Search the Community

AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was there to capture all the action before, during and after the game and here's his "Story In Pictures", with a full Flickr slideshow at the end. [Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. The Voyageurs are out in force in BC And in amongst them is a familiar face in Karina LeBlanc Flag tifo in full force In Floro We Trust? Canada's starting XI The enemy lines up A moment of quiet reflection on the day's atrocities in Paris The pain of World Cup qualification is quick to appear! Not much to choose between the teams early, but Julian de Guzman unleashes a screamer from the edge of the box Which Noel Valladares does well to tip over In the 38th minute, Will Johnson heads the ball towards goal, hitting off Cyle Larin on the deck and into the Honduran net Okay, we'll forget the Timbers part of him for now Canada celebrate what proves to be the match winning goal Johnson nearly makes it two in the 63rd minute but his free kick crashes off the right hand post An impressive Honduran travelling support As Honduras push for the equaliser, Milan Borjan makes a crucial late save Then minutes later acts quickly to recover a spill and keep Canada's lead secure Another late scramble in Canada's box but the good guys survive for the crucial 1-0 win And you can see what it means to Borjan And his Canadian teammates Things you never thought you'd see at BC Place - Curva Collective's head honcho hugging Portland's Will Johnson! Will Canada be back at BC Place in March? Floro says "Yeeeeeessssss" You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

The Sounders had the best of the early chances and Marco Carducci did fantastic to dive and knock the ball off the feet of Oalex Anderson as he looked poised to open the scoring. It was a pretty end to end game in the first half, with the 'Caps shading the better play, led by an impressive Marco Bustos, Brett Levis and Andre Lewis. WFC2 could have been a couple of goals up if Bustos had perhaps played a quicker pass on a couple of breaks. WFC2's pressure was to pay off though four minutes before half time when Christian Dean grabbed his first professional goal after a neat one-two with Brett Levis. Dean had looked dangerous in the left back role, getting up and down the wing through the half and his work was rewarded by a well taken goal. 1-0 to the 'Caps at the half, and it was a half that showed just how good this young 'Caps side can be. They're certainly starting to click and develop as the year goes on. But not for the first time this season, they let their lead slip and S2 tied things up in the 67th minute when WFC2 failed to clear a corner, allowing Oniel Fisher to lay the ball off to Sergio Mota and the Brazilian curled a 20 yard beauty past a diving Carducci. The game seemed destined to end in another stalemate before WFC2 sub Victor Blasco stole the show. The Spaniard had come on as a 77th minute sub for Lewis and won all three points for the Whitecaps with two goals in a 78 second spell right at the end of the match. Not only was the brace his first goals of the season but they were also his first professional goals after a youth career in Spain and a college stint here on Vancouver Island. Blasco's first came in the 89th minute when fellow sub Billy Schuler cut the ball back and he slotted home from eight yards out. The pair combined again in the last minute of normal time when Schuler played in Blasco and the winger took a step inside his man before curling the ball past Charlie Lyon in the Sounders goal for a 3-1 final. A great and well-deserved win for the Whitecaps that moves them to within three points of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings. "Great game," was WFC2 coach Alan Koch's take after the match. "I thought we played very, very well. Good performance, great result. Obviously lots of little things that we can tidy up. We did give them a couple of chances that we're not happy with, but with a young group you obviously expect that. "Very, very pleased with the overall performance. Not only from the guys that started but the guys that came off the bench and made major impacts in the game today." One of those disappointing aspects for WFC2 was letting another lead slip away, although Koch was delighted with how his team regrouped. It's another sign of his this squad is growing. "Frustrating," Koch told us. "We try to play and with young players we're going to make mistakes. Happy to be 1-0 up, not happy when they scored. You could kind of see our guys take a bit of a pause for a second, kind of gather themselves thank goodness and then push towards the end. "You've got to play for the full 90 minutes, which we did today, and we deserved to get the three points. Full credit to the guys. I think everybody was good from top to bottom." WFC2 are in action again this coming Friday and it's another Cascadian derby as Timbers 2 come to town. It's a 7pm kick off, so head along if you can. AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was at WFC2's exciting win over Seattle to capture all the action. Here's our "Story In Pictures", with a full Flickr slideshow at the end. [Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. The Caps had some early pressure with Marco Bustos and Andre Lewis linking up well And the pressure pays of when Christian Dean plays a neat one-two with Brett Levis And hits a great finish to make it 1-0 WFC2 It was also Dean's first professional goal And you can see just what it meant to the big man Not for the first time in the game, Marco Carducci had to be at his best to keep out S2 While at the other end, Seattle's Lyon roared But when Sergio Mota unleashed his 20 yard curling beauty in the 67th minute There was nothing Carducci could do to keep it out Look who it is! Robert Earnshaw makes his return after his recent calf injury With a draw looming, up steps Super Sub Victor Blasco inn the 89th minute And the Spaniard slots home Billy Schuler's cutback to put the 'Caps ahead again Another first professional goal! And with three points likely secure, it's joy all round But Blasco wasn't finished yet! And he curls home his second just over a minute later to make it 3-1 Whitecaps! Blasco loves it and the fans love him! The goalscorers embrace! You can see more photos from the match in the Flickr slideshow below:

It could have been all so different after Ian Christianson was sent crashing in the box as half-time approached and with the game still goalless. Caleb Clarke hit a woeful penalty wide left and the 'Caps were punished when LA took the lead moments later, in the 43rd minute. Carl Robinson always talks about "fine lines" and that was one there in a huge game-swinging two minute spell. "I think it would have made a huge difference," Koch said of Clarke's missed penalty. "We would have been a goal up shortly before half-time and hopefully would have gained some confidence, some momentum and maybe the game would have been better in the second half. "Any time you miss a penalty kick like that, it has huge implications on the game and today it certainly did." LA added a second half penalty of their own, after a harsh handball decision on Craig Nitti, after the ball hit his shoulder, and there was no way back for the 'Caps after that, the closest they came being when LA keeper Clement Diop tipped a Clarke shot onto the post in stoppage time. The game marked the halfway point of the regular season for WFC2 and saw the young 'Caps slump to three straight losses. That in itself is bad enough, but to be scoreless in all of those games will cause further concern. But, onwards and upwards. We'll have a look at the season so far through the eyes of Alan Koch and Carl Robinson later in the week. Next up for the 'Caps is a home Cascadian derby on Sunday against Timbers 2. How Canada's second round match-up against Switzerland at the Women's World Cup will affect the crowd will remain to be seen, but treat your dad for Father's Day if you can and take him along to the match. AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was at WFC2's loss to LA II to capture all the action before, during and after the game and here's his "Story In Pictures", with a full Flickr slideshow at the end. [Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. Ready for battle - the teams come out Oh Canada Victor Blasco was lively early and came close to giving the 'Caps the lead The game marked Marco Bustos' first USL start, and appearance, at home after injury WFC2 get the chance to take the lead after Ian Christianson is sent crashing in the box and the referee points to the spot Caleb Clarke steps up... But hits his 41st minute effort woefully wide And sod's law, LA go up the pitch and take the lead two minutes later after Travis Bowen is left unmarked and heads home Worse is to come in the second half as Craig Nitti is wrongly adjudged to have handled after this shot which hits his shoulder And Aeriel Lassiter makes no mistake from the spot to make it 2-0 LA in the 60th minute The 'Caps try to get back into it, switching to a 3-5-2 formation, but Blasco is thwarted again Others try but there is just no way past Clement Diop And it finished WFC2 0 LA Galaxy II 2 You can see more photos from the match (and of dogs!) in the Flickr slideshow below:

"If you look at the schedule, we've got so many USL games that we've got going on and so many MLS games and we've got a few injuries too, we actually had to ask for an exemption and the CSA approved it," WFC2 coach Alan Koch told AFTN after the game. "I don't think it's something we'll be using very often. You can see in our roster that we've been playing a lot of Canadians. We only started four today but we did get it approved by the CSA before the game." It wasn't the most exciting first half. Vancouver tried to take the game to Arizona but as with the first team, putting away those chances was proving difficult. The Whitecaps turned up the pressure at the start of the second and Caleb Clarke showed quick reaction four minutes in to tuck away a rebound after Arizona keeper Carl Woszcynski had done well to keep out a Kianze Froese shot from the edge of the box. The goal was Clarke's fourth of the season and his second straight game with a goal. Vancouver had several chances to add a second and were in control of the match. They finally got their second killer goal with 12 minutes of the game remaining. It came from Brett Levis and was the Saskatoon native's first professional goal. And what a beauty it was too as the midfielder won possession at the half way line and skipped past two Arizona players before burying it in the bottom right corner of the net. There was no way back for Arizona and the young Caps go marching on. Next up are two away matches in four days. Colorado Springs are first up on Wednesday followed by a trip to OKC Energy on Saturday. AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was there to capture all the action before, during and after the game and here's his "Story In Pictures", with a full Flickr slideshow at the end. [Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. The teams come out at Thunderbird Stadium, ready for battle WFC2 starting XI A small but loud supporters' section for this one The closest WFC2 came in the first half was a Caleb Clarke header But Clarke wasn't to be denied and put the Caps ahead in the 49th minute Victor Blasco comes close to making it two And so does Caleb Clarke as he tried to round Arizona keeper Carl Wozscynski But the Caps do make it 2-0 in the 78th minute when Brett Levis picks up the ball at halfway line and runs in on goal Getting past two Arizona players on the way and slotting home his first professional goal Much to his joy And relief! The young Caps applaud the fans after back to back home wins While it's a meeting of mutual respect at the goalkeepers' union Paolo Tornaghi is in demand after his clean sheet Former Whitecap, and Arizona striker, catches up with an old friend, AFTN contributor and Curva Collective's Zachary Meisenheimer, after the game You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. The Southsiders March to the Match - BC Place awaits A close up of the new BC Place pitch Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI Real Salt Lake starting XI Coaches Carl Robinson and Jeff Cassar share a laugh before kick off Nick Rimando has an eye for a camera In the 36th minute, Gershon Koffie dispossess Joao Plata after some sloppy play And the man making his 100th MLS start for the Caps hit a 25 yard thunderbolt into the postage stamp corner - 1-0 Vancouver And boy is he happy! But the joy wasn't to last long as Javier Morales spots some poor wall positioning And curls a beautiful free kick past David Ousted Octavio Rivero has a chance to restore the Caps lead in the second half But the Uruguayan is like the rest of us and can't believe he didn't tuck it away A huge turning point in the game comes in the 64th minute as David Ousted pulls off another 'Save of the Week' candidate from an Elias Vasquez header Denied at one end, Vasquez gives up a goal at the other when he attempts to chest the ball back to Nick Rimando But before the keeper can collect the ball, Cristian Techera nips in And rounds Rimando before slotting home the winner The joy and ecstasy of your first MLS goal The Bug is squished! The secret behind why Kendall Waston is so good in the air - steam power! Kendall Waston does the postgame humba with Curva Collective You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. WFC2 come out for battle Oh Canada Things get feisty early with a 5th minute booking for the Monarchs' Lennon Celestino Caleb Clarke tries his new cunning plan to beat the offside trap And it works as he fires WFC2 into a 21st minute lead! Nothing like the ball nestling in the opposition net How many goals has he scored so far? Three is the answer 12 minutes later a great run, control and cut back from Victor Blasco sets up the second And Ben McKendry slots home his first of the season for 2-0 WFC2 Much to the dismay of the corner flag - and the referee who incredibly books him! "He's one of our own" sing Curva Collective Someone's a hugger Thunderbird Stadium in all its glory The 'Caps look like their heading for a comfortable win before pulling one back through a 82nd minute Lucas Baldin penalty that sends keeper Spencer Richey the wrong way The Monarchs are reduced to ten men when Phanuel Kavita picks up a second yellow It's a double bottle celebration kind of day for Jackson Farmer! Ben McKendry does the Humba with Curva Collective You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

The calm before the storm - when 'Caps fans were hopeful Would it be a feast or a famine for Sigi Schmid? Carl Robinson gets lost in the moment Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI The other mob Early trouble for Vancouver as Chad Barrett latches on to a Clint Dempsey through ball and fires home the opener Five minutes gone and 1-0 Seattle amid jubilant scenes from the visitors Pedro Morales almost ties it up immediately with a looping effort that it tipped over the bar Then Kendall Waston comes close to an equaliser for the 'Caps Matias Laba picks up another early yellow card More Whitecaps woe as Barrett gets on the end of a perfect Pappa pass Firing past Ousted in the 38th minute to make it 2-0 Seattle Someone loves X-Box (us if there's any freebies going!) With nothing happening in the second half, Darren Mattocks sees what it's like to be Cristian Techera for a bit Octavio Rivero seems unlikely to get a penalty call in MLS this season Darwin Jones nearly makes it 3-0 for Seattle late on, but Ousted comes up big Sadly someone's going home happy You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. Oh Canada, Oh Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI Gershon Koffie's mistake lets in Tomi Ameobi Who easily fires home the opener for Edmonton just four minutes in Happy days indeed for the Eddies Worse is to come for the 'Caps as Sam Adekugbe strains his right ankle A tough injury for young Sam. He's been for tests. How long he'll be out is still unknown. More bodies hit the floor The Whitecaps will have been glad to see the back of that half Meanwhile, Sam is already in a boot and on crutches The second half starts more brightly as Erik Hurtado has an early chance Before wasting an even more golden opportunity in the 66th minute The shock of seeing indoor plumbing was too much to take for some Edmonton players Just as it was looking bleak for Vancouver, Koffie shows some nice footwork in the box and fires home an 87th minute equalizer Can we get our ball back mister? As the game enters stoppage time, Robert Earnshaw finds himself clear in the box But it's just too tight and angle and the ball ends up in the side netting Paolo Tornaghi finally got to get a Whitecaps start. Really pleased for the Italian keeper Twas a tough night for Captain Koffie Eddies coach Colin Miller knows history is in the making for his side next week While Carl Robinson knows his 'Caps have a tough time ahead of them if they are to advance You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. The Southsiders March to the Match The Whitecaps Starting XI The 'Caps get fired up in their pre-match huddle And it works as Pedro Morales gives Vancouver the lead after just 70 seconds And the 'Caps captain celebrates his first goal of the season But a little too much as his topless celebration picks up a yellow card Sam Adekugbe goes in for the ball against Perry Kitchen But the DC players don't like the tackle and Kitchen kicks out at young Sam And a stramash ensues (Scottish word - look it up!!) - Don't mess with big Kendall Pa Modou Kah sends Kendall Waston away to calm down Adekugbe picks up a yellow for the challenge and is one more away from suspension DC tie it up in the 9th minute through a Bobby Boswell header Boswell celebrates with Fabian Espindola We wanted Steven Beitashour to get forward more - he does and he gets flattened by Andrew Dykstra Michael Farfan chips a shot onto the roof of the net after a mistake by Kah lets DC in The game's turning point came in the 42nd minute when Matias Laba saw red after a second booking Beitashour tries to boost the 'Caps with some Vulcan mind meld on the ball Chris Rolfe forces a huge save out of David Ousted in the 54th minute But the 'Caps go up the pitch and Mauro Rosales crashes a shot off the post DC keeper Dykstra is injured in the play and has to be replaced by debutant Travis Worra Rolfe fires home for what proves to be the winning goal in the 64th minute Booooooooooooo! Pedro gets a message - we can only speculate it was don't shoot at free kicks El Bicho makes his MLS debut for the 'Caps As the game enters stoppage time, Ousted becomes a makeshift striker at set pieces Octavio Rivero has a chance to tie it up in time added on Then Adekugbe wastes the 'Caps last chance to grab a point with a fluffed shot The coaches embrace after an entertaining game but sadly a Whitecaps loss You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

Toronto tied things up through Jay Chapman in the 57th minute, somewhat against the run of play and with the help of a referee that blocked Tyler Rosenlund and inadvertently set up the chance. That goal sparked TFC2 into life and they looked like the only team that was going to win this thing, missing a couple of great opportunities to do so. Their cause was helped further when Victor Blasco picked up two yellow cards in the space of five minutes and was sent off in the 68th minute. The couldn't make their man advantage tell and the Whitecaps were then thrown a lifeline in the 77th minute when Mark Anthony Kaye picked up his second yellow of the game, after sending Ben McKendry flying, and the teams were level in personnel once again. Both teams had chances to win it. The 'Caps got in the better positions and will be disappointed to come away with only a draw, remaining with just one win now from their first five games. AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was there to capture all the action before, during and after the game and here's his "Story In Pictures", with a full Flickr slideshow at the end. [Also check out his website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. A packed Thunderbird Stadium ready for WFC2's home openerThe teams come outMarie Hui belts out the Canadian national anthemBen McKendry has a chance at making history with WFC2's first home goalOh! So close, but Quillan Roberts comes up with the saveCaleb Clarke is next to try his luck but Roberts thwarts him as wellBut the goal finally comes in the 33rd minute as Caleb Clarke coolly slots home past RobertsAnd the team celebrate the occasionBubble football - It's the futureAnd the band plays onTFC II come storming back into the game with Jay Chapman's 57th minute equaliserBooooooooooooooooThe Whitecaps' cause receives a further set back when Victor Blasco is sent off in the 68th minuteAnd the Spaniard is off for an early bathBut numbers are levelled up nine minutes later when Mark Anthony Kaye hacks down Ben McKendryAnd Kaye picks up his second yellow and is sent offBut neither team can break the deadlock and the game ends as a 1-1 draw'Caps goalscorer Caleb Clarke scrums after the gameAs does WFC2 head coach Alan Koch You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

The Whitecaps starting eleven The 'Caps get fired up in their pre-match huddle Scarves up if you love the 'Caps David Ousted starts as he means to go on, getting down to thwart a low George Fochive shot Fochive is in the thick of the action again, bringing down Octavio Rivero for a 15th minute free kick Up steps Nicolas Mezquida Who curls it over the wall and into the bottom corner for the opening goal Nico and Pedro celebrate the 'Caps going 1-0 up Dirty, dirty Ridgewell Portland dominate an uninspiring second half until Fanendo Adi pokes home an 82nd minute equaliser Boooooooooooo But there's still time for Robert Earnshaw to pop up with a dramatic 90th minute winner for Vancouver Another debut goal, but Earnshaw enjoys them all like it was his first And there's the famous flip! And the crowd go wild! David Ousted lets out a roar at the final whistle Earnie's feet won't touch the ground tonight Carl Robinson does the Humba with Curva Collective A happy footballing day all round for Welshmen You can see all of Tom's photos from the game as a video slideshow (with added crowd noise) below:

Now the backend of the CSN site isn't really best suited to hosting the galleries like the old site used to. We felt they looked kind of crappy last season, so for a pure pictorial guide, check out AFTN's new standalone site HERE. We're trying something different and additional for this season, so we're putting together all of Tom's photos from the match as a video slideshow, paired with crowd noise from the game. We're still fining tuning it, but here's the first one: