Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that captain
Martin Nash
and striker
Marlon James
have been named in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) All-League Second Team for the 2009 season.
In his ninth season with Vancouver, Nash was one of four midfielders to be selected in the All-League Second Team following another stellar campaign with the 'Caps. Having been formally appointed as the 19th men's team captain since the club's first season back in 1974, Nash set an ironman mark of playing in 68 straight Whitecaps matches before missing the Nutrilite Canadian Championship home win over Toronto FC on June 2 because of suspension. The midfielder currently holds the Whitecaps record for consecutive matches played at 77. Nash was one of five Whitecaps players to appear in over 2,000 minutes of regular season action, with the playmaker making his 200th start and scoring the 25th goal of his Whitecaps career during the campaign. The native of Victoria, BC, scored four goals and recorded three assists in 25 regular season appearances, with Nash making the USL-1 Team of the Week on two occasions during the season.
This is the second time that the 33-year-old has been named to the All-League Second Team. As a member of the Rochester Raging Rhinos in 2000, Nash made the USL-1's all-star second squad after helping the Upstate New York club to the league championship title. As a member of the Whitecaps, Nash has also appeared in the All-League First Team on three occasions. He made the league's all-star first XI back in 1996 before earning his next two spots in 2007 and 2008. With this season's accolade, Nash becomes the 12th player in USL-1 history to earn All-League honours for a fifth time.
James joins Nash in making the All-League Second Team after a productive first season in front of goal for the Whitecaps. Though injury problems restricted the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international to just 17 appearances in his first season in USL-1, James finished in a tie for second with fellow striker
Marcus Haber
with nine goals for the club, while his 18 points was good enough for third on the men's team. In fact, the 32-year-old's nine goals placed him sixth in the USL-1 goalscoring chart, while his 18 points put him eighth among the league's point leaders during the year. James was the USL-1 Player of the Week in Week Four after scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 away win over Minnesota Thunder on May 2, with four of his nine goals being match winners during the campaign.
Click here to view the 2009 USL-1 All-League Second Team
