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My Wanstecaps experience |

 

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

couple of weeks ago |
had the opportunity to
Xperience my very first

Whitecaps game on a Wednesday
night when the Vancouver team
faced off against David Beckham
and the LA Galaxy. Not being a
huge soccer fan to begin with, I
was surprisingly excited to embark
on this eventful night for a friend’s
birthday party.

It was electrifying. Before the
match had even begun, it was
a party outside BC Place, with
different activities and booths set
up, along with a motorcycle booth
where you could wait in line to
rev up the engine. The ecstatic
energy left me reminiscent of the
2010 Olympics. Everyone united
as one cheering for the same team.
The only thing different this time

player be? How much impact can
one player do in soccer? It’s not as
fast paced as any other sport.
Man, oh man, was I wrong.
This player was as good as it gets,
if I’ve ever seen one. Beckham was
everywhere on the field, making
perfect passes, corner kicks that
had ridiculous curves, nifty plays
and dekes around players, a pair
of pink cleats, and even a goal late
in the game. I finally understood
why there was so much hype and
excitement just to see this guy.
Dozens of fans were wearing his
jersey and the other thousands of
people booed as the Jumbotron
showed his face at the beginning
ceremonies. It was quite the scene.
And when the Caps’ scored
their two goals, BC Place exploded.
Everyone jumped to their feet in
excitement and my friends and I
clapped our inflatable balloon stick

“Prior to the game all | knew about this Beckham character was that
he’s married to Posh Spice, his name was in the movie, Bend it Like
Beckham, he’s making a boodle of money playing in the MLS after

coming overseas, and that he’s supposedly really good.”

around was that it was sunny and
summery, rather than a Vancouver
winter.

Row L, seat 6 was the ticket
that was handed to me—a damn
good one. We were sitting close
enough to almost see the players’
sweat drip down their faces. It only
cost $40 for the ticket and two $5
food vouchers, which were part of
the package for buying the tickets
in advance.

Finding our seats was easy,
and after we sat down and realized
how good our seats were, I took
a look around. The place was
packed. Apparently 21,000 crazy
fans were there to not only cheer
on their home team, but to come
and see soccer superstar David
Beckham.

Who is this guy anyway?

Prior to the game all I knew
about this Beckham character was
that he’s married to Posh Spice,
his name was in the movie, Bend tt
Like Beckham, he’s making a boodle
of money playing in the MLS
after coming overseas, and that
he’s supposedly really good. But
honestly how good can a soccer

18

clappers.

Just before halftime, me and
my friends decided to take the
smart route and duck out for food
and beat the rush. I read the menu
and a “JUMBO” hotdog and beer
intrigued my interests. “That'll be
$13.74 please.”

For real?

Now, we're not just talking a
regular size beer, we're talking a
tiny plastic cup full of Budweiser
and a regular size hotdog. Jumbo
my ass.

Expensive, yes. But what
are you going to do? The good
thing was we each had a $10
food voucher, so it wasn’t a game
changer.

After the game came to a 2-2
tie, including an extra four minutes
of overtime the match ended and
the players walked back into their
respective dressing rooms. The
electrifying atmosphere faded into
the streets and me and my friends
parted our ways. A great time at
my first Whitecaps experience.

If you haven’t already, be sure
to check out a game or two before
the season ends!

 

Out with the old, in with

the new

By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer

beloved Vancouver Whitecaps

have undergone a massive
transformation. Gone is cheeky
playmaker Davide Chiumiento.
It was decided that the tireless
Sebastien Le Toux was not the one.
And last, but certainly not least,
massive frontman Eric Hassli was
also given the boot.

I must say, I was not at all
disappointed about Chiumiento’s
departure. For all the skill he
had, the diminutive midfielder
possessed a remarkable ability to
turn the ball over. His ill-advised
dribbles constantly resulted in
turnovers. Closely related to his
dribbling, his praised passing
prowess was generally nowhere
to be found, if only because he
usually ignored the wide-open
man in favour of a hopeless
jaunt into a crowd. To top it off,
it was blatantly clear that the
word “defence” did not exist
in Chiumiento’s vocabulary. In
short, the Whitecaps got rid of
an offensive specialist who was
terrible on offence, and didn’t
bother to play defence. It’s not
to say he was a complete basket-
case, especially that stunning
ball against Colorado to Le Toux
ages ago, but the cons vastly
outweighed the pros.

The Le Toux move seems to
have caught everyone by surprise.
The flying Frenchman had featured
in almost every minute of the
Whitecaps’ season and was, by
far, the hardest worker they had.
Vancouver’s number seven seemed
to be everywhere on the pitch. One
moment he would be leading a
scoring chance. The next, he’d be
aiding the defence in snuffing out

Io the last month, your

COMY=) oF ea eM Lele) 4

an attack. Suddenly he would be
back on the attack. And back in his
own end. And then scoring a goal.
His official position was listed

as a striker, but Le Toux covered
more ground than the roadrunner
hopped up on something serious.
Very sad to see him go.

Eric Hassli. The hulking
forward with nimble feet. The man
who got as many cards as he did
goals. The fellow who fans would
chant for right from the kickoff,
even if he was riding the pine.

The most recognizable Whitecap.
Now a member of Toronto FC. The
writing had been on the wall for
some time when Rennie finally
showed the amiable Frenchman
the door. With Hassli’s minutes
coming mostly as a substitute,
and those few minutes being
severely low for a player making
over $900,000, it was obvious that
Rennie’s plans didn’t involve
number 29. He may be gone, but
he will definitely not be forgotten.

And where do the Whitecaps
find themselves after these moves?
Sitting pretty at third place in
the Western Conference. Not too
shabby. Due to the emergence of
young Darren Mattocks as the
‘Caps striker of choice, and the
outstanding performances from
Barry Robson, coupled with the
fact that the team is playing well
in the system Rennie is preaching,
the Whitecaps are finding
themselves to be a surprisingly
watchable team. A real feat for
any MLS squad. And just when
you think it can’t get any better,
(as of this writing) newly signed
Designated Player, Kenny Miller,
has yet to step onto the field. For
the first time, it can honestly be
said that the sky is the limit for the
Whitecaps.