The USL First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
The Vancouver Whitecaps were a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1986, the team played its final year in the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid in the NASL Conference of the USSF Division 2 Professional League coached by Teitur Thordarson. The team played its home games at Swangard Stadium in nearby Burnaby, British Columbia. The team's colours were blue and white.
Martin Nash is a Canadian soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of York United of the Canadian Premier League.
Chris Williams is a Canadian former soccer player who played the majority of his career in the USL A-League. His most successful tenure was with Montreal Impact, where he won a USL A-League Championship, and a Voyageurs Cup. Williams also represented Canada at the international level with three appearances.
Jason Jordan is a retired professional soccer player who formerly played for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the First Division of the United Soccer Leagues. He is currently Vancouver's third all-time leading scorer with 74 goals in 207 games. Jason Jordan is also the Technical Director of the CSA National Youth Licensed Club, Fusion Football Club.
Charles Gbeke is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. Born in Ivory Coast, he made three appearances for the Canada national team.
Jeffrey Clarke is a Canadian former professional soccer player, who is currently playing for Surrey United Firefighters and works as head coach by Surrey United Women. Clarke earned nineteen caps, scoring one goal, for the Canadian national team. He most recently played for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the First Division of the United Soccer Leagues.
Sita-Taty Matondo is a Congolese-born Canadian former soccer player who played the majority of his career in Quebec with clubs in the Ligue de Soccer Elite Quebec, USL A-League/First Division, and Canadian Soccer League. He also played abroad in the Superettan, and represented Canada at the international level.
Eduardo Sebrango Rodríguez is a retired Cuban footballer.
Mauro Biello is a Canadian professional assistant coach and former player who has been an assistant coach of the Canada men's national team since 2018. He played as a forward for several Canadian and American lower division clubs, namely Montreal Supra, Buffalo Blizzard, Rochester Raging Rhinos, and Toronto Thunderhawks. He also spent a total of 16 seasons with the second division Montreal Impact, for whom he is the all-time statistical leader in goals and appearances, with over 80 goals and over 300 games for the team. As a Canadian international, he was capped four times from 1995 until 2000.
Joey Gjertsen is an American professional soccer player.
Steve Klein is an American soccer coach and former professional player, who spent one season in Major League Soccer and eleven in the USL First Division and its predecessors. On January 20, 2010, he was ranked 24th in the USL First Division Top 25 of the Decade, which announced a list of the best and most influential players of the previous decade.
Anthony "Tony" Donatelli is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Baltimore Blast of the Major Arena Soccer League.
Alen Marcina is a Canadian soccer coach and former player who is currently the head coach of USL Championship side San Antonio FC. He is a three-time champion with San Antonio Scorpions and Rayo OKC in the NASL.
Alfredo Valente is a former Canadian soccer midfielder who formerly played for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the USL First Division (USL-1). Valente played 11 seasons with the 86ers/Whitecaps organization, winning USL championships with the club in 2006 and 2008. He also played indoor soccer with the Edmonton Drillers of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) early in his professional career. Internationally, Valente has represented Canada with the under-18, under-20 and under-23 national teams.
Robert "Bob" Lilley is an American soccer coach who is the head coach of USL Championship club Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. He has managed the Hershey Wildcats, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, Detroit Ignition, and Rochester Rhinos.
Tyler Robert Rosenlund is a Canadian soccer player currently playing for Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL.
Stefan Leslie is a Canadian soccer player currently playing for Surrey United in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League.
Kénold Versailles is a Haitian footballer who, from 2011–2012, played for Rochester Rhinos in the USL Professional Division.
The 2007 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season was the club's 22nd year of existence, as well as their 15th as a Division 2 club in the franchise model of US-based soccer leagues. After their championship 2006 season despite a number of lingering injuries, the Whitecaps started well and led the league going undefeated until late May. However, with the sudden departure to England of starting goalkeeper Tony Caig and unexpected early season loss of Serge Djekanovic to MLS, the Whitecaps had goalkeeping instability as they gave significant minutes to four goalkeepers in 2007. Combined with injuries, the club never recovered from the challenging schedule due to 2007 FIFA U-20 venue conflicts, the team finished 7th in the USL-1, set a club record twelve game streak without a win, subsequently executed a blockbuster four player trade of 2006 USL MVP Joey Gjertsen, and midfielder David Testo for role players Ze Roberto and Surrey, BC native Alen Marcina, and set a club record for number of draws with twelve. A run of games at home to end the season in seventh place and the resolution of injuries left the Whitecaps competitive in the second season of the playoffs. They lost a close playoff series to rival Portland Timbers with a 1-0 home leg getting overturned in a much closer than the score indicated 3–0 second leg loss to finish their disappointing season. Coach Bob Lilley was released at the end of the playoffs before the LA Galaxy friendly.
