BC Soccer News, Weekend, April 13-17, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

 VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC  2   SEATTLE SOUNDERS  1

CASCADIA CUP / MLS MATCHDAY #6

FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017, 7:00 PM

BC PLACE, VANCOUVER, BC

MLS PHOTOS: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 Seattle Sounders FC 1, April 14, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

Montero strikes twice as Whitecaps FC defeat Sounders FC 2-1 in Cascadia thriller – Whitecaps FC
All eyes were on Fredy Montero in the leadup to the Cascadia derby match, and did he deliver in a big way. The Colombian striker scored two second-half goals against his former side to lead Vancouver Whitecaps FC (2W-3L-1D) to a 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC (1W-2L-3D) in front of a sellout crowd at BC Place on Friday evening.

Montero answers Whitecaps’ prayers against Sounders – Vancouver Sun
When he scored for his new team against his old one in the 65th minute Friday, Fredy Montero took a couple of steps toward the screaming crowd, dropped to his knees and prayed.

Whitecaps steadying the ship after rocky start to season – Sportsnet
It’s been a rocky start to the season for the Vancouver Whitecaps, but an important win over a rival has steadied the ship for now.

“No excuses” for Sounders loss in Vancouver – Sounder at Heart
Unfortunately for the Seattle Sounders, the 2017 season so far has been marked by multiple games in which they’ve dominated nearly every stat—except the scoreline, the one that matters. On Friday in Vancouver, the Sounders lit up the stats sheet, but they lost 2-1. Head coach Brian Schmetzer said in his post-match press conference that “all the possession in the world isn’t good unless you can score.”

Post-game: Vancouver Whitecaps win 2-1 vs. Seattle Sounders – Eighty-Six Forever
Fredy Montero returns with a vengeance against his former team by scoring 2 goals against the run of play.

MLS Weekend Rewind: Week 7 – SBI
With week seven of the MLS season in the books, some surprising results headlined the action around the league.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders | 2017 MLS Match Preview – MLS
The Cascadia Cup returns this Friday, when the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders will start the 2017 edition of the three-pronged Pacific Northwest competition at BC Place.

Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Seattle Sounders – Eighty-Six Forever
The Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders will kick-off the 2017 competition for the Cascadia Cup on Friday evening, at BC Place. We preview the match-up.

Whitecaps’ Montero says playing his old team will be special – Sportsnet
Playing against his old team will be special for Vancouver Whitecaps striker Fredy Montero, especially if he can find his scoring touch.

Tactical breakdown: Three things the Seattle Sounders must do to defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps – Sounders FC
Vancouver enters at 1-3-1 and is coming off a 3-0 loss to Real Salt Lake in a snowstorm and a midweek loss to Tigres UANL in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Carl Robinson’s squad is rather banged up offensively at the moment, with Brek Shea out indefinitely and Erik Hurtado nursing a foot contusion, but the Whitecaps are still capable of scoring at home, as they showed two weeks ago in their 4-2 win over the LA Galaxy.

Vancouver Whitecaps: Well excuse me! – Soccer Shorts
Just over a week spent in the land of Great Brexit meant that I missed seeing the defeats to Tigres and Real Salt Lake as they happened. That was probably a blessing in many ways but it was also kind of interesting to view the games almost solely through the prism of social media because the people who follow the Whitecaps (Or at least the people who I follow who follow the Whitecaps) are a remarkably forgiving bunch on the whole.

Orlando City’s Cyle Larin: A complete striker eyes superstar status – MLS
Cyle Larin turns 22 this month, and he’s already hit more than a few milestones in his burgeoning career: No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft, MLS Rookie of the Year and all-time rookie scoring king, a full international debut with the Canadian national team as a teenager. And then there’s the rare experience of playing against his childhood idol.

Toronto FC’s Drew Moor sidelined by irregular heartbeat – ESPN FC
The MLS club announced Moor’s condition on Friday and said more tests would be conducted next week.

MLS Look Ahead: Week 7 – SBI
The Cascadia Cup, Atlantic Cup, Trillium Cup and Rocky Mountain Cup will take place this weekend, and there are a few other storylines worth watching.

Depleted Impact need a win in Saputo Stadium opener  – Montreal Gazette
For supporters of the Montreal Impact, there is a definite sense of panic after the latest defeat to the L.A. Galaxy last weekend. However, justifiably so, the players aren’t panicking.

Montreal Impact vs. Atlanta United: Preview – MLS Multiplex
Montreal enters Week 7 without a win on the year. Considering how they finished 2016, this has come as quite a surprise. Atlanta, on the other hand, looks like anything but an expansion team and does not seem to be slowing down.

Commitment to defending drives FC Dallas’ ability to stay at the top – MLS
Maybe it’s unsurprising that FC Dallas have started off the year with such a solid defensive showing, conceding just two goals in their first four games. They do have the reigning Coach of the Year in Oscar Pareja, Defender of the Year in Matt Hedges, a fellow US international center back in Walker Zimmerman and plenty of momentum from their Supporters’ Shield/Open Cup double in 2016.

Real Salt Lake vs. Colorado Rapids preview: Quest for Rocky Mountain Cup begins – RSL Soapbox
Riding high off their first win of the season, RSL looks to continue that form against their Rocky Mountain rivals.

Match Preview: Houston Dynamo vs. Minnesota United FC – Fifty Five One
Minnesota returns to Texas on Saturday to face a Houston team which has earned every home point this season. The Dynamo attack is led by league goals leader Erick “Cubo” Torres and a potent cast of offensive support. However, Houston is also ranked near the bottom of the league in terms of goals allowed.

Lefevre suspended over anti-Trump Instagram post – SBI
Voicing an opinion on the political climate is nothing new for professional athletes, but Montreal Impact defender Wandrille Lefevre may have taken things a bit too far with his latest Instagram post that’s landed him in hot water.

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PHOTOS: Whitecaps FC 1 Tigres UANL 2, April 5, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

3v3 Live Soccer Tour Comes to Canada

BC SOCCER NEWS

BC Soccer Women’s Provincial Cup Draw Monday April 3, Men’s Provincial Cup Draw April 13 – BCSA
Complete brackets and results for the 2017 Women’s and Men’s Provincial Cup Tournaments.

Cowichan, Vic West host Province Cup openers – Times Colonist
A number of Vancouver Island Soccer League men’s teams will play host to Province Cup playdown matches in the coming weeks.

Fred Jopson, Canada Soccer Life Member, passes away – CSA
Jopson was vice-chairman of the Canadian Youth Soccer Association for 11 years, then a Canada Soccer Youth Committee member for another seven years after the old CYSA was absolved by Canada Soccer. He also served for over 25 years with the BC Youth Soccer Association and was the organisation’s chairman in 1968 and 1969.

140+ university scouts and 110 teams in town for Whitecaps FC Showcase – Whitecaps FC
In what has become Canada’s top professional club showcase and one of the largest events of its kind in North America, more than 140 university scouts will descend upon Surrey’s Newton Athletic Park to watch 110 elite U-15 to U-18 boys and girls teams from eight provinces across Canada, as well as teams from the United States, and even Brazil. In total, more than 2,000 players will be participating.

Burnaby pair named to national u-17 squad – Burnaby Now
Burnaby natives Michael Baldisimo and Alessandro Hojabrpour join fellow Whitecaps u-16 residency program prospects Jose Hernandez and Jake Ruby to the 20-player roster.

Whitecaps FC U-15s draw 2-2 vs. Next Gen USA squad in final tune-up – Whitecaps FC
Whitecaps FC U-15 Residency were back on the field in the Netherlands on Thursday, facing American side Next Gen USA in their final tune-up before the Rotterdam Football Cup begins on Saturday.

What a Canadian World Cup Means for Vancouver – Eighty-Six Forever
If the bid is successful, which many think it will be, the next step is to determine where the 10 Canadian matches will take place. There are only a few cities that could actually host matches, without building a new stadium or completing substantial upgrades, with Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal as the most likely.

MVP defender Callum Montgomery returns to Highlanders for 2017 PDL season – Highlanders FC
Victoria Highlanders FC announced Wednesday, the return of local defender Callum Montgomery for the 2017 Premier Development League (PDL) season. The young defender returns to the Highlanders fold following his sophomore season with the University of Carolina – Charlotte (UNCC).

Get To Know Your TSS Rovers: Eric de Graaf – AFTN
Eric de Graaf is back in Vancouver to play this summer’s PDL season with TSS FC Rovers after a Freshman season with the University of Portland that saw the Pilots win their first West Coast Conference title since 2002.

Port Coquitlam Rush wrap up undefeated season with win over Vipers – Tri City News
The Port Coquitlam Rush capped an undefeated Metro Women’s Soccer League under-21 soccer season with a win over Abbotsford in the cup finals.

Are we on the verge of a new era of B.C. soccer talent? – Georgia Straight
Youth soccer in Canada has improved greatly during the past few years for different reasons, in part because of B.C. Soccer’s initiative in creating a higher standard of coaching and its Long-Term Player Development program.

VMSL round-up: Champions crowned and Cup spots secured – AFTN
The 2016/17 VMSL season is almost done. More than two months later than usual, and there’s still one relegation and one promotion battle to be finalized, but most teams now know their fate after what’s been an entertaining season of action.

WLYSA kicks off season with Soccerfest – Williams Lake Tribune
The Williams Lake Youth Soccer Association’s Soccerfest scored big with participants this past Saturday, April 8 when they hosted camps and clinics at the Esler Sports Complex.

2017 VISL JACKSON CUP PHOTOS: Nanaimo Utd. 2 Cowichan LMG 1 (XT), April 2, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

FVSL PHOTOS: Pakenham Cup Final, PMO Rangers 1 PMO Lordco Gunners 0, April 1, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Richard Howes.

REVIEW: The Miracle Mile. Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – BC BookLook
Author Jason Beck is curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, and convenor two years ago of an excellent exhibition about the 1954 Games. In his first book, he proves to be a meticulous researcher, a compelling story-teller, and a crafty realist who knows how to hook his readers. Watch how, two pages into the book, he uses filmic technique to evoke the arriving athletes’ youthful buzz and give period colouring and costuming, but then smartly moves his camera in to introduce his stars.

TSS Rovers launch website & 2017 Season Ticket Campaign – TSS Rovers
TSS FC Rovers play their inaugural season in the PDL at iconic Swangard Stadium. Season Tickets are $70 for Adults, $49 for U12 Youth.

Becoming a BC Soccer Referee – BCSA
Whether you are an experienced referee new to British Columbia or if you are new to the discipline of refereeing BC Soccer Assoc. has a clinic and a pathway for you.  The minimum age to become a referee is 12 years old (small sided) and 14 years old (11-a-side). Please enjoy the short video showcasing some Referee programs that BC Soccer offers and continue below for more on how to become a referee in BC!

To our Readers: A Choice – BC Soccer Web
Soccer has brought us to the United States many times. It’s a great place with decent people. We especially look forward to our Cascadia trips to Seattle and Portland. They’re incredible cities with wonderful supporters. That’s why it was so disheartening to see chaos and fear take hold in the airports and borders of our neighbours to the south.

Victoria Highlanders 2017 Season Passes now on sale – Highlanders FC
Support local soccer on Vancouver Island. Join the excitement of Highlanders FC PDL Soccer!

PHOTOS: CANADA WEST WOMENS FINAL, UBC 3, TWU 0, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

2016 BC Soccer Provincial Cup Photo Galleries – BC Soccer Web
Westhills Stadium & Goudy Park in Langford hosted the 2016 BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cup Finals. It was a thrilling weekend of soccer on Vancouver Island that saw seven champions crowned. Richmond FC & Surrey Pegasus qualified for the National Championships this Fall in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Both Coquitlam Metro-Ford Masters & Classics sides qualified for the Western Canadian Masters Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In all, it was a clean sweep for teams from the VMSL & MWSL. Monique Lamoureux & Bill Currie from BC Soccer Web were on location that weekend, capturing the all the action.

Free Physiotherapy Clinical Trial for Achilles Pain at UBC – UBC Centre for Hip Health & Mobility
Do you have Achilles pain? Interested in free Physiotherapy? If yes, join our clinical trial to look at the effectiveness of intramuscular stimulation (IMS), a form of acupuncture therapy, in treating Achilles tendon pain.

The BC Soccer Web Guide to Empire Field – BC Soccer Web
Empire Fields and Plateau Sports Park is the lofty and formal name given to Vancouver’s newest addition to the soccer scene. Yet, anyone who’s ever kicked or carried both kinds of footballs around these parts knows the place by heart.

Introducing BC Soccer Web Syndication – BC Soccer Web
You can now add BC Soccer Web news to your website simply by adding our new RSS Feed! Find out more.

Send your Soccer News to BC Soccer Web! – BC Soccer Web
BC Soccer Web is the hub for soccer in British Columbia. We want to share your soccer news with the entire province, and you can help by letting us know! We want your match reports, club news, league standings, and info on upcoming tournaments and clinics. Whether you submit links to existing news on the web, or your own original writing, we want to share it with the soccer community in B.C.

 Premium Classified Advertising on BC Soccer Web Starting at 50 cents per day!

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Can Canada field a credible World Cup team in 2026? – CBC
By now, the Canadian men’s soccer narrative is familiar — a series of failures, restarts and perpetual rebuilds.

WSA Winnipeg Pre-Season Primer 1 – 2016 Recap – Northern Starting XI
What started as the never-ending quest for meaningful development opportunities for Canadian footballers – and beer – the second meeting of the Winnipeg CanPL supporters group ended up being the realization of our very encouraging current reality.

Register for the UBCO High-Performance Summer Training Camp in Kelowna

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE

PORTLAND TIMBERS 2  0  WFC2  1

SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2017

PROVIDENCE PARK, PORTLAND, OR

Melvin, Sanner lead WFC2 to 1-0 victory over experienced Timbers 2 side – Whitecaps FC
Thomas Sanner scored in the 84th minute and Sean Melvin put in an outstanding five-save performance in his first appearance of the season, leading WFC2 to a 1-0 victory over Portland Timbers 2 on Sunday afternoon at Providence Park.

USL Rewind: FC Cincinnati wins big in home opener, Lousville tops Rowdies and more – SBI
Offensive explosions headlined a busy weekend of soccer in the USL. Not only did three teams find the back of the net four or more times, they all recorded shutouts in the process.

NASL Week 4: Armada Stay on Top – Empire of Soccer
The Jacksonville Armada picked up another point and maintained their unblemished goals-against mark through three games in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against visiting San Francisco in Week 4 games of the North American Soccer League’s Spring Season.

Whitecaps FC 2 aim for second straight Cascadia win in Portland on Sunday – Whitecaps FC
Fresh off their first win of the USL season, Whitecaps FC 2 head down the I-5 ready to face Timbers 2 in another Cascadia rivalry match. The 1W-1D-1L ‘Caps look to take advantage of a Timbers side winless in their opening four matches of the season. You can bet the Blue and White will be licking their chops after putting up a three-spot on their other rival Seattle Sounders FC 2 last week at McLeod Athletic Park.

USL MATCH PREVIEW | T2 to host Whitecaps FC 2 Sunday at Providence Park – Timbers.com
The match on Saturday marks the first of three matches between the two clubs in 2017, as both teams will meet Sunday, June 4, at Providence Park and Saturday, Sept. 30, at Thunderbird Stadium. In eight all-time meetings between the two teams, T2 trail the series 3-5-0. In the last meeting between the two clubs, T2 played to a 2-1 victory over Whitecaps FC 2 on Sept. 18, 2016, at Thunderbird Stadium.

Drogba signs with USL’s Phoenix Rising FC – USL
Drogba joins the league’s growing list of high-profile stars which include Omar Bravo, Joe Cole, Marcel Schäfer and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Eddies look to find winning ways in North Carolina – the11.ca
If the Eddies don’t get points this weekend at North Carolina FC, their odds of being in the NASL spring-season race, well, they might just get awfully long.

NASL Week 4: What to Look For – Empire of Soccer
Week 4 of the North American Soccer League Spring Season half the league is taking Easter weekend off.

NYRB II Preview: Orlando City B comes to MSU Soccer Park – Once a Metro
Only four games into 2017, the all-conquering season New York Red Bulls II enjoyed in 2016 is a quickly receding memory. The team lost just three games in the regular season last year; in its new campaign, it has lost the last two.

USL PHOTOS: WFC2 3 SOUNDERS2 0, Saturday, April 8, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Richard Howes.

Manchester City Women advance to the FA Cup Final – BBC Sport
Manchester City Women kept alive their hopes of winning five trophies in the space of nine months by beating Liverpool to reach their first FA Cup final at Wembley.

NWSL makes it official, will stream matches on go90 app – The Equalizer
NWSL has announced details for matches to be streamed this season via the Verizon go90 app. All 98 games not otherwise being broadcast live on Lifetime will be streamed live and on demand.  International viewers will be able to watch all matches via nwslsoccer.com or the NWSL iOS app.

Top draft pick Rose Lavelle ready for NWSL debut – ESPN W.
Here was a double-team that Rose Lavelle didn’t leave lunging at her shadow. The midfielder, who in subsequent weeks would hear her name called as the No. 1 overall pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft and charm legions with her play for the United States women’s national team, couldn’t dance or dodge. There would be no nutmeg to freedom.

Laura Harvey: Why an Englishwoman abroad is NWSL’s sole female survivor – BBC Sport
“I don’t want a job because I’m a woman, I want it because I’m the best person for the job.” That is the verdict of Englishwoman Laura Harvey, who will be the only female coach in charge of a National Women’s Soccer team when the 2017 season kicks off in the United States on Saturday.

Women’s football: Asian Cup breakthrough hasn’t sunk in, PH coach says – ABS-CBN
The coach of the Philippine national football team that made history qualifying for its first Women’s Asian Cup said the feat hasn’t sunk in yet.

Sunday European Rewind: Man United beats Chelsea, Firmino lifts Liverpool over WBA, and more – SBI
One of the English Premier League’s big rivalries saw another chapter take place on Sunday as Manchester United edged league-leaders Chelsea, 2-0, at Old Trafford.

MLS players mourn the death of Panama midfielder Amilcar Henriquez – MLS
Panama’s soccer community was dealt a tragic blow on Saturday, when Panama national team and Arabe Unido midfielder Amilcar Henriquez was shot to death.

US pro soccer’s 50th anniversary: ‘They called us communists and midgets’  – The Guardian
Fifty years ago on Sunday, on 16 April 1967, professional soccer took its first bold steps on this continent as the National Professional Soccer League made its debut. Unlike today’s game, fans did not exactly swarm to the stadiums. Some 45,210 spectators attended five games, equivalent to a decent crowd for the modern day Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field.

European Weekend Preview: Chelsea visits Manchester United, Inter faces AC Milan, and more – SBI
Following an entertaining first round of UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matches earlier this week, domestic action resumes across Europe’s top five leagues.

Same old story for Man United ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford – ESPN FC
Unlike for Premier League games, tickets are on open sale for Manchester United’s Europa League quarterfinal second leg against Anderlecht at Old Trafford next Thursday.

Italian club AC Milan sold to Chinese consortium – Sportsnet
Silvio Berlusconi’s 31-year reign at AC Milan is over. Italy’s most successful club was finally sold by the former Italian prime minister to a Chinese-led consortium after several delays over the past few months.

High-flying Monaco close on Ligue 1 title – Ligue 1
AS Monaco welcome Dijon FCO to the Stade Louis II on Saturday evening knowing that six wins from their final seven games will secure them a first Ligue 1 title since the 1999/2000 campaign.

Premier League relegation fight: where clubs’ hopes lie and the impact if they fall – The Guardian
With Crystal Palace and Leicester revitalised, three of four teams look destined for the Championship. We examine how Hull, Swansea, Middlesbrough and Sunderland are shaping up and the impact relegation would have

Club Tijuana player arrested for trying to smuggle 48 pounds of meth into USA – SI.com
A player for a Liga MX club’s reserve team was arrested after allegedly attempting to smuggle nearly 48 pounds of methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Mexican opinion rebels against 2026 bid pact as ‘crumbs’ and a lack of ‘respect’ – Inside World Football
Mexican players and commentators have reacted with irritation verging on anger at the decision to hand the country only 10 of the 80 matches at the 2026 World Cup if the tournament, as expected, goes to CONCACAF.

Fan Protests following Coventry relegation to bottom tier – BBC Sport
Coventry City were relegated to the fourth tier of English football for the first time in 58 years after drawing with fellow strugglers Charlton.