AFTN’s Vancouver Whitecaps End Of Season Awards – 2017
Another year is nearly over, so that means it’s time for us to look back at Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2017 season.
It was a year of ups and downs, highs and lows, and ultimately disappointment. But then again, which MLS season hasn’t been like that for the ‘Caps?!
Starting off with a nice trip to the UK (well nice for me as I got to go back home and see family, friends, and football!), transferring into an exciting CONCACAF Champions League run, a poor showing in the Canadian Championship, topping the Western Conference after a shaky start, before blowing it and crashing out of the playoffs with a whimper. That was 2017.
All that’s in the history books now, so let’s look back at the best and the worst, the highs and the lows, and the joys and frustrations from Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2017 season. We’ve a lot of awards to dish out!
Don’t agree with some (or all) of our choices? Great! Let us know who would have got your votes in the comments below.
And catch up with our choices from previous years:
2011 awards / 2012 awards / 2013 awards / 2014 awards / 2015 awards / 2016 awards (Part One) / 2016 awards (Part Two)
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AFTN WHITECAPS PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: KENDALL WASTON – What a season, both domestically and internationally, for the big man. It was certainly a season redemption for the Costa Rican in MLS. After a year to pretty much forget in 2016, which saw Waston pick up three red cards and garner a reputation that’s hard to shake after some questionable decisions from him, the centre back bounced back in some style this season and become the vital solid rock we hoped he would be when he earned his contract extension. He literally was the centre piece of the ‘Caps defence. Formidable in the air in both boxes, he formed one of the best partnerships in the league with Tim Parker and produced his best ever MLS season in terms of output, scoring five goals and adding two assists. The composure and sensibility that seemed to desert him in 2016 returned in bounds, aided by wearing the captain’s armband. That added responsibility seemed to take Waston’s game to new levels and he was a true leader of the team and a vast improvement on the departed Pedro Morales. How long he will remain a Whitecap remains to be seen. He can certainly play at a higher level, but as he turns 30, that may wrongly limit his appeal in some quarters. A strong showing at the World Cup and it’s hard to see Waston remaining in Vancouver colours past the summer.
Runner-up: Fredy Montero – Certainly the most surprising signing of the season, but what a return to MLS from the Colombian. The striker produced his best ever return in the league with 14 goals, including his first ever playoff strike and did what it said on the tin. You were left with this lingering feeling though of what could have been if he had had more help in the box and wasn’t left so isolated for much of the year due to Robbo’s tactics. It would have been great to have him back, but that ship looks to have sailed. Still don’t have our Fredy fcukin’ Montero t-shirts ordered. Bit late now!
2016 winner: Christian Bolanos
2015 winner: David Ousted
2014 winner: Pedro Morales
2013 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo
2012 winner: Joe Cannon
2011 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo
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AFTN WHITECAPS 2 PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: DAVID NORMAN JR – We only started this award last year, not thinking that it would be null and void by the end of year two! The second and final recipient of it, however, is fully deserving. Norman had a stellar first season as a pro after leaving Oregon State to pursue a career in the game. The 19-year-old took a couple of weeks to find his feet in the higher level, but once he did, he never looked back. A rare shining light during a season of struggles in USL for WFC2, Norman stood out, making 26 appearances, grabbing his first pro goal, and showing the tackling bite and set piece delivery we’ve seen from him for years in the Residency. The reward was a well-deserved MLS deal and now the hard work really starts. He’s certainly got all the attributes to make a name for himself now with the first team if afforded the opportunity to do so.
2016 winner: Kyle Greig
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AFTN WHITECAPS YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: JAKE NERWINSKI – The Whitecaps’ draft picks over the years have been decidedly patchy, but if Tim Parker and Jake Nerwinski are signs of what kind of defensive players you can get there, then maybe it’s not quite the write off we feel it to be. If you get a high enough pick. Selected 7th overall in this year’s SuperDraft, Nerwinski looked the part from preseason. When drafted, Robbo said he felt he was ready to be a starter and the UConn standout showed that quickly, playing in the Champions League run. After trading time with Sheanon Williams for the early part of the season, the latter’s troubles gave Nerwinski the chance to make the right back spot his own and he grabbed that brass ring with both hands. He’s now the ‘Caps starter. The attacking side to Nerwinski’s game was a joy to watch this year, and his five assists on the season show what a dangerous asset he is to the ‘Caps attack. He tracks back well, but does need to improve some of the defensive side to his game. He was given a torrid time in Seattle during the playoffs right before his injury, but that will come. The fact that he was even mentioned in terms of a US national team call-up shows what a fantastic rookie season the right back had, and we look forward to seeing how he builds on that next year.
2016 winner: Brett Levis
2015 winner: Tim Parker
2014 winner: Matias Laba
2013 winner: Kekuta Manneh
2012 winner: Caleb Clarke
2011 winner: Caleb Clarke
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AFTN WHITECAPS RESIDENCY PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: JOSE HERNANDEZ – Hernandez was excellent and pivotal in the U16s run to the USSDA Final Four last season, hitting 24 goals from 32 appearances in his first season with the Residency. He also represented Canada at the 2017 U17 CONCACAF Championship. Moving up to the U19s this season in September, he’s continued to find goals, scoring four in his 11 appearances (six of them starts). With players like Theo Bair leading the attack in his final season with the Residency, starts haven’t been as frequent for Hernandez, but he is a real talent, with a natural nose for goal, and we look forward to seeing his development continue with the ‘Caps during 2018 and hopefully 2019, unless he chooses to go to college at the first chance.
2016 winner: Alan Camacho
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WHITECAPS GOAL OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: CRISTIAN TECHERA v SPORTING KC (20/05/17 – 2-0 home win) – There’s a few categories with no decisive winner this year and Goal of the Year certainly had a whole host of different nominees from our team when we discussed it on Episode 230 of the AFTN Soccer Show. Cristian Techera hit a number of stunning free kicks, Andrew Jacobson’s long range strike was a beauty, and I was originally going for Nicolas Mezquida’s bicycle kick against Dallas, but watching it back, the keeper should have done better.
I had the casting vote, so after some deliberation and rewatching the season’s goals, I’ve plumped for Cristian Techera’s opener against Sporting KC in May’s 2-0 win. It’s a great team goal with a number of nice components – Sheanon Williams’ pinpoint half volley to Christian Bolanos at the back of the box, Bola’s delightful chest down into the path of Techera, and the Bug’s sweep strike to fire home. A delight to watch, that looks great every time you see it, but I do feel this may be a contentious award this season!
Qué pedazo de gol del uruguayo Cristian Techera, quien define con una espectacular volea de media vuelta #VANvSKC 1-0 pic.twitter.com/xnbj7mvEuG
— Fútbol MLS (@futbolMLS) May 20, 2017
2016 winner: Blas Perez v Chicago (11/05/16)
2015 winner: Gershon Koffie v RSL (30/5/15)
2014 winner: Erik Hurtado v Seattle (24/5/14)
2013 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo v Portland (6/10/13)
2012 winner: Darren Mattocks v Toronto (11/7/12)
2011 winner: Eric Hassli v Seattle (11/6/11)
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WHITECAPS GAME OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: 3-2 HOME WIN v NYCFC (05/07/17) – There were a couple of games we considered. The 5-0 playoff win against San Jose was certainly a close second, and the 4-0 triumph in Dallas is another worthy of mention, but after a lot of debate, our team plumped for the ‘Caps dramatic come from behind win against Man City lite. The match felt like a pivotal game in the season and one that showed that this Whitecaps team had a fighting spirit and could compete with the top teams. It was entertaining from the off, with Fredy Montero firing Vancouver into a third minute lead against the star-studded visitors before they fought back with goals from Maxime Chanot and David Villa to hold the half time lead. Jordan Havrey got the ‘Caps back on level terms before the late drama of Yordy Reyna’s acrobatic header secured all three points for the good guys. The Peruvian’s first MLS goal in only his second appearance sent the supporters home happy, showing everyone what the ‘Caps had been missing, and set us some excellent second half of the season performances from Reyna. An up and down month followed but the result came at the perfect time to give the ‘Caps a summer boost before the Gold Cup break.
2016 winner: v Portland (23/10/16 – 4-1 end of season home win)
2015 winner: v LA (04/04/15 – 2-0 coming of age home win)
2014 winner: v Seattle (10/10/14 – 1-0 Cascadia Cup clinching away win)
2013 winner: v Seattle (9/10/13 – 4-1 away thrashing of Sounders)
2012 winner: v San Jose Earthquakes (5/5/12 – 2-1 win at BC Place)
2011 winner: v Kansas City (2/4/11 – 3-3 draw at Empire Field)
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SAVE OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: STEFAN MARINOVIC v SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (15/10/17 – BC Place) – This was another award without a clear decision from the team. In previous years there were some clear winners. Some standout, jaw dropping saves. This year, there were some quality ones but none that stood out as a clear winner, as we discussed on Episode 230 of the AFTN Soccer Show. David Ousted had a couple of contenders, so did Stefan Marinovic, Spencer Richey had a Save of the Week one, as did Sean Melvin in USL play.
We were torn, but the final decision went to Stefan Marinovic’s save against San Jose in the penultimate game of the MLS regular season. The ‘Caps had just given up a 1-0 lead in a match which would have seen them finish first in the West with a win. Vako hit a beautiful goalbound strike from the edge of the box but the big Kiwi produced a sprawling fingertip stop to deny him and keep the scores level. At the time we thought it was a crucial save to earn a vital point to give us a top two finish. It didn’t turn out that way a week later, but you can’t take that away from a world class save. The angle below shows you just how good it was.
My word what a save from Marinovic. pic.twitter.com/ufQINV8H8X
— Total MLS (@TotalMLS) October 16, 2017
2016 winner: David Ousted v Orlando (16/07/16 – 2-2 home draw, MLS)
2015 winner: David Ousted v Philadelphia (09/05/15 – 3-0 home win, MLS)
2014 winner: David Ousted v New England (22/3/14 – 0-0 away draw, MLS)
2013 winner: Marco Carducci double save v Victoria Highlanders (28/6/13 – Thunderbird Stadium, PDL)
No award in 2011 or 2012.
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WHITECAP TO WATCH IN 2018:
WINNER: DAVID NORMAN JR – This award already feels like a poisoned chalice, so we were even debating whether to retire it this year. The first four winners made little to no impact on the ‘Caps first team, with all of them moving on to pastures new. Last year, Alphonso Davies took home the award and had a mixed season it has to be said, starting strong before seemingly burning out.
We’re going to give it another go, and this year the award goes to our WFC2 Player of the Year, David Norman Jr. As we previously mentioned, we feel Norman has all the attributes to make it at the top of the game and have an impact on the ‘Caps first team. Whether he gets that opportunity next season or spends the year in Fresno will be interesting. He has a couple of strong players ahead of him in the DM role in Ghazal and Tchani, so the latter seems more likely. If that is how things pan out, how he then responds to that new environment will shape what may lie in store for the talented 19-year-old.
We usually give a top three selection, but the fact that we genuinely felt we couldn’t do that this year says a lot about how we feel the current development of young players at the club is going right now. There’s talent there, and I point to Residency players like Jefferson Alade, Theo Bair, Michael Baldisimo, Thomas Hasal, and Jose Hernandez in the U19s and Keisean Brooks in the U17s, but with WFC2 disappearing, the clear pathway to the first team isn’t there. No matter what is said about the Fresno affiliation, a number of players simply do not want to go there.
2016 winner: Alphonso Davies
2015 winner: Marco Bustos
2014 winner: Marco Bustos
2013 winner: Sam Adekugbe
2012 winner: Ben Fisk
2011 winner: Caleb Clarke
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BEST PERFORMANCE BY A WHITECAP AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL:
WINNER: KENDALL WASTON (COSTA RICA) – It’s not every day you write yourself into your country’s footballing folklore, but that’s just what Kendall Waston did on October 7th. His headed equaliser against Panama, five minutes into second half stoppage time, gave Costa Rica a 1-1 draw, securing a place at the 2018 World Cup and sending the players, supporters, and commentators into delirium. Waston had a great campaign all round for the Ticos and will be a key player for them in Russia next summer.
Runner-up: Alphonso Davies – Some may have had Davies winning this award and he was certainly in the running. After gaining his Canadian passport in June, Davies headed to the Gold Cup with Canada, taking home the Golden Boot with three goals and winning the Young Player of the Tournament award. Sadly his form for the Whitecaps dipped considerably upon returning. We have him as runner-up as his performance was in a single tournament and not in a whole campaign.
2016 winner: Blas Perez (Panama)
2015 winner: Darren Mattocks (Jamaica)
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TACKLE OF THE YEAR:
WINNER: ALY GHAZAL v SPORTING KC (30/09/17) – Those that know me, know I love a crunching tackle. It’s an art form sadly being forced to disappear from the game. With that in mind, I was very close to awarding the Tackle of the Year to Aly Ghazal for such a cruncher on Diego Valeri in the first minute of the key Cascadian derby down in Portland in October. Hard, hurt the opponent, no booking. Textbook! “No one wants to see that” cried Stumptown Footy on Twitter. So very wrong!
Instead I’m giving the tackle to another beauty from Ghazal. This one wasn’t a cruncher, but a perfectly timed crucial challenge in the box to prevent Sporting KC’s Gerso from opening the scoring at BC Place in the 36th minute. An inch mistimed and it was a penalty and possibly a sending off to boot. Instead, it was inch perfect and the ‘Caps went on to win the match 1-0. And it gets better and better every time you see it and every angle you see it from.
36' Perfectly timed tackle from Ghazal to thwart a Gerso threat
0-0 #VWFC #SKCvVAN pic.twitter.com/R0un6JNh6N
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) October 1, 2017
2016 winner: Garret Kusch (on Mexican pitch invader 25/03/16)
2015 winner: Matias Laba (at Montreal 12/08/15)
2014 winner: Matias Laba (Home v Dallas 4/10/14)
2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker (at San Jose) {new award that year}
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MISS OF THE YEAR AWARD :
WINNER: BREK SHEA at TIGRES (14/03/17) – It’s 0-0 in the 60th minute. Vancouver Whitecaps are doing an incredible job at holding Tigres at bay in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semi-final in Mexico. They know their chances are going to be few and far between. They might get one. They might not even get that. Whatever they get, they have to take them. Then they get their best chance of the match. A header plays in Brek Shea, he stays onside, he just has to control the ball and fire home the opening goal with only the keeper to beat. Instead he slips, tries to recover, flops to the ground looking for a penalty knowing he’s blown a gilt edged opportunity, and earns a booking for his troubles. All we’re left with is a sense of wonderment at what could have been if he’d tucked that one away. A crucial away goal wouldn’t just have put the ‘Caps ahead but changed the whole complexion of the tie. Six minutes later Tigres went ahead and they barely looked back. It could have been the goal that helped the Whitecaps make history, instead it’s become our Miss of the Year.
2016 winner: Erik Hurtado (v New York Red Bulls 03/09/16)
2015 winner: Kekuta Manneh (at San Jose 03/10/05)
2014 winner: Darren Mattocks (Lifetime Achievement award)
2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker (v Columbus) {new award}
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QUOTE OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: SPENCER RICHEY – “I thought Tim Melia deserved to win it to be honest, but I guess my mom has more Facebook friends than his” – When Spencer Richey made his MLS debut against Toronto in March after David Ousted’s sending off the week before, he put in an excellent display before a sending off and a couple of late goals saw TFC come away with the win. Richey did win the MLS Save of the Week though, and his response on Twitter still has us laughing all these months later.
I thought @TimMelia28 deserved to win it tbh but I guess my mom has more Facebook friends than his #thanksmom https://t.co/rIL0lTyaVk
— Spencer Richey (@spencerichey18) March 23, 2017
There was another quote by Robbo I really liked but I forgot what it was!
2016 winner: David Ousted – “If you want to fight on a football pitch, how about fighting on a fcuking Saturday”
2015 winner: Russell Teibert – “It’ll be a match up with 11 men, all humans”
2014 winner: Andy O’Brien – “They keep chanting my name for some reason. I don’t know why it is!”
2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker’s comments on Dallas’ divers
2012 winner: none awarded
2011 winner: Tommy Soehn – “It doesn’t take much to turn a team around”
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BEST AWAYDAY :
WINNER: DALLAS (4-0 away win 29/07/17) – Now the criteria for this award has always been the best awayday that we were at! No matter the competition. Not the best away performance. But seeing as how every single away game we were at this year was terrible, we’ve changed it. Unless we wanted to give it my trip to Wales, which was fun, but hardly meriting much of an award! Same with the fun time I spend down the Oregon Coast either before or after the Cascadia misery! So we’ve given it to the long overdue triumph in Texas. Yes Dallas were faltering, but to go into that atmosphere and environment, with your B side, and destroy them like that was a joy to watch and one of the biggest surprises of the season. To any ‘Caps fans there to enjoy the first win in Texas in person, we hope you made the most of it!
2016 winner: Seattle (2-1 win on 19/03/16)
2015 winner: Seattle (3-0 trouncing – 01/08/15)
2014 winner: Seattle (Cascadia Cup clinching 1-0 win – 10/10/14)
2013 winner: Seattle (Cascadia Cup clinching 4-1 win – 09/10/14)
2012 winner: Orlando (preseason Mickey Mouse Cup win!)
2011 winner: Portland (in general)
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HERO OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: KENDALL WASTON – We don’t usually give players multiple awards for such similar things, but we’ve made an exception this year. Waston’s already picked up our MLS Player of the Season award and Best International performance, and it’s the combination of those two that saw him voted Hero of the Year as well by our panel (who threw up multiple names once again). He led the team both on and off the park and was superb for his country. This was his redemption year and you couldn’t have asked any more from him. He became both a Whitecaps and Costa Rican hero.
2016 winner: Alan Koch
2015 winner: Pa Modou Kah
2014 winner: Carl Robinson
2013 winner: Carl Robinson
2012 winner: Young-Pyo Lee
2011 winner: Joe Cannon
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VILLAIN OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: CLINT DEMPSEY – It’s easy the hate the Deuce. It’s easy to paint him as a villain. Much of it is self-inflicted. He was suspended for the first leg of the playoff semi-final when the ‘Caps hosted the Sounders. He should have been banned for the second leg after another disgraceful and disrespectful outing in the last regular season game. MLS bottled that decision though and only suspended him for one match. Of course he would then score both the goals to break Vancouver hearts in that second leg and end the ‘Caps season.
2016 winner: MLS Disciplinary Committee
2015 winner: Ricardo Salazar
2014 winner: Mark Geiger
2013 winner: Will Johnson
2012 winner: David Ferreira
2011 winner: Tommy Soehn
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THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY AWARD:
WINNER: ALESSANDRO HOJABRPOUR – Hojabrpour won’t likely be a name known to many ‘Caps fans, but the Residency standout headed to Europe in the summer to join Lokomotiv Plovdiv U19s in Bulgaria. The Canadian international was the Whitecaps U16 captain last season and our number one player in that age group’s “One To Watch” feature in July. He was a key player in the U16s run to the USSDA Final Four, running the midfield and scoring 13 goals in 33 appearances. The ‘Caps were very high on him but as with all Residency talent, he wasn’t locked into a contract and felt that opportunities were far better for him to develop and progress his game in Europe. With WFC2 disappearing and no young homegrown players making the regular breakthrough to the first team, who can blame him? He wasn’t the first Residency talent to be lost and you have to feel he certainly won’t be the last.
2016: Kei Kamara
2015 winner: Dario Zanatta
2014 winner: The missing link – a new striker (sound familiar?!!)
2013 winner: Alain Rochat
2012 winner: John Carew
2011 winner: Robbie Savage
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MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT :
WINNER: ONE SHOT IN PLAYOFF SEMI FINAL SERIES V SEATTLE – It was 2015 all over again, just with a different opponent. Another season, another piss poor effort in the playoffs against a Cascadian rival. 2015 felt like a missed opportunity against Portland. I really felt the ‘Caps could have gone on and won the MLS Cup that year. This year the ultimate end to the season may have been harder to achieve with TFC around, but to capitulate against the Sounders the way the ‘Caps did, with all of MLS watching, was embarrassing beyond belief.
An overly defensive display in the home leg, didn’t seem the end of the world with the away goal rule in effect. We were very hopeful in fact heading in to Seattle that Carl Robinson may have had a tactical masterplan. But then another shocking performance happened and the two games ended with the ‘Caps having one solitary shot over 180 minutes of football, and it wasn’t even on target. Totally unacceptable and embarrassing.
Runner-up: The Whitecaps Twitter Account – The ‘Caps twitter account has been absolutely horrendous at times this year. Bigging up our opponents, inappropriate attempts at humour, totally misjudging the
Let’s hope they get it sorted for 2018. There’s been a better end to year from it, and some actual decent banter. We’ll see what next year brings, but hopefully this is part of several new directions.
2016 winner: Fabian Espindola Clusterfcuk
2015 winner: Playoff blanks
2014 winner: The Camilo Saga
2013 winner: Jun Marques Davidson’s headbutt against Philadelphia
2012 winner: Failure to beat TFC in three games
2011 winner: The Empire grass pitch debacle
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DISGRACE OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: THE WHITECAPS FRONT OFFICE – A number of disgraces were bandied about by our team on Episode 230 of the AFTN Soccer Show. The above Seattle capitulation was one, but many of them seemed to involve the front office, so we’ve lumped them all together and given the Whitecaps front office the award for numerous infractions – continued lack of ambition shown, lack of understanding how the fanbase were feeling after a disappointing and trophyless season, lack of acknowledgment that the Seattle playoff games weren’t acceptable, the tone put out in interview with the mainstream media, the getting rid of WFC2, the seeming lack of direction of the club, the inability to instil confidence that the team can take that next step to compete with the best, the unclear message of what success is to the club, numerous social media clusterfcuks. That’s quite the list and when you see them all written down like that, a very deserved recipient of this year’s award.
2016 winner: The continuing goalscoring woes
2015 winner: MLS scheduling
2014 winner: Late “fans”
2013 winner: Losing the Voyageurs Cup by not having a man on the post
2012 winner: Sekeres and Price for reaction to “fcuk You Dallas” chant
2011 winner: TV coverage
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THINGS WE’D LOVE MLS TO CHANGE :
WINNER: THE MLS PLAYOFF SYSTEM – The MLS playoffs are severely flawed. There is no way you’re going to capture and keep the general public’s attention with playoffs that span three separate months, have a massive break inbetween matches, play games early midweek, and produce some of the most boring football you’ll see in cagey first legs. If the hardcore football fans are bored by them, what hope have you got of transfixing the viewing public at home? The away goals rule is not a bad thing in itself, but MLS has managed to highlight it’s flaws to an epic level, and you simply can’t have such huge gaps between key matches and keep interest piqued. They’re too long and with more teams coming in to the league, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them become even longer. Something has to change and teams that have performed best throughout the season have to be rewarded more. There’s no easy or right solution but MLS need to do something about the playoffs for next season.
2016 winner: The standard of refereeing (grand slam winner!)
2015 winner: The standard of refereeing (for the triple crown!)
2014 winner: The standard of refereeing (back from the dead!)
2013 winner: Transparency of rules
2012 and 2011 winner: The standard of refereeing
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HAIRCUT OF THE YEAR :
YORDY REYNA’S SIDESHOW BOB LOOK – A few contenders this year, some good, some terrible. Fredy Montero’s horrible silver dye job? Erik Hurtado’s? Kendall Waston’s Gandalf the Grey look? There can only be one winner though – Yordy Reyna. The little Peruvian’s spongy locks saw him christened Spongebob by Robbo. We’re still pretty sure he mixed up Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons with Spongebob Squarepants, but he went with the sponge side of it. Either way, an instant classic! Let’s just hope the recent issues for Reyna in Peru don’t become the real sideshow this offseason.
2016 winner: Erik Hurtado’s silver surfer
2015 winner: Christian Dean’s Bride of Frankenstein streak
2014 winner: Russell Teibert’s Playoff special
2013 winner: Tommy Heinemann’s Werewolf look
2012 winner: Greg Klazura’s Shaven Locks
2011 winner: Eric Hassli’s Mohawk
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THE WILLIE JOHNSTON “DID THAT JUST REALLY HAPPEN?” AWARD :
WINNER: WHITECAPS TWITTER TALKS UP ATLANTA’S GOALSCORING PROWESS TO SELL TICKETS – The ‘Caps twitter account has been absolutely horrendous at times this year. They’ve bigged up our opponents, made inappropriate attempts at humour to a touchy fanbase, totally misjudged the thoughts of the said fanbase, and showed an incredible lack of understanding of football supporters at times and the games itself. Not all the time. There’s multiple people run it. Some are excellent. Some get it. But some are clearly clueless in the ways of football. They may understand social media but they don’t understand the environment they’re using it in.
The worst example came in June, when in a desperate attempt to sell more tickets they praised what a dangerous attack visiting Atlanta United had. Not bad in itself but it smacked off “don’t come to see the home team, come see the much better opposition and be wowed”. Total disrespect for the ‘Caps players and supporters.
27 goals. 60 seconds. Get a taste of who's coming to town on Saturday
Still need tickets? → https://t.co/Rtnlrf7jHM #VWFC #VANvATL pic.twitter.com/Saef73La84
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) June 2, 2017
Reaction was swift.
What the fcuk? How about "Come see our top defenders shut down Atlanta United" give me a fcuking break @WhitecapsFC
— Chris
(@salishsea86) June 2, 2017
Hey #WhitecapsFC, Marketing 101 – promote your product, not the competitors…
— Fil Mcrackin (@Fil_Mcrackin) June 2, 2017
Next week they'll do a promo with all the goals the Caps have conceded so far. In 60 seconds.
— IgorMortis ⭐ (@igormortis13) June 2, 2017
"You're a joke and you know you are" i hope surrey gets a canpl team because this organization is such garbage.Sincerely from a fan since 06
— Jetlife commandments (@QuattroAllDay) June 2, 2017
There were a lot more! Let’s hope they get their Twitter presence sorted for 2018. There’s been a better end to year from it, and some actual decent banter. We’ll see what next year brings, but hopefully this is part of several new directions.
2016: Losing Canadian Championship in stoppage time
2015: Pa Modou Kah collecting medal on a hoverboard
2014 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker’s wanking gesture on national TV
2013 winner: Three goals in 140 seconds in Caps v Portland match
2012 winner: Darren Mattocks aerial goal in Toronto
2011 winner: Eric Hassli’s double jersey sending off celebration
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THE “PLEASE JUST SHUT UP” AWARD:
WINNER: STOP GOING ON ABOUT THE WHITECAPS NOT SPENDING MONEY – It’s easy to put the ‘Caps woes down to them not spending money. You look at the likes of Toronto and Seattle and their big money signings and theirs splashing of cash and you say that’s where the ‘Caps are lagging behind. And yes, when it comes to the big two, they are behind, but there is no way you can keep saying that the ‘Caps are not spending money. They were the 9th biggest spending side in MLS this year. The trouble isn’t that they’re not spending money. The trouble is they’re spending it on the wrong players and wasting DP money on the likes of Brek Shea. They need to spend better and yes, they do need to spend more, but at least they’re spending unlike many in the league.
2016 winner: All the “We’re a young team” talk
2015 winner: Pointless journalism and click bait sites
2014 winner: People wanting the ‘Caps to open the upper tier
2013 winner: Media who can’t grasp concept of football decisions being made above the manager
2012 winner: Old media fuddy duddies who just don’t get football crowds
2011 joint winners: Poor TV commentators
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THE PAUL BARBER “TALKING OUT OF YOUR ASS” AWARD :
WINNER: ANTHONY PRECOURT – We don’t need to say anything else. Wanker. #SaveTheCrew
2016 winner: Peter Walton
2015 winner: Those wanting the upper bowl opened
2014 winner: Omar Salgado and his string of apologies for his attitude
2013 winner: Darren Mattocks’ Jamaican TV interview
2012 winner: Media pundits disrespecting Caps achievement in reaching playoffs
2011 winner: Paul Barber
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And that’s the end of our 2017 awards. Share your thoughts on the award winners below. Who knows what next year will bring? Hopefully a bit more success for starters!
Read Further on AFTN.ca
Another year is nearly over, so that means it’s time for us to look back at Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2017 season.
It was a year of ups and downs, highs and lows, and ultimately disappointment. But then again, which MLS season hasn’t been like that for the ‘Caps?!
Starting off with a nice trip to the UK (well nice for me as I got to go back home and see family, friends, and football!), transferring into an exciting CONCACAF Champions League run, a poor showing in the Canadian Championship, topping the Western Conference after a shaky start, before blowing it and crashing out of the playoffs with a whimper. That was 2017.
All that’s in the history books now, so let’s look back at the best and the worst, the highs and the lows, and the joys and frustrations from Vancouver Whitecaps’ 2017 season. We’ve a lot of awards to dish out!
Don’t agree with some (or all) of our choices? Great! Let us know who would have got your votes in the comments below.
And catch up with our choices from previous years:
2011 awards / 2012 awards / 2013 awards / 2014 awards / 2015 awards / 2016 awards (Part One) / 2016 awards (Part Two)
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AFTN WHITECAPS PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: KENDALL WASTON – What a season, both domestically and internationally, for the big man. It was certainly a season redemption for the Costa Rican in MLS. After a year to pretty much forget in 2016, which saw Waston pick up three red cards and garner a reputation that’s hard to shake after some questionable decisions from him, the centre back bounced back in some style this season and become the vital solid rock we hoped he would be when he earned his contract extension. He literally was the centre piece of the ‘Caps defence. Formidable in the air in both boxes, he formed one of the best partnerships in the league with Tim Parker and produced his best ever MLS season in terms of output, scoring five goals and adding two assists. The composure and sensibility that seemed to desert him in 2016 returned in bounds, aided by wearing the captain’s armband. That added responsibility seemed to take Waston’s game to new levels and he was a true leader of the team and a vast improvement on the departed Pedro Morales. How long he will remain a Whitecap remains to be seen. He can certainly play at a higher level, but as he turns 30, that may wrongly limit his appeal in some quarters. A strong showing at the World Cup and it’s hard to see Waston remaining in Vancouver colours past the summer.
Runner-up: Fredy Montero – Certainly the most surprising signing of the season, but what a return to MLS from the Colombian. The striker produced his best ever return in the league with 14 goals, including his first ever playoff strike and did what it said on the tin. You were left with this lingering feeling though of what could have been if he had had more help in the box and wasn’t left so isolated for much of the year due to Robbo’s tactics. It would have been great to have him back, but that ship looks to have sailed. Still don’t have our Fredy fcukin’ Montero t-shirts ordered. Bit late now!
2016 winner: Christian Bolanos
2015 winner: David Ousted
2014 winner: Pedro Morales
2013 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo
2012 winner: Joe Cannon
2011 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo
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AFTN WHITECAPS 2 PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: DAVID NORMAN JR – We only started this award last year, not thinking that it would be null and void by the end of year two! The second and final recipient of it, however, is fully deserving. Norman had a stellar first season as a pro after leaving Oregon State to pursue a career in the game. The 19-year-old took a couple of weeks to find his feet in the higher level, but once he did, he never looked back. A rare shining light during a season of struggles in USL for WFC2, Norman stood out, making 26 appearances, grabbing his first pro goal, and showing the tackling bite and set piece delivery we’ve seen from him for years in the Residency. The reward was a well-deserved MLS deal and now the hard work really starts. He’s certainly got all the attributes to make a name for himself now with the first team if afforded the opportunity to do so.
2016 winner: Kyle Greig
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AFTN WHITECAPS YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: JAKE NERWINSKI – The Whitecaps’ draft picks over the years have been decidedly patchy, but if Tim Parker and Jake Nerwinski are signs of what kind of defensive players you can get there, then maybe it’s not quite the write off we feel it to be. If you get a high enough pick. Selected 7th overall in this year’s SuperDraft, Nerwinski looked the part from preseason. When drafted, Robbo said he felt he was ready to be a starter and the UConn standout showed that quickly, playing in the Champions League run. After trading time with Sheanon Williams for the early part of the season, the latter’s troubles gave Nerwinski the chance to make the right back spot his own and he grabbed that brass ring with both hands. He’s now the ‘Caps starter. The attacking side to Nerwinski’s game was a joy to watch this year, and his five assists on the season show what a dangerous asset he is to the ‘Caps attack. He tracks back well, but does need to improve some of the defensive side to his game. He was given a torrid time in Seattle during the playoffs right before his injury, but that will come. The fact that he was even mentioned in terms of a US national team call-up shows what a fantastic rookie season the right back had, and we look forward to seeing how he builds on that next year.
2016 winner: Brett Levis
2015 winner: Tim Parker
2014 winner: Matias Laba
2013 winner: Kekuta Manneh
2012 winner: Caleb Clarke
2011 winner: Caleb Clarke
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AFTN WHITECAPS RESIDENCY PLAYER OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: JOSE HERNANDEZ – Hernandez was excellent and pivotal in the U16s run to the USSDA Final Four last season, hitting 24 goals from 32 appearances in his first season with the Residency. He also represented Canada at the 2017 U17 CONCACAF Championship. Moving up to the U19s this season in September, he’s continued to find goals, scoring four in his 11 appearances (six of them starts). With players like Theo Bair leading the attack in his final season with the Residency, starts haven’t been as frequent for Hernandez, but he is a real talent, with a natural nose for goal, and we look forward to seeing his development continue with the ‘Caps during 2018 and hopefully 2019, unless he chooses to go to college at the first chance.
2016 winner: Alan Camacho
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WHITECAPS GOAL OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: CRISTIAN TECHERA v SPORTING KC (20/05/17 – 2-0 home win) – There’s a few categories with no decisive winner this year and Goal of the Year certainly had a whole host of different nominees from our team when we discussed it on Episode 230 of the AFTN Soccer Show. Cristian Techera hit a number of stunning free kicks, Andrew Jacobson’s long range strike was a beauty, and I was originally going for Nicolas Mezquida’s bicycle kick against Dallas, but watching it back, the keeper should have done better.
I had the casting vote, so after some deliberation and rewatching the season’s goals, I’ve plumped for Cristian Techera’s opener against Sporting KC in May’s 2-0 win. It’s a great team goal with a number of nice components – Sheanon Williams’ pinpoint half volley to Christian Bolanos at the back of the box, Bola’s delightful chest down into the path of Techera, and the Bug’s sweep strike to fire home. A delight to watch, that looks great every time you see it, but I do feel this may be a contentious award this season!
Qué pedazo de gol del uruguayo Cristian Techera, quien define con una espectacular volea de media vuelta #VANvSKC 1-0 pic.twitter.com/xnbj7mvEuG
— Fútbol MLS (@futbolMLS) May 20, 2017
2016 winner: Blas Perez v Chicago (11/05/16)
2015 winner: Gershon Koffie v RSL (30/5/15)
2014 winner: Erik Hurtado v Seattle (24/5/14)
2013 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo v Portland (6/10/13)
2012 winner: Darren Mattocks v Toronto (11/7/12)
2011 winner: Eric Hassli v Seattle (11/6/11)
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WHITECAPS GAME OF THE SEASON :
WINNER: 3-2 HOME WIN v NYCFC (05/07/17) – There were a couple of games we considered. The 5-0 playoff win against San Jose was certainly a close second, and the 4-0 triumph in Dallas is another worthy of mention, but after a lot of debate, our team plumped for the ‘Caps dramatic come from behind win against Man City lite. The match felt like a pivotal game in the season and one that showed that this Whitecaps team had a fighting spirit and could compete with the top teams. It was entertaining from the off, with Fredy Montero firing Vancouver into a third minute lead against the star-studded visitors before they fought back with goals from Maxime Chanot and David Villa to hold the half time lead. Jordan Havrey got the ‘Caps back on level terms before the late drama of Yordy Reyna’s acrobatic header secured all three points for the good guys. The Peruvian’s first MLS goal in only his second appearance sent the supporters home happy, showing everyone what the ‘Caps had been missing, and set us some excellent second half of the season performances from Reyna. An up and down month followed but the result came at the perfect time to give the ‘Caps a summer boost before the Gold Cup break.
2016 winner: v Portland (23/10/16 – 4-1 end of season home win)
2015 winner: v LA (04/04/15 – 2-0 coming of age home win)
2014 winner: v Seattle (10/10/14 – 1-0 Cascadia Cup clinching away win)
2013 winner: v Seattle (9/10/13 – 4-1 away thrashing of Sounders)
2012 winner: v San Jose Earthquakes (5/5/12 – 2-1 win at BC Place)
2011 winner: v Kansas City (2/4/11 – 3-3 draw at Empire Field)
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SAVE OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: STEFAN MARINOVIC v SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (15/10/17 – BC Place) – This was another award without a clear decision from the team. In previous years there were some clear winners. Some standout, jaw dropping saves. This year, there were some quality ones but none that stood out as a clear winner, as we discussed on Episode 230 of the AFTN Soccer Show. David Ousted had a couple of contenders, so did Stefan Marinovic, Spencer Richey had a Save of the Week one, as did Sean Melvin in USL play.
We were torn, but the final decision went to Stefan Marinovic’s save against San Jose in the penultimate game of the MLS regular season. The ‘Caps had just given up a 1-0 lead in a match which would have seen them finish first in the West with a win. Vako hit a beautiful goalbound strike from the edge of the box but the big Kiwi produced a sprawling fingertip stop to deny him and keep the scores level. At the time we thought it was a crucial save to earn a vital point to give us a top two finish. It didn’t turn out that way a week later, but you can’t take that away from a world class save. The angle below shows you just how good it was.
My word what a save from Marinovic. pic.twitter.com/ufQINV8H8X
— Total MLS (@TotalMLS) October 16, 2017
2016 winner: David Ousted v Orlando (16/07/16 – 2-2 home draw, MLS)
2015 winner: David Ousted v Philadelphia (09/05/15 – 3-0 home win, MLS)
2014 winner: David Ousted v New England (22/3/14 – 0-0 away draw, MLS)
2013 winner: Marco Carducci double save v Victoria Highlanders (28/6/13 – Thunderbird Stadium, PDL)
No award in 2011 or 2012.
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WHITECAP TO WATCH IN 2018:
WINNER: DAVID NORMAN JR – This award already feels like a poisoned chalice, so we were even debating whether to retire it this year. The first four winners made little to no impact on the ‘Caps first team, with all of them moving on to pastures new. Last year, Alphonso Davies took home the award and had a mixed season it has to be said, starting strong before seemingly burning out.
We’re going to give it another go, and this year the award goes to our WFC2 Player of the Year, David Norman Jr. As we previously mentioned, we feel Norman has all the attributes to make it at the top of the game and have an impact on the ‘Caps first team. Whether he gets that opportunity next season or spends the year in Fresno will be interesting. He has a couple of strong players ahead of him in the DM role in Ghazal and Tchani, so the latter seems more likely. If that is how things pan out, how he then responds to that new environment will shape what may lie in store for the talented 19-year-old.
We usually give a top three selection, but the fact that we genuinely felt we couldn’t do that this year says a lot about how we feel the current development of young players at the club is going right now. There’s talent there, and I point to Residency players like Jefferson Alade, Theo Bair, Michael Baldisimo, Thomas Hasal, and Jose Hernandez in the U19s and Keisean Brooks in the U17s, but with WFC2 disappearing, the clear pathway to the first team isn’t there. No matter what is said about the Fresno affiliation, a number of players simply do not want to go there.
2016 winner: Alphonso Davies
2015 winner: Marco Bustos
2014 winner: Marco Bustos
2013 winner: Sam Adekugbe
2012 winner: Ben Fisk
2011 winner: Caleb Clarke
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BEST PERFORMANCE BY A WHITECAP AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL:
WINNER: KENDALL WASTON (COSTA RICA) – It’s not every day you write yourself into your country’s footballing folklore, but that’s just what Kendall Waston did on October 7th. His headed equaliser against Panama, five minutes into second half stoppage time, gave Costa Rica a 1-1 draw, securing a place at the 2018 World Cup and sending the players, supporters, and commentators into delirium. Waston had a great campaign all round for the Ticos and will be a key player for them in Russia next summer.
Runner-up: Alphonso Davies – Some may have had Davies winning this award and he was certainly in the running. After gaining his Canadian passport in June, Davies headed to the Gold Cup with Canada, taking home the Golden Boot with three goals and winning the Young Player of the Tournament award. Sadly his form for the Whitecaps dipped considerably upon returning. We have him as runner-up as his performance was in a single tournament and not in a whole campaign.
2016 winner: Blas Perez (Panama)
2015 winner: Darren Mattocks (Jamaica)
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TACKLE OF THE YEAR:
WINNER: ALY GHAZAL v SPORTING KC (30/09/17) – Those that know me, know I love a crunching tackle. It’s an art form sadly being forced to disappear from the game. With that in mind, I was very close to awarding the Tackle of the Year to Aly Ghazal for such a cruncher on Diego Valeri in the first minute of the key Cascadian derby down in Portland in October. Hard, hurt the opponent, no booking. Textbook! “No one wants to see that” cried Stumptown Footy on Twitter. So very wrong!
Instead I’m giving the tackle to another beauty from Ghazal. This one wasn’t a cruncher, but a perfectly timed crucial challenge in the box to prevent Sporting KC’s Gerso from opening the scoring at BC Place in the 36th minute. An inch mistimed and it was a penalty and possibly a sending off to boot. Instead, it was inch perfect and the ‘Caps went on to win the match 1-0. And it gets better and better every time you see it and every angle you see it from.
36' Perfectly timed tackle from Ghazal to thwart a Gerso threat
0-0 #VWFC #SKCvVAN pic.twitter.com/R0un6JNh6N
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) October 1, 2017
2016 winner: Garret Kusch (on Mexican pitch invader 25/03/16)
2015 winner: Matias Laba (at Montreal 12/08/15)
2014 winner: Matias Laba (Home v Dallas 4/10/14)
2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker (at San Jose) {new award that year}
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MISS OF THE YEAR AWARD :
WINNER: BREK SHEA at TIGRES (14/03/17) – It’s 0-0 in the 60th minute. Vancouver Whitecaps are doing an incredible job at holding Tigres at bay in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semi-final in Mexico. They know their chances are going to be few and far between. They might get one. They might not even get that. Whatever they get, they have to take them. Then they get their best chance of the match. A header plays in Brek Shea, he stays onside, he just has to control the ball and fire home the opening goal with only the keeper to beat. Instead he slips, tries to recover, flops to the ground looking for a penalty knowing he’s blown a gilt edged opportunity, and earns a booking for his troubles. All we’re left with is a sense of wonderment at what could have been if he’d tucked that one away. A crucial away goal wouldn’t just have put the ‘Caps ahead but changed the whole complexion of the tie. Six minutes later Tigres went ahead and they barely looked back. It could have been the goal that helped the Whitecaps make history, instead it’s become our Miss of the Year.
2016 winner: Erik Hurtado (v New York Red Bulls 03/09/16)
2015 winner: Kekuta Manneh (at San Jose 03/10/05)
2014 winner: Darren Mattocks (Lifetime Achievement award)
2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker (v Columbus) {new award}
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QUOTE OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: SPENCER RICHEY – “I thought Tim Melia deserved to win it to be honest, but I guess my mom has more Facebook friends than his” – When Spencer Richey made his MLS debut against Toronto in March after David Ousted’s sending off the week before, he put in an excellent display before a sending off and a couple of late goals saw TFC come away with the win. Richey did win the MLS Save of the Week though, and his response on Twitter still has us laughing all these months later.
I thought @TimMelia28 deserved to win it tbh but I guess my mom has more Facebook friends than his #thanksmom https://t.co/rIL0lTyaVk
— Spencer Richey (@spencerichey18) March 23, 2017
There was another quote by Robbo I really liked but I forgot what it was!
2016 winner: David Ousted – “If you want to fight on a football pitch, how about fighting on a fcuking Saturday”
2015 winner: Russell Teibert – “It’ll be a match up with 11 men, all humans”
2014 winner: Andy O’Brien – “They keep chanting my name for some reason. I don’t know why it is!”
2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker’s comments on Dallas’ divers
2012 winner: none awarded
2011 winner: Tommy Soehn – “It doesn’t take much to turn a team around”
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BEST AWAYDAY :
WINNER: DALLAS (4-0 away win 29/07/17) – Now the criteria for this award has always been the best awayday that we were at! No matter the competition. Not the best away performance. But seeing as how every single away game we were at this year was terrible, we’ve changed it. Unless we wanted to give it my trip to Wales, which was fun, but hardly meriting much of an award! Same with the fun time I spend down the Oregon Coast either before or after the Cascadia misery! So we’ve given it to the long overdue triumph in Texas. Yes Dallas were faltering, but to go into that atmosphere and environment, with your B side, and destroy them like that was a joy to watch and one of the biggest surprises of the season. To any ‘Caps fans there to enjoy the first win in Texas in person, we hope you made the most of it!
2016 winner: Seattle (2-1 win on 19/03/16)
2015 winner: Seattle (3-0 trouncing – 01/08/15)
2014 winner: Seattle (Cascadia Cup clinching 1-0 win – 10/10/14)
2013 winner: Seattle (Cascadia Cup clinching 4-1 win – 09/10/14)
2012 winner: Orlando (preseason Mickey Mouse Cup win!)
2011 winner: Portland (in general)
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HERO OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: KENDALL WASTON – We don’t usually give players multiple awards for such similar things, but we’ve made an exception this year. Waston’s already picked up our MLS Player of the Season award and Best International performance, and it’s the combination of those two that saw him voted Hero of the Year as well by our panel (who threw up multiple names once again). He led the team both on and off the park and was superb for his country. This was his redemption year and you couldn’t have asked any more from him. He became both a Whitecaps and Costa Rican hero.
2016 winner: Alan Koch
2015 winner: Pa Modou Kah
2014 winner: Carl Robinson
2013 winner: Carl Robinson
2012 winner: Young-Pyo Lee
2011 winner: Joe Cannon
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VILLAIN OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: CLINT DEMPSEY – It’s easy the hate the Deuce. It’s easy to paint him as a villain. Much of it is self-inflicted. He was suspended for the first leg of the playoff semi-final when the ‘Caps hosted the Sounders. He should have been banned for the second leg after another disgraceful and disrespectful outing in the last regular season game. MLS bottled that decision though and only suspended him for one match. Of course he would then score both the goals to break Vancouver hearts in that second leg and end the ‘Caps season.
2016 winner: MLS Disciplinary Committee
2015 winner: Ricardo Salazar
2014 winner: Mark Geiger
2013 winner: Will Johnson
2012 winner: David Ferreira
2011 winner: Tommy Soehn
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THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY AWARD:
WINNER: ALESSANDRO HOJABRPOUR – Hojabrpour won’t likely be a name known to many ‘Caps fans, but the Residency standout headed to Europe in the summer to join Lokomotiv Plovdiv U19s in Bulgaria. The Canadian international was the Whitecaps U16 captain last season and our number one player in that age group’s “One To Watch” feature in July. He was a key player in the U16s run to the USSDA Final Four, running the midfield and scoring 13 goals in 33 appearances. The ‘Caps were very high on him but as with all Residency talent, he wasn’t locked into a contract and felt that opportunities were far better for him to develop and progress his game in Europe. With WFC2 disappearing and no young homegrown players making the regular breakthrough to the first team, who can blame him? He wasn’t the first Residency talent to be lost and you have to feel he certainly won’t be the last.
2016: Kei Kamara
2015 winner: Dario Zanatta
2014 winner: The missing link – a new striker (sound familiar?!!)
2013 winner: Alain Rochat
2012 winner: John Carew
2011 winner: Robbie Savage
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MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT :
WINNER: ONE SHOT IN PLAYOFF SEMI FINAL SERIES V SEATTLE – It was 2015 all over again, just with a different opponent. Another season, another piss poor effort in the playoffs against a Cascadian rival. 2015 felt like a missed opportunity against Portland. I really felt the ‘Caps could have gone on and won the MLS Cup that year. This year the ultimate end to the season may have been harder to achieve with TFC around, but to capitulate against the Sounders the way the ‘Caps did, with all of MLS watching, was embarrassing beyond belief.
An overly defensive display in the home leg, didn’t seem the end of the world with the away goal rule in effect. We were very hopeful in fact heading in to Seattle that Carl Robinson may have had a tactical masterplan. But then another shocking performance happened and the two games ended with the ‘Caps having one solitary shot over 180 minutes of football, and it wasn’t even on target. Totally unacceptable and embarrassing.
Runner-up: The Whitecaps Twitter Account – The ‘Caps twitter account has been absolutely horrendous at times this year. Bigging up our opponents, inappropriate attempts at humour, totally misjudging the
Let’s hope they get it sorted for 2018. There’s been a better end to year from it, and some actual decent banter. We’ll see what next year brings, but hopefully this is part of several new directions.
2016 winner: Fabian Espindola Clusterfcuk
2015 winner: Playoff blanks
2014 winner: The Camilo Saga
2013 winner: Jun Marques Davidson’s headbutt against Philadelphia
2012 winner: Failure to beat TFC in three games
2011 winner: The Empire grass pitch debacle
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DISGRACE OF THE YEAR :
WINNER: THE WHITECAPS FRONT OFFICE – A number of disgraces were bandied about by our team on Episode 230 of the AFTN Soccer Show. The above Seattle capitulation was one, but many of them seemed to involve the front office, so we’ve lumped them all together and given the Whitecaps front office the award for numerous infractions – continued lack of ambition shown, lack of understanding how the fanbase were feeling after a disappointing and trophyless season, lack of acknowledgment that the Seattle playoff games weren’t acceptable, the tone put out in interview with the mainstream media, the getting rid of WFC2, the seeming lack of direction of the club, the inability to instil confidence that the team can take that next step to compete with the best, the unclear message of what success is to the club, numerous social media clusterfcuks. That’s quite the list and when you see them all written down like that, a very deserved recipient of this year’s award.
2016 winner: The continuing goalscoring woes
2015 winner: MLS scheduling
2014 winner: Late “fans”
2013 winner: Losing the Voyageurs Cup by not having a man on the post
2012 winner: Sekeres and Price for reaction to “fcuk You Dallas” chant
2011 winner: TV coverage
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THINGS WE’D LOVE MLS TO CHANGE :
WINNER: THE MLS PLAYOFF SYSTEM – The MLS playoffs are severely flawed. There is no way you’re going to capture and keep the general public’s attention with playoffs that span three separate months, have a massive break inbetween matches, play games early midweek, and produce some of the most boring football you’ll see in cagey first legs. If the hardcore football fans are bored by them, what hope have you got of transfixing the viewing public at home? The away goals rule is not a bad thing in itself, but MLS has managed to highlight it’s flaws to an epic level, and you simply can’t have such huge gaps between key matches and keep interest piqued. They’re too long and with more teams coming in to the league, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them become even longer. Something has to change and teams that have performed best throughout the season have to be rewarded more. There’s no easy or right solution but MLS need to do something about the playoffs for next season.
2016 winner: The standard of refereeing (grand slam winner!)
2015 winner: The standard of refereeing (for the triple crown!)
2014 winner: The standard of refereeing (back from the dead!)
2013 winner: Transparency of rules
2012 and 2011 winner: The standard of refereeing
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HAIRCUT OF THE YEAR :
YORDY REYNA’S SIDESHOW BOB LOOK – A few contenders this year, some good, some terrible. Fredy Montero’s horrible silver dye job? Erik Hurtado’s? Kendall Waston’s Gandalf the Grey look? There can only be one winner though – Yordy Reyna. The little Peruvian’s spongy locks saw him christened Spongebob by Robbo. We’re still pretty sure he mixed up Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons with Spongebob Squarepants, but he went with the sponge side of it. Either way, an instant classic! Let’s just hope the recent issues for Reyna in Peru don’t become the real sideshow this offseason.
2016 winner: Erik Hurtado’s silver surfer
2015 winner: Christian Dean’s Bride of Frankenstein streak
2014 winner: Russell Teibert’s Playoff special
2013 winner: Tommy Heinemann’s Werewolf look
2012 winner: Greg Klazura’s Shaven Locks
2011 winner: Eric Hassli’s Mohawk
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THE WILLIE JOHNSTON “DID THAT JUST REALLY HAPPEN?” AWARD :
WINNER: WHITECAPS TWITTER TALKS UP ATLANTA’S GOALSCORING PROWESS TO SELL TICKETS – The ‘Caps twitter account has been absolutely horrendous at times this year. They’ve bigged up our opponents, made inappropriate attempts at humour to a touchy fanbase, totally misjudged the thoughts of the said fanbase, and showed an incredible lack of understanding of football supporters at times and the games itself. Not all the time. There’s multiple people run it. Some are excellent. Some get it. But some are clearly clueless in the ways of football. They may understand social media but they don’t understand the environment they’re using it in.
The worst example came in June, when in a desperate attempt to sell more tickets they praised what a dangerous attack visiting Atlanta United had. Not bad in itself but it smacked off “don’t come to see the home team, come see the much better opposition and be wowed”. Total disrespect for the ‘Caps players and supporters.
27 goals. 60 seconds. Get a taste of who's coming to town on Saturday
Still need tickets? → https://t.co/Rtnlrf7jHM #VWFC #VANvATL pic.twitter.com/Saef73La84
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) June 2, 2017
Reaction was swift.
What the fcuk? How about "Come see our top defenders shut down Atlanta United" give me a fcuking break @WhitecapsFC
— Chris
Hey #WhitecapsFC, Marketing 101 – promote your product, not the competitors…
— Fil Mcrackin (@Fil_Mcrackin) June 2, 2017
Next week they'll do a promo with all the goals the Caps have conceded so far. In 60 seconds.
— IgorMortis ⭐ (@igormortis13) June 2, 2017
"You're a joke and you know you are" i hope surrey gets a canpl team because this organization is such garbage.Sincerely from a fan since 06
— Jetlife commandments (@QuattroAllDay) June 2, 2017
There were a lot more! Let’s hope they get their Twitter presence sorted for 2018. There’s been a better end to year from it, and some actual decent banter. We’ll see what next year brings, but hopefully this is part of several new directions.
2016: Losing Canadian Championship in stoppage time
2015: Pa Modou Kah collecting medal on a hoverboard
2014 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker’s wanking gesture on national TV
2013 winner: Three goals in 140 seconds in Caps v Portland match
2012 winner: Darren Mattocks aerial goal in Toronto
2011 winner: Eric Hassli’s double jersey sending off celebration
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THE “PLEASE JUST SHUT UP” AWARD:
WINNER: STOP GOING ON ABOUT THE WHITECAPS NOT SPENDING MONEY – It’s easy to put the ‘Caps woes down to them not spending money. You look at the likes of Toronto and Seattle and their big money signings and theirs splashing of cash and you say that’s where the ‘Caps are lagging behind. And yes, when it comes to the big two, they are behind, but there is no way you can keep saying that the ‘Caps are not spending money. They were the 9th biggest spending side in MLS this year. The trouble isn’t that they’re not spending money. The trouble is they’re spending it on the wrong players and wasting DP money on the likes of Brek Shea. They need to spend better and yes, they do need to spend more, but at least they’re spending unlike many in the league.
2016 winner: All the “We’re a young team” talk
2015 winner: Pointless journalism and click bait sites
2014 winner: People wanting the ‘Caps to open the upper tier
2013 winner: Media who can’t grasp concept of football decisions being made above the manager
2012 winner: Old media fuddy duddies who just don’t get football crowds
2011 joint winners: Poor TV commentators
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THE PAUL BARBER “TALKING OUT OF YOUR ASS” AWARD :
WINNER: ANTHONY PRECOURT – We don’t need to say anything else. Wanker. #SaveTheCrew
2016 winner: Peter Walton
2015 winner: Those wanting the upper bowl opened
2014 winner: Omar Salgado and his string of apologies for his attitude
2013 winner: Darren Mattocks’ Jamaican TV interview
2012 winner: Media pundits disrespecting Caps achievement in reaching playoffs
2011 winner: Paul Barber
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And that’s the end of our 2017 awards. Share your thoughts on the award winners below. Who knows what next year will bring? Hopefully a bit more success for starters!
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