By Farhan Devji/whitecapsfc.com
In third and final installment of 'Caps Coaches, club correspondent Farhan Devji looks at the team's head coaches during the modern Whitecaps era. CLICK HERE for Part One and HERE for Part Two.
On Thursday morning, Whitecaps FC will unveil their inaugural head coach for Major League Soccer (MLS). CLICK HERE to view Thursday's press conference, starting at 10 a.m. PT.
After 14 years as Vancouver 86ers, Whitecaps FC were reborn prior to the 2001 season, marking the commencement of the current Blue and White era.
Led by head coach Dale Mitchell, who earned A-League Coach of the Year honours that season, the Whitecaps finished atop the Western Conference standings before bowing out to Hershey Wildcats in the playoff semifinals.
The 2001 season proved to be Mitchell’s last with the 'Caps, as he moved on to become head coach of Canada’s U-20 men's national team, making way for former Portuguese international Tony Fonseca to take over Vancouver's head coaching duties.
Fonseca led the Whitecaps to the post-season - including two Western Conference final appearances - in each of his three seasons with the club, and recording 40 wins, 27 losses, and 17 draws in the process.
Though he never managed to capture an A-League championship title, Fonseca is still pleased with what he accomplished as Whitecaps head coach. "I think with what we had at the time, using mostly local players, I think we did extremely well," he told whitecapsfc.com. "I think we played a very good brand of soccer and we entertained most of the time."
After falling to Seattle Sounders in the 2004 Western Conference final on aggregate, Fonseca was replaced by American Bob Lilley, but he still looks back on his time with the ‘Caps with nothing but fond memories. "I have very, very good memories and I had a very, very good time when I coached the Whitecaps," said Fonseca. "They are a very good organization that always treated me well. I had the luxury of having very good players back then, players that some time had to work their other jobs before the games. I think they did extremely well, so my memories are very good."
Lilley’s first season with the Whitecaps in 2005 ended in a first-round playoff exit, but it was not long before the former Hershey Wildcats and Montreal Impact manager found success with his new club.
Despite a fourth-place finish in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1), previously known as the A-League, Lilley and the Whitecaps ousted Miami FC and Montreal to reach the 2006 USL-1 championship final, where they defeated Rochester Raging Rhinos 3-0 to capture their first league title since 1991.
Lilley's three-year spell as 'Caps head coach ended with a disappointing 2007 campaign that saw Vancouver finish seventh in the USL-1 standings and suffer a first-round playoff exit to Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers. However, Lilley’s tenure with the Whitecaps remains notable not only for the 2006 championship title, but also because he was Vancouver's first American head coach, and first coach to have never played for the club.
In 2008, Whitecaps FC hired Teitur Thordarson as the club's 13th head coach in club history following 10 years of managerial experience in Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and his native Iceland.
Currently in his third season in charge, Thordarson vividly remembers his first visit to Vancouver and the club. "When I came over, I got a fantastic impression of the club, the people, and the city," he told whitecapsfc.com. "When I started to look deeply into what was going on here, in terms of soccer, I really liked it, especially with the ambition of going to MLS and the focus on bringing younger players to the professional level. These are things that really impressed me."
Thordarson led the 'Caps to a USL-1 championship title in his first season with the club - which was also his first season in the North American game. After finishing only a point behind Puerto Rico Islanders during the regular season, Whitecaps FC sought revenge in the championship final when they defeated the Islanders 2-1 in front of 5,822 fans at Swangard Stadium on October 12, 2008. "Winning the championship was fantastic," Thordarson told whitecapsfc.com. "I think we played a great game and being able to win it in front of your home fans, and on your home field, that was just massive."
Despite finishing seventh in the USL-1 standings the following season, Thordarson and the 'Caps nearly made it two consecutive league titles in 2009 after upsetting Carolina RailHawks and Portland Timbers in the first two rounds of last year's playoffs. Their title defence, however, proved unsuccessful, as Montreal won both legs of the USL-1 Championship Series last October.
This season, Thordarson is hoping to return to his winning ways, in the team's final year as a North American second division club before Whitecaps FC make the jump to MLS.
