Thursday, October 9, 2008
TAMPA, FL – When the Vancouver Whitecaps take to the field Sunday for their second USL First Division Championship game in three years, they will look a bit different than the squad that claimed the title with a historic road win in Rochester two years ago. Only six players who were in the lineup that night remain with the team, which has undergone significant change on and off the field.
When the Whitecaps took to the field at PAETEC Park in 2006, they were looking to shed a lengthy history of missed chances that left the club as arguably the best team in USL to have never won a title. Five previous trips to the USL-1 Semifinals had all seen the Vancouver side dumped from the playoffs.
But when the final whistle sounded and the Whitecaps raised the cup as the first road team to win a single-game championship in league history, the 2006 edition had removed that monkey from the club’s back.
Fast forward a year, however, and everything was changing. A seventh-place finish that saw goal production drop significantly, coupled with a first round playoff exit, lead to the dismissal of head coach Bob Lilley. As coach with several clubs in the league, Lilley was a defensive mastermind, but his departure marked the beginning of an overhaul.
Part of the incoming change also was to further integrate the club’s burgeoning development philosophy into the USL First Division side according to Whitecaps President Bob Lenarduzzi.
"When we were looking for a new coach, there was a list of requirements that we had. One priority was we were looking for someone that was prepared to play young players,” said Lenarduzzi about the hiring of former Estonian National Team coach Teitur Thordarson. “Teitur had shown that type of willingness at all the clubs he had been with before coming to Vancouver. In some cases, he inherited youth development programs and in other cases, he started programs up. For us, this was an important element of the job requirements for our head coach.”
“In addition, when Teitur shared his philosophy of wanting to press other teams, we felt that it was something that we wanted to do, as we wanted to make our games exciting and entertaining. It took some time for our style of play to gel, but in the latter stages of the season, we were seeing evidence of that occurring. Those have been the two elements that he has brought to the team this year.
"On top of that, Teitur is a guy that was prepared to meet face-to-face with our fans, as he did when he met with The Southsiders after being here for a couple of months. The Southsiders are a group of Whitecaps supporters that have been around for quite awhile, so the fact that he would take the time to do that certainly helped in his introduction to our club."
One would have speculated that such a large change in philosophy for the team would have taken time to develop into a winning formula, but the puzzle came together more quickly than many imagined.
"We did not expect to return to the final this soon, as we viewed this season as a year of transition,” said Lenarduzzi. “Our objective was to make the playoffs and hopefully be in a position to win the championship. Realistically, however, we felt that making the final was a couple of years away, but it’s great that we finished second overall, as it is our best finish in the league in the last five years.”
"Even more rewarding this season is that our Residency program is creating development opportunities for young players to move into our first team. We have living proof of that in Ethan Gage, who is a 17-year-old that played for us and may have a great chance to play in the final. There are others in the Residency program that will hopefully be making similar first-team appearances next season. We made an investment in this program and it is starting to pay dividends now."
More on Gage from The Province [+]
On the verge of their second title game in three years, Thordarson’s squad is comprised of only six players from that championship lineup, not including Eduardo Sebrango, who missed the final due to suspension.
The club built around Sebrango and a core group of players in Jeff Clarke, Jason Jordan, Steve Kindel, Geordie Lyall, Martin Nash and Alfredo Valente, bringing in what is arguably the biggest influx of players from outside of Canada in the team’s history. Several key additions were young players with Major League Soccer or international experience. They replaced experienced players like Tony Donatelli, Dave Testo, Joey Gjertsen and Sita-Taty Matondo, who either found their way, or were sent, to rival Montreal.
Part of the club’s resurgence can be attributed to the addition of three players who were cast off by the 2007 MLS regular season champion DC United, who have this season struggled and are on the outside of the playoff chase. Nicolas Addlery is second on the team in scoring with four goals in 27 games and Justin Moose has been a factor with a goal and three assists in his 21 games.
Goalkeeper Jay Nolly has been the biggest contributor. After playing in just one game behind Troy Perkins last year in league play, Nolly was among the best in USL-1 this season with a record of 12-5-6 in 23 games and a goals against mark of 1.043.
Coming into the Whitecaps lineup, however, the trio had only played 19 combined league games for DC, but per the Whitecaps new philosophy of development, they were given the opportunity to raise their level of play on the field instead of the training ground.
"There was not so much a concern about their limited roles in DC because they are good players,” noted Lenarduzzi. “We’d spoken to a number of individuals that provided us with good feedback on each of the players, with the suggestion that they would be solid signings.
"Sometimes what players need is to go backwards to move forwards, and all three hadn’t played enough to maybe encourage other MLS teams to have a look at them. However, we were certainly aware enough to know that they would do well at our level, and in each case, that’s what has happened."
Helping Nolly achieve those numbers was St Vincent and the Grenadines international Wesley Charles, who the Whitecaps were able to acquire midseason by the unfortunate circumstances of Galway United’s financial struggles in the Irish first division. In just half a season’s efforts, Charles left an impression that led to All-League honors.
Joining him on that All-League list was Takashi Hirano, a veteran Japanese international that played 22 games for the Whitecaps on the year. Also new on the back line was former Atlanta Silverback Omar Jarun, who spent the past two seasons with Atlanta, helping guide the Silverbacks to last year’s final.
