AFTN Soccer Show

Episode 193 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Some Might Shea with guest Nazeem Bartman)

Another week, another away win for Vancouver Whitecaps. We could get used to this.

We look back at Friday night's win in Colorado. Who stood out, the plusses and minuses from the match, and how the 'Caps are looking in this tough stretch of the season. We also look ahead to the next match in Houston and what twists and turns may lie ahead for the next spell of the season.

Our player interview this week is the latest addition to WFC2, South African striker Nazeem Bartman. After a stellar college career, Bartman was selected in this year's MLS SuperDraft and is a very exciting prospect with a fascinating journey to the 'Caps. It's a great chat.

And there's still time to chat about the big Canadian Premier League news this weekend and Frank Sidebottom features in this week's Wavelength section.

Have a listen!

Episode 192 - The AFTN Soccer Show (PDL Special with Todd Eason, Colin Elmes, and Will Cromack)

The new PDL season gets underway this weekend. To celebrate, we're bringing you an hour long PDL special.

We kick things off with a chat with the man running the league right now, PDL director Todd Eason (03:46 mark). We talk to Todd about the season ahead, the challenges facing the league from the likes of the NPSL and USL Third Division, where the PDL fits into the North American soccer landscape, the importance of bringing stability to the league, the part Canadian clubs play in the league's success, and a lot more.

Vancouver's newest PDL team kicks off their inaugural season on Friday. TSS FC Rovers may have a tough debut season ahead of them, but they've been doing everything right off the pitch to begin with.

We catch up with the two driving forces behind the team, Colin Elmes and Will Cromack (24:03), to chat a little bit about TSS' history, what they're hoping for this first season, the need for this pathway for local players, the supporters driven aspect of the club, and more.

Have a listen!

Episode 191 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Poutine On A Show)

The derby games have been coming thick and fast for Vancouver Whitecaps this month. On the back of two Cascadia Cup clashes, the 'Caps headed east to take on Montreal in an all-Canadian clash, grabbing their first away win of the season in the process.

We look back at all the talking points from the game - the goals, the performance, the tactics, and all the highs and lows. Plus a look at the 'Caps ever-increasing injury woes and the latest salary news that came out this week.

And there's still time to have a look ahead to Friday night's game in Colorado, some WFC2 talk, and Half Man Half Biscuit feature again in this week's Wavelength section.

Have a listen!

Episode 190 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Portland Was Weird)

Another week, another Cascadian derby, another Fredy Montero goal. Only trouble was this week it ended in a 2-1 defeat.

We dissect Vancouver Whitecaps' loss against the Portland Timbers. Was it the cliched game of two halves that it felt? Where did it all go wrong, who stood out, who was targeted, and should the 'Caps have taken something from it? We get the thoughts from 'Caps coach Carl Robinson and striker Fredy Montero after the match, about the game and where they go from here with three more tough away games coming up fast.

We also chat with Christian Bolanos, who had a poor first half display but was likely the best player on the pitch for the Whitecaps in the second half. It's an honest take after the game, and there may be a little frustration starting to show. See what you think.

With the MLS Transfer Window closing soon, are the 'Caps still likely to add some new faces? We hear from Robbo and ponder where they need to be and will they come?

There's also chat about tactics, fitness levels, Kekuta Manneh, a look ahead to next week's Canadian derby at Montreal, and more.

Have a listen!

Episode 189 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Building The Game In Canada featuring Colin Elmes, Will Cromack, and Don Garber)

Part two of Sunday's mammoth two and a half hour CiTR radio show is featured in this episode of the podcast.

After looking at the State of the Whitecaps in Episode 188, we turn our attention to the Canadian game.

With the Three Amigos 2026 World Cup bid officially announced, we look over the details and what it may mean for the growth of football in Canada, both in the build up to a successful bid and the legacy from it. Was the bid fair? And what may the tournament look like here?

We also hear thoughts of MLS Commissioner Don Garber talking about what bringing the World Cup to North America will mean to the domestic game and how he's seen the game move on here since the 1994 World Cup.

With the Canadian Premier League set to start next year, we also chat about how that's shaping up and what we'd like to see from it. We talk with TSS Rovers owners and coaches Colin Elmes and Will Cromack about why they chose to start a PDL team now and whether we could see them move it to the Canadian PL one day.

All this and the Sultans of Ping FC return for our Wavelength section. Have a listen.

Episode 188 - The AFTN Soccer Show (The State Of The Whitecaps)

A two and a half hour roundtable discussion on the state of Vancouver Whitecaps and Canadian Soccer? Yes please! But don't worry, you don't have to listen to it all in the one sitting because we've split Sunday's mammoth CiTR radio show into two podcasts.

Your usual AFTN hosts are joined by Jay Duke to chat about all things Whitecaps, Canadian Premier League, and the recent 2026 World Cup bid. The 'Caps chat is in today's podcast, and the World Cup and Canadian PL one will be coming on Thursday.

In this first podcast, we look at the current state of the team, what areas need to be strengthened, who should move on, formations, tactics, how the season might play out and much more.

We're also joined by 'Caps keeper David Ousted for our new segment of the show - 'Me, My Shelf, and I' - as the Dane chats about his favourite books, author, and what he's currently reading.

Have a listen!

Episode 187 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Fredy For Battle - Vancouver v Seattle postgame show)

Kings of Cascadia. We know who we are.

Another Cascadian derby. Another Vancouver Whitecap victory. All hail Fredy Montero! Who'd have thought we'd be saying that two months ago?

Montero came up with a brace to give the 'Caps a 2-1 win over the Sounders. To celebrate we brought you a special live postgame show on our Mixlr channel. If you missed it, fret not, because here's the podcast of it it.

We look back at the match and hear from 'Caps coach Carl Robinson and two goal hero Fredy Montero.

Plus Steve heads to the Seattle locker room to chat with and hear from head coach Brian Schmetzer, goalkeeper Stefan Frei, goalscorer Will Bruin, and Cristian Roldan.

Have a listen!

Episode 186 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Vancouver v Seattle Preview Show)

What would make a Good Friday a Great Friday? Vancouver Whitecaps beating Seattle Sounders at BC Place, and making it even better yet is bringing you a special preview show for the first Cascadia Cup clash of the new season.

We chat with 'Caps coach Carl Robinson about the task ahead, along with goalkeeper David Ousted and in what will be an emotional occasion for the Sounders all-time leading scorer, striker Fredy Montero.

We also hear from the Sounders camp, with audio from head coach Brian Schmetzer, striker Jordan Morris, and Osvaldo Alonso.

And there's still time to ask some of the 'Caps players and Robbo about last Saturday's snow farce.

Have a listen!

Episode 185 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Snow Fun City)

Just when you thought the Snowpocalypse had left Vancouver, the Whitecaps went to the Snowpocalypse.

The 'Caps headed to Salt Lake City to face RSL, but were demolished in the terrible weather conditions by a team that always looked to be one step ahead of them. We look back at the main talking points to come out of that game and the midweek Champions League loss to Tigres.

Where do the 'Caps go from here? How urgent is their need for new faces before the transfer window closes? Are the injury and road stretch coming up going to do irreparable damage for the season? Is there concern about the 'Caps attendance at both MLS and USL levels? So much to discuss.

And The Business are featured in this week's Wavelength section.

Have a listen!

Episode 184 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Laba Land with guests Sam Adekugbe and Erik Hurtado)

Has the doom and gloom been lifted in Whitecapsland? Well, just as one swallow doesn't make a summer, one victory doesn't mean Vancouver Whitecaps have turned their season around. But it's a promising sign.

We look back on the 'Caps 4-2 win over LA Galaxy. The highs, the lows, and all the main talking points, blown calls, and questions the match posed. Have the 'Caps finally found their clinical finisher in Fredy Montero? Did the Kekuta Manneh trade finally give the rest of the squad the wake up call they needed? What does the addition of Tony Tchani mean to this team? And who was that in Mati Laba's shirt and what have you done with the real Mati?

We'll hear from the LA losers too, from grumpy head coach Curt Onalfo, Jermaine Jones, and Ashley Cole, as LA were (mostly) brutally honest about their shortcomings.

One player who never made it past half time was Erik Hurtado. We chat with the striker about his season so far and what it meant to him personally to lose his best friend in the team in Manneh.

Our main player interview this week is with Residency alumni Sam Adekugbe, back in Vancouver rehabbing the injury he picked up while on loan with Brighton and Hove Albion. We chat with Sam about his time with English Championship side so far, his current injury, his frustrations, and what the future may hold in store for him. Will it be in Canada or England?

And there's still time for I, Ludicrous to feature again in this week's Wavelength section and to look ahead to the CONCACAF Champions League semi-final at home to Tigres on Wednesday.

Have a listen!

Episode 183 - The AFTN Soccer Show (The First Eleven - Biggest Moments In Whitecaps History)

With Vancouver Whitecaps having a week off from MLS action, much to the relief of nearly everybody I'm sure, we thought we'd do something a little bit different for this week's show and delve into the 'Caps rich history, as we launch a new specially themed episode that we're going to bring you a couple of times over the year - The First Eleven.

So what is the first eleven and do we use a double shield? We'll pick a topic and come up with a countdown of that fits that theme, making what we feel are the most suitable selections along the way.

To kick things off we're going to look at the top eleven 'Biggest Moments In Whitecaps History' spanning from 1973 to the present day. From the NASL to the CSL years to USL and into MLS. All eras are covered.

If you don't agree with our selections, then great, we'd love to hear from you to share your placings and entries. Get in touch and have a listen.

Episode 182 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Give Us A Break - Vancouver v Toronto Postgame Show)

Vancouver Whitecaps are now on a two week break. I'm sure I speak for the vast majority of 'Caps fans when I say it couldn't come soon enough. I think we all need a break from this team right now, which is very worrying considering the season has just started.

With no spark, no goals, little midfield creativity, and very little discipline, it's been a tough opening month that's seen the team clock up more red cards than league points. With pressure mounting, we look back at the last loss, a 2-0 home defeat to Toronto FC, and the main talking points from it.

We hear from 'Caps coach Carl Robinson and discuss some listeners tweets as the discontent in the fanbase grows.

We're also going to hear some postgame thoughts from TFC head coach Greg Vanney and captain Michael Bradley about the match, Shea's sending off, the niggly ending, and more. Plus Steve catches up with former Whitecap Steven Beitashour for an exclusive chat about life in Toronto.

And it's a welcome return to Half Man Half Biscuit in the 'Wavelength' section of the show, with a song and lyrics about modern football and how it feels to be watching the Whitecaps from the stands right now.

Have a listen.

Episode 181 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Natural Disasters with guests Brek Shea and Carl Robinson)

Four days, two matches, two different competitions, two defeats. That's been Vancouver Whitecaps' week, but the performances and circumstances of the games against San Jose Earthquakes and Tigres in the 'Volcano' were very different natural disasters.

The 'Caps battled hard against a much better Tigres side in Mexico on Tuesday night, coming away with just a two goal deficit and are still very much in their CONCACAF Champions League semi-final. We look back at the game, the performances, and the strange feeling of coming away from a game that we expected the team to do much worse in but being disappointed with how things ultimately played out.

'Caps coach Carl Robinson gave us a call just before he headed home from Mexico to chat about the game and what may lie in store in the second leg (00:16:23 mark).

There were some good defensive displays in Mexico, especially from Kendall Waston and David Ousted. But where was that in San Jose? Can they produce that every week in MLS?

San Jose was a mess. We look at the great start, the turning point of Ousted's sending off, and the subsequent defensive collapse, posing the question what future does Kekuta Manneh have with this team if he can't add a better defensive side to his game and what could the 'Caps get for him if they decided to put him up for a trade?

Our player interview this week is with one of the Whitecaps most recent additions, Brek Shea (00:49:48). We sit down with Brek to talk about his career, moving to Vancouver, and life off the pitch. We found it an interesting chat and we're sure you will too.

And there's still time to bring you Tim Parker's footballing bucket list (01:16:17).

Have a listen.

Episode 180 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Wavelength Special 2 - Songs About Footballers)

CiTR radio is in the middle of their annual Fundrive (their fundraising telethon to help keep the station producing the great shows it does). This is our first year of taking part in it, so we wanted to do something a little special and something a little bit different from our normal shows.

Our Wavelength feature on football songs has proved to be popular, so we're bringing you another whole show of them!

Our first Wavelength special was back in September 2015, Episode 129. That was on songs about and by football clubs. For the second special, the theme is songs about footballers, with all but one of the tracks also named after the player himself.

We've got songs for you on Peter Beardsley around his time as a Vancouver Whitecaps players; Manchester United and Welsh legend Ryan Giggs; current Scotland manager Gordon Strachan; Another Scottish legend, Kenny Dalglish; former Trinidad and Tobago striker Jason Scotland; a couple of punk songs about Diego Maradona and Bobby Moore; how QPR cult hero Stan Bowles brought two friends closer together; and an interesting track about Man City's former Georgian playmaker, Georgi Kinkladze, and rounding it off, a bizarre lounge session from Tony Adams and the Arsenal team, well kind of.

Have a listen and don't forget to let us know your own favourites for future shows.

Episode 179 - The AFTN Soccer Show (New Beginnings, Same Whitecaps? with guest Mauro Rosales)

The 2017 season is already in full swing for Vancouver Whitecaps. While most teams played their first competitive match in this weekend’s MLS openers, the ‘Caps now have three under their belt, with two in the space of four days thanks to their CONCACAF Champions League heroics.

We look back at what we learned and what we can realistically take from the 2-0 win over New York Red Bulls in the CCL and the 0-0 draw with Philadelphia Union in MLS.

Has the defence finally shored up? Is the two man defensive shield killing attacking play? What’s the best position for Kekuta Manneh and Erik Hurtado? And what are we likely to see from the team in the weeks to come? We talk about all this and more in our first postgame show of the season.

We also chat with the newest member of the Whitecaps, but a well known returning face, Mauro Rosales. What tempted the veteran Argentine back to Vancouver? Is coaching in his long term plans? What’s his thoughts on the team this season and especially Alphonso Davies?

Plus B.A. Robertson features in this week’s ‘Wavelength’ feature.

This is a podcast of our first live show on CiTR radio (and our fifth on the station altogether). As such it’s a little chaotic at times as we worked out which buttons to push!! We also ran out of time to put more in, but it’ll get a lot smoother, so have a listen, enjoy, and ‘Mon the ‘Caps.

You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services:

Episode 178 - The AFTN Soccer Show (History Awaits with Carl Robinson, Rich Fagan, and Jake Nerwinski)

Vancouver Whitecaps have one foot in the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals following last week's first leg at New York Red Bulls. Can they make history?

We look back at Wednesday's 1-1 draw and ahead to this Thursday's second leg. What went right? What were the concerns? And how confident should the 'Caps feel? We also hear the thoughts of Carl Robinson, Jordan Harvey, and Sheanon Williams.

There's a new Whitecap to talk about too - Brek Shea. He may not be in Vancouver yet, but we chat with 'Caps coach Carl Robinson about what interested him in the midfielder, his plans for him with the team, and whether there's any concerns about the reputation that precedes the American international.

We also chat with Vancouver's first pick in this year's MLS SuperDraft, right back Jake Nerwinski about the whirlwind start to his pro career, playing in that Champions League game, and settling in to the pro ranks with the 'Caps.

And there's still time to turn our attentions to WFC2 and have a chat with new head coach Rich Fagan.

All this, music from I, Ludicrous in our Wavelength feature, and a lot more chat. Have a listen and note that this episode of the podcast contains an extra 15 minutes of audio not found in our CiTR radio broadcast edition.

Episode 177 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Ready, Fredy, Go with Carl Robinson and Russell Teibert)

The Whitecaps finally have their number nine striker, but just as they get Fredy Montero, Yordy Reyna picks up an injury. Hopefully this isn't an ominous sign of the season to come in Vancouver.

In our latest episode, we chat with 'Caps coach Carl Robinson about the Montero acquisition and discuss what it will mean for the team.

He won't be playing in the Champions League game on Wednesday. We preview that match and look back at the horrific end to the 'Caps preseason.

Our player interview this week is a slightly terse chat with Russell Teibert and Serious Drinking feature in the latest 'Wavelength' segment.

All this and a lot more chat. Have a listen!

Episode 176 - The AFTN Soccer Show (As Easy As Pythagoras with Don Garber)

Like a triangle, there's three sides to every story, at least that's how it feels in the world of football - the club's version, the fan's version, and the truth that most likely lies inbetween.

It's been a busy week both on and off the pitch in Whitecapsland.

The 'Caps were in action down in Portland in the Rose City Invitational. We look at what we may have learned about that so far and what we made of the first appearance of Yordy Reyna.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber was in town on Monday, speaking to the 'Caps, media, and supporters. We grilled him on the state of refereeing in the league and we bring you that chat in this episode of the show.

Our 'Wavelength' section returns, and we talk PJ's as the 'Caps launch their new home kit for the season. Saying it received a mixed reaction is perhaps being generous.

All this and a lot more chat about Monday's townhall, accountability and development, so have a listen!

Episode 175 - The AFTN Soccer Show (On The Attack with guests Alphonso Davies, Christian Bolanos, and Carl Robinson)

It's a new era for The AFTN Soccer Show. After four years, and 174 episodes, the podcast is taking to the airwaves at CiTR. Even 'Snowmageddon IV - Deep Trouble' won't stop us, the only Vancouver soccer show on FM radio.

And our first radio show is a packed affair, as we look at the latest Vancouver Whitecaps happenings. The preseason may be well underway but the 'Caps are still searching one or two final pieces as they look to return to the MLS playoffs. This year's attack could hold the key, and that's the focus of a lot of this week's show.

We chat with teenage phenom Alphonso Davies. He's continued to look exceptional and a real talent but after a whirlwind rookie year as a 15-year-old, how does he continue his rise? At the other end of the age scale, we sit down with veteran midfielder Christian Bolanos, about the season past, the season to come, and Costa Rica's recent heroics on the world stage.

The 'Caps are still needing a DP striker. One is coming, but as to when, no-one can be totally sure. Not even head coach Carl Robinson, and we chat with Robbo about Vancouver's continuing striker problem.

Have a listen!

Episode 174 - The AFTN Soccer Podcast (Goalkeepers Union with guests Stewart Kerr and David Ousted)

We're back for one final show from Wales as Vancouver Whitecaps wrap up their first of two preseason camps.

We look back at the latest game, what the camp has told us, and chat about some of the latest news and rumours out there in Whitecapsland.

This episode is something of a nod to the Goalkeepers Union as well. We sit down with the 'Caps new goalkeeping coach, Stewart Kerr, and chat with the number one man between the sticks, David Ousted.

So before we say hwyl fawr to Cymru for one last time, have a listen.