Five Home Games to Circle
SUNDAY, MARCH 6 VS. MONTREAL IMPACT
It’s opening day. It’s bubble gum and rainbows. In Vancouver, 21,000 fans are convinced their team can win the MLS Cup (actually not a bad bet this year). OK, so Didier Drogba won’t be there (probably). But how about these Whitecaps? They return a strong core and there’s plenty of intrigue around the new signings, Costa Rican winger Christian Bolaños and Japanese striker Masato Kudo. Also, the Caps are 4-1-0 in home openers. You’ve got a good chance of going home happy.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2 VS. LA GALAXY
What will the Galaxy look like in 2016? They’re signing players like it’s 2010. Sure, there’s a long pre-season ahead, but losing Juninho and Omar Gonzalez and signing Jeff Larentowicz (32), and maybe Mike Magee (31), and maybe Ashley Cole (35), isn’t scaring anyone. Robbie Keane (35) has been fantastic but he’s got to slow down at some point, doesn’t he? Steven Gerrard (35) was a flop in his first half-season. Could the Galaxy be in decline? Or will Giovani dos Santos and Gerrard & Co. show their quality? Can Vancouver’s youth and shrewd signings shine through?
SATURDAY, MAY 7 VS. PORTLAND TIMBERS
The MLS Cup-champion Portland Timbers. How does that sound, Caps fans? Not good, right? Well, let’s not speak of revenge, but here’s a chance to make a statement. The Timbers knocked the Caps out of the playoffs last year. They shut them out in a two-leg series, then marched to the title. This has been a terrific rivalry since they joined MLS together in 2011. Last year’s storylines just ramp it up another notch.
SATURDAY, JULY 16 VS. ORLANDO CITY
Kaká is coming to town. One of the greatest players of his generation, the 33-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder can still dazzle (in this league, at least). It was terrific to see Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard on the B.C. Place turf last season and the bonus with Kaká is he really seems to get that selling soccer in North America remains a huge priority for players of his calibre. As a bonus, this team also features Canadian international Cyle Larin, who was last year’s MLS rookie of the year.
SUNDAY, OCT. 2 VS. SEATTLE SOUNDERS
This is a painfully long time to wait for Seattle to come to town — the Caps visit the Sounders in March and September — but all good things are worth waiting for (or some nonsense). The neat thing is three of the Caps’ final five games are against Seattle and Portland, which should make for one heck of a stretch run. The Caps have enjoyed success at CenturyLink Field but have yet to make B.C. Place a fortress against their Cascadia rivals. More like a sandcastle. That needs to change.