The fourth largest crowd in B. C. Soccer History to watch a soccer match, settled in Wednesday for the ninety minute friendly between the MLS's LA Galaxy and the USL's Vancouver Whitecaps. The crowd which lured fans from all over the province including fans from Prince Rupert, seemed more of a rock star style crowd rather than a sports crowd there anxious to watch a display of soccer.
But of course the real reason they were there wasn’t to watch a game but to watch a guy named Beckham, the name brand for soccer in North America.
The game, which was rescheduled from earlier in the year when the main attraction was injured, provided occasional flashes of stellar play followed by what was described by some as long moments of tedium as the two sides settled for a nil – nil draw.
The arrival of Beckham has captivated the Vancouver media for the last couple of days, with endless coverage of his training prior to the match, his press conference and his thoughts on the state of the game in North America.
It’s quite the road show you have to admit; from the time the plane touched down at Vancouver International Airport everyone seemed to want a moment of Beckham’s time. He would sign endless autographs, (while his fellow Galaxy members would wander by unmolested) answer numerous questions and flash that always photogenic Beckham smile.
BC Place with its crowd of 48,172 rumoured soccer fans; but more likely celebrity spotters, cheered on the new ambassador for his 72 minutes of play, and when he left the pitch, for the most part the crowd left the stadium at that point, apparently unconcerned about who won or lost the game.
There’s precious little scoring in a soccer match to begin with, but a game with no scoring and a number of players known only to their immediate families might make for a nice box office, but one wonders if it improves the long term future for soccer in Vancouver.
The Whitecaps, tonight’s version of the Washington Generals, play in the tier two league USL, which at the moment is suffering some serious troubles, as major teams in Seattle and Portland plan their exit for the more telegenic Major League Soccer.
The ultimate plan in Vancouver surely must be to join them as part of the Big Scene soccer picture in North America, bringing a strong soccer market to the growing loop. A stadium is still an issue in Vancouver as that city’s municipal council and the federal Ports Canada bureaucracy drags its feet and throws down the road blocks to a massive development on the Vancouver waterfront for a soccer only stadium just on the fringes of the downtown area.
The proof that the audience is there for the city now, though we suspect 48,000 wouldn’t turn out for a regular season MLS match up say of Real Salt Lake and Vancouver, but if ever there was a market that the MLS would want to collect its fifteen million dollar franchise fee from it would be Vancouver, with its strong history of soccer success. If the league thinks that the Toronto FC franchise has been a success, just wait until they decide to set up shop on the West Coast of Canada.
As for the celebrity gawkers at BC Place, had they been looking for a game with some offence they should have headed across town to the old Pacific Coliseum, where the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars played a WHL game at the same time as Beckham was jogging around B C Place.
There was significantly more scoring on the ice, as the two teams combined for 11 goals before the final horn, all of which were provided at a significantly lower cost to the sports viewing public.
The reviews are trickling in about Wednesday’s Beckham exhibition. We provide some of them below as well as these thoughtful if slightly snarky comments from the legendary Pele, about the new North American Super Nova of soccer.
But for the believers, the fan club starts below.
Vancouver Sun-Beckham takes a bow
Vancouver Sun-Beckham does his job
Vancouver Sun-Becks touches down in B. C.
But of course the real reason they were there wasn’t to watch a game but to watch a guy named Beckham, the name brand for soccer in North America.
The game, which was rescheduled from earlier in the year when the main attraction was injured, provided occasional flashes of stellar play followed by what was described by some as long moments of tedium as the two sides settled for a nil – nil draw.
The arrival of Beckham has captivated the Vancouver media for the last couple of days, with endless coverage of his training prior to the match, his press conference and his thoughts on the state of the game in North America.
It’s quite the road show you have to admit; from the time the plane touched down at Vancouver International Airport everyone seemed to want a moment of Beckham’s time. He would sign endless autographs, (while his fellow Galaxy members would wander by unmolested) answer numerous questions and flash that always photogenic Beckham smile.
BC Place with its crowd of 48,172 rumoured soccer fans; but more likely celebrity spotters, cheered on the new ambassador for his 72 minutes of play, and when he left the pitch, for the most part the crowd left the stadium at that point, apparently unconcerned about who won or lost the game.
There’s precious little scoring in a soccer match to begin with, but a game with no scoring and a number of players known only to their immediate families might make for a nice box office, but one wonders if it improves the long term future for soccer in Vancouver.
The Whitecaps, tonight’s version of the Washington Generals, play in the tier two league USL, which at the moment is suffering some serious troubles, as major teams in Seattle and Portland plan their exit for the more telegenic Major League Soccer.
The ultimate plan in Vancouver surely must be to join them as part of the Big Scene soccer picture in North America, bringing a strong soccer market to the growing loop. A stadium is still an issue in Vancouver as that city’s municipal council and the federal Ports Canada bureaucracy drags its feet and throws down the road blocks to a massive development on the Vancouver waterfront for a soccer only stadium just on the fringes of the downtown area.
The proof that the audience is there for the city now, though we suspect 48,000 wouldn’t turn out for a regular season MLS match up say of Real Salt Lake and Vancouver, but if ever there was a market that the MLS would want to collect its fifteen million dollar franchise fee from it would be Vancouver, with its strong history of soccer success. If the league thinks that the Toronto FC franchise has been a success, just wait until they decide to set up shop on the West Coast of Canada.
As for the celebrity gawkers at BC Place, had they been looking for a game with some offence they should have headed across town to the old Pacific Coliseum, where the Vancouver Giants and Prince George Cougars played a WHL game at the same time as Beckham was jogging around B C Place.
There was significantly more scoring on the ice, as the two teams combined for 11 goals before the final horn, all of which were provided at a significantly lower cost to the sports viewing public.
The reviews are trickling in about Wednesday’s Beckham exhibition. We provide some of them below as well as these thoughtful if slightly snarky comments from the legendary Pele, about the new North American Super Nova of soccer.
But for the believers, the fan club starts below.
Vancouver Sun-Beckham takes a bow
Vancouver Sun-Beckham does his job
Vancouver Sun-Becks touches down in B. C.
Vancouver Sun-Beckham has been money well spent by Galaxy
Associated Press- Beckham makes little impact as Galaxy, Vancouver play 0-0 draw
Vancouver Province-Down-to-earth Beckham draws comparisons to Gretzky
Associated Press- Beckham makes little impact as Galaxy, Vancouver play 0-0 draw
Vancouver Province-Down-to-earth Beckham draws comparisons to Gretzky
Vancouver Province-He may conquer a continent but will footy?
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Picture above from Vancouver Sun photo gallery.
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