are very strong in the central areas of the pitch, so if we want to create chances, we must use our play on the flanks."

Like Montreal, Puerto Rico have been flying the flag high for USL-1 in the CONCACAF Champions League. As one of three sides to qualify from the Caribbean region for the tournament, the Islanders made headlines when it defeated Costa Rican giants Liga Deportiva Alajuelense 3-2 on aggregate in a two-leg preliminary round contest. Puerto Rico advanced to Group D, where they made a tremendous start to their campaign by claiming home victories over Panama's Tauro FC and Mexican Clausura champions Santos Laguna last month. That was followed by a 2-2 draw away to CSD Municipal in Guatemala City last week. Their five-match unbeaten run in this competition, however, came to an end on Wednesday night, as Puerto Rico suffered a sobering 3-0 defeat to Santos Laguna in Mexico. It was the Islanders' final match before heading north to Vancouver to prepare for Sunday's final.

CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA & AWARDS BANQUET

On Saturday afternoon, the United Soccer Leagues will honour the First Division's finest when it holds its 2008 Championship Media & Awards Banquet at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown in Burnaby, BC. Four awards will be presented during the banquet for Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, Defender of the Year, and Rookie of the Year honours. The awards are voted on by the coaches and general managers in USL-1. Peter Schaad - the voice of the Whitecaps - will be the Master of Ceremonies, with the banquet set to begin at 1:00 p.m. PDT.

FINAL FORMAT

The USL-1 Championship Final is a single-game playoff match. If the score is tied at the end of the second half, then two 15-minute extra time periods will be played to determine the winner. If both the Whitecaps and Islanders remain tied at the end of extra time, then the final will be decided using a penalty shootout.

Sunday's USL-1 Championship Final between the Whitecaps and Puerto Rico Islanders at Swangard Stadium will kick off at 4:00 p.m. PDT because of broadcast considerations. Whitecaps individual match tickets start at just $21 and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, and by phone at 604.280.4400 or 1.800.663.9311. CLICK HERE for more information on our individual match tickets.

You can also watch Sunday's final between the Whitecaps and Puerto Rico live on Fox Sports World Canada (Shaw Cable channel 156) and Fox Soccer Channel in the United States.

You can also listen to the match live on TEAM 1040 radio or via the internet on team1040.ca.

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USL First Division Stories from October 9, 2008


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