Just over a week into their preparations for the 2013 MLS season, Whitecaps FC get set to play their first preaseason match against New England Revolution on Tuesday in Casa Grande, Arizona. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT at Grande Sports World.
FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES OF THE MATCH ON TWITTER: @WHITECAPSMATCH
Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Starting XI
1.Joe Cannon; 25.Jaime Peters, 2.Brad Rusin, 40.Andy O'Brien, 12.Young-Pyo Lee; 22.Paulo Jr., 27.Jun Marques Davidson, 4.Alain Rochat, 23.Kekuta Manneh; 7.Camilo Sanvezzo, 11.Darren Mattocks
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Following their first week of training at Burnaby Lake West, Martin Rennie's side now continue preseason training camp in Casa Grande. This will be the fourth year Whitecaps FC train at Grande Sports World, as the team will look to kick off their preseason playing schedule on the right foot with a win against the Revs.
"It's still very early in preaseason for us, so we will only look to implement a couple things," said Rennie. "More than anything we will be working on our fitness and game sharpness. We won't be evaluating too harshly, we're just looking to get started playing."
This year’s squad has a number of new faces already added to the roster, including centre back Brad Rusin, attacking midfielder Daigo Kobayashi, winger Paulo Jr., and strikers Tommy Heinemann, and Corey Hertzog. The roster also features 2013 MLS SuperDraft selections Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado
Rounding out the group are trialists Ben Fisk, Jacob Lensky, Crispin Olando, as well as newcomers Joseph Lapira and Beto Navarro.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The Revs opened their preseason schedule in Casa Grande this past Friday, January 25, with a scoreless draw against Sporting Kansas City. For a full recap of the game, click HERE.
New England are aiming to bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season that saw them finish 16th overall in the MLS standings. New England’s squad will include 2013 first overall SuperDraft pick Andrew Farrell, as well as returning midfielder Andy Dorman (who last played for the Revs in 2007) and new additions Kalifa Cissé (Mali), Dimitry Imbongo (France), and José Gonçalves (Portugal).
Ten non-roster players are also looking for a chance to earn a spot for the 2013 season. Among the players vying for a spot on the Revolution roster is former Whitecaps FC defender Bilal Duckett. The full roster is available HERE.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Whitecaps FC have played three MLS regular season matches against New England, holding a record of 0W-2L-1D against the Revolution.
NEXT UP
Following Tuesday's match, the 'Caps next take to the field on Saturday, February 2, for a friendly against Houston Dynamo at 3 p.m. PT at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona. Saturday's match will be streamed live online on whitecapsfc.com.
Whitecaps FC 2013 MLS season tickets start at $349, plus applicable tax and a $10 processing fee per order. To secure a seat and for additional information about Whitecaps FC season tickets, including Pitchside Club and suites, call 604.669.9283 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
