The 2013 season opener is less than two months away and with the announcement of the schedule today comes a lot of anticipation and excitement as we look forward to a number of marquee matches.
With former players such as Sebastien Le Toux with Philadelphia Union (July 27) returning to BC Place, and with rivalries growing against other clubs, there will be a sense of familiarity throughout the 2013 home schedule.
FIRST KICK
Our home opener has been public for a while now, and I’m sure like me you are all looking forward to getting off to a fast start against our Canadian rivals Toronto FC, just as we did in 2011 when we were victorious by a 4-2 margin.
Of course it’s not going to be an easy game, but BC Place has become a fortress for us and with the added incentive of Eric Hassli and Terry Dunfield coming back to play in front of what should be a sellout crowd, it does not get any better than that.
I’m confident that we can kick some TFC butt.
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE…
With the Cascadian rivalry heating up on and on the field it’s easy to see why many ‘Caps fans will have these matches highlighted on their calendar.
Portland Timbers will visit us twice this year with the first game on May 18. We have some payback to give to the Timbers and these two games could go a long way towards bringing the Cascadia Cup to Vancouver.
As far as our other Pacific Northwest “friends”, we will have to wait until July 6 for the only visit of Seattle Sounders FC.
If these games are half as good as last year, it will be well worth waiting for.
TO BE THE BEST
Memories of that playoff match against LA Galaxy still linger.
When the two-time defending MLS Cup champions come to town, those will be matches that you will not want to miss.
LA will be making two visits to BC Place this season and we will be looking to get our first win against the Galaxy in MLS, which nearly came in the playoffs last year when we were 1-0 up entering the last third of the game.
As we’ve seen in the past, battles between these two teams will be open and attack-minded. And while Beckham has moved on, this is certain to be another star-studded Galaxy squad led by world-class striker Robbie Keane.
MORE IN-CONFERENCE CLASHES
April 13 and September 28 should be two mouthwatering matches as Real Salt Lake roll into town. Salt Lake are always a team that like to pass the ball and attack teams, home and away, so it should make for some entertaining games.
August 10 we will see the high flying San Jose Earthquakes – who finished as the top team in the 2012 MLS standings – come to BC Place and provide our fans with lots of thrills. The Quakes were last year’s top scoring team with an impressive 72 goals scored. The ‘Caps will look to remain unbeaten at home against reigning MLS leading scorer Chris Wondoloski and his Earthquakes.
This promises to be another thrilling season, and with four exciting Western Conference clashes (Portland, Seattle, and Colorado twice) at the end, we’re sure to see the season end with a bang.
