Aftn Soccer Show (vancouver Whitecaps/mls)

We're back with another packed show of Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. The World Cup in Qatar is just weeks away and as the tournament gets closer, the injury concerns for the Canadian national team continue to grow, with two players confirmed out and a scare with Alphonso Davies' hamstring. We delve into all of that but we cheer up with a world premiere of the new Canadian World Cup - Nobody Believed Us. We chat with the man behind it, friend of the show, Neil Grant and give the song its first spin. Turning to club football, the newest Canadian Premier League side Vancouver FC had its official launch this week. We take a look at what we learned, hear from owner Rob Friend, chat with inaugural head coach Afshin Ghotbi, and talk with CPL Commissioner Mark Noonan about the new club, future expansion, and FC Edmonton's fate. Plus we look back at a dramatic MLS Cup final, look at Don Garber's latest annual MLS State of the League conference, and chat about the rumoured

We're back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. It's our annual awards season at AFTN and we kick off handing out the gongs with our ones for Whitecaps Player of the Year, Young Player, Academy Player, Female Player, Unsung Hero, and the best game, goal, and save of the season past. Will Ryan Gauld win any? No spoilers but we do sit down for an in-depth chat with the Whitecaps Designated Player to look at the season past and the excitingly busy 2023 that lies ahead. How did he feel both he and the team performed? How much did his early season concussions hinder him? Where did it go wrong this year? How much is he looking forward to fighting on four front next season and playing continental competition? Is he getting fed up with people asking him why he's not in the Scotland squad? And could he perhaps line up for Canada one day? We cover all of that and more! The MLS Cup final is now set. We look at this weekend's two Confe

We're back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. The Whitecaps offseason is officially underway, with some squad decisions already announced, some still being considered, and the planning for a 2023 season that will be fought on four fronts already in full flow. We look at the news coming out so far, plus sit down for our second annual end of season chat with Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini. How did he view this past season? Did the Canadian Championship win see the team take a step forward or did their MLS standing see them regress? What did he learn about himself as a coach this year? Was he too slow to make the necessary changes, especially defensively? And how much change is needed for next year to compete? We talk about all of that and a lot more in a 40 minute chat. The MLS and CPL seasons are getting close to their end, with the two conference finals set in the former and the championship game set in the latter. We

We're back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian soccer chat. The MLS and CPL postseason are in full flow and it's been an exciting weekend of action, which we round up in this episode. Sadly for the Whitecaps the season is over and the big decisions have to be made as who should stay and who should make way. If the team is to take the much needed next step of becoming a side that isn't just trying to scrape into the lower playoff places but to be a top four side in the West, some difficult decisions need to be made to improve the squad significantly. We give our thoughts of who should be in, out, and who's on the bubble. Plus it's been a great year for Quebec soccer. We chat with CS Saint-Laurent U17 head coach Maxwell Arhin about his side's win at the recent U17 Boys nationals in Surrey, the rise of the game in the province, and bringing CF Montreal player Ismael Kone through at youth level. Here's the rundown for the main segments fr

We're back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian Premier League chat. The Whitecaps run to the playoffs are over and just as quickly as the team raised our hopes, disappointment reigns once again as they fall short of the finishing line. We look back at the season ending loss in Minnesota and ponder what's next for the team and what changes need to be made. Will the 'Caps ever truly take that next step and become a real threat in the league? Do they have the players and the front office support to achieve that feat? There's been movement in regard of the latter this past week and it's not been so much out with the old and in with the new, as back with the old guard. But there has at least been on appointment in the new General Manager of Women's Soccer, Stephanie Labbe. Some of it has left a sour taste in the mouths of fans. We look at that and round up the end of regular season action across both MLS and the CPL. Here's the rundown for the main segments from t

We're back with another packed show of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Canadian Premier League chat. What a few weeks it's been in Whitecapsland. What looked like mission impossible to get into the playoffs has seen an amazing run of results, sparked by three straight wins for the 'Caps, to leave Vancouver with a win and they're in scenario on MLS Decision Day. We look at how they got to this point, the form of Ryan Gauld, the late move to four at the back, and cast our eye over the main talking points coming out of the 'Caps latest win against Austin, which boiled over at the end and had us all talking about Lucas Cavallini again. We also look at the MLS West playoff picture after some stunning games this past weekend, look ahead to that big Decision Day clash in Minnesota next Sunday, chat about the latest results and news from the CPL, and dive into a bulging mailbag to answer some listener's questions about the team, the future, and player abuse. Here's the rundown for the main segments

We're back with a shorter than usual but still packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and the Canadian men's national team. What a week it was in Whitecapsland as a six point home stand kept Vancouver's season alive and dealt a blow to their Cascadian rivals from Seattle. We delve into the 'Caps' wins against the Sounders and the Galaxy and look at the lie of the land in the MLS West and the tall order Vancouver have ahead of them if they are to get to the playoffs. We also look at the exciting end to the CPL season and have a quick chat about the Canadian national team's upcoming friendlies and continuing World Cup prep. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 04.00: Where has this Whitecaps team been? 16.20: The 'Caps win over LA 26.30: Seattle soundly beaten 41.30: The lie of the land in MLS West 54.08: CPL chat 66.26: Wavelength - Jason McCue - Soccer 70.20: Canada's World Cup

We're back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and Panini stickers, with our usual splattering of fine tunes thrown in for your aural pleasure. After the Whitecaps' latest loss, the season is all but mathematically over and the regression and recent form has been sad to see. We look back over the 'Caps loss in Colorado and the goals and controversial moment that got them there. So what now for Vancouver? How safe is Vanni Sartini's job? How secure are the players and how many do you even want back? How much of a rebuild is needed and why are the club going through this again? With four games remaining, how should the 'Caps approach these final matches and what will it take to get the fans back in the stands? We chat about all of that and a lot more and talk about the ever rising cost of completing Panini sticker albums and talk about some of our favourites from through the years. And there's even time for some

We've been away a long time (well three weeks) but we're finally back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and the Canadian Premier League, with our usual splattering of fine tunes thrown in for your aural pleasure. Our last show came after the Whitecaps capitulation down in LA. There's been four games since then and we've seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and the very ugly side of the 'Caps in that time as the team went from having their heads above the playoff line for the first time this season, to rapidly sinking below it and in danger of disappearing without a trace. With every point a prisoner, the Whitecaps have left the cell door wide open and some of their performances have been criminal. We look back over the past few weeks, take a look around the current lie of the land in MLS, and what it all means for the 'Caps. Plus we have to talk about the C word - Cava. Here's the rundown for the main segmen

We're back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps and Major League Soccer. Football conjures up so many feelings. From the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows, fans across the world can feel so many emotions, with different groups experiencing vastly differing emotions from the same game or moment. You can go from loving your team, to hating them in the flash of an eye, or the scoring of a goal. It's why we all love the game so much. Vancouver Whitecaps fans have certainly gone through the emotions during their MLS era so far and in this episode we take a look at an interesting week both on and off the pitch for the club. On it, the team put in a horrendous first half performance at the LA Galaxy, falling to a 5-2 defeat that hits their playoff aspirations hard. We look back at the main talking points coming of the match, the poor defensive play, some head scratching line-up decisions, and where it all leaves the 'Caps w

We're back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and football on Canadian TV. The Whitecaps left it late again to get the job done against Houston Dynamo on Friday night, but two late goals gave them a dramatic last ditch victory and with other results going their way this weekend in the West, it's going to be a fascinating run-in to end the regular season. We delve into the main talking points coming out of the match, look at the fantastic MLS debut from Simon Becher and hear from the man himself, look at the importance of WFC2 to the Whitecaps, look at the lie of the land in the Western Conference, and hear the postgame thoughts of the gaffer Vanni Sartini and match winner Lucas Cavallini. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 02.18: Chat about football on Canadian TV 12.30: Whitecaps late late show beats Houston 44.35: Simon Becher's dream debut 51.00: The importance of WFC2 to the Whitecaps 60.50: T

We're back with another jam-packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and League1 BC. And we've come over a little German for this episode (we apologised to Hans) with a Deutsche theme running throughout with our chats and our musical selections this week. We kick things off by looking at the Whitecaps battling point earned in Nashville on Saturday night. It was another slow start and strong finish. Will this be enough to get them into the playoffs and how many points are they likely to need to pick up down the stretch? With new additions seemingly incoming to help the 'Caps, we chat with their most recent one Julian Gressel. We delve into the German wingback's career so far, what brought him over to North America, having the rug pulled from under him with the transfer to Vancouver, his podcasting career and charity work, and a lot more. We also chat with Julian's podcast partner on Zee Soccer Podcast, Fabian Herbers about getting into podcasti

We're back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps and their Canadian Championship final win! It's been a long wait of seven years, but the Whitecaps finally lifted only their second ever Voyageurs Cup on Tuesday night with a penalty shootout win over Toronto FC. It was an emotional and electric atmosphere at BC Place and we look back over the game, what the win means for the club, and pushing on now from that success for the rest of the season. Plus we have postgame audio from the very jubilant Ryan Gauld, Tristan Blackmon, Brian White, and Ryan Raposo as they celebrate winning their first silverware with the club. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 02.00: BC Place's electric cup final atmosphere 16.20: Whitecaps lift the Voyageurs Cup 52.03: Tristan Blackmon and Brian White audio and discussion 59.30: Ryan Gauld audio and discussion 67.32: Ryan Raposo audio and discussion 76.15: Should the final have extra tim

We're back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure as we talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and Canadian football. The good work done on the road by Vancouver Whitecaps was undone by a second straight home 3-1 defeat against Chicago Fire on Saturday. It was a disappointing outing but did the 'Caps have an eye too focused on Tuesday Canadian Championship final with Toronto FC? We look at how the match played out and the line-up selected, plus we look ahead to that big game against TFC, the addition of wingback Julian Gressel, and debate whether Vanni Sartini needs to go with a more settled starting XI and what that should like that. We also chat with Chicago's Swiss playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri, a key player for the visitors on Saturday, about the match, settling in to MLS, and looking ahead to the World Cup in Qatar. We also look at the battle brewing in the Canadian Premier League, talk about Zach's recent visit to FC Edmonton, and ponder whether Pacific's impending CONCA

We're back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, as guest co-host Harjeet Johal joins us again to talk Vancouver Whitecaps, the current CSA shambles, and women's soccer. Vanni Sartini certainly doesn't have his troubles to seek when it comes to injuries. A banged up Whitecaps side battled hard to get a point on the road in Cincinnati midweek after dropping points at home in a veritable six-pointer against Minnesota at the weekend. Another six-pointer looms against Portland this weekend. Will they have enough healthy bodies to get something from the game? What's behind all the injuries? And which players are rising to the challenge to keep the 'Caps in the playoff picture? Away from the pitch, the Canadian Soccer Association lurches from one shambles to another as a TSN article this week painted the organisation and some of their recent dealings in anything but a favourable light. As calls for an independent investigation into the CSA grow, the blazers and the playe

We're back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, as guest co-host Harjeet Johal joins us to talk Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and women's soccer. The Whitecaps are the form team in MLS right now and they've just knocked off the league leading LAFC thanks to another late show at BC Place at the weekend. We look back over that 1-0 win, the standout performers, the return of Max Crepeau and Marc Dos Santos, and where that result leaves the 'Caps in the Western Conference standings as they move into the second half of the season. Turning our attention away from MLS and to the women's game, we look at Canada's chances at the CONCACAF championships that have begun in Mexico this week with World Cup and Olympic places on the line. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 02.57: Whitecaps late late show beats LAFC 31.01: LAFC chatter on MDS, Jordan Harvey, Sicknote 43.58: Max Crepeau audio and discussion 62.46: CONCACAF Women's championship chat 75.10: Wav

We're back with another episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS chat. The Whitecaps were in action twice this past week again on league and cup duty. Sunday saw a battling point earned at home to New England Revolution in MLS action, but midweek saw the 'Caps reach their first Canadian Championship final since 2018 with a win over York United. We pick over the bones of both of those game, the highlights and lowlights, and look ahead to the threat Toronto FC will pose in the final with their big addition of Lorenzo Insigne. The Whitecaps next opponents LAFC have made a couple of big additions of their own in Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale. What impact will they have on the league and it's perception in some quarters? Plus we round-up how the MLS West is looking. Plus music from artists of the month Thick and Kunt and the Gang are in this episode's Wavelength. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 02.47: Whitecaps draw w

We're back with another packed episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and World Cup chat. What a busy week of football news it's been, with perhaps the most exciting news of all being the official confirmation that Vancouver will be a host city for the 2026 World Cup. We look at what that means for the city, both short and long term, chat about affordability versus future returns, and get the thoughts of Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director Axel Schuster about what it will mean for the club and the place he now calls home. It's also been a big week for Major League Soccer, who announced a billion dollar 10 year streaming deal with Apple TV+. How good is the deal for the league? How good is it for a club like the Whitecaps? Will it be a game changer or will it turn off the casual fans? We chat about all of that and more, plus we hear the thought of Axel Schuster. The Whitecaps were in action twice this past week with road games against Seattle and

We're back with another episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Canadian national team and Vancouver Whitecaps chat. The sickness bug has left AFTN Towers and we're back with another show. Good job it's been a quiet week in Canadian soccer to ease us back gently... It's not been a great couple of weeks for Canada Soccer. Instead of riding the wave, they've managed to fall into it and have been struggling to keep their heads above water. First there was the debacle around the Iran game, then came the weekend's farce of the cancellation of the match with Panama. No-one has come across well from the whole mess. We delve into all of that, look at what the players are wanting, talk transparency in the stewardship of the game here, and discuss what changes we'd like to see and what we need to see in Canada Soccer. But while that's all been playing out, on the club side, the Whitecaps have hit some form and are climbing the MLS table. They now sit one point back of the playoff p

We're back with another episode of the AFTN Soccer Show for your listening pleasure, with lots of Vancouver Whitecaps, Canadian Championship, and League1 BC chat. The Whitecaps are one game away from the Canadian Championship final and two matches away from the CONCACAF Champions League after a penalty shootout win over Cavalry FC in their quarter-final. We look back at the main talking points from the match, hear the postgame thoughts of 'Caps coach Vanni Sartini, and roundup the rest of the action from this week. Plus League1 BC has kicked off. We roundup the weekend's action in that and chat with Whitecaps U19 coach Rich Fagan and TSS Rovers coach Will Cromack. Here's the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 02.05: Whitecaps beat Cavalry in Canadian Championship 41.41: Canadian Championship round-up 56.12: Whitecaps back in MLS action 65.40: L1BC round-up 69.05: Rich Fagan talks Whitecaps U19s 74.15: Will Cromack talks TSS Rovers 80.25: Wavelength - The Oppressed - Hooligans