Vancouver Whitecaps Press Release - whitecapsfc.com

Thursday, August 18, 2010

By Farhan Devji

Despite a 3-1 defeat to Buffalo Flash in last week's United Soccer Leagues W-League championship final, an impressive 2010 campaign has helped Vancouver Whitecaps FC women re-establish themselves as one of North America’s finest women's soccer teams.

After failing to qualify for the playoffs last season, the Whitecaps made some key personnel changes, including the addition of head coach Hubert Busby Jr. and the signing of Canadian international striker Melissa Tancredi, in attempt to turn things around.

One year on, it certainly appears as though all is well again. "Obviously, we were very disappointed to lose in the final game of the season," Busby told whitecapsfc.com. "But I’m very proud of what the team has been able to accomplish this year."

He has every right to be.

The 'Caps finished the regular season undefeated, recording six wins and four draws, before defeating two-time champions Pali Blues in the W-League Western Conference playoff final and eliminating the top-seeded Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues in the W-League semifinal.

In her first season with the Whitecaps, Tancredi led the team in scoring with five goals and one assist in nine appearances and was named to both the 2010 W-League All-Western Conference Team and W-League All-League Team.

Captain Martina Franko, who returned to the club this season after a three-year hiatus, Canadian international defender Robin Gayle, and returnees Jodi-Ann Robinson and Sophie Schmidt were also named to the All-Western Conference squad. Meanwhile, newcomer Siobhan Chamberlain was solid in goal all season, recording a 1.00 goals-against average in eight regular season appearances after joining the Whitecaps from Chelsea Ladies FC.

Individual accolades aside, this season’s success may have been a result of the team’s depth and chemistry, which was on display at last week’s W-League Championship Tournament in Santa Clarita, California. Despite missing Canadian internationals Tancredi, Robinson, and Kara Lang, the 'Caps still remained positive in their approach, as the likes of striker Amy Vermeulen and midfielder Kaylyn Kyle stepped up and contributed in different ways. "Our coaching staff did a phenomenal job bringing in players, not just the starting XI, but also a strong bench to work with," said Kyle. "Everything has just come together. I think our team unity showed that it's above and beyond a lot of other teams."

Busby, who was named 2010 W-League Coach of the Year after a successful first season with the club, deserves a bulk of the credit for putting this year's squad together.

However, he is by no means about to put up his feet and simply hope for a better fate next season. "Now we go back to work," said Busby. "We’ve set a very high standard for ourselves, but that’s what this program is about. We have a lot of young players, so I’m very excited about what the future looks like for this program."

Following his team’s defeat to Buffalo in the championship final, Busby declared that he expects to be "right back here" at this time next year. And if this season was any indication, he will likely get his wish.