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    USL Pro Vancouver: Closer than we think?

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    This season, just like last, the Vancouver Whitecaps have entered a partnership with the Charleston Battery to loan a minimum of four players to the USL Pro franchise.
    There has been a lot of talk over the past two years of a USL Pro team coming to the Vancouver/Fraser Valley area. Bobby Lenarduzzi has stated to AFTN in the past that the Whitecaps have no plans of owning a USL team anytime soon, but he also didn't deny that there wasn't a chance of a team coming to Vancouver under a different ownership group.
    Such a move may be closer than we think.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Sources are telling me that the Vancouver Canucks' owning Aquilini Investor Group may have an interest in bringing a USL Pro side to Vancouver or the lower mainland, with initial enquiries suggesting that there have already been several discussions and meetings at the USL Pro headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
    Francesco Aquilini has been a huge supporter of local soccer. His children play youth soccer in Vancouver and he is heavily involved in all aspects of their involvement. I have also heard from people with direct knowledge he has built a functional turf pitch on his family property. His company may own the Canucks, but soccer is a game close to his heart.
    Back in <a href="http://www.bcbusiness.ca/people/francesco-aquilini-and-his-canucks-breakaway?page=4" target="_blank"><u>October 2008</u></a> it was reported that Aquilini had been exploring the option of making a bid for a MLS team in Vancouver, but this came to nothing after Greg Kerfoot announced his plan to move forward with his MLS bid for the Whitecaps FC franchise.
    A franchise fee for a USL Pro team is in the $600,00 to $750,000 range. Average operating costs per USL team is between $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 per season according to the USL Pro league website.
    Having a team in Vancouver/Fraser Valley would be highly beneficial to the Whitecaps both on the field and off it in terms of getting more into the local communities
    With a potential 26 man squad, it would be a great opportunity to get some of the Caps' younger MLS draft picks and Residency players some quality meaningful minutes. With no reserve team this season, minutes for the majority of the younger players are going to have to be in U18 and PDL games, unless they grab one of the loan spots in Charleston.
    A local USL team would be great for the FO to keep an eye on these players development at close quarters moving forward, hopefully getting them to a point where they can make the jump to the MLS team.
    Most concerns heard about loaning players to Charleston last season was when the players came back them saying it felt like a waste of a season. Current Whitecap Bryce Alderson has said if he is sent back to the USL this season he would consider that a disappointment for his growth.
    There have also been concerns expressed around the quality of training down with the Battery, although this should be addressed this season after Charleston's coaches met with their Vancouver counterparts to discuss coaching ethos.
    The ideal USL Pro team in Vancouver should be owned by the Whitecaps. That way the FO could control all aspects of the team, players, coaching methods and game day experience for the supporters.
    This season the LA Galaxy has started their own USL team, LA Galaxy II, and the clubs are due to square off in the first "White v Blue" preseason battle later this month. They're marketing that game and the new team well to ensure that fans know it is just an extension of their club and an important one at that.
    If the desire or investment is not there though for the Whitecaps to run their own side, then partnering with a successful businessman with a sporting background like Aquilini would be the next best route to go down if there is a guarantee to work in partnership with the Whitecaps and develop their talent.
    Stay tuned for more updates......
    <p>
    Guest

    Doing the math on Whitecaps' numbers game

    By Guest, in AFTN,

    There's no getting away from the numbers. Vancouver Whitecaps are running out of available squad space pretty quickly.
    The addition on Wednesday of Uruguayan attacking pair Sebastián Fernández and Nicolás Mezquida takes the Caps' MLS roster to 25.
    Factor in that there is still only one signed goalkeeper in that number and no back up right back inked in and you take that tally up to 28.
    Considering there are 17 unsigned players in camp right now and Robinson hopes to add one or two more to that number before the preseason is out, there's going to be a lot of disappointment going around come the start of March.
    And that doesn't even begin to look at the cap space issue surrounding the players being brought in.
    With loan deals, trades and outright cuts all available to them, Carl Robinson and his technical team now face a tough four week period to try and figure out who they want to keep around and in what form.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It would be a major surprise if contracts are not given to Ben Fisk (who scored and impressed in yesterday's first preseason game against Indy 11), Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese.
    That would take the roster to 31, before the loan deals kick in.
    Vancouver's affiliation with Charleston Battery in USL Pro guarantees a minimum of four loan deals. Any player loaned automatically comes off the MLS roster and frees up a spot.
    There can be more and although it has been confirmed to us that technically there is no maximum limit to the number of players that the Whitecaps can send down, it is felt that the Battery are not wanting the number to be much more than the minimum four.
    A USL Pro roster can only contain a maximum of seven foreign players but Canadians do not count as internationals in the League, which apart from blowing apart Don Garber's continued insistence that this is not possible in MLS, is good news for the Caps.
    Vancouver currently have 11 international spots and they are all filled, with many others needing one if they were to get on to the final MLS roster.
    You have to expect that trades will be done to offload some current players that Robinson does not feel are up to the standard he is looking for and getting some international spots in return will be likely.
    There may also be trading of some future draft picks as well to pick up a couple more and there is still the option of just cutting the likes of midfielder Aminu Abdallah who is wastefully taking up a current spot.
    There are 152 international spots available in MLS. Each team has 8 before trades, with no limit as to how many one club can acquire.
    With all this in mind, speculation is already rife as to who Vancouver might send down to Charleston. There are some obvious candidates amongst the draft picks and trialists (Michael Kafari and Michael Calderon being two of them if the Caps like what they see from them) but not that many standout options on the actual MLS roster, which obviously doesn't address the key problem.
    Erik Hurtado, if he is still around, may be another or he may find himself traded to pastures new in MLS. Christian Dean could benefit from some time down there, as could Mamadou Diouf.
    Nothing has been finalised and there is still a lot to play for and prove in the training camp, but Robinson told us on Monday that he's started to form a good shape of how things might pan out for certain players.
    <i>"I've got a fair idea. Obviously things might change when the first couple of games go on. There's reasons and methods about why we're doing things with regards to the training sessions and the fitness and the defensive side and the attacking side.
    "But there's also reasons why we might loan guys out for the purpose of that. Short, medium and long term as well. There's a lot of planning that goes into place and I certainly had a 6 or 7 week period before I got the job where I thought what I would do with this group of players and obviously I'm not able to put that in place."</i>
    The Battery affiliation is not the only loan option available to Vancouver as last year's deals with Edmonton showed. More loans, especially short term one, to the Eddies and maybe even Ottawa could be on the cards. If Canadian Mackenzie Pridham can shake off his injury and impress, he could be a candidate for a loan deal like that, as could some of the fringe squad guys to get some meaningful minutes in.
    It's not expected that the Residency talent will be sent down to Charleston and will see out the USSDA season and potentially the PDL one as well. They may make an exception for a player depending on how they view all their individual development plans.
    No decision has been made yet as to what shape Vancouver's PDL squad will take this coming season.
    The Whitecaps could sign a number of the promising younger talent in camp to PDL contracts, giving them a 14 game schedule to compete in and possibly more if they reach the playoffs.
    Alternatively, the Caps could decide to not go down that route and keep the team as amateur, utilising the Residency players inbetween the remaining games in the USSDA season, local university talent and giving them the chance to play some of their NCAA Residency alumni.
    Although primarily aimed at being a U23 league, the Caps are allowed a maximum of eight players over the age of 23 on their 26 man PDL roster. They can also only have a maximum of eight foreign players, not that that should come into play at all.
    Of the 25 Whitecaps currently signed to a MLS contract, it is pretty safe to say that not all of them will be still on the Caps roster come roster freeze day on March 1st.
    I fully expect some of the players left from last year's MLS roster to be moved on and from what I've seen in the early stages in the camp from some of them, you have to feel it's only a matter of time.
    The players coming in are obviously hungry, as you would always expect. But you should also expect the guys trying to keep their places to be the same.
    Carl Robinson will love having the competition for places and a large pool of players to whittle his final squad down from. There is no doubt it's a youthful and potentially exciting set of players that will be plying their trade in Vancouver this year.
    Looking at who he has as his disposal and who may make the final cut, the big question which will then need answered is whether he has been able to put together a squad capable of competing well in MLS.
    The jury's most definitely still out on that one.
    <p>
    Guest

    Exciting expansion news!!!

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Canadian Soccer News is proud to announce its intention to intend to start an MLS franchise in Tweed, Ontario.
    Our intentions are wonderful.
    We intend to build Tweed Muskelunge FC a world class stadium in beautiful downtown Tweed.
    Additionally, it is our intention to bring the world's greatest players to the Muskies. No MLS expansion announcement has ever had better intentions.
    To be clear we have no idea how or when any of this will happen, but we intend it to be soon!
    Trust us. We intend to not let you down!!
    In other news, David Beckham and MLS also had an expansion announcement today that is pretty much as far along in its planning as CSN's.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Guest
    To paraphrase the great "Nature Boy" Ric Flair: To be the best, you've got to beat the best.
    And while Canada isn't necessarily expecting to pick up full points in their four announced home dates this year, they at least know that they'll be getting top-notch experience against the world's best women's national teams. Canada will play the world's #1, #2 and #3 ranked teams in home friendlies this year, in preparation for next year's Women's World Cup -- which is, of course, also in the Great White North.
    In addition to meeting the world #1 Americans in Winnipeg on May 8, they'll clash with the #2 Germans in Vancouver on June 18, then meet the #3 Japanese for a double-header, in Edmonton on Oct. 25 and in Vancouver on Oct. 28. If Big Red has any hope of getting onto the podium next year, these are the sorts of teams they'll need to defeat -- and these games will give us an indication of their chances of doing exactly that.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The games also give home fans a chance to not only see their Canadian heroes, but some other world-class players in what should surely be a quartet of highly competitive games. The Canadian Soccer Association was criticized for letting so much time lapse between the bronze medal at London 2012 and the CanWNT's next match, but they deserve full credit for arranging a schedule that's sure to build plenty of anticipation ahead of Canada 2015.
    The ball's in your court now, Western Canada. Fill those seats and let the ladies know just what kind of support they've got.
    .
    Guest
    The Whitecaps have headed for the heat of Arizona but we're keeping it real (cold) in Vancouver for Episode 39 of <i>"There's Still Time"</i>.
    It's a busy show as we continue to report on the Caps' training camp. We share our thoughts on the completion of phase one of the camp but who better to hear from on how it's all gone so far than Whitecaps head coach <b>Carl Robinson</b>?!
    Carl joins us for an exclusive chat about what he's seen from the players so far and what he's looking for and planning in Arizona.
    With a young squad on board, it's a time for the veterans to really step up and one of them who has done just that is <b>Andy O'Brien</b>. Andy has been a leader in the first week of training, sharing his wealth of knowledge with the rookies and excelling in the fitness testing.
    We have a chat with him about that gruelling session and find out what advice he's giving the young guns just starting out on their pro football careers.
    It was fitness Friday last week. We look over the results of the endurance, agility and speed testing and there were some surprises on show. One man that really knows his fitness and conditioning is the new Whitecaps' coach <b>Martyn Pert</b> and we get his thoughts on how the sessions went down.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    There's still holes in the Caps squad of course and we turn to Twitter to get some thoughts from our listeners as to what their biggest fears are about the team as of right now.
    And there's still time for Steve and myself to pick who is our starting XI for March 8th as of right now.
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/aftn/id628306235" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/mobile/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><u><b>Stitcher Radio Network</b></u></a>. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    <iframe width="100%" height="100" id="audio_iframe" src="http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5047932/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F02%252F04%252Fepisode-39-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-arizona-baby-with-carl-robinson-and-andy-obrien%252F?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
    <p>
    Guest
    The women's national team's 2014 schedule is coming into clearer view, with one home friendly already locked down and two more to be confirmed by mid-week.
    With Friday's 1-0 loss to the U.S. still fresh on fans' minds, it was announced Monday that Big Red will tangle with their cross-border rivals once again in three months' time -- Thursday, May 8 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.
    There's more to come -- the CSA will make home-game announcements in Edmonton on Tuesday, then in Vancouver on Wednesday. It's all part of the organization's plan to showcase the CanWNT in all six host cities in the run-up to the 2015 Women's World Cup (the other three are, of course, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton).
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Before any of those, Canada will once again take part in the Cyprus Cup, with group-stage matches against Finland (March 5), Italy (March 7) and England (March 10). Canada has been in the final of this tournament every time it's been held (six years), winning it three times. Last year's final ended in a 1-0 loss to England, so surely the team will have revenge on their minds heading into Cyprus.
    Much like they'll have revenge on their minds heading into the showdown with the Yanks on May 8.
    Much like they'll have revenge on their minds in 2015, after their disastrous last-place finish at the 2011 Women's World Cup.
    So, yeah, plenty of vengeance on the horizon.
    .
    Michael Mccoll
    With the first pick of the fourth round of the 2014 SuperDraft, Vancouver Whitecaps selected Canadian striker Mackenzie Pridham from Cal Poly Mustangs.
    Last round picks in the draft don't have a reputation for making the grade in MLS and sticking around, but in Mackenzie Pridham, the Whitecaps may have found an exception to the rule and one of those steal selections desired by all clubs.
    Pridham is a natural goalscorer. Leaving Cal Poly as their all-time leading scorer with 27 goals and a slew of accolades, the striker has shown he knows how to find the back of the net at every level he has played at so far. Now comes the ultimate test as he tries to make the grade in the professional ranks.
    Born in Toronto, Pridham's family moved to California when Mackenzie was at an early age.
    "My family made the move to California when I was about three or four. We weren't planning on staying there for very long but we ended up not leaving. All of our relatives, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, they still live in Canada, back in Toronto, so we go back there at least once a year and visit all of them and spend time. It's always good to get back there."
    Pridham is a US permanent resident but Canada has always held a place close to his heart and he has represented his country at U17 level and featured in a U20 training camp. So how did it feel to be drafted by a Canadian team?
    "I couldn't have been happier. I was very stoked. Haven't been able to spend too much time in Vancouver but I have a couple of family friends out here and some cousins. I was really excited to come to a new place and be back in Canada and hopefully get a chance to play for a Canadian club."
    He'll get his chance to show what he can offer, stake a claim for a roster spot and impress the Caps coaching team over the next five weeks of training camp.
    Pridham arrived in Vancouver on Tuesday but hasn't been able to see any pitch time just yet as he is still carrying an undisclosed injury he picked up in the MLS combine.
    "I'm just rehabbing right now, trying to get as much treatment as I can and get my body healthy so I can get out on the field again soon."
    Pridham will head off to Arizona with the rest of the Whitecaps in camp on Monday afternoon.
    "I've talked to some of the guys in the locker room and stuff and they're all nice guys so far and things have been going well. My number one focus is just to get healthy and get ready to get on to the pitch and hopefully the rest will take care of itself."
    Pridham has been a prolific goalscorer at both high school and college level and really shone during his last two years at Cal Poly. The MLS <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/players/mackenzie-pridham" target="_blank"><u>scouting report</u></a> described Pridham as a "handful", "powerful" and "a born goalscorer", but for those that haven't seen him play, how would Mackenzie describe himself as a player and his style of play?
    "I would say I'm a hard working defender off the ball when I'm not on offence. Pressuring, very intelligent and tactical with the ball. Off the ball my movements, a lot of it's inbetween the width of the 18 yard box. I like to come in false to combine with my midfielders and wingers and play simple, hold the ball up.
    "I'd say my best attributes are in the box. I'm a box player and I love to score goals. I'm good with both of my feet and just try to get the ball into the box to be able to do my thing and get some shots on goal."
    Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson echoes those thoughts and has liked what he has seen of the 23 year old to date.
    "Mackenzie is one of the hardest working players I've seen. He's a good player, that's why I wanted to bring him in. His goalscoring record for these last two years has been fantastic. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to pick him up."
    Pridham's natural goalscoring prowess, and 11 goals in his Junior year, caught the attention of professional clubs and he trained with Toronto for six months last summer and also had the chance to go and train with Sporting Kansas City.
    "I could have gone out to Kansas City but it wasn't finalised and I had already gotten the opportunity to go up and train with TFC for the summer, so I took advantage of that."
    How did it go in Toronto?
    "At the beginning I was with the team below the reserves and I proved myself and worked hard and ended up getting some good training in with the first team. It was a great environment and a great training aspect for going in to my Senior season.
    "My focus was to try and not let any hype or talk get to me and just try and focus on my game and what I have to do and just be the best leader and captain for my teammates at that time."
    Pridham entered the draft after another outstanding season with the Mustangs. His 14 goals included five game winners and saw him win back to back Big West Offensive Player of the Year awards.
    To then see him going 58th overall in the draft was somewhat of a surprise, with some http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2014/news/article/2013/12/19/mock-draft-v20-mls-campus-rates-blue-chippers-one-month-out-2014-superdraft" <u>early mock drafts</u></a> having him going as high as 12th in the first round.
    With his six week stint in Toronto having gone well just months before and the feedback Pridham received being very positive from the coaches, had TFC shown any signs that they were looking at selecting him in the draft?
    "You know, it's not like I had heard from the coaches on a regular basis or anything like that. I think they were aware of me and had seen my highlight video. I briefly talked with them at the combine but other than that, that was about it."
    So was there an indication before the draft that Vancouver were interested in bringing Pridham back to Canada?
    "I had a long talk before the combine with Jake DeClute from here at the Whitecaps and we had a good conversation and it was good to hear from him."
    When a player is highly rated and then finds himself not being picked in the early rounds of the draft, what is going through his mind?
    "I think taking this injury on at the combine definitely hurt the mental aspect and my morale a little bit, but at this time it's where you need to be that much better and that much more focused.
    "I had my 24 hours to kind of mope about it and be down but after that I was like I need to keep a positive attitude and stay even more focused now and do everything I can to get back."
    Carl Robinson has talked a lot this offseason about the character he wants to see from his players, especially off the pitch. Pridham's attitude and how he handled the disappointment of dropping down the draft will fit into Robinson's mould.
    "I kind of thought it would have hurt my stock as a player, but when it came down to it, it didn't matter if I went one or went last, I was still going to get the same opportunity and I couldn't be more happier than to be with the Whitecaps here in Vancouver at this club.
    "Everything happens for a reason and everything worked out pretty well and I was happy about it."
    A great attitude to have and more of Pridham's character also shines through when you look at his volunteer work he did away from the football pitch down at Cal Poly including youth clinics, working in an elderly care clinic, at a shelter and volunteering with the Special Olympics.
    California Polytechnic State University is based out of the beautiful city of San Luis Obispo on the southern Californian coast. It's a fantastic place to visit, so what was it like going to school there?
    "I had an amazing experience. It was a great college town, I got a good education, made an awesome group of friends, both in athletic and non athletics, and some of those friends I think will be friends for the rest of my life.
    "My overall experience there was amazing. The soccer was great. I think we were one of the few programs in the country to get a solid fanbase at a lot of our games and we had a good coaching staff, good teammates.
    "I wish we could have gone a little bit further my senior year, but all in all the last two years we, I'd say, turned the program around and started to put in a good step forward in the right direction and I'm just glad to have been able to be a part of that and end my last two seasons well."
    Pridham will be bringing some experience into the Caps training camp that most of the other draft picks and rookies will not have the advantage of - playing in front of some very large and very fervent crowds.
    As we discussed in our recent <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?5073-Groundhopping-Santa-Barbara-Home-of-the-Gauchos-and-the-tortilla-toss" target="_blank"><u>"Groundhopping"</u></a> feature, the red hot Cal Poly-Santa Barbara rivalry is one of the fiercest in college football. It is also the highest attended, with regular 12 and 13,000 sell out crowds.
    Great preparation for moving into the senior game but what was it like to play in that derby?
    "That's what I lived for down there. They were amazing. There's so much build up of it. All your friends, all your school. People had to buy tickets in advance to get to the games cos they would get sold out.
    "Our stadium max capacity is 12 or 13,000 but there's at least a few more thousand in there jammed in because the students are just standing shoulder to shoulder the whole 90 minutes, just cheering and doing chants.
    "It's unbelievable and hard to explain. When you're on the field you can't even hear the game, you can't talk to your teammates. The week before we practice without any communication, which is a little weird, because you have to get used to being able to not communicate with your teammates.
    "The fan aspect and the student support we have is unbelievable at those games. They're special and I don't think there's any other environment at the college level that's like that."
    Perhaps even better than just playing in one of those games is to score the winning goal in the derby. Pridham did just that in 2012 and on national television.
    Was that the best or the most meaningful goal of his fledgling football career so far?
    "It was probably the most meaningful. I wouldn't say it was the nicest goal I've scored but we came back with, I think, a minute left in the game to tie it and then went into overtime. We hadn't won down there in 15 years or something like that and I had a whole bunch of friends and our fan group come down to the game and family members were there and being on TV and stuff, it was an honour to be able to get the game winner.
    "I couldn't have been more stoked. It was amazing."
    Like all the hopefuls in the Caps camp right now, Pridham will have a tough job cracking one of the premium spots remaining on the MLS roster, although the Charleston USL Pro affiliation is always something to fall back on.
    He does have the advantage that there isn't exactly a long queue in the camp for an out and out striker.
    We'll leave you with a couple of videos of Mackenzie Pridham in action. The first one is of that 2012 game between Santa Barbara and Cal Poly (Pridham's goal comes at the six minute mark) and the second video is a highlight reel of his 2012 and 2013 seasons at the Mustangs.
    If he can bring this to the Caps and continue his prolific goalscoring at the next level, you know that he stands a great chance of getting a shot.
    Hopefully he can shake off his injury in time to see some meaningful game minutes down in Arizona as he could be an interesting player to watch over the coming month.




    Guest
    Two down, 34 spots still to be filled!
    <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?5214-Vancouver-Whitecaps-All-Time-Greats-Phil-Parkes" target="_blank"><u>Phil Parkes</u></a> and <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?5231-Vancouver-Whitecaps-All-Time-Greats-Paul-Dolan" target="_blank"><u>Paul Dolan</u></a> claimed the goalkeeper's spot in the NASL XI last week.
    This week we search for the goalkeeper for the MLS XI and there's a more limited number of Whitecaps candidates to consider. Just four in total.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    If you're new to the series, just a quick recap. Last month we <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?5141-AFTN-launches-our-Vancouver-Whitecaps-All-Time-Greats" target="_blank"><u>announced</u></a> the launch of our interactive series to find the All-Time Greats, position by position, from the last forty years of Vancouver Whitecaps and 86ers football.
    The Caps' teams will be split into three eras, selecting the best XI from the <b>NASL days (1974 to 1984)</b>, the <b>CSL/D2 days (1987 to 2010)</b> and the <b>MLS days (2011 to present day)</b>. All teams will line up in a 4-4-2 formation and then a final All Time Greats XI selected.
    Every Sunday we'll run an article on here to vote for a certain position for a certain team. Each team's position will be allocated an article and a week to itself and we'll chat about some of the possible contenders for the crown to jog memories.
    You can cast your vote in the article comments, on Twitter, on Facebook, and on the Southsiders forum. Voting will run from the Sunday till 11.59pm on the Friday. You don't have to have seen the players play to vote. Just know your history.
    So, summary over, we continue the series as we try and narrow down a goalkeeper from the three year old MLS era.
    <center>**********</center>
    After the lengthy research needed for the first two eras in the series, we move to the brief and current MLS era and much smaller pool of players to pick from.
    Three seasons of MLS action, 103 games and four goalkeepers have seen minutes so far, with the likelihood of at least another one seeing gametime in this coming season.
    When Vancouver made the move to Major League Soccer in 2011 they brought with them two goalkeepers from their D2 and Residency days.
    <b>Jay Nolly</b> was a fan favourite and a standout keeper for the Whitecaps at the level below MLS, as we detailed <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?5215-Vancouver-Whitecaps-All-Time-Greats-The-CSL-D2-Goalkeeper" target="_blank"><u>last time</u></a>.
    He had come to Vancouver in 2008 with previous experience in Major League Soccer. Three seasons at Real Salt Lake and DC United had seen him make just 8 MLS appearances, recording no clean sheets, but Caps coach Teitur Thordarson had complete faith in the USSF-D2 Goalkeeper of the Year.
    And no wonder. 18 clean sheets in 2010 and a 1.0 goals against average were impressive stats and fans wondered whether he would get the nod to start in the Caps' first ever MLS match against Toronto on March 19th 2011. He did and guided Vancouver to their first ever MLS victory.
    Nolly started 11 of the first 12 games that season, keeping two clean sheets and letting in 16 goals. With the Caps struggling and Thordarson dismissed at the end of May, new coach Tommy Soehn didn't have the same faith in Nolly and installed Joe Cannon as the starting keeper.
    Nolly only made three more appearances for the rest of the season and the writing was on the wall when Vancouver's third MLS coach, Martin Rennie, came in during November. Nolly was traded to Chicago in December in 2011 but never made an appearance for them and injury has seemingly forced Nolly to retire from the game.
    Nolly played four seasons in total for the Whitecaps from 2008 to 2011. His MLS career stats for Vancouver are 14 appearances, 1260 minutes, 2 clean sheets (14.3%) and 23 goals against (1.64 GAA), with a record of 2 wins, 6 draws and 6 losses (a 14.3% win percentage).
    The third keeper on the books that inaugural MLS season was Residency and PDL goalie <b>Brian Sylvestre</b>. Injury prone, the former US U20 goalkeeper was released after the 2012 season without ever getting a sniff of the first team action.
    <b>Joe Cannon</b> was selected by the Whitecaps with their 8th pick of the 2010 Expansion Draft and came to Vancouver with 12 MLS seasons, one MLS Cup and two Goalkeeper of the Year awards to his name.
    Cannon was still getting back to full fitness by the start of the 2011 season and apart from one early appearance in March he had to wait until June 1st to claim the starters spot when new coach Soehn took over. He started Cannon for eight of the next nine games and for all but three of the remaining games that season.
    New coach Rennie also made Cannon his starter and the veteran started 33 straight games over a 12 month period from August 2011 to July 2012. He was to lose his place the following month for the remainder of the 2012 season after making a mistake in a loss in Portland.
    Many thought that was the end of Cannon as the Caps starter but the veteran worked tirelessly in the offseason to get himself into top shape and he won the starting spot for the 2013 season.
    A little known groin injury had been bugging Cannon for weeks and affecting his performances and he eventually lost the number one spot again and for good, playing his last game as a Whitecap in the 3-1 home win over LA Galaxy on May 11th 2013.
    Cannon had a string of Save of the Week winners and candidates over his last two seasons and played all 427 minutes in the Whitecaps' MLS record breaking shutout streak to open the 2012 season.
    Cannon played three MLS seasons for the Whitecaps from 2011 to his release in November 2013. His MLS career stats for Vancouver are 56 appearances, 4977 minutes, 12 clean sheets (21.4%) and 80 goals against (1.43 GAA), with a record of 15 wins, 14 draws and 26 losses (a 26.8% win percentage).
    <b>Brad Knighton</b> came to Vancouver before the 2012 season, having played for new coach Rennie at Carolina RailHawks. He also came with four years of MLS experience and 14 appearances, making six starts for New England in 2009 and eight for Philadelphia in 2010.
    He made his Caps' debut in the second game of the 2012 season when an injury to Cannon forced Knighton into action in the 49th minute. He kept a clean sheet on the way to Vancouver's first ever MLS away win.
    Knighton had to wait until July 27th for his next appearance and this time it came when Cannon was sent off and he played the last 13 minutes of the 2-1 away loss to RSL. He started the next game at home to RSL, this time winning 2-1, and four games later he had claimed the regular starters spot for the rest of the season and for the Whitecaps' first ever playoff game.
    After losing the number one jersey to Cannon again for the start of 2013, he reclaimed it on May 18th for the 2-2 draw at home to Portland and made it his own for the next ten games before losing it once and for all to new addition David Ousted at the start of August.
    Knighton's last game as a Whitecaps came in the 1-0 home loss to Philadelphia on July 27th and he was released in November before being picked up by New England.
    Knighton played two MLS seasons for the Whitecaps in 2012 and 2013. His MLS career stats for Vancouver are 21 appearances, 1772 minutes, 5 clean sheets (23.8%) and 22 goals against (1.05 GAA), with a record of 9 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses (a 42.9% win percentage). These are the best stats of any Whitecaps' MLS goalkeeper, albeit with a smaller amount of games played than Cannon and without having had to play in that awful first season!
    <b>David Ousted</b> is the MLS goalkeeper to have made the least appearances so far but he is the one still at the club and with the rest of his Whitecaps career still ahead of him.
    Joining from Danish Superliga side Randers in July 2013, Ousted had to wait until August 3rd to make his Whitecaps MLS debut but held the starting spot for the remainder of the season and goes into the 2014 season as Carl Robinson's number one keeper.
    Ousted has played less than half a MLS season for the Whitecaps. His MLS career stats for Vancouver to date are 13 appearances, 1170 minutes, 4 clean sheets (30.8%) and 16 goals against (1.23 GAA), with a record of 4 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses (a 30.8% win percentage) with a lot more to come.
    The other goalkeeper to be on a Whitecaps' MLS roster is Canadian and Residency alumni <b>Simon Thomas</b>.
    Thomas signed for the 2013 season as the third keeper but didn't play any games before being surprisingly released in November. He is back in the Caps 2014 preseason training camp but his future remains unclear.
    So that's the aptly named shortlist, now it's up to you guys for the voting.
    Who is your pick to make the <b>Vancouver Whitecaps MLS XI</b> as starting keeper? Do you go for Cannon for the number of appearances and top performances? Does Knighton get it for his stats record? Or do Nolly or Ousted sneak in with those that may feel they were/are the better all round keeper?
    Let us know below, on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/aftncanada" target="_blank"><u>Twitter</u></a>, on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/aftn.canada/" target="_blank"><u>Facebook</u></a> or on the <a href="http://vancouversouthsiders.ca/forum/discussion/4165/vancouver-whitecaps-all-time-greats#Item_1" target="_blank"><u>Southsiders</u></a> forum. You can leave your comment under your name or as anonymous, whatever is easier for you.
    And share your memories and stories of any of these guys for us all to enjoy.
    <p>
    Guest
    The votes were cast and in the end it was again a landslide.
    <b>Paul Dolan</b> became the second member of AFTN's <i>Vancouver Whitecaps All Time Greats</i>, as goalkeeper for the CSL/D2 XI, joining NASL XI keeper Phil Parkes.
    Dolan had a ten season career for the Vancouver 86ers between 1988 and 1997, bringing home two CSL Championships and making the most appearances of any goalkeeper in Vancouver's footballing history so far.
    Clocking 223 total appearances and 19,913 minutes played, Dolie the Goalie is 10th in Vancouver's list of all time appearances for the Whitecaps and 86ers.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Dolan grew up in Coquitlam and played his youth football in the city before signing for Edmonton Brickmen for the 1986 Western Soccer Alliance season.
    A Canadian youth international on eight occasions, keeping five clean sheets, Dolan helped guide Canada to qualification for the 1985 World Youth Championship. His reward was to soon see action as a starting keeper for the senior national team before he had even established himself as the number one at club level, but his senior appearances cost him the chance to go to Russia for the U20 Cup.
    He made his senior national team debut in the 0-0 draw in Cyprus on October 30th 1984, when still only 18, and followed that up by playing in Cairo in the 1-0 loss to Egypt three days later.
    Dolan went on to make 51 appearances in a 14 year international career for Canada, making his last appearance in the 3-1 World Cup qualifying loss away to Costa Rica on November 16th 1997. He also played for Canada in the inaugural FIFA Futsal World Cup in the Netherlands in 1989.
    The highlight of Dolan's international playing career was to come at an early age, when he headed with Canada to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and started the first group game against France on June 1st.
    Although to many it may have felt being thrown in at the deep end, Dolan took it all in his <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/canada-fifa-world-cup-part-ii" target="_blank">stride</a>.
    <i>"One or two days prior to France I found out I was going in. I wasn't as nervous as you might think. I gained experience very quickly during qualifying because the national team became my club team."</i>
    Dolan kept a highly talented French side at bay until late on, when Jean-Pierre Papin scored the only goal of the game in the 79th minute in front of 65,500 fans. Tito Lettieri, who was coming off an indoor season and hadn't quite got his outdoor legs back, played the remaining two games and France went on to finish third overall at the tournament.
    Dolan had trials with Notts County and Sheffield Wednesday in England after the World Cup, with the Owls offering him a five year contract before the UK's work permit issues got in the way.
    Returning to North American, Dolan played the 1987/88 season for Tacoma Stars in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), making 11 appearances for 384 minutes. One his teammates on the side was Preki, although Homer Screws would have been my favourite at the time. What a name!
    Back in BC, Dolan signed for the one season old Vancouver 86ers and made his club debut in their first CSL Championship winning season in 1988, making 7 appearances and keeping two clean sheets.
    He wasn't the first choice keeper at the time and left the club midseason to join fellow CSL side Hamilton Steelers, where he stayed for a year and a half.
    Dolan re-signed for the 86ers in 1990 in a swap deal with fellow keeper Sven Habermann. Vancouver definitely got the better part of that deal and Dolan stayed with the club for the next nine seasons, winning two back to back CSL Championships in his time with Vancouver in 1990 and 1991, finishing his pro career in the city and soon retiring from the playing side.
    He recorded 126 wins during his time at the club, a staggering 56.5% record, and as we mentioned earlier, is in the Top Ten in All Time appearances for Whitecaps and 86ers.
    His playing career over, he made the smooth transition into goalkeeping coach, sharing his wealth of knowledge with the up and coming Canadian keepers in the men's, women's and youth national team set ups from 2003 to present.
    In Dolan's profile in the 86ers 1990 yearbook it states that he <i>"will pursue a career in Broadcast Journalism following his graduation from B.C.I.T. in Burnaby"</i>. A football career may have put that on hold a little but it did come true eventually!
    Dolan did play-by-play and colour commentary for TV broadcasts on CBC Sports, Fox SportsWorld, Shaw cable and Team 1040 radio. When the Whitecaps made the move to Major League Soccer in 2011, Dolan joined the intial Team 1410 broadcasting team, as colour commentator to Pete Schaad, before making the switch to Sportsnet's telecasts in 2012.
    Away from the football pitch, Dolan is the current Vice President of Marketing and Sales for UMBRO Canada and he started working for the company even before hanging up his boots.
    Dolan was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004 and now takes his deserved place as part of our Vancouver Whitecaps' All Time Greats CSL/D2 Best XI.
    Dolan and Parkes will now battle it out with the MLS keeper for a place in the All-Time Greats XI later in the year and for me, will be the favourite to take that spot.
    Paul Dolan - a true Vancouver and Canadian footballing legend.
    <p>
    Guest
    Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course it's all about Sydney Leroux.
    Of course she was going to be the focal point, of course she was going to have an impact (especially with Alex Morgan out of the American lineup) and of course -- of course -- she took advantage of a Canadian mistake and scored the winner on Friday night down in Frisco, Texas.
    She's the devil incarnate or she's being unfairly judged for a decision made as a teenager or she's a ferocious competitor or she's simply the dumping ground for all the pent-up anger and insecurity within Canadian soccer fans or she's brash and arrogant or she's a fabrication artist or she's some combination of all of these things, or possibly none of these things at all, depending on who you ask.
    All we know for certain is that she's a very talented player who is going to be a thorn in our sides for a long time.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    The latest gouge extended the Americans' unbeaten run against Big Red, which currently stretches back to 2001, and bumped up their all-time record against Canada to some ungodly figure I don't want to look up because it will make me sad.
    On a bumpy, somewhat-chewed-up field in Texas (thanks, high school football!), neither team could produce many particularly compelling scoring chances in the first half, though a sweet combination play near halftime was nearly (oh so nearly) finished off by Diana Matheson. Canada defended for their lives in much of the opening 45, a valiant effort highlighted by Kadeisha Buchanan unceremoniously kicking an American opponent in the rump.
    The second half brought a bit more control by Canada and even (gasp!) a scoring chance or two. On the other end, Erin McLeod was putting in her customary good night's work, but was left hanging when a botched clearance gifted Leroux with an empty-net sitter from a few feet out.
    All in all, Canada put in a respectable effort against a team that, as has been said repeatedly in this space, isn't ranked #1 in the world for nothing. There's something to be said for conceding just one goal (and a fortuitous one, at that) against a squad that can afford to have Christen Press (28 goals in 24 games for Tyreso in 2013 -- on a team that includes Marta!) come off the bench.
    Here are some more of my #HotTakes:

    Despite being away from national-team duty for nearly three years, Josee Belanger didn't look out of sorts, which is encouraging. While she's not at 100% capacity yet, Canada could definitely use her as an attacking option in the near future (which is why John Herdman incessantly bugged her to come back to the program, after all).
    Remember when Canada played the USA last June, and Buchanan (at age 17) started, and we were all "WTF?" My oh my, how times have changed. And yeah, she's still just 18.
    One of Herdman's main goals for the evening, spelled out on Thursday, was to avoid conceding early and avoid getting beat in transition. Well, the latter point was moot, since it was largely one-way traffic; and for the second straight meeting, Canada held the Americans scoreless through the 70th minute.

    What's next for this team?
    This week, we'll learn the details of three home friendlies in 2014 (to be played in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver, unless the CSA is putting press conferences in those cities just to troll the locals). No word on opponents, but if the USA is on that slate (especially if it's the Vancouver game), well then, the fuel just keeps getting added to this fire. Before any of that, though, the ladies will head off to the Cyprus Cup next month.
    Will we ever beat the Americans again? Will anyone (they've now gone, I believe, 843 games without a loss [citation needed])? Time will tell. But if the soccer gods have any mercy -- or at least, a cheeky sense of humour -- the next cross-border showdown will feature a brace for Rachel Quon en route to a Canadian triumph.
    Then again, as we were reminded on Friday, the soccer gods seemingly don't have any mercy. Not for us, anyway.
    Maybe Abby Wambach's constantly yelling in their ears too?
    .
    Michael Mccoll
    Defensive midfielder may not be the most exciting job on the team, but it can prove to be one of the most important. It can also be one that splits a fanbase in terms of the appreciation of the contribution, as we saw here in Vancouver last year.
    For Michael Kafari, trying to shine in a preseason training camp in that position isn't easy, but the third round SuperDraft pick is out to impress and wants to be a part of the Whitecaps organisation, whether that means starting off on the MLS roster or maybe even being loaned out to Charleston Battery in the USL.
    "First of all, I just want to be with the organisation. It's not every day that someone wakes up and gets to train with a professional team. I'm just happy to be here and hope for the best."
    The New Mexico alumni is highly rated and comes to Vancouver as the draft pick that possibly knows the most about the Caps and the city thanks to his friend, Lobos teammate and Whitecaps Residency graduate, Ben McKendry.
    "He said in the summertime it's amazing. I roomed with him in the summer when we were travelling and it's so crazy, we get to the hotel and Ben's on his laptop looking up information about the Whitecaps or chatting with his friends. You can tell he definitely loves the city. He never told me about the fog though!"
    McKendry has just finished his sophomore season in Albuquerque and is still very much in the Whitecaps plans. That could mean three Lobo midfielders in the Caps squad one day, with fellow teammate Michael Calderon also selected in this year's draft.
    Calderon joins up with the squad in Arizona next week and for Kafari, having that familiar face in the camp not only helps in settling in but also with generating some chemistry on the pitch, as they both try to shine.
    "That's definitely nice. It was kind of crazy as we were on the same teams at the combine and I think that's what really made us stand out at the combine. We were in the same team and we played the same halves every time, so it was easy to get the ball to him, to talk to him, communicate. I didn't have to shout. He just knew where to be, he'd know where I would be, so it was nice."
    With Jun Marques Davidson moving to pastures new at the end of last season, it is not yet known who will fill the defensive midfielder role going forward with the Whitecaps. A lot will depend on how Carl Robinson lays out his team but Gershon Koffie could find himself in that starter's position.
    Kafari comes into the Caps' camp in a more fortunate position than some others in that the position he is fighting for doesn't already contain much depth in the squad. Both Nigel Reo-Coker and Johnny Leveron can play there, but it is somewhat of a waste of their talents elsewhere. Matt Watson can also play in there, to mixed results.
    Ghanaian Aminu Abdallah takes up a roster spot and can be seen as Kafari's main competition for possibly grabbing a place on the MLS squad. Abdallah already has a contract but it wouldn't be too hard to move him on, especially as he is taking up an international spot and Kafari, although he was born in Accra in Ghana, is a US citizen.
    Michael made the move from Ghana to Idaho in 2001. His parents had already moved to the US before that and were settled in Arizona, but after his father got a job with HP, the whole family moved to Boise.
    All good news for Kafari, who has impressed in the defensive midfield role for New Mexico, after originally playing for the Lobos and at high school up front.
    "Yeah, I started off Freshman year as a forward. After about two months they were like, nah, you're playing defensive mid! Moved straight back!"
    Starting off as a striker, and leading his high school team to a state championship in 2009, Kafari has adjusted to the DM role with ease, aided by the quick footwork he brings as a former forward.
    He racked up 4943 minutes of playing time for New Mexico over the past four years and played a key role in helping the Lobos to 11 clean sheets this past season.
    It was a fantastic season for the Lobos, reaching the Final Four before going down to a 2-0 semi final defeat to eventual College Cup champions Notre Dame.
    How did he find the whole experience and the week down in Philadelphia?
    "It was kind of surreal. Once we beat Washington in that terrible game [Ed- I was there, it was!], a couple of days later just thinking about it, everybody felt the same way. You wake up and you're like, wow, I'm in the Final Four.
    "It was kind of surreal that whole week, even travelling there, but it felt like when we got there it was just no-one thought about it. It was just another game. Another big game we had to win. It was a good experience."
    And the heartbreaking defeat will have given Kafari and his teammates some strong soccer character building lessons.
    Many feel that the college game doesn't give young players a good grounding, preparation or development for the professional game. With New Mexico making the move to Conference USA last season, one thing Kafari certainly got was experience of travelling all over the country with his team.
    "This year was kind of like coast to coast in Conference USA. It's crazy."
    As we've said about the Caps' Residency players before, that whole travel aspect of the team gives a player a great idea of what to expect on the road in the pros, without having to juggle schoolwork too.
    That latter factor is something I always wonder and admire about college players. When they're jetting off all over the country and playing a couple of games a week, how hard is it to keep up with their schoolwork?
    "The first year you kind of get to figure it out. The first year is usually the hardest year, you're not used to it. But once you get used to it you have to talk to your teacher basically. Email him before classes begin and say hey, look, I'm going to be travelling and they give us travel letters.
    "If you're proactive about it, it's easy because they go you just need to do this, this, get this done and then they schedule you to come take a test if you're gone.
    "The only hard part for me was when you're travelling, you have homework at a hotel and they don't have wifi or something, so you have to scramble and find some, but nowadays it's not such a big deal.
    "Once you get used to it, it's not a big deal at all, especially at New Mexico. Everyone knows who the soccer team is, so they try to work with the players."
    For those who haven't seen him play. How would Kafari describe himself as a player?
    "Physical. Aggressive. An engine I guess."
    Making the move from the college ranks to the professional game isn't always the smoothest of transitions for some players. So how has Kafari found his first few days in the Whitecaps training camp?
    "It's been good. Intense. But this is the pro level, so that's what you expect."
    After four years of training with the Lobos, what has he found to be the main differences between the training methods in place in Albuquerque and in Vancouver?
    "Everything's a lot sharper. Everyone's touch is a lot cleaner, so it kind of hard to cheat the game."
    New Mexico has a beautiful grass pitch at the UNM Soccer Complex but they do train on turf and Kafari has found the field at Thunderbird Stadium to his liking.
    "We train on the indoor most of the year. The turf's kind of different but I like it. It's softer than the turf we're used to playing on. It's not too bad."
    Kafari is currently living in the dorms at UBC as the Whitecaps' training camp kicked off this week. Has he had a chance to go downtown or explore yet?
    "Yeah I went downtown on Saturday with Christian (Dean). It was busy, not what I'm used to. It was fun, seeing all the places."
    With the intensity of the training camp only going to ramp up, there won't be too much time for enjoying the sights. Roster spots are limited and being fiercely contested, and Kafari knows that he needs to show something special over the next five weeks to figure in the Whitecaps' plans.
    "The coaches have all been saying that this team is good with a couple of leaders, a couple of old guys and a couple of young kids. I think showing maturity and leadership will help me out in this process."
    And good luck to him in it all. The odds aren't great for the lower draft picks to make the grade, but Vancouver's selections this year look to be very promising players and Kafari has a good chance of surviving the cut at some level.
    We hope he does as he would be a pleasure to have around the team. Always smiling and one of the most personable players in the camp, he brings a character and a personality that shines through whenever you talk to him.
    Carl Robinson has talked a lot this offseason of the importance of a player's character off the pitch. He's certainly found a good one in Michael Kafari.
    Guest
    We've all seen a "You Know You're A Football Fan When..." style question floating around on Twitter, Facebook or somewhere else online.
    For me, one of my answers is always when you plan your vacation around the fixture list. Done it for years and can't see me stopping that any time soon.
    The result is I get to see some great games and my wife and dog get some nice family holidays. It really is a win-win.
    Getting the MLS schedule earlier and earlier is fantastic and a good starting point, but I can't plan our trips till I get to see the Whitecaps U23's PDL one as well.
    That day has now come. The Caps' PDL schedule is now out and it throws up some great games, nice potential double headers, fun away days, groundhopping opportunities and even a new team (or two depending on how you look at it) to visit this summer.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    For those that don't know, Vancouver Whitecaps U23s play their matches in the Northwest Division of the USL PDL Western Conference, which also includes the U23 teams from Seattle and Portland. Cascadian derbies at every level of the game here in the Pacific Northwest.
    This season the Division will house eight teams, including new side Lane United who play out of Springfield, Oregon.
    There is another new name on the schedule in the Puget Sound Gunners. It may be a new name, but it's an old club. The North Sound SeaWolves have been rebranded and are sadly moving 34 miles southwest from Edmonds in Washington to Issaquah.
    We say sadly because we enjoyed our <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4788-Groundhopping-Edmonds-Stadium-Home-to-North-Sound-SeaWolves" target="_blank"><u>groundhopping trip</u></a> there last season, but that is just selfish reasons and the move should prove to more beneficial to the club.
    The Whitecaps kick off their 2014 PDL campaign with a trip to Victoria to play the Highlanders at Royal Athletic Park on Sunday May 4th. It's Star Wars day, so hopefully the afternoon kick off will see a number of Caps fans head over for the game and the team will have the force with them.
    The game will also mark the first match of the season in the <a href="http://www.juandefucaplate.ca/" target="_blank"><u>Juan De Fuca Plate</u></a>. Vancouver have won the plate for it's first two year of existence and Victoria will be out for revenge.
    They only have two games to do it in this season and not the three as in previous seasons, with the second match being played at UBC Stadium on Friday May 23rd, in what will be Vancouver's first home game of the season after starting the season with three games on the road.
    Vancouver's second game of the season throws up the first fun doubleheader possibility for fans. Or we should make that a triple header!
    The Caps U23s head down to Bremerton to take on the Kitsap Pumas at 2pm on Sunday 11th. The day before this match, Vancouver's U18s and U16s Residency teams take on Seattle at Starfire, starting at noon. Now that's a fun weekend, especially as the Caps' MLS side are away in Columbus.
    Cascadian derbies are always looked forward to, no matter the level.
    Just look at the joy of the Caps U18s and U16s as AFTN presented them with the Cascadia Cup after beating their Portland counterparts in November.
    With Portland and Seattle's U23s sides also in the PDL, the rivalry between the sides is just a fierce.
    Vancouver travel to Portland on Thursday May 15th for an early 11am kick off.
    The Timbers do great initiatives with their local schools for their PDL matches and have had five figure crowds at some of their games. This one is the day after TFC come a calling to BC Place in Voyageurs Cup action, so unfortunately I think I'll be missing this one.
    The return match at Thunderbird Stadium is on Friday June 6th, with a 7pm kick off.
    All of Vancouver's home matches are currently scheduled up at UBC this season. Not ideal at getting crowd numbers in, but hopefully we can see a little better than last year's numbers where they were firmly stuck in double digits.
    The Caps U23s travel to Tacoma to play their Sounders U23 counterparts on Friday 30th May at Curtis High School.
    For Whitecaps fans heading down to the MLS game in Portland the following day, heading off the night before, avoiding the border line ups and staying in Tacoma overnight let's you see two great Cascadian derbies and makes fantastic sense logistically. I'll see you there!
    Vancouver wrap their season up with a home and away series against new boys Lane United on Friday July 4th at UBC and away on Tuesday July 8th.
    Lane United are based out of Springfield in Oregon and will play their games at Willamalane Centre. They're having open tryouts over the next two months so you have to feel they will be somewhat of a weak team in their first season.
    Great for Vancouver who could/should be able to pick up six points to close out their season and these could be vital to get into the playoff mix.
    Last season Vancouver lost out in the playoffs to Portland and will be looking to go at least one better this time around and make, if not host, the Western Conference tournament.
    There's been no announcement yet as to whether the Caps' side will feature professionals again this season, but we did hear a rumour that they may switch back to an amateur basis, which would allow their NCAA players the chance to play.
    The PDL games are great fun both on and off the pitch. Try and get out and support the guys if you can.
    Support the local guys and support local soccer. You may even see some future MLS stars in the process.
    You can see the complete Whitecaps' PDL schedule on the <a href="http://www.uslsoccer.com/teams/2014/8986445.html#SCHEDULE" target="_blank"><u>USL PDL website</u></a>.
    <p>
    Guest
    "They're an absolute machine."
    That's Canada head coach John Herdman, quite accurately describing the American women's national team as of late. Even without an injured Alex Morgan, the Americans possess the depth and firepower to overwhelm nearly any other national squad on the planet. After all, they aren't ranked #1 in the world for nothing.
    "But at some point someone's going to trip them up," Herdman continued. "The big thing with the United States is, while everyone's got then pressure of playing the world #1, they've got the pressure of being world #1. Expectation is the mother of all crises."
    No doubt, the pressure will be on for both sides, come Friday night in Frisco, Texas.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    While Herdman has experimented with a number of youngsters of late, he's going with a lineup of mostly veterans for the high-profile friendly, similar to what he did for last June's matchup at Toronto's BMO Field (won 3-0 by the Americans). While that match was a coming-out party for young defender Kadeisha Buchanan, it also included a less-than-ideal showing from Melissa Tancredi (called in after a nearly-year-long absence), who Herdman has admitted "wasn't match-fit".
    Could the same fate befall returnees Jonelle Filigno or Josee Belanger, thrown into the fire against the top-ranked Yanks?
    "Tancredi was a different animal," Herdman said Thursday, when asked the question. He said Canada's other available options for that game simply weren't up to the level necessary to compete in that game, but that both Filigno and Belanger should be ready to go if needed on Friday.
    "Filigno's just played the full college season (at Rutgers)," said Herdman, who noted Filigno missed Canada's four-nations tournament in Brazil last month due to a ligament injury. "She's been doing the usual cardio work -- power, speed, etc. She's in a very good space."
    As for Belanger, who was coaxed out of national-team retirement after seemingly leaving the squad for good in 2011, Herdman said she is "football-functional" at this point: "Belanger has played two closed-door games for us now, she had a good 35 minutes against the boys the other night and looked promising."
    While the team's goal for 2014, according to Herdman, is to re-integrate returning players such as Filigno, Belanger, Tancredi and Kara Lang -- who is still aiming for a return at the Cyprus Cup in March -- there is also room for newcomers to make an impact on both sides of the ball.
    Nkem Ezurike, who led the University of Michigan with 14 goals in 23 games this season and was recently selected in the first round of the NWSL draft, was training with the national team for nine days earlier this month. Ezurike, a native of Nova Scotia, has experience with Canada's youth teams and impressed Herdman with her technical ability, though he says she's not yet where she needs to be to make the jump to the Canadian side.
    "She shows some qualities that not many Canadian players have. She's got a different style -- big, strong, powerful, can hold the ball up, can turn," said Herdman. "(But) she's realized there's another level in terms of physical capacity (competing against Tier 1 teams at the national level)... Physically, she's not ready for that."
    Of course, some youngsters have been able to entrench themselves -- Buchanan is with the team, as is 16-year-old fullback Sura Yekka. Herdman said fans can expect to see both of them take the field against the USA. He's also not averse to other players making a statement with their club play and earning their way back into the squad; one example he gave was Christina Julien: "There's definitely potential there but her career's got to tell the story."
    Now, despite the excitement that always comes with playing the USA -- "it's a derby match, that's the reality," said Herdman -- there are questions lingering around the program, and not just about the lineup for Friday's encounter.
    During a media conference call on Thursday, reporter Harjeet Johal asked Herdman about the potential of the team opting out of NWSL in 2015, and instead preparing the players for the Women's World Cup with an extended residency. Herdman didn't confirm or deny the report, instead saying that the team has plans in place but that, of course, plans are always subject to change.
    "If you've got a home World Cup, (the priority is) how do we maximize the opportunities we have?" he said. "At this stage, we're committed to the NWSL."
    There's also the question of the unclear status of Desiree Scott and Lauren Sesselmann, both of whom were allocated to FC Kansas City of the NWSL even though Scott has subsequently signed with Notts County.
    "The players were asked if they wanted to be allocated in, both players agreed they wanted to go back in the league," he said. "The confusion's come because they're both world-class players.
    "Everyone's working around and trying to find the best solution for these players," he continued. "I'm sure we'll try to do the right things for the players and the right thing for Canada Soccer."
    You know what a really "right thing for Canada Soccer" would be? Breaking a 13-year run without a win against the United States! (How's that for an awkward segue?)
    Surely Herdman's aware of the statistics (as mentioned, Canada hasn't beaten the USA since 2001) but he seemed genuinely committed to the idea that his team can earn a result on Friday evening.
    "The U.S. has blown teams away recently, so our job (Friday) is to try and reverse that trend, and I'm getting close to a starting XI that i think has the goods to do that."
    We shall see. The game goes live on Sportsnet World (but not Sportsnet World Online) at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET Friday, with a repeat on Sportsnet One.
    .
    Guest

    What to do about Bekker

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Amongst the nationalist part of the TFC fan base, Kyle Bekker is symbolic of how the club fails them.
    It's suggested that Bekker didn't get a fair look last season under Ryan Nelsen and that the club's insistence on using players -- non-Canadian players -- of lesser talent was holding back the development of Bekker.
    Others countered that it isn't TFC's job to worry about developing Canadian players at the first team level and that if Bekker deserved more playing time he would have proved it in training.
    Basically it came down to whether you trusted Ryan Nelsen's ability to judge if Bekker was ready to contribute. Unfortunately, he didn't play enough to give us much of a measure to look at to draw conclusions.
    With the club adding Michael Bradley and DeRo into the midfield this year it seems like Bekker will be squeezed out even further. The question then is, should TFC even keep the player? On the surface, a loan to USL-Pro seems like it might make some sense, but that ignores that Bekker is 23. USL-Pro limits the amount of players it has older than 23 and a player isn't generally seen to have MLS potential if they are playing in the third tier that late in their life as an athlete.
    It goes without saying that this pre-season will be vital to Bekker.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Although the numbers are small -- and, as such there is a limit to their value -- we looked at Bekker's statistical performance during his three starts to see if we can see any trends. Again, we caution that this sample is small. Anything we see is best viewed as a trend, rather than a conclusion.
    To give comparisons we also looked at four other TFC midfielders -- DeRo, Lambe, Osorio and Rey. Two non-TFC midfielders were included to give a league perspective. Those were Sam Cronin and Kyle Beckerman. We looked at the numbers of the last three 2013 starts of each. All stats were pulled from the Opta generated MLSSoccer.com Chalkboard.
    Again, we stress, these aren't perfect comparisons. Three of the midfielders play a slightly different role and, again, small sample size. The different roles were included to see whether Bekker had numbers that might allow his role to be tweaked to a wide midfielder, or even a more attacking mid.
    That said...
    The first area we looked at was passing completion. The key to any midfielder is the ability to move the ball effectively to his teammates and the pass completion rate is a simple, but solid way to look at how well a player does that.
    The numbers:
    1. Beckerman - 82.3%
    1. Cronin - 82.3%
    3. Osorio - 82.2%
    4. Bekker - 81.5%
    5. DeRo -80.2%
    6. Rey - 77.6%
    7. Lambe - 64.7%
    So, Bekker falls in the middle of that measure and, most importantly, pushes above that 80% level. It is worth noting that the three bottom numbers are all from players that play more advanced midfield roles. They are trying more assertive passes, which have a higher risk of failure.
    A common critique of passing percentage as a measure is that not all passes are created equally. Some suggest that a player could spend half the game making simple passes to his side or backwards and end up with a high completion percentage. Truthfully, there is little evidence to support the existence of such a player, but, in theory, the possibility exists.
    To combat that it's important to also look at key passes--key passes basically measure how often a player creates a scoring opportunity for another player.
    1. Osorio - 2 key passes per 90 min
    2. Rey -1.66
    3. Beckerman 1.33
    4. DeRo -1
    4. Cronin - 1
    6. Lambe - .67
    7. Bekker - 0
    This is likely an issue. One of the things proponents of Bekker like to point out is the player's ability to put sweeping balls into scoring positions. That may be true -- again, small sample size -- but the bottom line is he didn't generate a single key pass last year.
    Another way to measure a midfielder's abilities on the ball is to look at how often they turn it over. Turn-overs are an imperfect measure because they punish aggressive play, but you would still rather not have big numbers.
    1. Rey - 17.0
    1. Osorio - 17.0
    3. Lambe - 17.33
    4. DeRo - 19.33
    5. Bekker - 20
    6. Cronin - 20
    7. Beckerman - 23
    Beckerman's numbers illustrate how greater involvement can lead to more turn-overs, but Bekker once again falls in the middle. More importantly, Jonathon Osorio continues to come out on top of Bekker.
    Maybe Bekker just got beat for his job last year by another young(er) Canadian?
    The last offensive number we will look at is shots generated. The ability to get a shot off towards goal is vital in football and a great predictor of how likely a player is likely to score.
    1. DeRo - 5.0
    2. Bekker - 2.66
    3. Cronin - 1.33
    4. Osorio - 1.0
    5. Rey - 1.0
    6. Beckerman - .33
    7. Lambe - 0
    DeRo likes to shoot. In other news the sky is blue (but his ability to shoot should not be dismissed...)
    More to the point, finally we see a category where Bekker stands out. Maybe the answer is to push him further up the pitch. If he had more pace, playing on the wing might even be an answer.
    Of course a midfielder also has defensive responsibilities. Using a stat I call "defensive involvement" (calculates the total amount of times a player is given a defensive stat -- tackles, clearances, etc -- and divides it by 90) we attempted to quantify how much a player contributes on the defensive side of things.
    1. Osorio - 13.0
    2. Cronin - 12.33
    3. Beckerman - 9.33
    4. Bekker - 8.0
    5. Rey - 7.33
    5. Lambe - 7.33
    7. DeRo - 4.66
    Oh, DeRo.
    The boy from Scarborough's defensive involvement aside (and DeRo is often placed in a position on the pitch without any defensive responsibility), we once again see Osorio outperforming Bekker. These numbers would tend to suggest that Bekker didn't play because Osorio pushed him down the depth chart.
    (It also suggests the it was criminal that Osorio didn't receive more Rookie of the Year consideration).
    When you add Michael Bradley to the mix it's hard to see where Bekker fits. It really is a waste of everyone's time to send him to Wilmington -- HE'S NOT YOUNG -- so what can you do?
    Well, there was talk of there being trade interest in him last year. And, it is a bit of a waste having him on the bench...
    Maybe the answer is to have a long look at him in pre-season and if you determine that Osorio is still ahead of him to then move him. You won't get much, but you'll get nothing if he rots on the bench for not her year.
    Guest
    Our Vancouver Whitecaps training camp podcasts continue and this one's a keeper.
    Episode 38 comes to you from UBC's Thunderbird Stadium after day three of the Caps' camp and there's been a lot of players eager to make a big impression on the new coaching team.
    We speak with one of them, <b>Marco Carducci</b>, about pushing for a spot on the MLS roster and his memorable 2013 for both the Whitecaps and Canada U17s.
    We also hear from <b>Omar Salgado</b>, who looks fully fit, bulked up and hungry to make a name for himself in the first team after some horrible injury woes the past two seasons. Salgado has been one of the most impressive players in the opening day of camp and he's not about to ease up.
    Amongst the chat of those others who have been standing out, there's still time to throw in a bit of speculation about a new goalkeeper that may be coming to town.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Have a listen!
    You can listen to this week's podcast on iTunes <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/aftn/id628306235" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or download it for your later listening delight <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>
    We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site <a href="http://aftn.podbean.com/mobile/" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a> and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app.
    And if that's not enough, we've joined <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><u><b>Stitcher Radio Network</b></u></a>. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 15,000 shows <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/michael-mccoll/the-aftn-soccer-podcast?refid=stpr" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.
    Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
    <iframe width="100%" height="100" id="audio_iframe" src="http://www.podbean.com/media/player/audio/postId/5042099/url/http%253A%252F%252Faftn.podbean.com%252F2014%252F01%252F29%252Fepisode-38-the-aftn-soccer-podcast-carry-on-camping-with-marco-carducci-and-omar-salgado%252F?skin=3" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
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