So How About That Team From Vancouver

Weeks ago, the Vancouver Whitecaps were a prospect. A strong one, and one with promise, but still only a prospect. As a newcomer to MLS they had yet to play any real games, and had barely broken in their temporary home of Empire Field. They were an expansion team, and could really only be expected to preform at the level of one.

But there were early signs of promise. The Whitecaps started off their roster building process with the signing of Jay De Merit, a veteran US defender who would, as we all knew, be a wall in the back. A host of hot SuperDraft signings followed including U-20 star Omar Salgado, Akron’s Michael Nachoff, and Notre Dame’s Jeb Brovsky. With the signing of Eric Hassli, the experienced French forward known for his strength and technical ability, as a designated player, Vancouver’s opening roster looked solid.

Still, as they opened their MLS career with a 4-2 stunner over Toronto, what shined the most was not their surprisingly non-expansion-eque play, but the crowd of 22,592 who cheered them on to victory. The atmosphere at Empire Field was absolutely electric, generating more noise than many lesser clubs do in a season. And the party didn’t end after their opener; attendance to their shocker of a comeback against Sporting stood at 20,518, well above the likes of even the New York Red Bulls, who couldn’t even draw 14,000 for a club which now boasts Dwayne DeRosario on top of Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, and two current Nats.

So, where is the future headed for Vancouver? Will they continue to be as strong as they have been out of the gate, or am I jumping the gun? WIll they rock this year and pull a Seattle next year? Or will something completely other happen?

You tell me.

Category: Vancouver Whitecaps