Hello readers and welcome back to the final report in my second season with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Last time we had seen Vancouver showing some signs of improvement but would it be enough to defend our MLS title and move on from Group A in the North America Champions League? Let’s find out…..
September 2012
The new month started off with a surprising job offer from the Columbus Crew but as I was already coaching the current champions so it didn’t seem like a necessary move.
Our opening game saw a productive trip across the border as a powerful header from DeMerit and a cracking strike from outside the box by Jarju gave us all three points. The win was significant as we moved up into second place in the standings leap-frogging Seattle.
Next up we were at home to Chicago which was a game that was bogged down in midfield and ended in an inevitable 0-0 draw.
Champions League: Match Day 3
We stayed at home for the visit of Los Angeles in a critical Group A NACL game. A Beckham free kick set up an early goal for LA which we responed to in the 7th minute with skipper Alain Rochat heading in from a corner. A break down the left flank by Russ Tiebert ended with a wicked cross ball into the box for fellow winger Erik Midtgarden to side foot into the net for the go ahead goal. Just on the half hour Jarju intercepted a pass in midfield stormed forward into the box and then intelligently squared the ball to Steve Kramer to make it 3-1. Into the second half and two disallowed goals for offside would have made it 5-1 but then LA staged a come back with two goals of their own making it 3-3 with 8 minutes left but just as the referee was about to blow for fulltime Edhino slipped the ball into the box for Kramer to strike home the winning goal to end a thrilling match.
It was south to Texas for our next game against the best the in the league the Houston Dynamo where we came away with a valuable three points thanks to another goal by Steve Kramer who has suddenly hit form and substitute Eric Hassli who took all of one minute to score after returning from a long term injury.
Back at BC Place we were once again in NACL action and a simply brilliant first half performance by centre back Yamith Cuesta, who bagged a first half hat-trick, was the highlight of a stunning 5-0 win. With 70% possession the Panamanians were never in the game and didn’t even manage a single shot on goal. Shea Salinas got himself a goal in each half to put us in a great position for moving forward.
In August we had crushed DC United 5-0 but they were far more competitive in Washington and in the opening 30 we had come from behind twice to keep pace with them. By half time we had taken the lead as Edinho converted from the spot and that would be enough to secure the win.
October 2012
Champions League: Match Day 5
We were off to Mexico and I really didn’t give our side much of a chance but a pulsating opening 15 minutes was capped by a goal from De Merit who headed in off a free kick to give us the early lead. Darlington Nagbe created all kinds of trouble for the Tecos defence and was unlucky not to get himself a goal so by the interval we held onto a slender lead. Early in the second half we gave a way a penalty as Tecos tied things up but Tiebert put us back in front with a cracking shot into the roof of the net from 20 yards out. We then played silly buggers with the ball, gave it away and Tecos equalized once more. With the clock running down Edhino broke free with the ball from midfield played a defence splitting pass to Nagbe, who instead of shooting squared the ball to the on rushing Tiebert and it was 3-2!!!! We held on for the remaining few minutes for a memorable victory
That win put us top of Group A with one game to play.
Topping the group led to a second job offer this time from New York which I turned down also.
Although our trip to Mexico was rewarding in terms of the victory it proved costly in terms of fitness as we struggled at home three days later where we lost to New England by a score of 2-1.
Due to internationals we now had a thirteen day break though that would set up us for an horrific four games in seven days that could ruin our entire end to the season.
A play-off spot was now pretty much assured; the next step would be to avoid having to play a preliminary round and go straight to the conference semi-finals.
Play-Off Table
My hopes of becoming Canadian national coach anytime soon took a set back as Canada knocked out the USA in qualifying and made it through to the final six teams. The top three from this final qualification group will go to the 2014 World Cup.
Away to Salt Lake we suffered a heavy defeat as the Real forwards ran circles around our defence. In Colorado we had the ball in the back of the net five times but only two counted as we came from behind with just 10 men to secure a point and keep our play-off hopes alive.
Champions League: Match Day 6
The Home Depot Centre in Carson, California provided the venue for our final group game as we took on the LA Galaxy. Beckham and his buddies needed a win and we just required a draw to go through to the next round. LA went straight for the jugular in an effort to kill us off early but we held firm until the 42nd minute when Robbie Keane turned the ball in from a corner. Things got worse after the interval as we were reduced to 10 men with the sending off of anchor man Tyler Hemming. With fewer players on the field we dug in looking for the break on the counter which paid off as right winger Salinas scored the equalizer with 17 minutes left. LA switched to a 4-2-4 in desperation for the win but got caught out once more by Salinas who this time slipped the ball past the LA defence into the path of Russ Tiebert who scored the go ahead goal. Amazingly we held on until the final whistle for a memorable victory and more importantly had won the group!
Group A: Final Standings
We had one game remaining in the regular MLS season with play-off spots still up for grabs as we took on Toronto at BC Place…
We ended up playing one of our worst games of the season to disappoint the home fans on top of which defender Alain Rochat picked up an injury and will be out for three weeks. Despite the loss we made it through to the play-offs but only just.
Final Standings: Western Conference
November 2012
MLS PLAY-OFFS
Western Conference: Semi Final 1st Leg
We kicked off the play-offs at BC Place taking on Chivas USA. In a tight encounter both sides were finding it difficult in front of goal but we made the breakthrough close to half time with Columbian defender Yamith Cuesta heading us into the lead. We doubled that midway into the second half with Hassli finishing off a blistering run and cross ball from Russ Tiebert to give us a slight advantage going into the second leg.
After that victory I received yet another job offer this time from Dutch side Feynoord which took a little more time to think about before refusing.
Western Conference: Semi Final 2nd Leg
We fell behind after just two minutes from a penalty kick that quickly brought Chivas back into this semi-final though we restored our two goal lead on the half hour with striker Darlington Nagbe providing the honors. Chivas were reduced to 10 men minutes later but that only seemed to make them play better producing a second goal in the 64th minute. However in the dying seconds of the game substitute Steve Kramer tied up the game and ensured our passage through to the final where we will meet Los Angeles again!
In the East it’s DC United v Toronto so it could be an all Canadian MLS Cup Final!
MLS: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
We were back in Los Angeles once more as the Galaxy had home field advantage due to their better regular season record. We got off to a terrific start as Nagbe’s through ball ended in a shot by Mitgarden which was pushed away by the LA keeper into the path Nagbe who fired it home to make it 1-0. Fourteen minutes gone. Up stepped David Beckham and set up play after play for the Galaxy who laid siege to our goal until half time but couldn’t break through. As we’d only beaten Chivas two days earlier the whole team was exhausted which contributed to the 72nd minute equalizer and subsequent sending off of Eric Mitdgarden. We somehow held on and the game went to extra time. Battle Los Angeles continued into the second period of extra time with the score still at 1-1 until Nagbe broke free of the LA defence and was brought down in the box by the chasing defender and Philippe Davies returning from injury converted from the spot, 2-1.
A curling free kick by Beckham rattled our crossbar a minute later and as we cleared the danger Los Angeles were slow to react and Nagbe was off again sprinting down field until he spotted Russ Tiebert who he squared the ball to and GOALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!
Against all odds, a brutal schedule, down to 10 men we had beaten Los Angeles once more and had made it through to the MLS Cup final for a second straight season.
**Authors Note
To be honest my writing hasn’t given this game justice as the whole match was just exhilarating to watch and is without doubt the most dramatic of games I’ve played either in Championship or Football Manager over the last several years. It’s at times like this, and they are rare, makes getting up early each morning playing the game and writing about it all worthwhile.
2012 MLS FINAL
A capacity crowd was on hand in Portland as we took on DC United in the MLS Final who had knocked out Toronto in the Eastern Conference Final. With a layoff of two weeks since our last game we were fully fit and raring to go especially Darlington Nagbe who kept the DC keeper constantly busy throughout the first half and was finally rewarded for his efforts , scoring with a sweeping first time shot into the net from an Edhino cross ball. The second half proved to be an anti-climax until the 92nd minute when a sudden lapse in concentration and it was 1-1. It was déjà vu all over again. Edhino hit the bar within the first minute of extra time and was followed by Tardelly (coming on for Nagbe) missing an open goal. DC were playing for the shoot-out, brought everyone back for the next 25 minutes and so the MLS Final went to penalties. I couldn’t stand to watch this so I went down the tunnel ( actually into my basement) where I heard three roars from the crowd and three “oh ah’s” The game was over and….we had won with Salinas, Tardelly and Tiebert all scoring from the spot. For the second season in a row we were MLS Champions!!!
Immediately following the game it was announced I had been inducted into the US Soccer Federations Hall of Fame
Squad Ratings:
Central defender Yamith Cuesta tops the charts as the overall best player, though encouragingly Darlington Nagbe is showing some great promise for just 12 appearances. Wingers Tiebert and Salinas were the top scorers though I would like to see a striker doing better next season.
So there we have it, another season has come to a close and in dramatic fashion to. Although we’ve won the MLS Cup two times in a row and have the Quarter –Finals of the NACL to look forward to there will be some squad changes before next season. Skipper Jay Demerit did not re-sign and will be leaving on a free for Aberdeen shortly. Striker Eric Hassli will most likely return to France and we need to take a hard look at both full back positions.
Thanks very much for reading this update and for following along throughout the season.
Johnny Karp
19 марта, 2012 at 10:16
Brilliant update Kevin, it was a great read! Congratulations on the second consecutive MLS title and also for winning the NACL group, finishing ahead of the Mexican team is a very good sign of strength.
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 10:22
Thanks Johnny
Glad that you enjoyed it. I was at the PC for hours, I was so rivited by what was unfolding in the game I just couldn’t stop :) I think that this was my most enjoyable season ever!
TheZiggy
19 марта, 2012 at 11:26
Congratulations on winning the MLS title for a second time. When it comes to the big match your players really do seem to step up to the challenge. Beating the Mexican team at their own ground was excellent, and you really do seem to have a hold over the Galaxy at this moment.
At times it does get almost too painful to watch, especially when it comes to a penalty shoot-out. I remember a few years back I was playing a match where the team two goals down with 10 minutes left and playing rubbish. I was too annoyed to sit and watch it, and when I came back I’d missed us scoring 3 goals to win it out of nowhere.
Hopefully you can find good replacements for the lads who are leaving.
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 11:32
Thanks Ziggy
We really do seem to step up for the big occasion and especially against LA!!
I was just too nervous to watch that shoot out, kinda silly really but there you go. Already working on that short list of replacements :)
Darren Smith
19 марта, 2012 at 11:57
Wow outstanding stuff mate, to win the MLS Cup again was fantastic especially considering your early form where I wasn’t sure if you’d make the play-offs. The NACL performances have been something special too so hopefully you can really cause a shock there! Good luck mate, even if Canada qualify for the World Cup they should sack the manager and bring you in.
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 12:17
Hey Darren
Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope Canada don’t qualify….just kidding :)
It was great to win the MLS again as by the end of August I didn’t think we’d stand a chance and the NACL was nothing short of miraculous — quite a shock.
Tegar Triemanudigdo
19 марта, 2012 at 14:16
Oh yeah! That was really amazing job there! I knew that your team will prevail and won the MLS title! It was a bit rocky there, but I’m glad that your team managed to do it.
And I can’t wait for your adventure in NACL. Hopefully it will be better than last time.
Kevin Mayo
19 марта, 2012 at 15:20
Hi Tegar
I was surprised that we pulled this off to be honest and I’m hoping we can do better this time in the NACL.
Bence Répási
19 марта, 2012 at 14:31
Congratulations Kevin!
I have to say, i was not convicted that your side can defend the MLS, but the team surprised me!
I hope your road in the NACL will be at least so successful as in the other competitions.
Good luck!
Kevin Mayo
19 марта, 2012 at 15:23
Thanks Bence!
I wasn’t convinced either as September started but we stepped up and pulled off a remarkable achievement.. I’m looking to do better to in the NACL.
nielsneutron
19 марта, 2012 at 14:40
Too bad about the great progress of the Canadian team.
Great success in the MLS and with a slot in the Hall of Fame Canada must consider you a very potent candidate for the national team when/if the manager is sacked.
Kevin Mayo
19 марта, 2012 at 15:25
Hi nielsneutron
Yeah, that pesky national coach did an amazing job :( As you say maybe the Hall of Fame will help my future candidacy!
Stromson
19 марта, 2012 at 15:54
Geebus, I need a beer after all of that. Outstanding season Kevin, and congratulations on winning a second MLS title in back-to-back seasons! I’ll give you more in depth thoughts in the usual place. :)
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 20:33
Thanks Stromo…
Just read your extended version :)
Laxeyman
19 марта, 2012 at 16:12
Great season Kevin, congrats! Well done on the MLS win, it was certainly tense and tight, but your lads pulled through :) Going great in the NACL too, hopefully you can go all the way! Good luck!
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 20:37
Hi Laxeyman
It was a tense but brilliant end to the season. Unfortunately the NACL starts again in the middle of pre-season!
sammy
19 марта, 2012 at 16:30
congrats kevin on another fantastic season. I hope in the following year or so you can get the canada job, bad luck they qualified to the 2014 wc. good luck!
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 20:38
Hi sammy
I was seeing that Canada was doing pretty goos so that’s bad for my aspirations, maybe I’ll go to another country first?
Bhargav
19 марта, 2012 at 17:09
One more MLS Cup and you’ll be tied for the most! I think you can definitely do it!
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 20:39
Really? thats good to know Bhatgav, and something to aim for :)
saltwater
19 марта, 2012 at 17:28
I didn’t think any post could top the end to your first season with Plymouth but I have to say this one was fantastic to read. Unbelieveable achievement after the lack-lustre way your team started the season and having won the Cascanadia Cup (or something) you could go on and do the treble!
I couldn’t imagine being in your position as I’ve never experianced such a tense and important penalty shoot out (the closest would probably be a Johnson Paint trophy first round tie, but personally I wanted to go out) and also I get what you mean with the really exhilarating matches on FM that makes getting out of bed on Monday mornings worth it.
Finally, the only negative side of winning the MLS is perhaps that you get draft thingy last and you need replacements for star players like Hassli and Jay Mcdermit.
Thanks for reading.
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 20:45
Hey saltwater
Wow! many thanks for an extended comment.The first season at Plymouth was exhilirating though I’m happy you enjoyed this update equally as well. It’s amazing how a game can capture your imagination and sleep as well :) you are right about the draft, we will miss out on some of the better young talent though I’m going to try and trade my way into some higher 1st round pick.
Tyler
19 марта, 2012 at 18:00
Just out of curiosity, how is New York’s salary cap budget so high? Isn’t the salary cap at ~35k? I’m in the middle of an MLS game right now, and I’ve noticed it a couple of times. Just thought I’d see if you knew what was going on.
Kudos on the Cup! Looks like you found your form at the right time.
Tyler
19 марта, 2012 at 19:55
Sorry, I meant 35k in pounds. Still, 200k+ is ridiculous.
Kevin
19 марта, 2012 at 20:48
Hey Tyler
I’ve researched this but can find a definitive answer. I thought every team had at least the same amount though apparently not. We are about the 14th lowest with New York and Houston at the top. Maybe the MLS will raise my cap seeming I’ve won the darn Cup twice now :)
Tyler
20 марта, 2012 at 05:35
The only thing I can think of is that they sold some players for a ton of money, and then adjusted their budgets accordingly. I know that you get allocation at the end of the year based on stuff like that. I just thought the salary cap stayed the same for each team.
David Faithfull
19 марта, 2012 at 21:08
Hi Kevin glad to see DeMerit get on the score sheet but bad to hear him leaving the Whitecaps :(. Congratulations though on another MLS Cup win and what a turn around in the NACL!!! Can’t wait to see how you get on there and if you get a mexican team again hopefully you can beat them this time!!
Kevin
20 марта, 2012 at 07:39
Thanks David
It’s really hard to guage the Mexican opposition as I’m not familiar with them but hopefully we will do better than last season. It’s too bad DeMerit is leabing as he’s rock solid.
CsAtlantis
20 марта, 2012 at 01:51
Wow first in the NACL group and winning the MLS Cup again, well done Kevin
You have some big players that need to be replaced, hopefully you get the money to sign players, can you post Nagbe’s profile? As a 2nd overall draft pick I think he should have good potential
Kevin
20 марта, 2012 at 07:42
Hi CsAtlantis
Apologies, I should have put Nagbe up — I’ll do that in the next post. Was really surprised that we won the group, it was quite the comeback after such a shakey start.
Martin F.M.J.S
20 марта, 2012 at 08:43
Well done Kevin that is a great end to a season that was not looking promising at the start of the season and to come back in the NACL group is just brilliant. Great job
Kevin
20 марта, 2012 at 23:44
Thanks Martin
Yes, it was a dreadful start but we came through in the end and that’s all that matters :)
Celticbhoy
20 марта, 2012 at 17:00
Nice job winning back-to-back MLS Cups! Im sure you’ll continue your success in the NACL next year as well! Little bit of a side note, I actually know Bryce Alderson! We played together in Waterloo before moved to be to play for the whitecaps youth development.
Kevin
20 марта, 2012 at 23:48
Hi Celticbhoy
Thanks a lot mate. That’s brilliant you knowing one of the players in real life. I may just sign him up permanently so we both see how he develops :) Do you live in Ontario as you mentioned Waterloo?
Celticbhoy
21 марта, 2012 at 00:10
Yeah still in good ol’ Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Kevin
21 марта, 2012 at 09:21
Nice, I’m in Scarborough.
Sears
20 марта, 2012 at 21:00
Awesome season, awesome update, awesome all round :D
Congrats on the MLS Cup win, best of luck in the NACL too ;)
Kevin
20 марта, 2012 at 23:45
Hi Sears
Thanks for that awesome comment…LOL!
Ana Garcia
22 марта, 2012 at 19:04
Sorry for the late post. :)
Amazing season! Am glad that reading my stories hasn’t affected you in terms of losing playoff games!
I thought your NACL group looked quite tricky but you had no real problems finishing top.
Canada were always a tricky side when I played against them with the USA so am not too surprised that they are doing ok, am sure that job will become available soon.
Good luck!! :)
Kevin
22 марта, 2012 at 23:15
Thanks Ana
Vancouver definitely seem to be a play off team :) I was ver surprised how well we recovered in the NACL.