WEEKEND GAMES PREVIEW

August 9, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC men aim to return to winning ways with two important USL-1 games this weekend.

Bob Lilley’s side begin proceedings with a second regular-season trip to Oregon for an important league clash with Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers on Saturday night.

Less than 24 hours later, the Whitecaps host Minnesota Thunder in a Wendy’s Family Night game at Swangard Stadium on Sunday, with Vancouver beginning a six-game home stand to end their regular-season campaign.

Saturday: Vancouver Whitecaps at Portland Timbers

The Whitecaps final away game of the 2007 regular season takes place at PGE Park, with Lilley’s side looking to avenge a 2-1 defeat in Portland on July 19.

Despite a fine strike from Martin Nash, the Timbers came from a goal down to defeat the Whitecaps in the first meeting between the two sides this term. Since then, Lilley’s side set an unwanted club record of nine games without a win following a 1-1 home draw with Puerto Rico Islanders on August 2. However, the side’s recent form does not bother the Whitecaps head coach too much. “Our sights are set on six points this weekend, but it’s not easy in this league to get two wins back-to-back,” Lilley told whitecapsfc.com. “We feel we are better than we were three weeks ago, and we’re heading in the right direction. Our form has been good the last few games here and I think our approach has been consistent and the training has been good. If we play to the level that we’ve been playing, then every game is winnable for us.”

The Whitecaps now prepare to face a Portland side that have lost a bit of form after recording seven straight victories on route to the summit of USL-1. A subsequent run of three draws and two defeats in their last five contests has allowed regional rival Seattle Sounders to close the gap on the Timbers at the top of the league standings.

In what will be the next to last regular-season home game for Gavin Wilkinson’s side this season, Saturday’s contest with the Whitecaps will count towards the fan-sponsored Cascadia Cup competition, though Seattle claimed the 2007 title with a home win over the Timbers last week. Nonetheless, Vancouver can expect another hot reception from Timber Jim and the Timbers Army, as Portland will play five of their final six regular-season games on the road, with the final match being against the Whitecaps in Vancouver on September 9.

Lilley is confident a result can be claimed at PGE Park. “Based on our last performance in Portland, we feel that the game could have gone either way,” he said. “Portland will always be dangerous. A player like Andrew Gregor is back from suspension and has caused problems for us in the past. They’ve got some weapons that can really hurt you and they also happen to be physically big, which makes them dangerous on set-pieces. They’re not going to be on the slide indefinitely.”

You can watch Saturday’s game between the Whitecaps and Portland live on USLlive.com.

You can also listen to the game live on TEAM 1040 radio or via the internet on team1040.ca.

Sunday: Minnesota Thunder at Vancouver Whitecaps

Following Saturday’s trip to Portland, the Whitecaps return home for their third league meeting with Minnesota.

Sunday’s game is the second of three home contests against Amos Magee’s squad, with the Whitecaps having enjoyed success in their previous two encounters with the Thunder this season. In Vancouver’s lone regular-season trip to Minnesota on May 6, a Steve Klein header gave the Whitecaps a 2-1 victory in St. Paul before a Tony Donatelli strike gave Vancouver a 1-0 home win over the Thunder on June 10.

Though they have played the fewest games than any other team in USL-1 at this stage, Minnesota have struggled for results. The Thunder only have three wins to their name so far this term, with just one victory coming on the road. With 10 points separating Magee’s side from a playoff place, Minnesota will hope to build on two creditable draws with Portland by also playing two games back-to-back in the Pacific Northwest this weekend. Before their second visit to Vancouver on Sunday, Minnesota meet the in-form Sounders in Seattle on Saturday. They follow their upcoming weekend schedule with three more games at home before returning to Vancouver for their fourth and final meeting with the Whitecaps on August 30.

Despite Minnesota’s struggles this season, Lilley is aware of the threat Magee’s side can pose. “On the day, Minnesota has always been very capable of getting a result in this league, as they will always show up,” Lilley said. “Over the course of a season, they may struggle to compete and consistently put it together. Yet, when they get into the meat of a game and are playing well, they can come up with some very big results. With so much parity in the league this year, some of the points we’ve dropped have come against teams that were lower in the league table, so we’ll need to be ready.”

Though his side play two games in quick succession this weekend, Lilley thinks there may not be as many changes as anticipated. “We’re not as near in exploratory mode as we are in results mode,” he said. “If it means that some players have to carry a lot of minutes this weekend, we may have to ask them to do that.”

Sunday’s game at Swangard Stadium kicks off at 7:00 p.m. and is a Wendy’s Family Night. This includes four Whitecaps tickets and two Wendy’s Kids Meals vouchers - starting at only $48! Single game tickets start at just $16 and are available by calling Ticketmaster at 604.280.4400 or visiting whitecapsfc.com. For more information on Whitecaps ticket packages and group rates, please call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or visit our tickets page.

You can also watch Sunday’s game between the Whitecaps and Minnesota live on USLlive.com or on Shaw Cable. Check your local listings for time and availability.

You can also listen to the game live on TEAM 1040 radio or via the internet on team1040.ca.

More News
Return To Whitecaps News