Sporting Madness

CBC's John Molinaro has a very interesting story today confirming that both the USL-1 champion Montreal Impact and USL-1 finalist Vancouver Whitecaps are set to break away from the league . Whitecaps' president Bob Lenarduzzi told Molinaro that both teams are looking to join the other teams (the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, St. Louis Soccer United and Tampa Bay Rowdies) in the Team Owners' Association in a breakaway league for next season. This needs to be approved by the United States Soccer Federation, as it oversees club soccer in the U.S., where most of the teams are based (I'm pretty sure the Canadian Soccer Association will go along with whatever comes out of this). "We're still pursuing the new league alternative, and by the end of the week, we should have our application into the USSF for them to grant us that status," Lenarduzzi said. "Our belief is that in order for soccer to grow in Canada and th...

It's been a tumultous season for the Vancouver Whitecaps. They entered as defending USL-1 champions, but had substantial offseason turnover and decided to go with a youth movement to build towards their 2011 MLS entrance. Off the field, they've been dealing with issues surrounding both the construction of a retractable roof on B.C. Place and the transfer of USL-1 ownership to a new group. On the field, they struggled initially in the league, but made a great run in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship and were set to claim its associated berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. Of course, that was before Montreal rolled over and played dead in the final game, allowing Toronto FC to come away with a 6-1 victory on the road and the necessary goal differential to claim the trophy. That loss thanks to factors out of their control seemed to inspire the team, though. The made a tremendous stretch run and snuck into the final USL-1 playoff spot. They then upset the first and second-r...

The Blogs With Balls conference wrapped up yesterday, and it was amazing. I'll finish my Fear, Loathing and Blogs series breaking down each panel later this weekend. However, before then, we interrupt this program to bring you a live blog of the second leg of the USL-1 final. For those who don't know much about the USL, it's the second level of pro soccer in North America, just below the MLS. What makes this year's edition of the final even more interesting is that it's played over two legs for the first time, it features two Canadian teams with good reasons to dislike each other and it features two teams aiming for MLS in the near future and currently embroiled in a dispute with the league's new owners. This leg will be in Montreal at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/11:30 a.m. Pacific. The Montreal Impact come into the second leg fresh off a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on the road last week; I was there in person for that one, but I'll be bringing you cov...

My 24th Minute colleague Andrew Bates already laid out what's at stake in tonight's first leg of the USL-1 final between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact, so I'll only touch on it briefly. Suffice it to say that you couldn't write a better script, though. The Whitecaps had low expectations going into this year, and they didn't perform all that well at the start, but they did look set for glory in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. However, in the final game of the three-team tournament, Montreal rolled over and played dead against Toronto FC, losing 6-1 to give TFC the championship and its associated berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. That seemed to motivate Vancouver, who finished the season on a hot streak, snuck into the last playoff spot and promptly defeated No.2 Carolina and No.1 Portland to make it into the USL-1 final. Now, as Sportsnet.ca 's Ryan Johnston wrote, they have a chance at revenge . On the field, they should have a...

After months of controversy surrounding the future of the B.C. Place retractable roof project, it sounds like progress is actually being made towards a solution that could turn out very well for the Vancouver Whitecaps and B.C. Lions. Matthew Sekeres of The Globe and Mail reported this morning that the project will be going ahead. That's according to "sources familiar with the situation", which aren't always the most reliable, but in a case like this, it's awfully tough to get anyone on the record. Here's the key quote from one of Sekeres' sources: "But a source familiar with recent discussions about the provincially operated stadium said the teams have little to worry about, and that an announcement is expected later this month. “They're hoping to get it resolved in the next 10 days,” the source said. “I think it's a positive resolution [for the sports franchises].” That isn't overly emphatic, but it's far better than any new...

Join me below for the Vancouver - Portland USL semifinal live blog! Preview is here . Whitecaps - Timbers Deux!

[Second leg live blog is above] The first leg of the USL-1 semifinal was a bit of a tricky win for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Yes, they won 2-1 , but they conceded a penalty along the way after a ball bounced off Lyle Martin 's hand. That tied the score after an early goal from Charles Gbeke , and Vancouver only won thanks to a late goal from Marcus Haber off a Gbeke cross. Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson said he was impressed with the team's resilence. "I think they responded very well to the goal," he said. Thordarson wasn't happy with the penalty call, though. "From my perspective, it's very harsh to give that penalty there," he said. "He just covered his face and the ball hit him. I've never seen that before." Gbeke said he was confident the team would come back despite a 1-1 tie at halftime, and he figured Haber would notch one of his opportunities. "In the locker room, I told Marcus he was going to score ...

Just a quick note that I'll be live-blogging today's second leg of the Vancouver Whitecaps - Portland Timbers USL-1 semifinal here and at The 24th Minute and Epic Footy . Vancouver enters with a 2-1 lead on aggregate after their win at home Thursday , but they have struggled in Portland recently . Come by at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific today to see if they can change that! I'll have a full preview up before then as well. Hope to see you then!

I'll be live-blogging tonight's Vancouver Whitecaps - Portland Timbers match ( preview here ) here and at The 24th Minute and Epic Footy starting at 10:30 p.m. Eastern/7:30 p.m. Pacific. Come join me here then! Vancouver - Portland live blog

The USL-1 semifinals kick off today, and both matchups are intriguing. Here's a brief breakdown of what we're likely to see. Both series involve home-and-home, total-goals clashes with no away-goals rule. If still tied after both legs, the teams will go to extra time and then a shootout. The winner of each series will advance to the USL-1 final. (1) Portland versus (7) Vancouver: On paper, the seeding system makes this one (which I'll be live-blogging) look like a bit of a mismatch. However, as I wrote before the Whitecaps' first-round matchup against the second-seeded Carolina RailHawks, their low ranking is a bit deceiving . The team has plenty of talent and a surprising amount of depth. They've struggled with consistency this year, partly due to personnel issues (especially in central defence), partly thanks to their emphasis on giving young players plenty of experience and perhaps even partly as a championship hangover, but they've been in fine form late...

The Vancouver Whitecaps take on the Carolina RailHawks today in the second leg of their USL-1 playoff series. Vancouver claimed the first match 1-0 at home . It's a total-goals series, with overtime and a shootout if it winds up tied, so today's game should be interesting. Join me in the live blog below starting at 5 p.m. Eastern/2 p.m. Pacific! Vancouver Whitecaps - Carolina RailHawks

The first leg of the 2009 USL-1 playoff series between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Carolina RailHawks was a tight battle, but the home team came out on top tonight at Burnaby's Swangard Stadium. It wasn't traditional threats Charles Gbeke , Marcus Haber or Marlon James who scored, although they all saw action and created chances. When it came down to it, though, 19-year-old supersub forward Randy Edwini-Bonsu was the only one who managed to find the back of the net, and keeper Jay Nolly preserved the clean sheet for Vancouver. Nolly said holding the RailHawks off the scoreboard was key for the Whitecaps. "The first game of the playoffs, to get the clean sheet, I think that's great for our defensive mind," he said. "They've been weathering a lot of goals of late, so this will keep them up." Both sides created substantial chances throughout the game. Vancouver finished with 11 shots, but only three of them hit the target. By contrast, Carolina ...

It's USL-1 playoff action, live from the Swangard Stadium press box! The Vancouver Whitecaps take on the Carolina RailHawks. My game preview is here ; check it out, then join in the live blog below! Whitecaps - Railhawks live blog

The Vancouver Whitecaps begin their title defence tonight against the Carolina RailHawks, but the Whitecaps squad that will take the pitch will be very different from the team that hoisted the USL-1 trophy last season. Gone are Alfredo Valente , Steve Kindel , Wesley Charles , Nicholas Addlery , Jason Jordan , Eduardo Sebrango , Jeff Clarke and others who were key parts of that team, and as Marc Weber of The Province wrote today , some of the team's tenaciousness may have departed with them. Unlike last year's championship squad, which was primarily a group of talented veterans hitting their stride at the right time, this season's been dominated by a focus on youth, as I talked about in my post on their first match of the regular season. Young players like Marcus Haber , Randy Edwini-Bonsu , Ethan Gage , Wes Knight and Luca Bellisomo have all made their impact felt on the team this year. Haber in particular has impressed; many thought the team might struggle to score ...

It's a big day for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they enter the playoffs to start the defence of their USL-1 title. First up is a home-and-home series with the Carolina RailHawks. The first match takes place at 10:30 p.m. Eastern (7:30 p.m. Pacific) tonight at Burnaby's Swangard Stadium. I'll be live-blogging it here and at The 24th Minute and Epic Footy . Come join me here then! I'm planning to have a full game preview posted later today as well.

Sean Gordon of The Globe and Mail reported this afternoon that David Beckham may be looking into joining forces with Joey Saputo in the Montreal Impact's bid for MLS. The story's apparently based off this report from Jack Bell of The New York Times over at the paper's Goal blog. Here's the money quote from Bell's piece: "According to a person with knowledge of Beckham’s planning who spoke on condition of anonymity because of concern about jeopardizing a potential deal, Beckham, 34, and his management team at 19 Entertainment (led by Simon Fuller) and Creative Artists Agency (led by Jeff Frasco) are interested in being partners with Joey Saputo, the owner of the Montreal Impact. The Impact plays in the United Soccer Leagues First Division, one tier down from M.L.S." Obviously, Montreal's push for MLS is no secret, and it's been gaining plenty of force lately. The financing struggles of George Gillett , owner of Liverpool, soon-to-be-former ...

The latest news on the B.C. Place front, which Duane covered here , is rather depressing. As most know, the $365 million plan to replace the existing solid roof with a retractable one and renovate the interior of B.C. Place was an important part of the Whitecaps' successful bid to join Major League Soccer. However, Global BC (a local television channel)'s sources have told them that "the roof replacement may no longer be a key government priority and it may be forced to pull its funding in the current economic climate," meaning "the project could face some serious delays or be cancelled altogether". As the Globe and Mail story linked above shows, nothing's been officially decided yet, though. It's understandable that the provincial government is looking for ways to cut costs. After all, they're facing a deficit that could reach as high as $4 billion this year , despite pre-election predictions in February that it would only be $495 million. Th...

I'll be live-blogging this evening's USL match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Rochester Rhinos here and at The 24th Minute and Epic Footy . Coverage will be coming live from the Swangard Stadium press box. Kickoff is at 10 p.m. Eastern (7 p.m. Pacific): join me here then! Vancouver Whitecaps - Rochester Rhinos

Work unfortunately got in the way of writing here again, so I haven't been around for a while. That should hopefully change in the next little while, and the first item in the line is a live blog; I'll be live-blogging the Vancouver Whitecaps - Rochester Rhinos game tonight from the press box at Swangard, and then should have a post-game piece up tomorrow. Kickoff is at 10 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Pacific, so come join me here (or at The 24th Minute or Epic Footy ] then! In other programming notes, the daily Link Trains will return Monday and I should hopefully have a few original pieces up here this week as well. Until then, here's some links to my stuff and the best of the Interwebs from the past week, as well as some music. Video of the Day: Spirit of the West - Home for a Rest A classic party song from a Vancouver band. Many people have probably heard this one in bars or clubs without any idea of who it's from, but the band's actually pretty good and quite well-know...

It should be an action-packed evening in North American soccer. I'll be covering the Toronto FC - Columbus Crew game at 7:30 Eastern (4:30 Pacific) and the Vancouver Whitecaps - Puerto Rico Islanders game at 10:00 Eastern (7:00 Pacific), but there's also plenty of other MLS action, including New England at Houston at 8:30 ET, the L.A. Galaxy at Kansas City at 9:00, the New York Red Bulls at Colorado at 9:30 and D.C United at San Jose at 10:30; some of the other guys at Epic Footy will be reporting in on those games as well. Come join us for what should be a great evening of soccer! Soccer Saturday live blog