SoccerThe Whitecaps: End of an Empire

Beginning of Story Content

Vancouver's Jay DeMerit battles for the ball with Fredy Montero of Seattle (Getty Images)  

The bright lights of downtown are beckoning. The multi-million dollar facelift is complete. Empire Field, the temporary home of the Vancouver Whitecaps, has been used for the last time. The players probably can't wait to see the back of it.
 
They arranged a party with fireworks. Most Whitecaps fans declined the invitation. They were halfway home by the time Seattle's players danced on the turf holding aloft the Cascadia Cup in front of their jubilant travelling supporters following Saturday's 3-1 win.
 
You would have thought they had won the MLS Cup itself. Perhaps they will, and maybe this was a dress rehearsal for the lap of honour in Los Angeles in November. Come what may, the Sounders are likely to make a big noise in the 2011 playoffs.
 
Not so Vancouver. The Whitecaps are on course to become the worst expansion team since Toronto FC in 2007. Four years ago, Mo Johnston's hastily assembled motley crew won just six games. Vancouver, by contrast, has tasted victory just four times in 29 starts.
 
The loss to Seattle hammered the final nail in the coffin. As a result the Whitecaps officially became the first team to be eliminated from the post-season. No playoffs, no Cascadia Cup - not even a Canadian Championship to show for their months of endeavour.
 
Nothing unusual I suppose. Expansion teams are, by and large, cannon fodder after all. TFC, Philadelphia and now Vancouver have discovered the MLS vision of parity does not mean a level playing field. But if that were universally true how come Cascadia's other members have not taken their turn as the League's whipping boys?
 
Seattle raised the bar. In 2009 the Sounders achieved what every new franchise dreams of and reached the playoffs. The foundation of success was built on one decision. The ownership persuaded the league's best coach to head west after winning the MLS Cup with Columbus. Sigi Schmid's results speak for themselves.
 
Portland may miss the post-season, but if so, not by much. The Timbers are just two points shy of a new wildcard berth but face a tough run in. Three of their final four games are away from home including the next one, when they'll be the first visitors to Vancouver's BC Place. There may be more fireworks, both on and off the field.
 
In fact Vancouver has a chance to salvage some respectability from 2011. Four of the remaining five matches take place at the renovated stadium which is bound to spark renewed interest in the closing weeks of the campaign. Finishing with a flourish wouldn't hurt 2012 season seat renewals either.
 
Those fans who choose to re-invest next year will want a better return on their money. Vancouverites know their soccer and are not used to, or prepared to settle for, a team of bottom feeders. Their nearest rivals have proved expansion teams should not necessarily be handed a free pass.
 
So who carries the can? How can a team with such deep pockets, such detailed planning and such a rich history make such a mess of its first year in MLS? Perhaps Teitur Thordarson wasn't the right man for the job but evidently he was not the only problem.
 
His swift departure cannot have been properly thought through. Hindsight has surely proved it was a knee jerk reaction without a more capable successor waiting in the wings. Tommy Soehn will soon step away from the bench - not a moment too soon for the more critical Whitecaps' fans.
 
His tenure failed to kick start the campaign, so head coach No. 3, Martin Rennie, is already lined up to take control, once his duties in Carolina are complete. The Scot is highly regarded in MLS circles, gaining his UEFA 'A' license while still in his 20s. But he's never coached in Major League Soccer.
 
What about the players? Ultimately they are responsible for results on the field. This is a team which has not equalled the sum of its parts. Eric Hassli is a quality striker, Davide Chiumiento a skilful playmaker, Jay DeMerit a battle hardened World Cup veteran, and Joe Cannon one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the League.
 
There is width and pace and several promising youngsters. Frankly I am still scratching my head as to how a squad of this potential has performed so poorly. Somewhere, somehow, there is a serious disconnect between what the ownership expects and what the team has delivered.
 
A season of such promise and high expectation has withered away. What began with a rousing victory over the Canadian Champions is ending without fanfare. For a franchise with grandiose ambitions of becoming one of the "top 25 clubs in the world" the Vancouver Whitecaps first need to become competitive in their own backyard.
 
The Empire is finished. Expansion version 2.0 will be fascinating to watch.

Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/Nigel_Reed

End of Story Content