2009 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season

The 2009 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the club's 24th year of existence (or 34th if counting the NASL Whitecaps), as well as their 17th and 2nd last year as a Division 2 club in the franchise model of US-based soccer leagues. Vancouver was officially named an MLS expansion city on March 18, 2009.[1] Following the end of the 2010 season, the Whitecaps FC joined MLS, becoming the second Canadian club and 19th overall (counting contracted franchises) to enter the league.[2][3]

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2009 season
OwnersGreg Kerfoot
Jeff Mallet
Steve Luczo
Steve Nash
Head coachTeitur Thordarson
USL-17th
USL-1 PlayoffsRunners-Up
Canadian ChampionshipRunners-Up
Highest home attendance5,886
Oct 10 vs MI
Lowest home attendance4,516
Oct 1 vs PT
Average home league attendance5,312
← 2008
2010 →

The 2009 season started in an up and down fashion including three game winning and losing streaks before ending the season with only one loss in their last ten games. The USL-1 league was a closely contested affair with the Whitecaps a member of an intermediate trifecta in the standings separated by less than three points.[4] The Whitecaps overcame the Railhawks and Timbers in tight, hard won playoff series before finishing as runners-up to the Montreal Impact in a dramatic playoff final series.[5][6]

The Whitecaps also finished second in the 2009 Voyaguers Cup in a controversial fashion after Montreal rested important players for their following USL-1 league match against the Whitecaps.

2009 Montreal controversy

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The Southsiders, a Whitecaps supporters group, with a Je me souviens banner referencing the events of June 18, 2009 during a match against the Impact on October 10, 2009.
  • June 18, 2009: After losing any chance to win the round robin, the Impact lose 1–6 to TFC giving the Voyageurs Cup to TFC over Vancouver on goal difference while coach Marc Dos Santos rests key players for the league match against Vancouver two days later. The Vancouver Whitecaps team attended the TFC-Impact game.[7]
  • June 20, 2009: Two days later Montreal Impact win their USL-1 league game 2–1 against Vancouver. The Montreal Ultras protest against Impact management's unsportsmanlike behaviour two days earlier during the first half.[8]
  • September 18, 2009: The extra three points Montreal got against Vancouver is also the difference between fifth and seventh place in the end-of-season league standings putting the Whitecaps at a lower seed in the USL season ending playoff tournament.
  • October 17, 2009: Montreal Impact win the league playoff final's second leg 3–1 at home with the Whitecaps playing shorthanded due to a second sending off in a row, and Montreal wins the USL-1 Championship 6–3 on aggregate.[9]

Schedule and results

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Tables

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  Commissioner's Cup, bye to semifinal round of playoffs
  Quarterfinal round of playoffs

Pos Club Pts GP W D L GF GA GD H2H Pts
1 Portland Timbers 58 30 16 10 4 45 19 +26
2 Carolina RailHawks 55 30 16 7 7 43 19 +24
3 Puerto Rico Islanders 53 30 15 8 7 44 31 +13 PUE: 6 pts
CHA: 3 pts
4 Charleston Battery 53 30 14 11 5 33 21 +12
5 Montreal Impact 43 30 12 7 11 32 31 +1
6 Rochester Rhinos 43 30 11 10 9 34 32 +2
7 Vancouver Whitecaps 42 30 11 9 10 42 36 +6
8 Minnesota Thunder 31 30 7 10 13 39 44 −5
9 Miami FC 29 30 8 5 17 26 52 −26
10 Austin Aztex 21 30 5 8 17 28 51 −23
11 Cleveland City Stars 19 30 4 7 19 22 52 −30

Austin deducted two points for fielding an ineligible player on July 25, 2009[10]

Results summary

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Overall Home Away
Pld Pts W L T GF GA GD W L T GF GA GD W L T GF GA GD
30 42 11 10 9 42 36  +6 9 3 3 26 15  +11 2 7 6 16 21  −5

Last updated: April 26, 2010
Source: uslsoccer.com
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

  Win   Draw   Loss

Pre-season

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2009-02-13 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–1 Trinity Western University Burnaby, BC
15:00 PST Marcus Haber  
Marlon James  
Alex Semenets  
[1] Stadium: Burnaby Lakes West

USL-1

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Results by round

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Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
GroundHAAHAHHAHHAAHAAHAAAHHAAHHHAAHH
ResultDLDWWWLLLWLDWLLWWDLLDDDWDWDLWW
Source: uslsoccer.com[11]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
April 11, 2009 1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0–0 Charleston Battery Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET [8] Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5037
Referee: Fabrizio Romano
May 21, 2009 3 Austin Aztex FC 1–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Austin, Texas
20:30 ET Gifton Noel-Williams   67' report Marco Reda   18' Stadium: Nelson Field
Attendance: 1549
Referee: Elias Bazakos
April 25, 2009 4 Portland Timbers 0–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Portland, Oregon
22:00 ET report Martin Nash   63' Stadium: PGE Park
Attendance: 5,102
Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau
May 2, 2009 5 Minnesota Thunder 2–3 Vancouver Whitecaps Minneapolis
20:05 ET Ricardo Sánchez   48', 69' report Marlon James   35' (61), 90' Stadium: National Sports Center
Attendance: 3,298
Referee: Niko Bratsis
May 10, 2009 6 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1–0 Puerto Rico Islanders Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET Charles Gbeke   82' report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5023
Referee: John Oliva
May 16, 2009 7 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1–2 Rochester Rhinos Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET Dever Orgill   90' report Chris Nurse   17'
Johnny Menyongar   37'
Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5288
Referee: Justin Tasev
May 30, 2009 8 Portland Timbers 2–0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Portland, Oregon
22:00 ET Ryan Pore   6'
George Josten   41'
report Stadium: PGE Park
Attendance: 9081
Referee: Hidajet Tica
June 7, 2009 9 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1–2 Montreal Impact Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET Marcus Haber   42' report Eduardo Sebrango   20'
Daniel Testo   44'
Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5288
Referee: Domenic Scali
June 12, 2009 10 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–2 Miami FC Blues Burnaby, BC
23:00 ET Charles Gbeke   16', 34'
Marco Reda   76'
report Zourab Tsiskaridze   10'
Richard Perdomo   78'
Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5288
Referee: John Oliva
June 20, 2009 11 Montreal Impact 1–2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Montreal
13:30 ET Rocco Placentino   34'
Roberto Brown   39'
report Marlon James   63' Stadium: Stade Saputo
Attendance: 12,287
Referee: Justin Tasev
June 23, 2009 12 Cleveland City Stars 2–2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Bedford, Ohio
19:00 ET Leo Gibson   28'
Pato Aguilera   45' (pen.)
report Marcus Haber   18'
Martin Nash   90'
Stadium: Middlefield Cheese Stadium
Attendance: 1,066
Referee: Niko Bratsis
July 9, 2009 13 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4–0 Minnesota Thunder Burnaby, BC
22:30 ET Lyle Martin   7'
Martin Nash   71'
Charles Gbeke   79'
Marcus Haber   81'
report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,568
Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau
July 12, 2008 14 Miami FC Blues 2–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Miami
18:00 ET Alen Marcina   5'
Leo Inacio Nunes   23'
report Dever Orgill   89' Stadium: FIU Stadium
Attendance: 405
Referee: Lee Suckle
July 17, 2009 15 Carolina RailHawks 2–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Cary, North Carolina
20:00 ET Own Goal   44'
Sallieu Bundu   65'
report Charles Gbeke   90' Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 4,018
Referee: Tony Russo
July 25, 2009 16 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4–2 Puerto Rico Islanders Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET Marcus Haber   4'
Own Goal   51'
Marlon James   64', 82'
report Josh Hansen   76', 90' Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,725
Referee: John Oliva
July 31, 2009 17 Rochester Rhinos 1–3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Rochester, New York
20:00 ET Tiger Fitzpatrick   63' report Marlon James   43 ' (pen.)
Tyler Burgess   69'
Stadium: Marina Auto Stadium
Attendance: 6,411
Referee: Jan Halaska
August 1, 2009 18 Cleveland City Stars 0–0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Bedford, Ohio
19:00 ET report Stadium: Middlefield Cheese Stadium
Attendance: 1,363
Referee: Rizal Milliken
August 15, 2009 21 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0–0 Carolina RailHawks FC Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,484
Referee: Dave Gantar
August 18, 2009 22 Carolina RailHawks 1–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Cary, North Carolina
19:00 ET Andriy Budnyy   87' report Marcus Haber   66' Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 2,377
Referee: Jeff Gontarek
August 20, 2009 23 Charleston Battery 1–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Charleston, South Carolina
19:30 ET Ian Fuller   47' report Charles Gbeke   5' Stadium: Blackbaud Stadium
Attendance: 2,746
Referee: Carlos Sandoval
August 23, 2009 24 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–0 Miami FC Blues Burnaby, BC
19:00 ET Charles Gbeke   80', 90' report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,288
Referee: Michael Edmunds
August 29, 2009 25 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1–1 Rochester Rhinos Burnaby, BC
22:00 ET Charles Gbeke   66' report Ze Roberto   80' Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5288
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard
September 2, 2009 26 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3–2 Austin Aztex FC Burnaby, BC
22:30 ET Kenold Versailles   11'
Charles Gbeke   23' (65)
report Jean Alexandre   34', 76' Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,081
Referee: Dave Gantar
September 4, 2009 27 Minnesota Thunder 1–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Minneapolis
20:00 ET Melvin Tarley   87' report Marcus Haber   38' Stadium: National Sports Center
Attendance: 3,429
Referee: Ben Chouaf
September 4, 2009 28 Montreal Impact 0–1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Montreal
20:00 ET Peter Byers   90' report Stadium: Stade Saputo
Attendance: 11,867
Referee: Silvio Petrescu
September 13, 2009 29 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–1 Austin Aztex FC Burnaby, BC
19:00 ET Marcus Haber   80'
Gordon Chin   86'
report Jarius Holmes   51' Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,288
Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau

Post-season

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Play-in round

September 24, 2009 Leg 1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1–0 Carolina Railhawks Burnaby, BC
22:30 ET Randy Edwini-Bonsu   77' report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,135
Referee: Fabrizio Romano
September 27, 2009 Leg 2 Carolina Railhawks 0–0
(0–1 agg.)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Cary, North Carolina
17:00 ET report Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park
Attendance: 2,471
Referee: Niko Bratsis

Semi-finals

October 1, 2009 Leg 1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–1 Portland Timbers Burnaby, BC
22:30 ET Charles Gbeke   25'
Marco Reda   45'
Marcus Haber   49'
report Ryan Pore   44' (pen.) Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 4,516
Referee: Geoff Gamble
October 4, 2009 Leg 2 Portland Timbers 3–3
(4–5 agg.)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Portland, Oregon
19::00 ET Brian Farber   10', 43'
Alex Nimo   83'
report Marcus Haber   4'
Martin Nash   60'
Marlon James   71'
Stadium: PGE Park
Attendance: 14,283
Referee: Gilario Grajeda

Finals

October 10, 2009 Leg 1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–3 Montreal Impact Burnaby, BC
21:30 ET Martin Nash   51'
Marcus Haber   56'
Marlon James   65'
report Shaun Pejic   45' (o.g.)
Peter Byers   63'
Eduardo Sebrango   89'
Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5886
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard
October 17, 2009 Leg 2 Montreal Impact 3–1
(6–3 agg.)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Montreal
14:30 ET Tony Donatelli   30' (pen.)
Joey Gjertsen   40'
Roberto Brown   42'
report Shaun Pejic   29'
Ansu Toure   44'
Stadium: Stade Saputo
Attendance: 13,034
Referee: Dave Gantar

Voyaguers Cup

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Standings

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Toronto FC (C) 4 3 0 1 8 3 +5 9 Champions League
2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4 3 0 1 5 1 +4 9
3 Montreal Impact 4 0 0 4 1 10 −9 0
Source: CanadaSoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) points in matches between drawn teams; 3) goal differential; 4) number of goals scored; 5) drawing of lots.[12]
(C) Champions


Results

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May 6, 2009 1 Toronto FC 1–0 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Toronto, Ontario
17:00 PST Kevin Harmse   3' report Stadium: BMO Field,
Attendance: 19,811
Referee: Silviu Petrescu
May 20, 2009 2 Montreal Impact 0–2 Vancouver Whitecaps FC Montreal
17:00 PST report Marcus Haber   1'
Charles Gbeke   17'
Stadium: Stade Saputo
Attendance: 11,483
Referee: Steven Depiero
May 27, 2009 3 Vancouver Whitecaps 1–0 Montreal Impact Burnaby, BC
19:30 PST Ethan Gage   67' report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,134
Referee: David Gantar
June 2, 2009 4 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2–0 Toronto FC Burnaby, BC
19:30 PST Ansu Toure   31', 81' report Stadium: Swangard Stadium
Attendance: 5,688

Cascadia Cup

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2009 Cascadia Cup standings
Team Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts
Portland Timbers 3 2 1 0 3 1 +2 6
Vancouver Whitecaps 3 1 2 0 1 3 −2 3
Source: "Cascadia Cup". cascadiacup.soccer. January 2009.



Staff

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Professional teams

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  • President – Bob Lenarduzzi
  • Director of professional teams – Greg Anderson
  • Manager professional teams – Lindsay Puchlik
  • Manager communications – Nathan Vanstone
  • Head coach men's – Teitur Thordarson
  • Assistant coach, men's – Todd Wawrousek
  • Head coach, women's – Alan Koch
  • Assistant coach, Women's -
  • Women's manager – Diane Voice
  • Club logistics manager – Matt Holbrook
  • Equipment manager – Darren Woloshen

Youth development

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  • Youth development director – Dan Lenarduzzi
  • Youth development administrator – Marlise Buchi

Professional development program

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  • Managing director, professional development – Chris Murphy
  • Managing director, residency – Thomas Niendorf
  • Administrator, residency – Allison Hogg
  • Manager, technical programs – Dave Irvine
  • Developer, whitecaps interactive – Byron Ribble
  • Head coach, prospects boys – Bart Choufour
  • Head coach, prospects girls – Jesse Symons

Community soccer system

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Current roster

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Both Jay Nolly and Marcus Haber played all thirty regular season games with Jay Nolly playing every minute of every game. Charles Gbeke was tied for second among the USL-1 point leaders including the league golden boot with 12 goals while Marcus Haber was 7th (with 8 goals) and Marlon James 8th. Wes Knight had eight assists in the league.[13]

After the 2008 season, the Whitecaps and coach Teitur Thordarson changed the roster much more than in the previous seven years. Some of this was due to a ten-month contract versus the previous norm of an eight-month contract. Look at the preseason above starting in February with presumably a training camp before hand versus previous years of training camp starting in late March.[14] For some players with other part-time or off season employment and/or families the extra commitment was too much. Many long time stalwart veteran Whitecap players such as Jeff Clarke, Jason Jordan, Steve Kindel and Alfredo Valente were not on the 2009 roster. Additionally, several other players earning significant playing time over a number of years moved elsewhere. Eduardo Sebrango and back-up goalkeeper Serge Djekanovic started the 2009 season with Canadian rival Montreal while Nicholas Addlery went all the way to Puerto Rico.

Two players who remained to serve as the backbone of the side for 2009 were Martin Nash, the captain, and striker Charles Gbeke for offense. The club added Marco Reda from Charleston, Justin Thompson from Portland, and Ansu Toure from Miami. Foreign players signings included Caribbean internationals Kenold Versailles (Haiti) and Tyrell Burgess (Bermuda), who spent 2008 with the USL PDL's Reading Rage. Another signing for the portion of the season he was with the Whitecaps was former New York Red Bulls defender Jeff Parke.[15]

All stats as of the end of the season.[16]

Goalkeeper stats

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No. Nat. Player Total USL-1 Playoffs
MIN SV GA GAA SO MIN SV GA GAA SO MIN SV GA GAA SO
1   Jay Nolly 3240 145 46 1.28 9 2700 118 36 1.20 7 540 27 10 1.67 2

|} Updated to match played October 20, 2013
Source: [9]

Player statistics

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No. Pos. Name Apps Minutes Goals Assists Shots Fouls    
1 GK   Jay Nolly 36 3540 0 0 0 1 2 0
2 DF   Marco Reda 14(2) 1274 2 0 6 12 4 0
4 DF   Justin Thompson 2(2) 226 0 0 1 4 1 0
4 DF   Shaun Pejic 15 1344 0 0 4 9 1 1
4 DF   Wesley Charles 12 1025 0 0 2 15 1 1
6 DF   Luca Bellisomo 12(4) 1168 0 1 4 7 3 0
7 MF   Martin Nash 29 2481 4 3 27 23 5 1
8 DF   Wes Knight 35(1) 2855 1 9 16 35 4 0
9 FW   Marlon James 12(11) 1160 11 2 59 29 4 0
13 MF   Kénold Versailles 9(5) 912 1 0 13 31 4 0
13 MF   Geordie Lyall 2(5) 253 0 0 1 4 1 0
14 FW   Marcus Haber 30(6) 2422 11 4 42 30 2 0
15 MF   Philippe Davies 1(1) 65 0 0 2 2 0 0
16 MF   Ansu Toure 20(7) 1579 1 3 36 16 4 0
17 FW   Randy Edwini-Bonsu (15) 214 1 1 8 3 0 0
18 DF   Mason Trafford 12(14) 1256 0 2 7 18 2 0
19 MF   Chris Pozniak 11(2) 1009 0 0 6 11 1 0
20 MF   Ethan Gage 9(8) 803 0 0 7 17 1 0
20 FW   Charles Gbeke 28(6) 2338 13 2 79 58 3 1
20 MF   Dever Orgill 2(9) 301 2 1 7 10 2 0
22 DF   Takashi Hirano 33(1) 2954 0 2 6 33 0
23 MF   Vicente Arze 8(10) 797 0 1 14 23 3 0
24 DF   Lyle Martin 19(4) 1728 1 2 12 14 2 0
25 MF   Tyrell Burgess 11(14) 1047 1 2 28 15 2 0
25 MF   Justin Moose 2(10) 323 0 0 2 6 1 0
27 DF   Jeff Parke 7 524 0 0 3 5 1 0
28 MF   Gordon Chin 14(12) 1397 1 4 24 20 3 0
29 MF   Nizar Khalfan 9(5) 729 0 0 20 8 0 0
37 MF   Michael Onwatuegwu 1 45 0 0 0 2 0 0
99 GK   Diego 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0
Opponent Own goals 0
Updated February 28, 2014[17]
[18]
  • Note this list includes only players that have dressed in the eighteen.
  • Note brackets indicate substitute appearances.
  • Note statistics are for league and playoffs (not preseason). Voyageurs Cup statistics appear to no longer be available.

References

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  1. ^ "MLS awards Vancouver team for 2011". March 18, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  2. ^ Demosphere International (April 9, 2009). "USL-1 Season Preview – Part I". Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  3. ^ DiVeronica, Jeff (April 7, 2009). "Islanders heavy favorites heading into the USL season". ESPNFC.com United Soccer Leagues (Archive). Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  4. ^ Constantineau, Bruce (August 15, 2009). "Caps gear up for drive to playoffs". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "Whitecaps and Impact win USL-1 semis". ESPNFC.com. October 5, 2009. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  6. ^ Weber, Marc (October 17, 2009). "Montreal Impact end Vancouver Whitecaps' impressive playoff run". whitecapsfc.com. Retrieved March 3, 2009.
  7. ^ McColl, Michael (June 19, 2009). "Folding Frenchies Kill Whitecaps Dreams". Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  8. ^ McColl, Michael (June 20, 2009). "Montreal Screws Vancouver Again". Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  9. ^ "Vancouver Whitecaps Year in Review: Introduction". October 20, 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  10. ^ "Austin receives two point deduction". www.uslsoccer.com. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  11. ^ "USL First Division 2009 Full Schedule". Demosphere International. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Nutrilite Canadian Championship Tie-Breaker scenarios". CSA Website. June 1, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  13. ^ Demosphere. "USL First Division – Top 10 Stats Leaders". uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  14. ^ Stinson, Dan (January 16, 2007). "Whitecaps launch talent search". The Vancouver Sun Newspaper. Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  15. ^ Demosphere International (April 9, 2009). "USL-1 Season Preview – Part I". Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  16. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  17. ^ "2009 Statistics". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  18. ^ "Full Schedule". Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
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