Whitecaps FC Game Notes
June 4, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
VANCOUVER, BC - Back home from a challenging three-match eastern road trip, Vancouver Whitecaps FC (3W-2L-3D) play the first of two USSF D-2 Pro League home encounters when USL Conference side FC Tampa Bay (5W-1L-3D) make their first-ever visit to Swangard Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Teitur Thordarson's side will be happy to be back in their familiar confines in Burnaby, BC, after claiming two Nurtilite Canadian Championship draws in Montreal and Toronto, while suffering a league defeat in Rochester during their eastern road swing. They now host an in-form Rowdies side that have lost only once in the league this season.
Sunday's match between the Whitecaps and FC Tampa Bay at Swangard kicks off at 4 p.m. PT. Whitecaps individual match tickets start at $20, plus applicable service charges, and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca, and by phone at 604.280.4400 or 1.800.663.9311. Visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets for more information on Whitecaps FC individual match tickets.
WHITECAPS FC
With this year's Canadian Championship campaign at an end, the Whitecaps focus will be solely on the league for the remainder of the 2010 campaign. After splitting a home-and-home series with Rochester Rhinos, Thordarson's squad will now try to use the comforts of home to push on and solidify their position atop the NASL Conference.
Thordarson was encouraged by his side's effort to claim a morale-boosting result at Toronto FC after the Whitecaps played two-thirds of Wednesday's Canadian Championship finale with ten men at BMO Field. It was a marked improvement from last weekend when the Whitecaps struggled in a 2-1 defeat to the Rhinos in Upstate New York.
The Whitecaps will be without Nizar Khalfan for Sunday's match after the midfielder was called up by his native Tanzania for an international friendly versus world soccer powerhouse Brazil in Dar es Salaam on Monday. Centre back Greg Janicki remains listed as day-to-day with an ankle problem, while the club are still without defender/midfielder Blake Wagner (foot strain), goalkeeper Dan Pelc (gluteus maximus), and long-term casualty Mouloud Akloul (ankle fracture).
ROWDIES
Looking to build on the success of the club in the old NASL, FC Tampa Bay boast the second best record in USSF D-2 behind USL Conference leaders Austin Aztex. The Florida outfit had a fine month of May after going undefeated in seven league games (4W-0L-3D), with the Rowdies making their first trip to Canada on the back of three straight victories. June, however, will pose a tougher test for Tampa Bay, as the Rowdies have games against Montreal Impact, Puerto Rico Islanders, and Portland Timbers to follow Sunday's clash with Vancouver.
Led by former NASL Rowdies star Perry van der Beck (technical director) and head coach Paul Dalglish, who is the son of former Liverpool and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish, the current Rowdies squad includes a mix of talent, with players coming from Major League Soccer, United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1), and abroad. Adam Nowland played for several clubs in England, while fellow midfielder Takuya Yamada spent several seasons in the Japanese J.League. Whitecaps fans will remember defender Scott Buete and striker Aaron King from the USL-1 days, while forward Aaron Wheeler had a spell with Vancouver last season. The Rowdies also have Canadian youngster Mozesh (Mozzi) Gyorio in their squad. Born in Serbia, the native of Prince Edward Island played with the Whitecaps pair of Philippe Davies and Alex Semenets in Canada's U-20 national team at last year's Francophone Games in Lebanon.
One player that is currently missing from the Rowdies squad is midfielder Jeremy Christie. The New Zealand international is currently with his country's national team at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
While Sunday's match is the first-ever meeting between these two current clubs, it is not the first time that Vancouver have taken on a Rowdies side. Their first-ever encounter against Tampa Bay came in the 1977 NASL season, as goals by Derek Possee and Gordon Taylor gave the Whitecaps a 2-1 away win on June 11. Between 1977 and 1984, the 'Caps registered 10 wins and four defeats versus the Florida outfit in the NASL. This included a home record of five wins and one defeat versus the Rowdies. Vancouver's last encounters against a Rowdies side came during the 1993 American Professional Soccer League season when they registered one win and three defeats that year. In all, the Whitecaps recorded 11 wins and seven defeats against teams from Tampa Bay.
The most famous of all those encounters was the 1979 Soccer Bowl at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on September 8. Two goals by Trevor Whymark secured the NASL championship title for the Whitecaps, as they defeated the Rowdies 2-1.
This season, the Whitecaps will face the Rowdies on one more occasion in the regular season, with Vancouver visiting George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday, August 21.
RETRO DAY
As a tribute to the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl championship, the Whitecaps are encouraging supporters to get into the spirit of this weekend's game by dressing in their best 70's apparel and retro Whitecaps kit. There will be 70's music played on the concourse behind Swangard's main grandstand and throughout the stadium, while fans will have a chance to win prizes at halftime. Supporters should also keep an eye out for some other in-match surprises during Sunday's match.
RAILHAWKS FLY IN
The Whitecaps will follow the visit of the Rowdies by hosting NASL Conference rivals Carolina RailHawks during the 'Whitecaps FC Week of Soccer' on Wednesday night at Swangard. Kickoff of this USSF D-2 clash is set for 7:30 p.m. PT. Tickets for Wednesday's match are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres and online at ticketmaster.ca.
Sunday's match between the Whitecaps and FC Tampa Bay can be seen live on Shaw TV and Shaw Direct (satellite channel 299) and will also be available online at whitecapsfc.com/live.
U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from June 4, 2010
- Minnesota Stars play Rochester Rhinos to a 0-0 draw - Minnesota United FC
- Whitecaps FC Game Notes - Vancouver Whitecaps
- RailHawks Announce Pre-World Cup Appearances - North Carolina FC
- Timbers U-23s Host Unbeaten Kitsap Saturday - Portland Timbers
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