1977 Vancouver Whitecaps season

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

1974 season
Chairman	Herb Capozzi
Head coach	Eckhard Krautzun
NASL	Division: 2nd Conference: 3rd Overall: 8th
NASL Playoffs	Play-In Round
Highest home attendance	30,277 vs. NY (Jun 30)
Lowest home attendance	6,922 vs. CON (Jun 5)
Average home league attendance	11,897
Home colours Away colours
← 1976 1978 →

The 1977 Vancouver Whitecaps season was the fourth season of the Whitecaps, and their fourth season in the North American Soccer League, which was at the time, the top flight of American Canadian soccer.

Qualifying for the playoffs for the second-straight season, the Whitecaps were eliminated by their Cascadian rivals, the Seattle Sounders, for the second straight season, in the first round of the postseason. The 'Caps finished second in their division, behind the Minnesota Kicks.

Background

The Vancouver Whitecaps came into their fourth season riding off the most successful season in franchise history. The 1976 squad qualified for the NASL playoffs for the first time, but lost to their Cascadian rivals, Seattle Sounders in the first round of the playoffs. Entering the 1977 season, the club made several defensive upgrades.

Club

Roster

Squad

The 1977 squad^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ENG Graham Moseley 2 DF  CAN Garry Ayre 3 DF  CAN Bruce Wilson 4 DF  GER Holgar Osieck 5 DF  CAN Bob Lenarduzzi 6 DF  ITA Sam Lenarduzzi 7 MF  CAN Buzz Parsons 8 FW  CAN Glen Johnson 9 FW  CAN Brian Budd 10 MF  CAN Bob Bolitho

No. Pos. Nation Player 11 DF  CAN Les Wilson 12 MF  GER Horst Köppel 12 MF  YUG Marko Vujkovic 13 MF  CAN Darryl Samson 14 MF  ENG Brian Bason 14 DF  ENG Peter Simpson 15 MF  GER Peter Stollwerk 16 FW  ENG Tommy Ord 17 FW  ENG Tony Funnell 18 DF  CAN Gary Thompson

Team management and staff

Competitions

Preseason

NASL

Standings

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
Source:^[2]

Results summary

Results by round

Match results

Vancouver Whitecaps v Portland Timbers

April 8, 1977 1	Vancouver Whitecaps	0–1	Portland Timbers	Vancouver
PT		Report	Scullion	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 10,519

Vancouver Whitecaps v San Jose Earthquakes

April 17, 1977 2	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–0	San Jose Earthquakes	Vancouver
PT	Osieck Johnson	Report		Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 7,494

Vancouver Whitecaps v Minnesota Kicks

April 24, 1977 3	Vancouver Whitecaps	1–0	Minnesota Kicks	Vancouver
PT	Funnell	Report		Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 10,147

Team Hawaii v Vancouver Whitecaps

April 29, 1977 4	Team Hawaii	2–1	Vancouver Whitecaps	Honolulu, Hawaii
PT	Henry Tinnion	Report	Vujkovic	Stadium: Aloha Stadium Attendance: 4,124

Vancouver Whitecaps v Dallas Tornado

May 15, 1977 6	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–2 (a.e.t.)	Dallas Tornado	Vancouver
PT	Parsons Ord	Report	Rote, Jr.	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 8,471

Los Angeles Aztecs v Vancouver Whitecaps

May 22, 1977 8	Los Angeles Aztecs	3–1	Vancouver Whitecaps	University Park, California
PT	David McAlinden	Report	Bolitho	Stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Attendance: 8,267

Minnesota Kicks v Vancouver Whitecaps

May 25, 1977 9	Minnesota Kicks	4–2	Vancouver Whitecaps	Bloomington, Minnesota
PT	Futcher Willey	Report	Bolitho Ord	Stadium: Metropolitan Stadium Attendance: 27,742

Vancouver Whitecaps v Fort Lauderdale Strikers

May 29, 1977 10	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–1	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	Vancouver
PT	Bason Vujkovic	Report	Irving	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 7,241

Vancouver Whitecaps v Connecticut Bicentennials

June 5, 1977 11	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–1	Connecticut Bicentennials	Vancouver
PT	Osieck Vujkovic	Report	Moia	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 6,922

St. Louis Stars v Vancouver Whitecaps

June 8, 1977 12	St. Louis Stars	1–3	Vancouver Whitecaps	St. Louis, Missouri
PT	Daly	Report	Possee Parsons	Stadium: Francis Field Attendance: 5,607

Tampa Bay Rowdies v Vancouver Whitecaps

June 11, 1977 13	Tampa Bay Rowdies	1–2	Vancouver Whitecaps	Tampa, Florida
PT	Smethurst	Report	Taylor Possee	Stadium: Tampa Stadium Attendance: 15,225

Vancouver Whitecaps v Rochester Lancers

June 14, 1977 14	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–0	Rochester Lancers	Vancouver
PT	Bason Parsons	Report		Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 7,872

Chicago Sting v Vancouver Whitecaps

June 24, 1977 16	Chicago Sting	5–2	Vancouver Whitecaps	Chicago
PT	Moore	Report	Ord Parsons	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 3,203

Vancouver Whitecaps v Cosmos

June 30, 1977 17	Vancouver Whitecaps	5–3	Cosmos	Vancouver
PT	Possee Parsons Funnell	Report	Chinaglia Roth Field	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 30,277

Vancouver Whitecaps v Seattle Sounders

July 5, 1977 18	Vancouver Whitecaps	1–0	Seattle Sounders	Vancouver
PT	Possee	Report		Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 14,559

Vancouver Whitecaps v Team Hawaii

July 11, 1977 19	Vancouver Whitecaps	4–3	Team Hawaii	Vancouver
PT	Parsons Bolitho Bason Possee	Report	Nover Henry Counce	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 12,473

Seattle Sounders v Vancouver Whitecaps

July 15, 1977 20	Seattle Sounders	3–1	Vancouver Whitecaps	Seattle
PT	Crossley Gillett Buttle		Parsons	Stadium: Kingdome Attendance: 25,023

Dallas Tornado v Vancouver Whitecaps

July 21, 1977 21	Dallas Tornado	3–0	Vancouver Whitecaps	University Park, Texas
PT	Kewley O'Hare	Report		Stadium: Ownby Stadium Attendance: 12,929

Vancouver Whitecaps v Las Vegas Quicksilvers

July 24, 1977 22	Vancouver Whitecaps	2–1	Las Vegas Quicksilvers	Vancouver
PT	Ayre Possee	Report	Joy	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 11,193

Toronto Blizzard v Vancouver Whitecaps

July 28, 1977 23	Toronto Blizzard	6–1	Vancouver Whitecaps	Toronto
PT	Tukša Vabec Zutelja	Report	Possee	Stadium: Varsity Stadium Attendance: 8,276

Washington Diplomats v Vancouver Whitecaps

July 30, 1977 24	Washington Diplomats	0–3	Vancouver Whitecaps	Washington, D.C.
PT		Report	Possee Parsons	Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 17,225

Vancouver Whitecaps v Los Angeles Aztecs

August 4, 1977 25	Vancouver Whitecaps	0–2	Los Angeles Aztecs	Vancouver
PT		Report	Rys Best	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 18,037

Portland Timbers v Vancouver Whitecaps

August 7, 1977 26	Portland Timbers	0–2	Vancouver Whitecaps	Portland, Oregon
PT		Report	Possee Own goal	Stadium: Civic Stadium Attendance: 11,094

NASL Playoffs

Vancouver Whitecaps v Seattle Sounders

August 10, 1977 First round	Vancouver Whitecaps	0–2	Seattle Sounders	Vancouver
PT		Report	Tommy Ord Mel Machin	Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 21,915

Mid-season friendlies

Vancouver Whitecaps v Roma

June 22, 1977	Vancouver Whitecaps	1–2	Roma	Vancouver
PT		Report		Stadium: Empire Stadium

Statistics

Transfers

In

Out

Loan in

No.	Pos.	Player	Loaned From	Start	End	Source
12	MF	Horst Köppel	Mönchengladbach	April 1977	October 1977

Loan out

See also

• 1977 in American soccer
• 1977 in Canadian soccer
• History of Vancouver Whitecaps FC
• Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984)
• Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)
• Vancouver Whitecaps FC

References