Episode 675 – The AFTN Soccer Show (Cruz Control - Champions Cup heartbreak and outbreak, Jesse Marsch, Dayne St Clair, Michael Boxall, Giuseppe Bovalina)

We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and national team chat and interviews.

Vancouver Whitecaps' trip to Mexico City was not a happy one. A heavy 5-0 loss to Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup final saw the 'Caps outclassed and look a shadow of the team that got them to that point. A tough one to take, but it shouldn't fully be allowed to cloud what was a fantastic and galvanising cup run and the season so far. The worry is that there could be some lasting psychological damage in the coming weeks and we hear from head coach Jesper Sorensen about lifting the team up after this and getting back to winning ways.

We also look at Michael's experience in CDMX both at the match and in the city, plus the breaking news that the 'Caps didn't come home with a trophy, but they did come home with gastrointestinal illness. We look at what went down, what it means for the game against Seattle at the weekend, and hear from Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster.

We've also got four interviews to bring you this episode as we turn our attention to the international game. With Canada preparing for the Gold Cup later this month, we chat with the man who is, for us, the current number one goalkeeper for the national team, Minnesota United's Dayne St Clair and talk with head coach Jesse Marsch about the development pathway in Canada and the role of League1.

Nine Whitecaps are off to represent their country this international window. We talk with one of them, Giuseppe Bovalina, who is off to play for Australia's U23 side, about his move to Vancouver, life in MLS, what he misses about back home, and playing with the Olyroos. Plus we chat with another antipodean, former Whitecap Michael Boxall, about New Zealand's qualification for the World Cup and his international career.

All of this plus music-wise, a solo Pete Shelley begins his residency as our Album of the Month, we've a Britpop song from The Bluetones, and Armchair Loyal are back in Wavelength.

Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:

01.36: Intro - a cursed episode, the end of the lucky hat, and Club World Cup ticket prices slashed
09.28: VFC derby chaos as CPL refs take centre stage again
25.12: Heartbreak and humiliation for Whitecaps in Champions Cup final loss to Cruz Azul
59.25: Michael's trip to Mexico City - the highlights and lowlights
87.25: Will heavy final defeat affect Whitecaps' psyche?
96.33: Whitecaps hit by gastrointestinal illness following return from Mexico
121.40: Dayne St Clair interview
139.27: Michael Boxall interview
153.30: Giuseppe Bovalina interview
164.30: Jesse Marsch talks Canada's development pathway and the role of League1
172.20: Wavelength - Armchair Loyal - Chairman of the Bored