Episode 679 – The AFTN Soccer Show (Shadows Dissolving - Jesper Sorensen interview, Whitecaps beat LAFC, Canada crash out, derby day fireworks)

We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, FIFA Club World Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup, and Canadian national team chat and interviews, in what has very much been a week of highs and lows.

It was an eventful week in Whitecapsland, both on and off the pitch. A defeat to a highly clinical San Diego side saw them lose first place in the MLS Western Conference, but they bounced back in style with an important win at their old nemesis LAFC. We delve into the main talking points coming out of both matches, look at what caught our eye with the latest salary releases, and talk about the 'Caps' All-Star selections.

Our feature interview this episode is with the man that's guided the Whitecaps to their best ever start to a season, Danish head coach Jesper Sorensen. It's been a great start to the Sorensen era here in Vancouver, with a win percentage of almost 50%, battling for first place in MLS, and reaching the club's first continental cup final. We chat about all of that and settling into life in Vancouver in our extensive and exclusive interview.

We also delve into Canada's shock defeat to Guatemala at the Gold Cup and what lessons need to be learned from it. Plus there's chat about the costs of Vancouver hosting next year's World Cup, the action at this year's FIFA Club World Cup, and the action packed BC derby in the CPL.

Music-wise, a solo Pete Shelley wraps up his residency as our Album of the Month, while Frank Black begins his, we've a Britpop song from Dubstar, and we go back to 1975 in Wavelength.

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

01.26: Intro - football pain
06.20: FIFA Club World Cup chat
22.40: Music chat - The Pixies, Glastonbury, karaoke highs and lows
28.10: Whitecaps salaries are out - what caught our eye
39.13: San Diego loss exposes some Whitecaps holes
52.30: Whitecaps bounce back to beat LAFC
67.30: Jesper Sorensen interview
106.53: Canada crash out of Gold Cup
136.50: Vancouver's World Cup hosting costs revealed
151.40: An eight-goal CPL BC derby spectacular
170.25: Wavelength - Bruce Thompson - My World Is A Football