Whitecaps MLS news

[vanlaw]

It looks as though Whitecaps pricing isnt too far off from Seattle. Interesting though, Seattle appears to offer substantial discount for committing to 2+ years:

http://www.soundersfc.com/Tickets/Season-Tickets.aspx

[Vancity]

USA World Cup star Jay DeMerit becomes first Whitecaps FC MLS signing
DeMerit joins Whitecaps FC
November 18, 2010


Whitecaps FC sign USA World Cup star Jay DeMerit



VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the signing of American international and former Watford FC captain Jay DeMerit - pending his international transfer certificate. DeMerit becomes the first player named to the Whitecaps FC Major League Soccer roster. Per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"Jay is a quality individual and leader - both on and off the pitch - and is the type of player we are looking to build our team with," said Bob Lenarduzzi, Whitecaps FC president. "He has excelled both at the club and international levels, and we are thrilled that Jay has joined Whitecaps FC as our first Major League Soccer player signing."


Jay DeMerit
Internationally, DeMerit has earned 23 caps with the United States of America, and most recently started all four matches for his country during last summer's FIFA World Cup. The 30-year-old centre back helped the USA finish first in Group C and advance to the knockout stages before falling in extra time to Ghana. As a member of the top-ranked CONCACAF nation, DeMerit started all five matches in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and helped form the backbone of the Stars and Stripes' defence that reached the tournament final against Brazil. The native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, made his international debut against Guatemala in March 2007.


Media Conference At club level, DeMerit enjoyed six outstanding seasons with England's Watford FC. He originally joined the Football League Championship side (second tier in England) in July 2004 following an impressive preseason friendly performance versus Watford as a trialist with semi-professional outfit Northwood FC of the Isthmian League Premier Division (seventh tier in England). Watford’s manager during that time was Ray Lewington, who was a starting midfielder for Whitecaps FC during the club’s 1979 North American Soccer League championship season.

DeMerit became an instant starter with Watford and helped the Hertfordshire-based club earn promotion to the English Premier League by scoring the match-winning goal in the 2005-06 Championship playoff final over Leeds United FC. Watford returned to The Championship the following season, and in December 2007, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound defender was named team captain. Following the 2008-09 season, DeMerit received the Community Ambassador award in recognition of his charity and community work with Watford.



Last season with Watford, DeMerit played in 27 league matches and one Football Association Cup match. As a member of The Hornets, DeMerit made 213 appearances in all competitions, including 193 starts, and scored 10 goals.

"I am very thankful for my experiences with Watford FC and look forward to this new opportunity in Vancouver," added DeMerit. "Whitecaps FC have a tremendous history and great support in this beautiful city. After spending several seasons in England, I felt it was the right time to return to North America and I have been impressed by the Whitecaps FC organization and the vision they have as a club. I am excited to make Vancouver my new home."

Prior to his time with Watford, DeMerit played the 2003-04 season with Southall FC of the Combined Counties Football League (ninth tier in England), while in 2001, the defender played one season with Chicago Fire Premier of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League. From 1998 to 2001, he was a starter at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the NCAA Division I.

Jay DeMerit
Position: Defender
Height: 6-01
Weight: 180
Born: December 4, 1979, in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin
Last Club: Watford FC (English League Championship)
College: University of Illinois at Chicago
Citizenship: United States
How Acquired: Free agent signing by Whitecaps FC on November 18, 2010

More than 15,000 Whitecaps FC season ticket deposits have been sold for the club’s inaugural season in MLS. Season ticket deposit holders will be able to choose from seven different seating categories starting at a base price of $319, plus applicable tax and a $10 processing fee per order. Pricing starts at less than $17 per game and more than 60 per cent of seats are available for less than $31 per game. To secure a seat and for additional information about Whitecaps FC MLS season tickets, suites, and loge boxes, call 604.669.9283 or visit whitecapsfc.com.
___________________

I can't believe that it's almost December, and that it'll be about 3 months before the Whitecaps FC debut in Major League Soccer. I hope they do well, and the city packs the newly refurbished BC Place stadium in our first year. It's going to be an amazing experience, I believe, and hopefully, this is a stepping stone in developing more world class premier canadian soccer players. I wonder what the television deals are with regards to the Caps? TSN? Sportsnet? Or maybe they'll develop their own TV (kind of like CanucksTV?)?

[mrjauk]

I can't believe that it's almost December, and that it'll be about 3 months before the Whitecaps FC debut in Major League Soccer. I hope they do well, and the city packs the newly refurbished BC Place stadium in our first year. It's going to be an amazing experience, I believe, and hopefully, this is a stepping stone in developing more world class premier canadian soccer players. I wonder what the television deals are with regards to the Caps? TSN? Sportsnet? Or maybe they'll develop their own TV (kind of like CanucksTV?)?

One correction: the Whitecaps will play the vast majority--if not all--of their inaugural MLS season at Empire Field.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by mrjauk

One correction: the Whitecaps will play the vast majority--if not all--of their inaugural MLS season at Empire Field.

Sorry. My mistake. I hope the fans pack Empire Field in the inaugural season, then sounds like the whitecaps are making momentum as they approach the new year. I think the city will be surprised, and the franchise may just make a case to being 2nd in the city, right behind the Canucks.

And the uniforms. Well, they are starting to grow on me. I like 'em.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Vancity

I think the city will be surprised, and the franchise may just make a case to being 2nd in the city, right behind the Canucks.

Don't count on it. The B.C. Lions and North American football have a place in the hearts of Vancouverites and Canadians that soccer will never have.

That said, and as much as I don't care for soccer, I hope the Whitecaps and MLS are as successful as they can possibly be.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Don't count on it. The B.C. Lions and North American football have a place in the hearts of Vancouverites and Canadians that soccer will never have.

That said, and as much as I don't care for soccer, I hope the Whitecaps and MLS are as successful as they can possibly be.

No offense. But I don't really care for north american football. I dunno why. I guess I just never got into the game for some reason or another. I think the Whitecaps can capture some new fans, IF they can stay competitive, and win a lot of games. If they build a strong tradition of winning, as they enter into Major League Soccer, then yeah, I could see people shifting their allegiances to the 'Caps. And it's not like they're "new". They've been around. They're just entering into a new league. But they have a lot of tradition, and a ton of history. I personally think it's up in the air, of who gets 2nd place in the hearts of Vancouverites. Time will tell, whether the Lions, or the 'Caps will take that spot. The Canucks, obviously, are King in this town, and will be, for a long, long, long time.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Don't count on it. The B.C. Lions and North American football have a place in the hearts of Vancouverites and Canadians that soccer will never have.

That said, and as much as I don't care for soccer, I hope the Whitecaps and MLS are as successful as they can possibly be.

At least 18% of Canadians would disagree. That's percentage of Canada that are immigrants. Pretty sure "soccer" is more appealing to them.

If I'd take a guess, I'd say that 40% of Canadian residents love hockey, 25% love "football" 15% love soccer, and 20% are indifferent or love other sports like basketball.

Of course, there's probably more overlap in those numbers... and they're just purely off the top of my head.

[WarrenC12]

BC Lions will outdraw the Whitecaps next year, per game, guaranteed.

They have a rich history, and many season ticket holders.

I hope the best for the MLS Whitecaps, but I have my doubts about how many season ticket holders they will end up with, and if the excitement level will be the same in 5 years.

[Overground]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Don't count on it. The B.C. Lions and North American football have a place in the hearts of Vancouverites and Canadians that soccer will never have.

Sorry, I think that should say suburban Vancouverites. Association football is played by more Canadians at the amateur level than any other sport as well. The interest is there, especially for immigrants. I think CFL will be on the decline in years to come in large urban centres, especially Van and TO.

As for how popular WFC will be in 5 years. Who knows, but the Caps were outdrawing Seattle before they went up to MLS and now Seattle sell 36k a game. We can hope that the Caps will do just as well. The attendance numbers between both cities were even similar back in the NASL days.

I think for the club to be successful in the long run it needs to control its own purpose built stadium with natural grass, which can attract better players leading to better success on the pitch, and more money in the coffers.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Overground

Sorry, I think that should say suburban

I live in Yaletown and I'm a BC Lions season ticket holder. Sorry, but, you don't know what you're talking about.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by Overground

Sorry, I think that should say suburban Vancouverites. Association football is played by more Canadians at the amateur level than any other sport as well. The interest is there, especially for immigrants. I think CFL will be on the decline in years to come in large urban centres, especially Van and TO.

As for how popular WFC will be in 5 years. Who knows, but the Caps were outdrawing Seattle before they went up to MLS and now Seattle sell 36k a game. We can hope that the Caps will do just as well. The attendance numbers between both cities were even similar back in the NASL days.

I think for the club to be successful in the long run it needs to control its own purpose built stadium with natural grass, which can attract better players leading to better success on the pitch, and more money in the coffers.

I think the Whitecaps definitely need to reconsider building their stadium elsewhere, or else their stadium may never be built. BC Place, even with all of it's renovations, may not be enough, to attract the fans after year 1. so that soccer specific stadium needs to get built asap. I heard it may be 2016 at the earliest, that is a long ways away. but i have faith that the 'caps will get it done. either way, i think because there is a lot of immigrants (particularly from hk, taiwan, mainland china and india), there may be more of an interest in soccer than there would be in north american football. i think the 'caps will be successful, assuming, of course they can win their shares of games in year 2. year 1 may be a bit more forgiving, but year 2 will not be, and i think, if the caps don't win consistently enough in year 3, then some fans may begin to lose interested and commitment. so they really need to build strong, and build quickly towards fielding a competitive team out there.

who knows? maybe christiano ronaldo will come to the 'caps haha. kidding, of course.

[SpikePhanta]

Guys the next generation (todays kids and teens) are more associated with Soccer.
Soccer is the most played sport among kids. I don't even know one kid from North of the fraser to play football.
The only kids and teens I know that play football are from Abby, Delta, Surrey.
A lot of kids are starting to play rugby too now.


Anyways, The whitecaps are opening a store in metrotown by Atmosphere and the washrooms where Telus used to be located.

[Zassk]

It certainly does seem that soccer is on the rise and football on the wane locally. The soccer leagues absolutely dwarf the football leagues. I would even say local basketball is much healthier than local football.

[nova9]

Originally Posted by Zassk

It certainly does seem that soccer is on the rise and football on the wane locally. The soccer leagues absolutely dwarf the football leagues. I would even say local basketball is much healthier than local football.

soccer and basketball can be played without much equipment and thus has been picked up in countries where the citizenry would never be able to afford all the equipment for american football.

and c'mon, who plays north american football outside north america? in europe, you have rugby and football to fulfill the entire niche.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Guys the next generation (todays kids and teens) are more associated with Soccer. Soccer is the most played sport among kids. I don't even know one kid from North of the fraser to play football. The only kids and teens I know that play football are from Abby, Delta, Surrey.

Neither do I.

And yet the Grey Cup is the most-watched television program in Canada. More than 6 million people watched last year's Grey Cup from start to finish and more than 14 million people (43% of the population) watched part of the game: http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/c...7--zelkovich-grey-cup-a-ratings-champion

Your problem is you are committing the logical fallacy of assuming that what we play as children is what we will spend our entertainment dollars on as adults. This is a grave mistake.

For instance, how many Vancouver kids do you personally know play ice hockey? Probably none. How many Vancouver elementary or secondary schools have ice hockey teams? Definitely none. Yet an ice hockey team is Vancouver's premiere professional sports franchise.

Soccer, by contrast, has always been one of the most widely played sports by kids in Vancouver. (It is not a new phenomenon, as you seem to think.) I grew up in the seventies and soccer was the main organized sport played during the fall. I and everyone I knew played soccer for our entire childhoods. Yet professional soccer (with a brief exception during the late seventies/early eighties) has largely failed to attract significant interest in Vancouver or North America.

What sports we play as children is mainly a function of what our parents find the least expensive to equip and the most physically beneficial. Soccer is that sport. But what we spend our entertainment dollars on as adults is purely a function of what we find entertaining to watch as adults. Unless it can evolve and improve itself (i.e., change certain rules to make the game more exciting and more palatable to North American sensibilities), soccer is not that sport for most people in North America.

That said, there is a market for professional soccer in Vancouver, and with the arrival of MLS, interest in professional soccer will increase even more. But it is wishful thinking to hope that the Whitecaps FC will ever overtake the B.C. Lions in popularity.

[Denscity]

They have 15000 season tickets sold already. and they're playing in a newly reno'd stadium, and the team is now in the highest league in n.a.

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Neither do I.

And yet the Grey Cup is the most-watched television program in Canada. More than 6 million people watched last year's Grey Cup from start to finish and more than 14 million people (43% of the population) watched part of the game: http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/c...7--zelkovich-grey-cup-a-ratings-champion

Your problem is you are committing the logical fallacy of assuming that what we play as children is what we will spend our entertainment dollars on as adults. This is a grave mistake.

For instance, how many Vancouver kids do you personally know play ice hockey? Probably none. How many Vancouver elementary or secondary schools have ice hockey teams? Definitely none. Yet an ice hockey team is Vancouver's premiere professional sports franchise.

Soccer, by contrast, has always been one of the most widely played sports by kids in Vancouver. (It is not a new phenomenon, as you seem to think.) I grew up in the seventies and soccer was the main organized sport played during the fall. I and everyone I knew played soccer for our entire childhoods. Yet professional soccer (with a brief exception during the late seventies/early eighties) has largely failed to attract significant interest in Vancouver or North America.

What sports we play as children is mainly a function of what our parents find the least expensive to equip and the most physically beneficial. Soccer is that sport. But what we spend our entertainment dollars on as adults is purely a function of what we find entertaining to watch as adults. Unless it can evolve and improve itself (i.e., change certain rules to make the game more exciting and more palatable to North American sensibilities), soccer is not that sport for most people in North America.

That said, there is a market for professional soccer in Vancouver, and with the arrival of MLS, interest in professional soccer will increase even more. But it is wishful thinking to hope that the Whitecaps FC will ever overtake the B.C. Lions in popularity.

You're right on.

By the logic of some people on here, swimming should be the most popular summer Olympic sport in Canada because we all took swimming lessons as kids.

In addition to what was said above, consider that there are more CFL teams in Canada than NHL, NBA, MLB combined! (If you don't count Ottawa it's tied) Personally I don't even like Canadian football all that much. However, myself and at least half the people I know watch the Grey Cup every year. There is no doubt many people watch foreign soccer like the World Cup. Hell, I work at Shaw so I know there are tons of people who have the GOL TV and Setanta channels. However, and this is critical, of all the people I know that watch those international soccer matches, none of them watch WFC games, or give a damn about them. I'm not anti-soccer, and I hope the Whitecaps succeed. I wouldn't mind seeing them build a stadium (as long as it's not at the proposed location). I'm just not interested in believing they will be the most popular team in the city when they never have been more than a niche interest before and I will be surprised if they can ever get large amounts of those fans of international soccer in the city to become their fans.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by red-paladin

You're right on.

By the logic of some people on here, swimming should be the most popular summer Olympic sport in Canada because we all took swimming lessons as kids.

In addition to what was said above, consider that there are more CFL teams in Canada than NHL, NBA, MLB combined! (If you don't count Ottawa it's tied) Personally I don't even like Canadian football all that much. However, myself and at least half the people I know watch the Grey Cup every year. There is no doubt many people watch foreign soccer like the World Cup. Hell, I work at Shaw so I know there are tons of people who have the GOL TV and Setanta channels. However, and this is critical, of all the people I know that watch those international soccer matches, none of them watch WFC games, or give a damn about them. I'm not anti-soccer, and I hope the Whitecaps succeed. I wouldn't mind seeing them build a stadium (as long as it's not at the proposed location). I'm just not interested in believing they will be the most popular team in the city when they never have been more than a niche interest before and I will be surprised if they can ever get large amounts of those fans of international soccer in the city to become their fans.

Yeah, of course the CFL has more (or tied) teams than the NHL, NBA, and MLB combined. It is, after all, the CANADIAN football league, no? There is ONE NBA team in Canada (the Raptors), and ONE MLB team in Canada (the Blue Jays), and SIX canadian NHL teams in Canada (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa). Most of the leagues you've listed - mainly the NHL, the NBA, and MLB, have teams based predominately in America, with one or two teams located outside of the USA. So...okay.

Personally, I've watched the Grey Cup once or twice before, but that's only because there's nothing else on. I support the CFL, but really, outside of Canada, nobody plays the Canadian version of football. Nobody outside of Canada really knows what the CFL is about. And absolutely zero people in Asia know anything about the CFL. If you ask the asians what the CFL is about, they'd think it's a canadian SOCCER league. lol.

Nobody was interested in Whitecaps FC soccer, I think mainly because they were in such a small league. Smaller than the CFL. But now that they've made their move to MLS, which has better marketing, and I suppose better branding too, I think people will jump on board, and get excited about the game of soccer. Plus, this is going to help Canadians get a crack at playing in north america's top tier soccer league. the better players both canada and the usa can develop, the better it is for the league (because it brews more competition, which is better generally, for the league, and the sport). The 'Caps do need to keep marketing their brand, and recruit more fans, particularly the asian community. I think the 'caps are going to be successful, maybe even more so than the Lions. I'm not saying that the 'Caps are going to be instant successes. Surely, many soccer fans, are fans of a lot of european clubs (manchester united, etc), but that doesn't mean that they won't, and can't root for their home team.

personally. i don't think the 'caps are going to be the most popular team in the city. the canucks have that title (even though they've lost 3 in a row, and the latest setback to the 'hawks in a 7-1 thrashing at home, on national television). but i think the 'caps will make a point in being second in the city in terms of popularity. we'll see, i suppose. but the lions better be looking over their shoulders, because the 'caps seem to have a vision, that the lions are lacking (unless they have a vision, that i'm unaware of).

[agrant]

The Whitecaps will be about as popular as they deserve to be. I think it really depends a lot on the level at which the sport is played. NHL has the best players in the world. People are smart enough to know that. MLS has players that would fit into 2nd and 3rd teir leagues of other countries. If Canada and the US developed players like Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka, Rooney..., and were able to retain this talent in MLS, no doubt it would be a hell of a lot more popular.

Originally Posted by Vancity

personally. i don't think the 'caps are going to be the most popular team in the city. the canucks have that title (even though they've lost 3 in a row, and the latest setback to the 'hawks in a 7-1 thrashing at home, on national television). but i think the 'caps will make a point in being second in the city in terms of popularity. we'll see, i suppose. but the lions better be looking over their shoulders, because the 'caps seem to have a vision, that the lions are lacking (unless they have a vision, that i'm unaware of).

This brings up a good point - Unfortunately a lot of so called sports fans only start watching when the team is winning.

[golog]

At the price points of the Lions and Whitecaps, I think Vancouver is big enough for both of them.

Plus their seasons don't entirely overlap. Then the CFL will have one dimension of the Grey Cup and connections to the NFL. While the MLS will have feature some friendlies with international teams and connections to Europe.

They're different experiences, but both will be fun to watch when the crowd gets into the games. Arguing which is better or more popular is fruitless in my estimation. A bigger TV contract or supersized sponsorship deals should have no bearing on what is more popular, but they do. Ticket sales, and by extension fans, don't have the final say. So just enjoy what you do like and don't worry about everyone else.