Winnipeg Fury Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 The Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps will meet again in 2005 after all, but coach Tony Fonseca may not be the Caps' bench boss. After goalkeeper Preston Burpo and the Sounders won the western conference championship last Sunday at Swangard Stadium, general manager Adrian Hanauer said he's still bidding to join the MLS in 2006. Until then, the Sounders will field a squad in the A-League. As for Fonseca, he has another year on his contract. But Whitecaps director of soccer operations Bob Lenarduzzi refused to give him a vote of confidence after the semi-final. Lenarduzzi said he'd discuss Fonseca's future with the ex-Portuguese star (and recent Canadian citizen) in the next few weeks. Fonseca might be the latest coach to take the fall for the Whitecaps' failure to advance to the league final. The Whitecaps have eight straight playoff appearances to their credit - the last three with Fonseca at the helm. However, they've lost all five semi-final challenges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 Well, given the lot of Dave Dir (I think that is the spelling, former whitecaps women coach is who I mean), I'd say this is long over due. Fonseca was given the horses but failed to deliver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Fonseca is moving to coach the youth squads while Bob Lilley will become Vancouver's new coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Krammerhead, or other Caps fans for that matter, what is your opinion of the hire of Lilley? He carries that "too defensive" rap from his time with the Impact. Will he help the Caps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 He is replacing a defensive coach in Tony Fonseca, so there's no difference there. However Lilley is a proven coach. Unlike Fonseca he will know how to substitute players correctly (no pulling out a forward and putting on a defender when the Caps are in need of a goal), and he'll surely insist his players know how to take set plays. Caps fans are tired of watching the visiting teams come in and do better at the Caps on the simplest of things such as throw ins, corner kicks, free kicks, etc. Another benefit is that Lilley will surely be able to communicate with the media better than Fonseca did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Remember Lilley's tactics when the Impact defeated Vancouver 1-0? Do you REALLY want that for a WHOLE year? Get prepared for some nil-nil games... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Yes I remember that game, it was horrible. I can foresee fans in Vancouver turning away in droves if that is the type of style played game in and game out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footy Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Yeah another year of low scoring affairs is a great way to send home the kiddies and the soccer moms ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Footy Yeah another year of low scoring affairs is a great way to send home the kiddies and the soccer moms ! I don't know if you're expressing that you don't want them there or that it's not good because they'll be dissatisfied. In my experience with Lilleyesque tactics, the "soccer parents and kids" fans still came to their 1 game a year and don't care either way. It's the real fans who follow the team and go to most games that were pissed off and turned away. We played Pittsburgh at home one time and we were near the top of the division. A boring-as-hell 0-0 after regulation in which Sebrango got injured. We ended up losing 1-0. That was the WORST game I've ever seen in my life and my top 10 probably has 5 Lilley outings in there. He played Nash up front!!! I mean come on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massimo Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 In my opinion, no one wants to send the soccer moms home...well maybe they could the kids could at home.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Daniel I don't know if you're expressing that you don't want them there or that it's not good because they'll be dissatisfied. Knowing footy I can tell you he's taking the piss of soccer moms and their kids lack of knowledge in regards to what an entertaining game is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstackho Posted October 27, 2004 Share Posted October 27, 2004 Fonseca leaves 'Caps for training spot: Former coach to direct youth player initiative, which is to set up nine centres around the province Dan Stinson Vancouver Sun 702 words 26 October 2004 Vancouver Sun Final E1 / Front English Copyright © 2004 Vancouver Sun Tony Fonseca is out as the Vancouver Whitecaps men's head coach and in as full-time technical director of the District Development Centre program -- a youth player initiative announced Monday by Whitecaps FC and the B.C. Soccer Association. The new partnership between the privately-owned Whitecaps and the BCSA calls for the creation of nine development centres in the province and a more streamlined approach to player development by the once-competing organizations. Fonseca, who served as the Whitecaps' head coach the past three A-League seasons, assumes his new responsibilities immediately, leaving a vacancy at the club that is expected to be filled by Christmas. One candidate for the Whitecaps' job is believed to be Bob Lilley, a former head coach of the A-League's Montreal Impact and defunct Hershey Wildcats. Fonseca, a former Portuguese international player and youth team coach, replaced Dale Mitchell as the Whitecaps' head coach in February of 2002 and failed to guide the team beyond the semifinal round of the playoffs during his term at the helm. But Whitecaps FC director of operations Bob Lenarduzzi said Fonseca's new responsibilities should not be interpreted that he has been fired as head coach. "I appreciate that people will interpret it that way, but we need a full-time person at the helm in this new initiative," Lenarduzzi said. "I asked Tony a short time ago what his preference was -- continuing as the Whitecaps' head coach or working with the development of youth players. He didn't hesitate in saying that he wanted to work with the youth players. "We need a full-time person to head up this new initiative and Tony has already demonstrated that he's the right person for the job." Fonseca has worked as a coach in the Whitecaps FC academy and with Super Y-League teams. Five Whitecaps youth teams have qualified for Super Y-League championship tournaments, which will be staged next month in Orlando, Fla. Lenarduzzi said the Whitecaps FC-BCSA partnership was struck in part as a result of the Canadian national team's recent failure to advance to the final round of CONCACAF zone qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. "We need to do a better job of delivering players to our national teams and an integral part of the process is youth player development," he said. "The stakeholders in youth player development in this province needed to get together in a common cause. After much discussion with B.C. Soccer [the BCSA], we've struck a partnership that hopefully will lay a better foundation for player development." BCSA president Victor Montagliani said "it's long overdue to bring a professional club into the family" in a coordinated four-tier player development program. The program includes: - Working directly with community clubs -- select teams, house teams and mini teams -- in every area of the province. - BCSA development programs with provincial teams, Super Y-League teams, Intra-Provincial League teams and the District Development Centre programs. - Development of Whitecaps FC players in the under-18 to under-21 age groups. - Preparing B.C. players for Canada's senior national and youth teams at national training centres. While applauding the initiative, Mitchell, who is head coach of Canada's under-20 men's team, said the key to optimum player development is their full-time involvement in professional soccer. "The biggest thing that's missing in Canada is full-time pro soccer for our players at the club level," he said. "The reality is that the driving force behind developing players for international games is their full-time involvement as pro players. The A-League doesn't answer that need because it doesn't operate year-round. The United States has made great strides in the game because they have players involved in the game 12 months of the year with Major League Soccer. The final stage of player development is with the pro clubs and it's an issue that we must address in Canada." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Whitecaps have finally announced that Bob Lilley is their new coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Whitecaps have finally announced that Bob Lilley is their new coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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