Whitecaps Press Release:
UPDATE from Whitecaps FC – Match Postponed
Tonight’s Official Viewing Party at the St. Regis Bar & Grill downtown has also been postponed. Details for the May 20 Viewing Party will be released at a later date.
“First of all, I’d like to thank our fans who made the trip to Edmonton. Their unwavering support is much appreciated by every member of our team,” said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. “We understand that all measures were taken in evaluating whether or not the match could be played. We respect the decision to postpone and look forward to hosting the first leg at BC Place next Wednesday.”
Next Wednesday’s match on May 13 at BC Place will go ahead as planned and will now be played as the first leg of the semifinal series. Kickoff for that match is set for 7 p.m. PT. Tickets remain available atwhitecapsfc.com/tickets.
The second leg of the series will now be played in Edmonton on Wednesday, May 20 at Clarke Field. Kickoff time will be confirmed at a later date.
Whitecaps FC return to MLS action th
by Graham Tooke, @chelskitooke
Having ground out a 0-0 draw at Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers last Saturday it’s a quick turnaround for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they travel to Edmonton for the first leg of their Voyageurs Cup semi-final, minus their regular starters.
They’ve already qualified for this year’s edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, even though that tournament only just wrapped up last week as Montreal fell heavily to Club America of Mexico, Carl Robinson has to think about continuing in the competition for a second year even if the competition has yet to begin.
Oh there’s also the little known fact that the Whitecaps have yet to clinch the Voyageurs Cup. Silverware that has eluded them since the competition was formed in 2002.
Head coach Carl Robinson has already confirmed this week that the lineup for Wednesday evening will be mainly made up of those on the fringes of the starting eleven. Meaning a perfect opportunity for Erik Hurtado, Kekuta Manneh and Nicolas Mezquida to prove their worth to the team and impress against NASL side FC Edmonton.
Despite being forecast as NASL title challengers Eddies head coach Colin Miller still has pieces to fix if they are to keep pace with the New York Cosmos and Atlanta Silverbacks. They currently sit 8th on five points from their first four matches. An opening loss to Jacksonville Armada has seen them go unbeaten in their last five which included home-and-away 3-1 victories over Ottawa Fury FC in their Amway Canadian Championship qualifier.
Now the real test waits as they attempt to get by an MLS side. Last year they almost came away with a massive upset of Montreal Impact (the eventual Champions League runners up) in the semi-final until they were robbed by a 96th minute penalty kick at Stade Saputo handing the Quebecers a 5-4 aggregate victory on their way to beating Toronto FC in the final.
Former Leeds United prospect Tomi Ameobi may now be plying his trade in the wintery confines of Clarke Field in Alberta, but the hitman still knows how to find the back of the net scoring Edmonton’s second in their 2-2 draw at the weekend and pegging early against Ottawa. He’ll be relieved to know that he’ll likely be going up against Christian Dean and Tim Parker with Kendall Waston and Pa-Modou Kah left to rest in Vancouver.
At the other end of the pitch Robert Earnshaw will need to make use of all of his experience to get the better of Roberts and Watson. He may have scored against a Seattle reserve side the other week but FC Edmonton should provide a sterner task. However, the pair has yet to keep a clean sheet and with Manneh and Hurtado flooding the wings Earnshaw should have plenty of chances to get the better of VanOekel in goal.
7 PM on Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World and TSN 1410
Probable Lineups
FC Edmonton: VanOekel; Edward, Roberts, Watson, Moses; Raudales; Nyassi, Jones, Fordyce, Laing; Ameobi
Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Tornaghi; Sampson, Parker, Dean, Adekugbe; Flores, Teibert; Hurtado, Mezquida, Manneh; Earnshaw
