WHITECAPS FC IN THE NEWS

French striker Sebastien Le Toux made a big splash in Cascadia today as news of his acquisition by Vancouver Whitecaps FC made waves around the league. TSN’s Luke Wileman predicts the Frenchman may fit in perfectly with coach Martin Rennie’s plans, “In Le Toux they get a player who not only knows where the net is, but also makes a habit of providing for other players around him. He's an ideal fit for the preferred 4-3-3 formation of Whitecaps new head coach Martin Rennie.” (Luke Wileman – TSN)

If that wasn’t news enough for you, soccer lovers and Whitecaps fans in Victoria are in for a treat on February 19th with the announcement of a preseason friendly match to be played in the provincial capital between the CIS national champion University of Victoria Vikes and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Be sure to get tickets early and grab a sneak peak of the new squad in action. (Cleve Dheensaw – Victoria Times Colonist)

Before the match in Victoria, the ‘Caps will spend ten days of training in sunny Casa Grande, Arizona. With today being a travel-day for the team, head coach Martin Rennie reflected on how it feels to have the first week of preseason under his belt, “So far everybody's done well and everybody's put their best foot forward, so I feel comfortable with it." Read all about the first week of training sessions , including which draft trialist reportedly had a stand-out session. (Away From The Numbers – Michael McColl)

Congratulations to our founding partner BMO, whose inspiring acts of generosity set new records for donations, pledges and participation in 2011. In a collective act of kindness BMO and its employees raised over $19.1 million dollars through their BMO Employee Giving Campaign, and volunteered at hundreds of charities across Canada and the US. Seems were not the only ones who are blue and white and dynamite! (The Globe and Mail)

WHITECAPS FC ON THE RADIO:

‘Whitecaps FC Daily’ with Peter Schaad is back in its usual 3:00 p.m. timeslot on TEAM 1410 sports radio! Its for those of you who may have missed past episodes, you can find them HERE!

The show airs every Monday to Friday at 3 p.m. PT on TEAM 1410.

You can always get your soccer fix every Sunday night from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. PT by tuning into ‘Full-Time: Vancouver’s Soccer Show’ with Tyler Green and Mike Martignago on TEAM 1040.

West Coast Soccer Weekly is a new podcast hosted by Canadian Soccer News writers Pierce Lang and Michael McColl. For all things soccer on the best coast, including up to date coverage of Whitecaps FC, Highlanders, Men's and Women's Canadian national teams, and local community clubs be sure to listen in HERE!

WHITECAPS FC IN THE HOUSE

Vancouver continued to add to the artillery today after acquiring the scoring power of striker Sebastian Le Toux from Eastern Conference outfit Philadelphia Union. Read all about the latest signing whom Martin Rennie had nothing but praise for, "Sebastien is a proven goalscorer and playmaker in Major League Soccer,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Martin Rennie. “He is a durable, fit, and speedy attacker, who is capable of playing either up front or wide in midfield. (whitecapsfc.com)

Could Le Toux end up being a new fan favourite? Le Toux is no stranger to Whitecaps fans and Brandon Timko recalls how fierce a competitor he was for rival side Seattle Sounders. Now that "the man who can't stop scoring" is headed to Vancouver to wear the blue and white, Timko points out how Le Toux's work-rate and sportsmanship could quickly endear him to Vancouver supporters. (Brandon Timko – whitecapsfc.com)

The legend Carl Valentine was at the final training session for the ‘Caps before leaving on a jet-plane for Casa Grande, Arizona today. Check out the video of coach Rennie putting the team through the paces at Burnaby Lake West HERE. (Carl Valentine & Zac Ratcliffe – whitecapsfc.com)

February 19th should prove a good weekend for a road-trip for Whitecaps fans as a matchup against University of Victoria CIS National champion side the UVic Vikes is now official, get the full details HERE.

Whitecaps FC women's players made some waves of their own yesterday as five were named to Canada's U-17 training camp roster, and four were named to Canada's U-20 squad. Read all about the teams hopes for this year including defending their CONCACAF U-17 championship.

The 'Caps held their first intrasquad matchup of 2012 last Friday. See which returning players showed fine form and which newcomers found the back of the net during their three 20-minute matchups. (Christopher Bromley - whitecapsfc.com)

Club ambassador Carl Valentine and 'Caps keeper Joe Cannon are used to keeping crowds on the edge of their seats, this time however, it was by reading stories to the 75 children at the Langara Family YMCA for Family Literacy Week. Josh Nanavaty and Paul Albi were there to chronicle the event. (Joshua Nanavaty & Paul Albi – whitecapsfc.com)

Group tickets are now available. When you purchase group tickets they come with some awesome benefits for you and your group. Check out what these past group leaders had to say about their experiences last year. (Joshua Nanavaty, Carl Valentine and Zac Ratcliffe – whitecapsfc.com)

CANADIAN SOCCER SCENE

Canadian soccer made tremendous strides last weekend as our women's national team drew record breaking crowds into BC Place for last legs of the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament. Read all about the tournament TSN's Luke Wileman called, "a massive success as the Canadians secured a berth at the London Olympics.” (Luke Wileman – TSN)



The women’s national team closed out the highly successful tournament earning a well-deserved silver medal. While they would have enjoyed a win against USA on home turf, they'll get a second chance for glory as they now look forward to the 2012 London Olympic games. For highlights, player reactions and more, be sure to check out this article from the Canadian Soccer Association. (Canadian Soccer Association)

Record breaking crowds provided the perfect backdrop for the FIFA/CONCACAF Conference on the Women's World Cup. The four day event saw team representatives from around the globe come together to share plans and opinions on developing women's soccer from grassroots to elite soccer. (FIFA.com)