Whitecaps Prepare To Host Austin Again
September 11, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9W-10L-9D) look to return to winning ways when they host Austin Aztex (4W-16L-8D) on Sunday afternoon.
Teitur Thordarson's side have yet to secure their place in this year's USL First Division playoffs, with the Blue and White missing a chance to land the final postseason berth following Wednesday night's heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at Canadian rivals Montreal Impact. The 'Caps remain eight points clear of eighth-place Miami FC Blues as a result, with the South Florida club needing to win at Charleston Battery on Friday night to have any chance of catching seventh-place Vancouver. A Miami victory on Friday would leave the Whitecaps needing a draw or a win against Austin to assure their playoff spot. However, should the Blues draw or lose in Charleston, then the 'Caps will make the postseason for the 13th consecutive year without kicking a ball in anger.
With the Montreal defeat wrapping up their road schedule, the Whitecaps now turn their attentions to finishing their regular season campaign in positive fashion with two matches at Swangard Stadium. They begin their run-in by hosting USL-1 expansion club Austin for the second time in a week-and-a-half, with the Texas-based outfit bringing their inaugural league campaign to an end with Sunday's match in Vancouver.
The Whitecaps first two meetings with the Aztex this season saw them claim a draw and a win. The inaugural encounter, on April 21 in the Texas state capital, saw the sides play to a 1-1 draw at Nelson Field. Marco Reda scored his first-ever Whitecaps goal before Austin striker Gifton Noel-Williams headed home a second-half equalizer to earn a point. The 'Caps then earned their first win over the Aztex on September 2, as two goals by Charles Gbeke followed Kenold Versailles' first-ever goal for the Whitecaps men's team in an entertaining 3-2 victory at Swangard. The result ended the Aztex's hopes of making the playoffs in their first season as a USL-1 club.
WHITECAPS
The 'Caps will be happy to see out the season at home, having endured a difficult time on the road in 2009. Their final two-match away stint saw the Blue and White drop valuable points after conceding late goals at Minnesota Thunder and Montreal.
The manner of Wednesday's defeat to the Impact may have been particularly demoralizing to the 'Caps, but Thordarson revealed his side quickly moved on from the midweek setback. "The team's spirit remains high, even though it has been disappointing to give up points at the end of our last two games," he told whitecapsfc.com. "As soon as the Montreal game ended, everyone was thinking to Sunday and how important a game that will be for us. If we manage to claim a win on Sunday and against Cleveland, then that will provide us with a great boost for the playoffs."
Austin proved a stern test in their last encounter at Swangard, and Thordarson is aware that they face an intriguing contest versus the Aztex this weekend. "Sunday will be an interesting game," said the former Iceland international striker. "I think Austin will be able to play in a relaxed manner, as they have nothing to play for at this stage of the season. I just hope we can put on the kind of performance that we've achieved at home during the season."
Thordarson will be without Geordie Lyall for Sunday's match. The experienced defender suffered another injury setback on Wednesday after pulling an abdominal muscle shortly after coming on as a second-half substitute versus Montreal. The 'Caps are also monitoring the fitness of captain Martin Nash after the Canadian international midfielder missed Vancouver's last three matches with a hamstring problem.
AZTEX
2009 has been a challenging first season for Adrian Heath's Aztex. With only four wins all season, the Texas outfit experienced a sharp learning curve of both the rigours and standard of play in USL-1. They conclude their campaign in two of the toughest cities in the league. Before visiting Vancouver again, Austin make their lone visit to Oregon to face USL-1 leaders Portland Timbers on Friday.
Despite their struggles this season, Heath believes Austin have the ingredients to be a successful club in USL-1. "When we do the things that we can do and we do them well, we can play with anybody in the league," Heath told the Aztex's official website. "We're not a million miles away, but we can't keep making the same mistakes."
With their season nearly at an end, Austin's future remains promising. The Aztex have formed partnerships with English Premier League club Stoke City FC and BC-based USL Premier Development League side Victoria Highlanders. As part of their agreement with the Highlanders, the Aztex will play a friendly match in Victoria next Tuesday. Austin are also looking to boost their fan base after announcing a stadium move from their current Nelson Field home to House Park in downtown Austin for the 2010 campaign.
DON HEDGES TRIBUTE
Before Sunday's match, the Whitecaps will honour Dr. Don Hedges for his many years of service as team physician. Having first joined the club back in 1989, the experienced and highly respected Dr. Hedges is nearing the completion of his 21st season as the Whitecaps team doctor.
A native of Danville, Illinois, Hedges earned a degree in Medicine from the University of British Columbia in 1983 and currently runs a medical practice in New Westminster, BC. He has been involved in sport throughout his medical career, having served as a team physician in football, lacrosse, rugby, and soccer for over a quarter of a century. This includes medical roles with the Canada Lacrosse Association and Rugby Canada.
Since 1990, the overwhelming majority of Dr. Hedges' medical practice has been devoted to addiction medicine. He regularly lectures on topics of addiction medicine and is a member of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and the International Society of Addiction Medicine.
RAISE-A-READER
The Whitecaps will be hosting the Raise-a-Reader team in the youth section on the south side of Swangard during Sunday's match. As part of their build-up towards its annual Raise-a-Reader Day on Wednesday, September 23, the campaign is aiming to raise funds for local literacy programs and increase awareness about the importance of encouraging family literacy.
Whitecaps fans will be able to buy a paper airplane for a toonie ($2) and have the opportunity to win prizes by flying their paper airplane into a target that will be placed on the track in front of the main grandstand at that beginning of halftime.
First started in 2002, the Canwest Raise-a-Reader program has raised $12.7 million for literacy beneficiaries across Canada. One hundred per cent of the money raised stays in the community it was given to support local programs. Click here for more information about Canwest Raise-a-Reader.
35 YEARS PLAYER CARD
The 15th and 16th editions of our '35 Years' player cards will be distributed free to the first 1,000 fans that enter Swangard for Wednesday's match. The latest player cards will be of defender/midfielder Jeff Clarke and striker Carlo Corazzin.
Captain of the Whitecaps side that won USL-1 championship titles in 2006 and 2008, Clarke spent eight years with his hometown club. He was Rookie of the Year in 1997 before leaving the Whitecaps for spells in Ireland and with USL-1 rivals Hampton Roads Mariners and Portland Timbers. He returned to the Whitecaps in 2002 and remained with the club until 2008. Clarke also represented Canada at youth and senior international level, having appeared at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup before captaining his country to the knockout stages of the 1997 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Malaysia. He also made 19 senior international appearances, with the midfielder helping Canada to the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2000.
A former Canadian international striker, Corazzin first joined the club for the 1993 American Professional Soccer League (now USL-1) season, where he finished second in team scoring. After a lengthy playing spell in England, Corazzin returned to the Whitecaps in 2003 and played three more seasons with his hometown club. He sits in a three-way tie for 24th on the Whitecaps all-time points list with 54.
SMOKING BAN
A smoking ban in and around Swangard Stadium remains in effect for Sunday's match. This means no smoking will be permitted inside or outside of the stadium gates. Burnaby Parks, Recreation & Culture have placed signs in Central Park at key locations as a reminder.
FINAL MATCH
The Whitecaps will conclude their 2009 USL-1 regular season schedule when they host Cleveland City Stars at Swangard on Friday, September 18. The match will be the Ohio-based club's first game in Vancouver in club history. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. PDT.
Sunday afternoon's match between the Whitecaps and Austin Aztex at Swangard Stadium kicks off at 4 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.
USL First Division Stories from September 11, 2009
- Miami FC Falls to Charleston and Loses Playoff Berth - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Impact Plays Against The Minnesota Thunder Sunday At Home - Montreal Impact
- Timbers In Position To Win Commissioner's Cup - Portland Timbers
- 2010 Season Tickets on Sale Now - North Carolina FC
- Whitecaps Prepare To Host Austin Again - Vancouver Whitecaps
- RailHawks host Puerto Rico in 2nd place Showdown this Saturday - North Carolina FC
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