Hello readers and welcome back to another episode of my brand new Football Manager Story set on the beautiful west coast of Canada in British Columbia.
Canadian Championship: Semi Final 2nd leg
We started off May with the visit of Edmonton for the second leg of this semi-final having lost the first by a single goal. The first half was a sloppy performance and it very much looked like we were going to lose. We finally broke down Edmonton with a goal by midfielder Davies who finished of a spirited run by Edinho. Just as a shoot-out was looming, draft signing Devon McTavish headed in the winner from a corner to send us into the final.
Next up was a trip to the Great Lakes region to take on Chicago who took the lead after we failed to clear a corner, giving up a really soft goal. We bounced back immediately, catching out Chicago with a counter attacking move down the left flank that was finished off with a bullet header from Hassli. The Frenchman would put us ahead early in the second half with a poacher’s effort inside the six yard box which we added to just 5 minutes later with a stunning run and finish by Nizar Khaflan who had just arrived from the reserves. A defence splitting pass allowed Chicago a late consolation goal but the damage had been done by then.
Following the excitement of the Chicago game came two less memorable ones as it took a single own goal to beat San Jose at home and then we lost by the same score away to New England.
Canadian Championship Final 1st Leg
Next up we were off to BMO Field in Toronto for the first leg in the CC Final in front of a boisterous crowd of 20,000.The first 45 went much the same way as our previous game until early in the second half a harmless looking cross by LB Harvey was met by the head of Eric Hassli and it was 1-0! We were unable to build on that lead and sure enough it was Harvey’s slip in defence that led to Toronto pulling one back 6 minutes from time.
Canadian Championship Final 2nd Leg
With no weekend MLS game it was Toronto again in the second leg at BC Place and a full house saw us take the lead on the half hour with a screamer of a shot from Jay DeMerit of all people completely out of nowhere. We had switched to a 4-4-2 formation which seemed to throw off Toronto’s game plan. We double the lead in the 68th minute as a precision pass by Endinho found striker Hassli in space and his shot flew past Stefan Frie and that was the game.
We had won the Canadian Championship (such as it is) which meant we had qualified for the North American Champions League!
Our time spent in the Canadian Championship meant some changes had happened in the standings and those extra games we had played finally caught up with us and Seattle had establish a massive lead over the rest of us.
It was at BC Place where we returned to MLS action with the visit of New York and Thiery Henry. It was the Frenchman who scored the opening goal with a typical run and cut inside followed by a powerful finish that easily beat Joe Cannon between the sticks. Trailing 1-0 at the half we came out more determined and eventually found a goal through the head of Eric Hassli to earn a point
June 2011
A three game road trip started with a very tidy 2-0 win at Chivas USA but by the time we rolled into Salt Lake City we could barely field a team thanks to international call ups and injuries and to lose by just two goals was very luck indeed considering the players available.
The final leg of our trip finished up at Century Link Field in Seattle who were by far the best team in the Conference and overall in the MLS. Seattle unsurprisingly put us under pressure early in the first half but with a full strength first eleven now available we coped with their attacks. Then, out of nowhere a free kick, a header and a goal as Alain Rochat puts us in the lead just after the half hour. Two minutes later and it’s Hassli who makes it 2-0 with a header of his own and we hold onto that lead until the break. Three minutes into the second half and midfielder Jarju unleashes a stunning curling shot from 20 yards out that sails past Casey Keller and into the back of the net, 3-0. Endinho then takes over the show producing a brilliant second half performance that sees him set up two further goals for Eric Hassli late in the game to complete his hat-trick and a simply stunning 5-0 win.
After such a great win I thought it may be a good time to go to the board with a couple of requests and sure enough both were granted. The first was to increase our coaching staff and the second to find a parent club in hopes that they may select a European club.
Expectations were high amongst the home fans as we faced Philadelphia at BC Place but we were in for a big let down. 62% possession in the first half failed to produce a goal and the second period proved no better with Philly snatching a late win off a free kick with just minutes remaining.
Arriving in Kansas City we soon found ourselves in big trouble conceding two goals in just 30 minutes an once again it was a defender, Alain Rochat that pulled us back into the game with a headed in corner shortly after going two down. A half time talk did wonders as both my Brazilians linked with Arthuro providing the finish to make it 2-2 minutes after the restart. That score would remain unchanged securing a useful away point.
Forty –eight hours prior to Canada Day (July 1st) we took on Toronto once more at BMO Field and a midfield battle would be decided on virtually the last kick or head of the game as Jay DeMerit glanced in an Endinho corner to snatch a very late victory totally demoralizing the home fans
Results Summary:
Standings: Western Conference
Although Seattle look like champions already we are in the hunt still for a play off spot though Colorado and Salt Lake are right behind us.
Standings: Eastern Conference
Super Sevens:
Defenders again dominate this catergory and below are the profiles of Alain Rochat and Eric Hassli who have featured consistently in this report
Fixtures
We have two massive games coming up against Colorado and Salt Lake before taking on Los Angeles for the first time this season
Well that’s it for this up so thanks very much for taking the time to read it and I look forward to your comments.
Johnny Karp
15 февраля, 2012 at 09:53
Congrats on winning the Canadian Championship Kevin, you must be proud of that achievement! The play-off battle will be fierce from what I can see but your team is very good (that win against Seattle proves it). Good luck!
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 14:26
Johnny:
Thanks a lot though the CC was hardly a major tournament though had no idea that it would lead to the Champions League. Getting to the play off will surely be a hard fight though I did enjoy that win over Seattle
Bhargav
15 февраля, 2012 at 10:25
Great job on your first trophy! It looks like life will good for the Whitecaps! Not too surprising that Seattle is doing so well considering they are easily the most passionate MLS team (thanks in part to Actor Drew Carey) but I am sure under your guidance the Whitecaps will dethrone them in a season or two. Best of luck for the season closing!
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 15:10
Bhargav:
I didn’t expect to win a trophy so soon :) Yeah I know all about Drew Carey and as you say I’d like to topple his reign in the next season or two.
Frank
15 февраля, 2012 at 10:53
Hi Kevin,
Congratulations on your first trophy, I can’t believe how easy it is for you to qualify for the Champions League. Even though Seattle are running away with it, your 5-0 win against them shows they are beatable. Good luck for the rest of the season!
Also, a new post is up about my team
thefootballmanagergaffer.blogspot.com
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 15:11
Frank:
I wasn’t expecting anything out of winning the Canadian Championship so it was quite a shock. Hoepfully we can build on that Seattle win to solidify our play off spot.
Sears
15 февраля, 2012 at 16:32
Well done on winning the Canadian Championship Kevin, wonderful achievement!! Your doing extremely well in the MLS too, KIU!!
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 19:36
Sears:
Not a bad start eh? Looking forward to seeing who we will get in the NACL
vaibhavc
15 февраля, 2012 at 16:56
Congratulations on your first trophy for Vancouver, it shows that you are the best Canadian team! You are doing well in the MLS, I hope you can maintain that playoff position.
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 19:53
Hey vaibhavc
Thanks very much — quite a nice feeling being the best. I think the play offs could be a struggle.
Ivo
15 февраля, 2012 at 17:41
hey kevin another great preformance :D . its a surprise seattle are doing so well. but 5-0 … wow great,man… its great you got your parent club permission accepted… some great young players or quality old players can come to you :D ..
good luck in the rest of the season :) Ivo
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 19:55
Hello Ivo
I was very surprised how well we did agaisnt Seattle. I’m hoping that the whole parent club thing will pay off nicely in some decent loan signings..
saltwater
15 февраля, 2012 at 17:58
Fantastic trophy win, and it could be an interesting fight for the play-offs. Inconsistensy seems to be the only problem but I’m sure the 5-0 win at Seattle could be season-defining.
Also, could you clear something up for me: How are Vancouver going to play Real Salt twice before playing Los Angeles once? Or is that just how America works?
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 20:03
Hi saltwater
We are quite inconsistent, somewhat like my Plymouth team. i’m still tweaking this tacitc which plays good free flowing football but sometimes is bad in front of goal
As for the schedule, it’s just how things work over here in it’s own confusing way. I do play LA in the final quarter of the season which is not shown in the upcoming fixtures.
Darren Smith
15 февраля, 2012 at 18:31
Well it didn’t take you long to win a competition and while it isn’t the biggest it must mean something with you living in Canada and all. You’re still doing very well in the league and those couple of games next month will be vital and most probably decide whether you reach the play-offs, so fingers crossed.
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 20:06
Hi Darren
It’s a very nice feeling to be in pole position in Canada but was quite shocked to see we had qualified for the NACL. There are a couple of critical games coming up which I hope we can achieve maximum points.
TheZiggy
15 февраля, 2012 at 19:27
Great to win your first trophy, and find that it gives you entry to NACL. I shouldn’t worry if the CC isn’t seen as the most high profile trophy, but what you’ve gained from it, means it’s worth a lot.
These results, still mean you’re in the fight for the play-off places. If you can just find a little bit more consistency, then you will have a chance to stay right in there. The win over Seattle is very sweet. It’s always nice to give someone a good thrashing. ;)
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 20:08
Hi Ziggy
Can’t wait to see who we get in the NACL now that i’m over the shock of being part of it. The Seattle win had me out of my chair (wife thought I was totaly nuts) though there’s still some tough battle’s ahead.
Ana Garcia
15 февраля, 2012 at 19:35
Well done on getting into the NACL!
You team looks like its performing really well and to be in the race for the playoffs is where you want to be.
Hopefully you can secure a playoff place then have some better luck than me and actually win them! :)
Anyways the best of luck.
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 20:11
Thanks Ana!!
It’s going to get tougher as the season goes on. Hopefully I can do some trading when the transfer window opens up as I may need to strenghten to play those Mexican teams and push for the play offs.
Woody
15 февраля, 2012 at 19:48
A great trophy win in your first season well done kevin mate and also qualification to the champions league looking alrIght in the league hopefully you’ll get a playoff spot
Anyway well done and good luck
Kevin
15 февраля, 2012 at 20:15
Cheers Woody!!
It was a very nice feeling to become Canadian Champions and hopefully we can round out the season with a play of spot at least.
Martin - F.M.J.S
15 февраля, 2012 at 20:47
Congrats on the Cup win mate and it looks like it is going to be an exciting end to the season with the battle for 2nd and 3rd spot but I am sure you can pull it off. Good luck :)
Kevin
16 февраля, 2012 at 00:01
Hey Martin
Thanks a lot and I hope we can keep competitive until the end!
bigbaz
17 февраля, 2012 at 00:39
loving this story, im seeing how u get on to whether il start an MLS adventure
Kevin
17 февраля, 2012 at 10:01
Hey bigbaz
Glad you like it so far and i hope I can keep you entertained!
CsAtlantis
17 февраля, 2012 at 01:22
Hassli is a good player, he scored a wonder goal against Seattle in real life with his feet, but he is pretty good in the air too, you look on course for a playoff spot, and congratulations on qualifying for the Champions League
Kevin
17 февраля, 2012 at 10:02
Hi CsAtlantis
Hassli is a very good all round forward but creeping up in age. I’m a bit concerned with the play-offs as other teams have a few games in hand.