By AVI CREDITOR
The Vancouver Whitecaps will likely be making many personnel changes before their inaugural season in Major League Soccer, but a change at coach is not in the cards.
Teitur Thordarson received a multi-year extension from the Whitecaps on Thursday, cementing his place as coach when the Whitecaps join MLS. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Thordarson, 58, guided the Whitecaps to the USL-1 championship in 2008 and brought the team back to the finals in 2009. Vancouver currently leads the NASL Conference of USSF Division 2 with a record of 9-3-13.
The Iceland native joined the team during the 2007 season.
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TIMBERS ANNOUNCE JERSEY SPONSOR
Not to be outdone by its fellow 2011 expansion club, the Portland Timbers also made a big announcement on Thursday, revealing that Alaska Airlines will be its jersey sponsor when they begin MLS play next year. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed either.
The Timbers will present their new jerseys in December.
QUEIROZ BANNED SIX MONTHS
Former NY/NJ MetroStars and current Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz has been banned for six months after it was reportedly ruled that he disrupted an anti-doping test prior to this past summer's World Cup.
Queiroz had already been suspended for a month by the Portuguese Football Federation, but the Portuguese Sports Institute levied the heavier punishment.
The Sports Institute's report found that Queiroz was verbally abusive of the anti-doping team and that his actions interfered with an inspector's test, causing uncertainty about the validity of one test. Queiroz will miss Portugal's first four Euro 2012 qualifiers as a result of the suspension.
BALLACK TO RECLAIM GERMAN CAPTAINCY
After an injury forced Michael Ballack to miss the World Cup and yield his captain's armband to Philipp Lahm, the Germany and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder is poised to reclaim his role.
Ballack will be Germany's captain when he rejoins the squad for Euro 2012 qualifying. Ballack isn't expected to be in Joachim Loew's squad until next month, and Lahm will remain captain in his stead. Ballack will reclaim the armband upon his return.
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Think the Whitecaps did the right thing by keeping Thordarson? Excited to see Portlands new jerseys? Expect Querioz to keep his job? Think that Ballack can still contribute to Germany?
Share your thoughts below.
Don’t forget San Jose.
I wouldn’t assume anything yet. A SSS may not be necessary for Vancouver depending on how they do at BC Place.
good luck with the trail. make SBI proud 😉
Will Portland have the familiar eslkimo plastered on their shirt?!?!?! COOL!!!!!
sure, but the North American headquarters for Adidas are in Portland, so I guess everyone’s wearing a PDX one.
plus, who’s it really going to be in Portland? Nike’s off the table. at least it isn’t a ponzi scheme like LA or RSL, right?
Close but not quite on Vancouver, DJ—at least based on what I’ve read. Yes, they’re playing at the temporary Empire Fields, but only until summer 2011. Ideally, BC Place will only be a temporary home as well. Plans were to build a soccer specific stadium on the downtown waterfront that would be ready around 2015. However, that plan was slowed civic leaders and urban planners who questioned both the wisdom of giving some of Vancouver’s last remaining central waterfront open space to a sporting stadium and the design of the actual stadium and surrounding grounds. Now I think the economy has further muddied the waters. The SSS ain’t dead, but sure isn’t on schedule, either.
Their airport hubs are Portland and Seattle, but their company is headquartered in the Seattle area.
A good company and cool sponsor to be sure – but it’s gotta be a little embarassing for the Timbers to have a Seattle based sponsor… just sayin’
much respect for the whitecaps extending his contract! its so rare for a team to show loyalty these days. he has been a great coach for them and i expect him to do well in the MLS. class move. you dance with the guy who brung ya!!!!
Vancouver will be playing at Empire Fields, a temporary stadium that they will share with the BC Lions of the CFL. In 2012 or 2013, IIRC, the renovations to BC Place will be complete and they’ll move there.
The Timbers will play at a renovated PGE Park that will also be used for Portland State’s football team.
Kudos to Vancouver for sticking with their successful coach. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy is a good one. It also takes them out of the coaching merry-go-round that the MLS and USSF seems to be caught in right now.
I definitely agree with you. Ballack does not equal Ordnung anymore. Too easily rattled by opposing players. Let Lahm take it over for good.
Bank of Montreal is all across Canada and the headquarters are in Toronto.
Funny how no one mentions how Ballack pulled a Lampard this summer…
Because Portugal can’t afford to fire him as he’d get a multi million dollar compensation package. So the next best thing is to force him out.
Sad.
Very cool to Vancouver and Portland. Doing it BIG.
will they have soccer specific stadiums ready for their entry to MLS next year?
probably because they are contractually obligated to give him some sort of severance if they “fire” him.
similar to Bank of Montreal representing Toronto..
Ives any chance I can get a shout-out? hahaI’m an avid follower of this site and just got my first article posted on Yanks Abroad today,I’m over the moon about it,I have a trial with Crystal Palace.It’s just weird because I’m also a diehard USMNT supporter
I’m pretty sure they run flights out of Portland.
Interesting that Alaska Airlines, which is based in Seattle if I’m not mistaken, would sponsor the Timbers.
I don’t understand this Queiroz ban. If a coach does something that warrants a 6 month ban, why don’t they just fire him? It’s not like Portugal has had amazing results with him at the helm.
I prefer Lahm to Ballack, but no one in the Mannschaft camp asked my opinion on this before issuing this incorrect decision…