Whitecaps Gear Up For Texas Showdown
Published on April 20, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
Vancouver Whitecaps FC (0W-1L-1D) aim to get into the win column for the first time this season when they visit USL First Division expansion club Austin Aztex (0W-0L-1D) on Tuesday evening.
The defending USL-1 champions have taken a draw and a defeat from their opening two matches of the 2009 regular season. Teitur Thordarson's side drew 0-0 with Charleston Battery in their season opener at Swangard Stadium on April 11 before suffering a 2-1 away defeat to last season's regular season champions Puerto Rico Islanders. Former Whitecaps striker Nicholas Addlery scored both of Puerto Rico's goals on Saturday night.
The Blue and White will look to put that weekend defeat in the Caribbean behind them by making their inaugural meeting with the Aztex a positive experience in the Texas state capital. Nelson Field will be the venue for this first-ever meeting between Austin and Vancouver, with the Whitecaps last playing a Texas-based USL-1 club back in the 2003 season when they played El Paso Patriots.
Adrian Heath's side, meanwhile, started life in USL-1 by claiming a 1-1 home draw with Minnesota Thunder on Saturday night. The weekend season opener was the first of four home matches for the Aztex, as they look to make a bright start to their first season in the league.
WHITECAPS
The 'Caps were under no illusions in terms of the challenges they would face on this early-season two-match road trip. After beating the Islanders to win their second USL-1 championship in three seasons last October, Colin Clarke's side earned a measure of revenge with Saturday's win in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
Thordarson felt that the four recent knockout stage matches that the Islanders played in the CONCACAF Champions League translated into a sharp performance from Puerto Rico on Saturday. "In the first half, we could see a bit of a difference between ourselves and Puerto Rico at this stage of the season," Thordarson told whitecapsfc.com after the defeat. "The Islanders had played so many competitive games in the preseason, while we had not as many high quality games. Their first-half performance made the difference, in terms of the result."
The Whitecaps now go from facing a team that is well known to them to a side they know little about in Austin. Though the Aztex are new to USL-1, Thordarson will not be taking anything for granted come Tuesday night. "It's hard to know what to expect from them, as we know very little about Austin," he said. "Other than watching their last game on video, we will only have a good idea about their team when we face them first-hand. Nonetheless, we will have to be at our best, as teams in this league are always tough opponents to face in their home stadium."
Thordarson will have the full compliment of his 20-player traveling squad to choose from for Tuesday's match, as all those who played in Puerto Rico came through the weekend defeat unscathed. Players that will miss out on the Austin visit include striker Marlon James. The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines captain remains in Vancouver, as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. Centre back Jeff Parke also misses out, as he is still serving the remainder of a 10-game ban that he received in Major League Soccer (MLS) last season. Geordie Lyall and Lyle Martin continue their recoveries from injury, but good news for the Whitecaps is that winger Justin Moose looks set to be available for Saturday's home match versus Portland Timbers.
AZTEX
With MLS clubs to the north (FC Dallas) and west (Houston Dynamo) of their location, Austin Aztex hope to add another chapter to the history of professional soccer in Texas. The club has strong ties to English Premier League club Stoke City FC, as their owner Phil Rawlins sits on the board at Stoke. The influence of 'The Potters' can be seen throughout the club. Not only have the Aztex adopted Stoke's colours of red and white strips, they also have two former Stoke players in Adrian Heath as head coach and Gifton Noel-Williams as one of their strikers.
Englishman Heath brings a wealth of coaching experience to USL-1. He had spells of management with English League Championship clubs Burnley and Sheffield United before assisting Peter Reid at Sunderland, Leeds United, and Coventry City. After spending the 2008 season scouting USL-1 as a whole, Heath is hoping the Aztex can surprise a few people in 2009. "I want us to be competitive. I know one or two people in the league don't think we will be," Heath told The Austin American-Statesman last Friday. "Given a little bit of luck and an injury-free year, we can be really competitive and I'll be disappointed if come the end of the year, we aren't still playing for something."
The British influence on Austin's squad is not limited goalscorer Noel-Williams. Heath also brought in former Manchester United trainee Eddie Johnson, former Milton Keynes Dons midfielder Alex Tapp, and former Wrexham defender Gareth Evans. He also signed several members of the Aztex U-23 side that played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL) last year. 2008 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year Miguel Gallardo-Aparicio was the club's first signing, while Wes Allen, Kieron Bernard, Zach Pope, and Josh Alcala all made the move up from the club's PDL team. The squad also includes goalkeeper Sam Reynolds, who comes to the Texas state capital with prior experience at USL-1 rivals Miami FC Blues and MLS clubs Toronto FC and Chivas USA.
SWANGARD ENCOUNTERS
Tuesday's match will be Vancouver's only regular season visit to Austin in 2009, as the Aztex will visit the Whitecaps on two occasions later in the year. The first of those Swangard encounters is set for Wednesday, September 2, while the third and final regular season meeting will also be in Burnaby, BC, on Sunday, September 13.
TIMBERS NEXT
Following the two-match road trip, the Whitecaps return home for a clash with Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers on Saturday night. Kick-off from Swangard is at 7:00 p.m. PDT. Whitecaps individual match tickets start at just $19 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 information on our individual match tickets.
USL First Division Stories from April 20, 2009
- Rhinos look to bounce back at home - Rochester Rhinos
- Whitecaps Gear Up For Texas Showdown - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Battery teams up with Five Guys Burgers & Fries to offer Friday night discounts - Charleston Battery
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