CAPS ACQUIRE ZE ROBERTO AND MARCINA

July 26, 2007 - VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today they have acquired midfielder José Roberto Gomes Santana “Zé Roberto” and forward Alen Marcina from Montreal Impact in exchange for midfielder David Testo and forward Joey Gjertsen.

Zé Roberto, 28-years-old, joins the Whitecaps after having played for the Montreal Impact since 2002. As a member of the Impact the five-foot-seven, native of São Paulo, Brazil, played 127 regular season games, scoring 17 goals and adding 17 assists. Last season, he scored two goals and added three assists in 21 games.

In 2004, Zé Roberto was a key member of the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) champion Impact. He was named the team’s Unsung Hero, started all five playoff games and set-up the championship-winning goal. In 2003, under head coach Bob Lilley, Zé Roberto had his most productive offensive season by scoring six goals, adding five assists while being named to the USL-1 All League Second Team.

Prior to joining the Impact, Zé Roberto played two seasons with the now defunct Hershey Wildcats; also under head coach Bob Lilley. As a Wildcat the midfielder scored nine goals and added seven assists in 50 games.

Zé Roberto made his pro debut in his native country, Brazil, playing three seasons with Tuna Luso Brasileira, a second division club at the national level and a first division team at the state level. He also had stints with Palmeiras Corinthes and Seà San Carlese.

Marcina, a five-foot-ten, 170-pound native of Surrey, BC, will make the Whitecaps his third USL-1 club this season. In addition to suiting up for the Impact, the well traveled forward started the season with Puerto Rico Islanders before being traded on June 14 for Lars Lyssand.

Marcina played eight games, including four starts, for 411 minutes with the Impact. In his first start with the Impact, he scored the game-tying goal against Portland Timbers on June 21 and two days later, he set-up the game-winner against Seattle. Marcina, who turns 28-years-old next Monday, played eight games with Puerto Rico this season; he scored one goal and two assist in 521 minutes. Last year, Marcina was the Islanders leading scorer, third overall in the league, with 13 goals in 27 games. For his efforts, he was named to the USL All League Second Team.

Collegiately, Marcina enjoyed a very successful career with Barry University (Miami, Florida). During his four-year tenure, the striker led the team in scoring each year. Following graduation, Marcina joined Ottawa Wizards of the Canadian Professional Soccer League for the 2002-2003 season, scoring nine goals in 10 matches. In the 2004-2005 season, Marcina was a member of PAOK FC, a first division club in Greece. He also played for Íþróttabandalag Akraness in Iceland, for 1.FC Schweinfurt 05 in Germany, and for Herfølge Boldklub in Denmark, as well as the New Zealand Knights.

Testo played 42 games with Vancouver since 2006, where he scored eight goals and added seven assists. Gjertsen played 81 games, tallied 19 goals and added 12 helpers since joining the Whitecaps at the start of 2005 season.

Zé Roberto is not scheduled to arrive in Vancouver until Sunday. Marcina, however, is set to arrive tonight and will be available for the Whitecaps tomorrow when they host Seattle Sounders at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for tomorrow’s match start at just $16 and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, on-line at ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 604.280.4400. For information on group rates, call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or visit whitecapsfc.com.


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