Yallop coached Canada from 2004-06, but resigned after failing to advance in World Cup qualifying.

On Tuesday, I was told by various credible sources that Yallop’s next job would indeed be that of the Canada’s coach. While not believing it 100%, these sources have given me credible information before and I have no reason to doubt them.

In “here’s what we’re hearing” news… I’ve been told by a couple sources that Frank Yallop will take over the #CanMNT in August #NotSure

— Tyler Green (@tylergreenFC) June 18, 2013

Canada has been without a full-time head coach since Stephen Hart — who served as an assistant under Yallop — stepped down last October. My sources indicated that Yallop would take over in August.

The difference of opinion as to whether Yallop will get the job has been immense, so has the split vote on how he would do the job another time around. What do you think?

This will be the second of three meetings between the sides in MLS this season. Vancouver will be out for revenge after surrendering a 2-1 loss against the Goats at the Home Depot Center back on March 30.

Wednesday’s match between Whitecaps FC and Chivas USA kicks off at 7 p.m. PT and is  live on TEAM 1410 radio and teamradio.ca, starting with the pre-game show at 5 p.m. PT. TEAM 1410 will also have a two-hour post-game show, which will begin following the match.

Martin_Rennie_with_Sekeres_June19th~

WHITECAPS FC

In their most recent match on Saturday, the ‘Caps went down 2-0 early on to New England Revolution. However, that disadvantage was quickly cancelled out by a penalty from Camilo and a smooth goal from Kenny Miller. Jordan Harvey then put Whitecaps FC ahead before the break and Miller added a decisive fourth goal after halftime before New England scored a late consolation goal to make the final score 4-3 in favour of Vancouver.Vancouver will look to carry on their impressive unbeaten home form this season, which now stands at 4W-0L-3D in MLS and 5W-0L-4D overall.

Miller’s performance earned the Scot MLS Player of the Week, while both of his tallies have been nominated for MLS Goal of the Week. The ‘Caps Designated Player currently leads MLS in goals scored per 90 minutes for players that have seen more than 100 minutes of action with 0.93.

Head coach Martin Rennie still has a number of injury absentees including captain Jay DeMerit (ruptured Achilles tendon) and winger Omar Salgado (foot fracture). Also out of action are fellow centre backs Andy O’Brien (hamstring) and Brad Rusin (calf strain), as well as midfielder Gershon Koffie (quad strain).

Centre back Johnny Leveron returns to Vancouver on Wednesday after being away with the Honduras national team since Sunday for their match versus the United States at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on Tuesday.

CHIVAS USA

In their most recent match, Chivas USA were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-1 loss away to North American Soccer League (NASL) outfit Carolina Railhawks.The revolving door at Chivas USA spun once again as José Luis “El Chelís” Sánchez Solá was dismissed after only 12 matches in charge. Replacing him is Jose Luis Real, former manager of parent club Chivas Guadalajara. Real will make his debut coaching Chivas on Wednesday, becoming the Goats’ eighth coach in just their ninth season in MLS.

Prior to that, the Goats last played Seattle Sounders FC in MLS action, falling 2-0 at home.

On the injury front, Chivas will be without goalkeeper Tim Melia (lumbar distectomy) and midfielders Daniel Antunez (L ACL reconstruction) and Edgar Mejia (L ankle sprain). Striker Tristan Bowen (L hamstring strain) and defender Steve Purdy (L hamstring strain) are both listed as questionable.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The last meeting between the sides saw the Goats beat Vancouver 2-1 at the Home Depot Center in March with an own goal from Jun Marques Davidson and a well taken second-half strike from Eric Avila enough to seal the win. Kenny Miller grabbed the consolation goal for Whitecaps FC with a diving header.Saturday’s match will be the seventh MLS meeting between Whitecaps FC and Chivas USA, with the ‘Caps holding a record of 2W-1L-3D.

Whitecaps FC hold a 1W-0L-1D record at home against Chivas USA with the lone meeting at BC Place resulting in a comfortable 4-0 victory for the Blue and White back on October 3, 2012.

Among the player connections, ‘Caps goalkeeper Joe Cannon played with Chivas centre back Bobby Burling at San Jose Earthquakes from 2009-10. Left back Jordan Harvey also played with Chivas midfielder Gabriel Farfan at Philadelphia Union.

NEXT UP

Following Wednesday’s match, Whitecaps FC face an 11-day wait until their next match when they take on D.C. United at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Saturday June 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT.

Leveron will return to Vancouver on Wednesday morning and expected to play versus Chivas. Whitecaps manager Martin Rennie said  that should a flight delay or injury sideline Leveron, Adam Clement will step in that role of centreback for the match.

Kekuta Manneh will laso be unavailable after the MLS disciplinary committee suspended Manneh for his challenge on New England goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth in Saturday’s game.

Defense was once again the theme this week at training as the ‘Caps try and keep teams from scoring on a somewhat porous defense.

For all the latest of Whitecaps FC news, follow ‘Caps reporter Tyler Green on Twitter.

The Gemstone Gridiron Deck offers fans the ultimate football experience with an all-in price of $30 per ticket which includes access to a unique concourse patio featuring live entertainment along with special food and beverage options. It provides a social atmosphere and great meeting place for the young crowd within the stadium, while catching all the great BC Lions game action.

The Family Zone features an all-in price of $25 per ticket and includes a kid-friendly, alcohol-free seating area and access to a family-oriented concourse featuring inflatable games, face painting, mascot visits and more.

“We’re excited to offer these new pricing options to our fans for the 2013 season,” said president and CEO Dennis Skulsky. “This year marks our 60^th season and we’re proud to lead the way with unique game experiences for fans of all ages that will help continue the home field advantage at BC Place.”

Moving forward, single game tickets for the Gemstone Gridiron Deck and Family Zone go on sale following each Lions home game. Tickets in both sections for the Lions regular season home opener versus the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday, July 4^th become available online Saturday, June 22 via ticketmaster.ca.

All other single game tickets for the entire BC Lions home schedule are available now at ticketmaster.ca.

The Lions close the preseason this Friday against Edmonton. TEAM1040 has the call at 7:00

The first 10,000 fans through the gates receive the first in a series of four commemorative mini-helmets courtesy of Save-On-Foods.

The BC Lions begin their regular season home schedule on Thursday, July 4 at 7:00 pm versus the reigning Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts .

The big news of the day was Kenny Miller being named MLS Player of the Week. He also picked up two MLS Goal of the Week nominations for his goals vs. New England.

The starters from the weekend had a shortened 1-hour session today.

In injury update news, Nigel Reo-Coker is fine after suffering from a cramp and a little tightness over the weekend. He will be available for Wednesday’s match. Carlyle Mitchell is also fully fit and was back at full training today after carrying a visible limp following last match.

Meanwhile, Coach Martin Rennie gave an update on some of his other injured players. Brad Rusin, Andy O’Brien & Gershon Koffie are all doubtful for Wednesday’s mach vs Chivas USA, but may be available for the upcoming match vs DC United.

Hear the call of Wednesday’s match vs Chivas USA on TEAM 1410. You can also stream the game live at TEAMRadio.ca. Pre-match show at 5pm. Kick off at 7pm.

Having recently recovered from a hamstring strain, which saw him miss two months of action, the ‘Caps Designated Player was the driving force behind Vancouver’s 4-3 comeback victory over New England Revolution this past Saturday.

Trailing 2-0 at home after only 20 minutes, Miller turned the match around three minutes later. Young Canadian international Russell Teibert found the Scotsman in behind New England’s defence on a brilliant run from the left. Before Miller was able to get a shot off, he was tripped up by Revs rookie defender Andrew Farrell in the box. The result was a red card for Farrell and penalty kick confidently converted by Miller’s strike partner Camilo.

Miller, wearing the captain’s armband, continued his outstanding play on 39 minutes with a fine individual effort. Upon receiving the ball some 40 yards from goal, the experienced striker flicked it over the head of Revs defender Stephen McCarthy, headed it down to himself, and then finished with a slick left-footed strike to tie the match at 2-2.

Finally, to cap off his performance, the ‘Caps in-form goalscorer put the match to bed in the 68th minute. After a long ball up field from Camilo, Miller let the ball bounce, took a touch off his chest, then struck a sweet half-volley from outside the box over the head of goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth for his second goal of the match and the eventual winner in a 4-3 victory for Vancouver.

At 0.93, Miller now leads MLS in goals per 90 minutes among players who have played at least 100 minutes this season. Miller is also tied for second in the league with three game-winning goals.

Prior to Saturday, New England had conceded the least goals against in MLS, having only surrendered a stingy nine goals in 14 games.

Miller becomes the second Whitecaps FC player to win the honour, as Camilo was previously named Player of the Week following his two goal, one assist performance against Sporting Kansas City at Empire Field during Week 3 in Vancouver’s inaugural season in 2011.

Whitecaps FC are back in action this coming Wednesday, June 19, when they host fellow Western Conference side Chivas USA. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT at BC Place

The 6’1”, 189-pound goalie posted a record of 21-9-0, a 1.67 GAA, a save percentage of .931 and 5 shutouts through 30 games, guiding Skelleftea to the top of Sweden’s Elitserien in the 2012.13 season. In 10 playoff appearances, Eriksson recorded a 1.06 GAA and a .952 save percentage helping Skelleftea capture the 2012.13 Elitserien Championship.

The Gavle, Sweden native was originally selected by Philadelphia in the seventh round, 196^th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

JOACIM ERIKSSON’S CAREER STATISTICS

                                          --- Regular Season ---

Season   Team                        Lge    GP   Min   GA  EN SO   GAA   W   L   T   Svs    Pct

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2010-11  Skelleftea HC               SEL    17   939   40   0  1  2.56   0   0   0   388  0.906

2011-12  Skelleftea HC               SEL    33  2016   61   0  3  1.82   0   0   0   837  0.932

2012-13  Skelleftea HC               SEL    30  1726   48   0  5  1.67  21   9   0   652  0.931

                                            ---- Playoffs ----

Season   Team                        Lge    GP   G   A Pts PIM

---------------------------------------------------------------

2010-11  Skelleftea HC               SEL    18   0   0   0   0

2011-12  Skelleftea HC               SEL

2012-13  Skelleftea HC               SEL    13   0   0   0   0

---------------------------------------------------------------

Canadian international Russell Teibert registered an assist in his third straight game and Kenny Miller had his first two-goal performance as a member of the ‘Caps in Vancouver’s highest scoring MLS match to date.

Head coach Martin Rennie made two changes from last week’s starting lineup against Seattle Sounders FC, with Carlyle Mitchell drawing in for the injured Andy O’Brien at centre back and Daigo Kobayashi coming in for Jun Marques Davidson in midfield.

On eight minutes, the first opportunity for the ‘Caps presented itself when Young-Pyo Lee fired a shot from the right side of the 18-yard box, but his shot narrowly missed the left side of the net.

Two minutes later, on 10 minutes, the visitors put a hush to the BC Place crowd. Left back Chris Tierney lofted a long ball upfield to Juan Agudelo, who then one-timed a shot just past Brad Knighton and into the net to give the Revs the early one-goal lead.

In the 19th minute, New England nearly netted another when Saer Sene found Kelyn Rowe in the centre of the box, but the midfielder fired the ball high. However, just a minute later, on 20 minutes, the Revs’ capitalized as Sene connected with Diego Fagundez, who in turn found Rowe for a low finish and a 2-0 lead.

On 23 minutes, the tides turned as Andrew Farrell took down Kenny Miller in the box just after the Scottish striker picked up a pass from Russell Teibert. The result was a red card to the Revs rookie and a penalty kick awarded to the ‘Caps, who donned their arbutus brown kits for tonight’s match. Camilo stepped up to the spot and converted, bringing the home side to their feet as Vancouver drew back within a goal.

With a man advantage, Vancouver found an equalizer on 39 minutes when Mitchell headed the ball forward to Miller. The Scotsman then flicked it over the head of Revs defender Stephen McCarthy, headed to himself, and slid a left-footer past Bobby Shuttleworth to make it 2-2.

Less than five minutes later the boys in Brown were in front. After a strong run from Nigel Reo-Coker, Teibert received the ball out right and crossed into Jordan Harvey who made no mistake from in close, scoring a third unanswered goal for the ‘Caps as they went into the break up 3-2.

With the home side up a goal and a man, an interesting second 45 minutes awaited.

On 58 minutes, the Revs had a chance to equalize as Darius Barnes threw the ball in to McCarthy, who headed the ball on to Fagundez, who himself sent a header towards goal that was easily grabbed by Knighton.

10 minutes later Miller provided some comfort for ‘Caps fans with another beauty. After collecting a long ball forward from Camilo, Miller let the ball take a bounce, then fired a looping shot outside the box over the head of Shuttleworth for a 4-2 lead.

The Revs’ had a chance to get a goal back on 73 minutes, when Tierney broke in on the left flank and fired a laser then flew just wide of the near post.

However, on 84 minutes, the visitors again got within a goal as second half substitute Dimitry Imbongo was sent in by Barnes andfired a shot past Knighton from the middle of the box, giving the Revs’ something to fight for in the final five minutes of the match.

With nerves high in stoppage time, Rowe had a great chance to level the match late as a free kick taken by Shuttleworth ended up in the box, where the ball bounced off of Knighton to Rowe, but with an open goal in front of him he couldn’t keep it on frame and sent a shot high.

On 95 minutes, the Revs’ had a final chance on a free kick taken by Lee Nguyen, but a sprawling Knighton saved the day with a terrific tip over the net to preserve the lead.

Despite a few tense moments, the ‘Caps maintained their composure and rode out the storm to claim a 4-3 win and continue their seven-match unbeaten streak at home.

Next up, Whitecaps FC host Western Conference side Chivas USA this coming Wednesday, June 19 at BC Place. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT.

Hugh O’Neill FG 29-27 Lions

Receiver Korey Williams, who’s been turning heads at training camp, was also impressive for the Lions. Williams had a 105 yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter and had 182 total return yards in four returns. He also added a 26 yard reception, putting him at 208 total yards for the night.

Korey Williams 105yd kickoff return

Travis Lulay only played the first two series for the Lions, completing two of five passes. He left early in the first quarter. Lulay took a heavy hit on his final play, but will be fine.

Thomas DeMarco, who’s the likely backup for Lulay, went six for 12 for 68 yards along with a touchdown pass to Nick Moore.  Joey Elliott was three for four for 25 yards.

Mike Benevides with Rick and Giulio

Korey Williams with Rick and Giulio

The Lions return to Kamloops for another few days of training camp, and close the preseason next Friday (June 21st) at home against Edmonton.

The organization will be known as the Utica Comets and will play at the Utica Memorial Auditorium under the management of Mohawk Valley Garden (MVG), beginning in the 2013.14 season.

MVG is led by former NHL goaltender Robert Esche and long-time AHL owner and executive Frank DuRoss.

“We look forward to a new AHL affiliation and the development of our prospects in Utica, New York,” said Canucks President and General Manager Michael D. Gillis. “There was a strong interest in bringing an AHL team back to Utica and a real commitment to provide a positive environment for the growth and success of players in the Canucks system.”
“Vancouver is a first class organization, and we are proud to partner with them here in Utica to develop their future NHL talent,” DuRoss said.

“As someone who benefitted greatly from playing in the AHL on the way to the NHL, I know how important the AHL experience is to player development. We will make this a top notch experience for both the Canucks, and their prospects,” added Esche, who played in the NHL for both the Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes.

The city of Utica has a history with the American Hockey League. From 1987 to 1993, they housed the Utica Devils, the affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. It is also the former home of the Mohawk Valley Stars (Atlantic Coast Hockey League), the Utica Bulldogs (United Hockey League), Utica Blizzard (United Hockey League), Mohawk Valley Prowlers (United Hockey League) and the Mohawk Valley IceCats (North Eastern Hockey League).
CANUCKS MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATION HISTORY

2011-2013 Chicago Wolves         AHL