Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1986, the team played its final year in the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid in the NASL Conference of the USSF Division 2 Professional League coached by Teitur Thordarson. The team played its home games at Swangard Stadium in nearby Burnaby, British Columbia. The team's colours were blue and white.

On March 19, 2009, an ownership group led by Vancouver Whitecaps FC principal Greg Kerfoot was granted a Major League Soccer expansion franchise which began play in 2011 under the same name.

In addition to its men's side the Whitecaps also field a women's team in the USL W-League, two developmental teams (Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, in the USL Premier Development League, and the Whitecaps FC Prospects, in the Pacific Coast Soccer League), and four youth teams in the USL Super Y-League (Coastal WFC, Mountain WFC, Surrey WFC and Okanagan WFC) ranging in age from U13 to U17 for both boys and girls.^[2]

The team was previously known as the Vancouver 86ers of both the Canadian Soccer League and later the A-League. The club later played in several second tier leagues in North America.

History

Vancouver 86ers

In 1986, a professional soccer team was again launched in Vancouver, the Vancouver 86ers—so named because of both the year of the team's founding and to commemorate the year Vancouver was founded (1886). Eighty-six people put up $500 each to fund the new team. The 86ers played in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) winning 4 straight CSL Championships (1988–1991) and 5 consecutive CSL regular-season first-place finishes (1988–92). In 1990, the Vancouver 86ers captured the North American Club Championship after defeating the Maryland Bays 3–2 in the final played in Burnaby. The game was played between the champions of the Canadian Soccer League and the champions of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). Vancouver played in the CSL from its inception in 1987 until the league folded in 1992, and then moved over to the APSL in 1993 which was later absorbed into the USL hierarchy of leagues in 1997 becoming the A-League, later renamed the USL.

In 1988–1989, the team, coached by Bob Lenarduzzi, set a North American professional sports record by playing 46 consecutive games without a loss.^[3]

Vancouver Whitecaps (USL)

In 2001, the team began to use the old Vancouver Whitecaps moniker (signifying both the 'white caps' of the nearby mountains, and the waves of the Pacific Ocean). The Whitecaps currently practise on the new turf field at Simon Fraser University.

In 2003, the name was again changed, albeit only slightly, to Whitecaps FC, which encompasses the men's, women's, and youth development teams within the organization. At this time, the Whitecaps logo changed slightly in colour (the light teal-green was replaced with a brighter blue) and the word "Vancouver" was dropped from the image.

In 2006, the Whitecaps organization won an unprecedented double-championship, claiming both the United Soccer Leagues First Division championship trophy, defeating the host Rochester Rhinos 3–0 at PAETEC Park, and winning the W-League women's trophy. The men's team also won the Nation's Cup, a new tournament established by their club as a way to feature the Whitecaps playing against international competition. The 2006 Nation's Cup tournament featured the Chinese and Indian U-20 National teams and Championship Welsh club Cardiff City F.C. (the "Bluebirds"). The gradually added the "Vancouver" back into their name, changing it officially to "Vancouver Whitecaps FC".

The following season, the Whitecaps signed a deal to play an exhibition match against the Los Angeles Galaxy, which featured international David Beckham, and promoted Director of Soccer Operations Bob Lenarduzzi to team president.

October 12, 2008, they claimed their second United Soccer Leagues First Division championship with a 2–1 victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders. Charles Gbeke scored twice with his head in the second half to help secure the title. In 2009, they placed 7th in the league and were eliminated in the final by the Montreal Impact on a 6–3 aggregate.^[4]

In November 2009 the Whitecaps, along with several other teams, announced their intent to leave the USL First Division to become the co-founders of a new North American Soccer League, which was to begin play in 2010.^[5][6] On January 7, 2010 the U.S.S.F. announced that neither the USL nor the NASL would be permitted to have a second division league,^[7] and the USSF would administer a league where the NASL and USL are conferences within the league.^[8]

On 24 November 2009 it was announced that Paul Barber, the former Executive Director of Tottenham Hotspur, will become the Chief Executive Operations director of the Caps.^[9]

Whitecaps played a 30-match regular season, with 15 home games and a 15 games away in the United States Soccer Federation Division 2 Professional League.^[10]

The Whitecaps and Major League Soccer

On July 24, 2008, the MLS announced they were seeking to add two expansion franchises for the 2011 season.^[11] One day later, the Whitecaps officially announced that they were pursuing one of the two expansion slots. The Whitecaps also announced that local sports icon Steve Nash will join the Whitecaps ownership team.^[12]

"There is no doubt the market for professional soccer exists in Vancouver, as we saw last November when nearly 50,000 fans attended the exhibition match between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Whitecaps, " MLS commissioner Don Garber said.^[13]

Vancouver's bid was officially submitted on October 15, 2008, along with bids from 6 other cities.^[14] Whitecaps representatives Greg Kerfoot and Jeff Mallett met with MLS officials on November 21, 2008 to go over their bid. Don Garber, who was previously involved in National Football League expansion, described the bid presentation as, "one of the best I've ever seen."^[15] Garber and MLS president Mark Abbott were in Vancouver on December 7, 2008 to tour BC Place Stadium and learn about the proposed renovations, which are scheduled to be completed in time for the 2011 MLS season.^[16]

Vancouver was officially named an MLS expansion city on March 18, 2009, and joined the league in 2011. They began their inaugural MLS season at Empire Field, a temporary stadium built at the former site of Empire Stadium, and will move into BC Place Stadium^{[17][18][19][20]} once renovations to the stadium are complete.

Players

Final roster

as of October 29, 2010^[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Notable former players

• See also: All-time Vancouver Whitecaps roster

Staff

Management

• Greg Kerfoot Owner
• Bob Lenarduzzi President
• Paul Barber Chief Executive Officer
• Rachel Lewis Chief Operating Officer
• Dave Irvine Manager of Technical Programs
• Tom Soehn Director of Soccer Operations
• Chris Murphy Director of Professional Development
• Dan Lenarduzzi Director of Youth Development

Sports

• Teitur Thordarson Head Coach
• Colin Miller Assistant Coach
• Mike Salmon Goalkeeping Coach

Medical

• Graeme Poole Physiotherapist
• Chris Franks Physiotherapist
• Al Ezaki Athletic Therapist
• Dr. Bob McCormack Team Physician
• Dr. Jim Bovard Team Physician
• Steve Ramsbottom Strength & Conditioning Specialist
• Darren Woloshen Equipment Manager

Year-by-Year

Honours

Domestic

Canadian Soccer League

• Canadian Soccer League Championship
  • Winners (4): 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991
  • Runners-up (1): 1992
• Canadian Soccer League Regular Season Champion
  • Winners (5): 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
• Canadian Championship
  • Runners up (2): 2009, 2010

USL First Division

• USL First Division Championship
  • Winners (2): 2006, 2008
  • Runners-up (1): 2009
• Commissioner's Cup
  • Winners (1): 1993
  • Runners-up (1): 2008
• Voyageurs Cup
  • Runners-up (2): 2005, 2007
• Cascadia Cup
  • Winners (3): 2004, 2005, 2008
  • Runners-up (3): 2006, 2007, 2009

International

• North American Club Championship
  • Winners (1): 1990
• Nations Cup
  • Winners (1): 2006

Head coaches

• Bob Lenarduzzi (1988–1989)
• Bob Lilley (2007)
• Teitur Thordarson (2008–2010)

Stadia

• Swangard Stadium; Burnaby, British Columbia (2003–2010)

Proposed new stadium

The City of Vancouver is currently considering a proposal for Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium, a new stadium to be built over the railway tracks east of Waterfront Station on Burrard Inlet. This 16,000 seat stadium would replace Swangard Stadium as the home field for the USL's Vancouver Whitecaps. There is a fair degree of controversy with regards to this location; a Vancouver council session to debate the issue was extended to four nights to allow public input. Detractors view the proposed stadium as an incongruous addition to nearby historic Gastown that would block waterfront access and promote piecemeal development of the area. Proponents of the development feel that the stadium will attract new business to the downtown and Gastown areas, particularly since the soccer team tends to attract a family-oriented audience.

On July 11, 2006, Vancouver City Council voted unanimously to proceed with the stadium project, so long as the Whitecaps could meet certain conditions regarding land use. On January 22, 2007, the Whitecaps filed a new proposal shifting the proposed site for the stadium project to the current location of the SeaBus terminal, a short distance northwest of the previous site.

With the Whitecaps moving up to MLS, the franchise has signed to initially play at Empire Field, and then BC Place Stadium from 2011 to at least 2015. It is hoped that the new facility will be completed by the 2016 MLS season.

Club culture

Mascot

The Whitecaps' mascot is named Winger. He is a bird who wears a Whitecaps jersey and carries a large drum to encourage the crowd. He often uses signs to get fans in the grandstands to cheer.

Fans

The Whitecaps have an independent supporters group known as the Southsiders.^[23][24] Founded in 1999, the group is named for their preferred seating area in the south end of Swangard Stadium. The Southsiders, once described as a "rabid supporters group",^[25] identify themselves as Canada's oldest supporters association for professional domestic association football.

The group originally called themselves "The Carlsberg Crew," named for the beer company that sponsored Swangard's beer garden. The name was changed to "The Canterbury Chorus" for the subsequent season, as the beer sponsorship had changed between seasons. To avoid changing names every time the sponsor changed, the group chose the name "The Southsiders".^[26]

Rival clubs

The Vancouver Whitecaps have two historic rivals, the Pacific Northwest Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders. These three teams competed in the yearly Cascadia Cup through 2008. In 2009, the Cup involved only the Whitecaps and Timbers because the Sounders were replaced by an MLS team of the same name.

The Whitecaps also compete on a yearly basis with the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC for the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The winner of this series advances to the CONCACAF Champions League.

References

External links

• Vancouver Whitecaps Official Site
• Mountain WFC
• Surrey WFC
• Coastal WFC