Whitecaps Kick Off Western Finals
September 8, 2004 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
VANCOUVER, BC - The Whitecaps Football Club advanced to the Western Conference Final on Sunday night, defeating the Minnesota Thunder 1-0 on the road, taking the two-game total goal series by a combined score of 3-0.
The Final kicks off on Friday, September 10th against the rival Seattle Sounders at Seattle's Qwest Field, starting at 8pm. Game two will be played at Swangard Stadium on Sunday, September 12th at 7pm.
The Whitecaps and Sounders are no strangers to postseason play, having battled a total of seven times previous to their upcoming Western Conference encounter. This match-up represents the third consecutive year the two teams have met in the playoffs. Seattle has won five of the seven postseason series.
Over the 2004 regular season the Whitecaps played the Sounders four times collecting a record of 1-2-1.
Last season the Whitecaps and Sounders met in a Western Conference Semi-Final that saw Seattle advance on penalty kicks 6-5. In the first of a two-game series played in Seattle the match ended with a 0-0 draw. The deciding game was played in Vancouver where Seattle found the scoreboard first but was cooled by a late-game goal from Dave Morris scored in injury time. Extra-time produced no results and the game was sent to penalty kicks with Seattle narrowly edging Vancouver by a 6-5 margin.
The Western Conference Finals follow the same format as the Semi-Finals. The team with the highest number of total goals combined over a two-game series will advance to a single-game A-League Championship Final. Each of the four teams that remain in playoff contention will submit an application to act as host-city for the Final.
Whitecaps fans are encouraged to support the team when they open the series this Friday in Seattle. The Whitecaps will be organizing bus travel to and from the game in Seattle for fans interested in watching the first leg of the series. For more information please call the Whitecaps office at 604 669-WAVE (9283).
Tickets for the Whitecaps home game this Sunday will go on sale Tuesday morning at 9:30am through Ticketmaster. Priority Tickets for Whitecaps Season Ticket Holders are on sale now. To purchase your tickets, call 604-280-4400 or 1-800-663-9311, visit any Ticketmaster Ticket Centre, or purchase on-line at ticketmaster.ca.
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USL First Division Stories from September 8, 2004
- Timbers trio named all-league - Portland Timbers
- Dante Washington Named A-League All-League First Team - Virginia Beach Mariners
- Two local Thunder players receive national honors - Minnesota Thunder
- Richmond Kickers Represented On A-League All-League Teams - Richmond Kickers
- A-League All-League Teams Announced - USL-1
- Whitecaps Kick Off Western Finals - Vancouver Whitecaps
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