RaGe eSport League » Carpenter make his final run, t

Soccer fans in Metro Vancouver will soon have a new professional team to cheer for. Whitecaps FC announced on Friday the launch of Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2), the clubs USL PRO team that will begin play in the spring of 2015. WFC2 will be owned and operated by Whitecaps FC and will play all home matches on the David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium, a natural extension of the clubs training home at the University of British Columbia: the National Soccer Development Centre (NSDC) In partnership with UBC and the Government of British Columbia, the club also revealed preliminary renderings of the final phase of the NSDC, featuring a state-of-the-art fieldhouse (subject to final UBC Board of Governors approval), which is set to be completed prior to the start of the 2017 Major League Soccer (MLS) preseason. The fieldhouse is being designed by Acton Ostry Architects, an award-winning architectural firm based in Vancouver, in collaboration with BBB Architects, internationally recognized sports architects who recently completed the Kia Toronto FC Training Ground & Academy. In total, the multi-campus NSDC includes seven fields - two artificial turf fields at Simon Fraser University, and three grass and two artificial turf fields at UBC. Today marks another important milestone for our club and another step forward in our partnership with UBC, said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. Were thrilled to be launching our USL PRO team at UBC. We have many talented young players at our club, including nine Residency products who recently did very well internationally with our Canadian U-20 mens national team. WFC2 will allow them to continue their development against quality competition, including our fellow Cascadia rivals from Seattle and Portland. Along with the renderings of our new training facility, we have a clear view into our future. These initiatives will provide a positive impact and lasting legacy for Whitecaps FC, Canadian soccer, UBC, and the community at large. This partnership with Whitecaps FC and the provincial government will allow for a greater student and community participation in field sports and will provide exceptional experiences for soccer fans, said UBC president Arvind Gupta. Having Whitecaps FC and varsity soccer programs here at UBC will inspire our students to pursue their passions and will further strengthen our successful Athletics program. Whitecaps FC 2 matches will be a unique, affordable experience for soccer fans, families, students, and supporters. The club is now accepting $50 deposits on season tickets, which start at $118 plus applicable fees - just $8 per match - for current MLS season ticket holders and the UBC campus community including residents, students, staff, and faculty. A limited supply of family packs are also available, starting at $199. Fans who act now will also join the WFC2 Starting 11, recognizing the starting 1,100 season ticket holders of the inaugural WFC2 season and guaranteeing the lowest season ticket price for every future season. Starting 11 members will be provided exclusive rights such as voting on which kit the team will wear for each (home) match, winning a jersey off the back of a player, and two additional ambassador tickets to share with friends or family who have not attended a WFC2 match. As a bridge between the clubs Residency program and MLS first team, WFC2 will replace the clubs U-23 team and allow promising young players to develop in a competitive professional environment. Whitecaps FC are the seventh MLS club to officially field a team in USL PRO for the 2015 season, joining Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers (T2) and Seattle Sounders FC (Sounders FC 2), as well as LA Galaxy (LA Galaxy II), Montreal Impact (FC Montreal), Real Salt Lake (Real Monarchs), and Toronto FC. All MLS clubs are expected to either field their own team or have an affiliate in USL PRO next season. In September 2012, Whitecaps FC, UBC, and the B.C. government announced a joint initiative to construct and operate a shared-use soccer training facility at UBC. In February 2013, an improved grass field and locker room access was completed. In addition to Whitecaps FCs MLS team, the NSDC will become the permanent training home for the clubs USL PRO and youth sides, as well as UBCs varsity teams, student recreation participants and community partners. Once completed, the NSDC at UBC will include five constructed, refurbished, and improved fields - three grass and two artificial turf - as well as the new 35,000+ square foot fieldhouse. The high performance training centre will create important recreational and high performance sports legacies for the UBC community, providing a major upgrade in facilities, including washrooms, change rooms, multi-use space, concessions, and classrooms. The NSDC will provide not only Whitecaps FC and UBC with state-of-the-art facilities and fields, but will be accessible to recreation leagues from across the city. The project is well underway with the near completion of UBCs Varsity Turf Field now located at Wolfson West Field. This world-class facility will be a hub of community activity for recreational, competitive and professional soccer players, said Coralee Oakes, minister of community, sport and cultural development. 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In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. Adrian Gonzalez Jersey . RAPTORS STRUGGLING: The bottom line is the true test in sports isnt just how you handle failure, but how you handle success.INDIANAPOLIS - Local driver Ed Carpenter has made himself at home on the Indianapolis 500 pole. The last of nine qualifiers to take the track, Carpenter bumped Canadas James Hinchcliffe from the top spot, posting a four-lap average of 231.067 mph to win the 500 pole for the second straight year. "I felt that it was harder," Carpenter said. "It was just a different position because when I made my run last year, we didnt really have anything to lose. This year, being the last guy to go out, I think there was a little bit of pressure to not mess it up." He didnt mess it up, not at all. Carpenters No. 20 Chevrolet was the car to beat all weekend, and the hometown favourite showed no signs of rust in his first IndyCar Series race of the season. He owns Ed Carpenter Racing and decided in November to run only on ovals, where he excels. He turned his car over to Mike Conway on road and street courses, and skipped the first four races of the season. He knew he had the pole secured when he nailed the final two corners on the last lap. "I could really just kind of enjoy it knowing that we were going to be on the pole for the second year," he said. Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont., will start second after sustaining a concussion last weekend in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Will Power will join them on the front row. Three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves was fourth followed by Simon Pagenaud and Marco Andretti. Carlos Munoz, Josef Newgarden and J.R. Hildebrand will be on the third row. Carpenter, the stepson of former speedway executive Tony George, was 10th in last years Indy 500. He is 11th driver to earn consecutive 500 poles and the first since Castroneves in 2009-10. "Its all about the race," the 33-year-old Carpenter said. "Hopefully, we can close the deal this year." As a single-car team last year, Carpenter was unable to get help on data and much-needed setup information. He didnt want a repeat this May, so he hired Hildebrand to drive a second car at Indy for Ed Carpenter Racing. Hildebrand nearly won the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2011, but he crashed exiting the final turn and was passed for the win by the late Dan Wheldon. "I wish we could have got him up on the front row with us, but the shootouts tough," Carpenter said. "The conditions were hard today, but having him go first today also helped me because we were able to make ann adjustment.dddddddddddd" Carpenter thrived in the first year of a new Indy 500 qualifying format. He posted the top qualifying speed Saturday when the fastest nine drivers advanced to Sundays shootout for the pole. Juan Pablo Montoya had the fastest four-lap average (231.007 mph) among drivers ineligible to win the Indianapolis 500 pole and will start 10th. "We have a pretty quick car," Montoya, the 2000 winner, said. "Hopefully, my guys can learn something for the Fast Nine. I think that will put us in a good spot to start the race." Montoya was followed by reigning series champion Scott Dixon and former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. Busch is set to race 1,100 miles in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. Busch raced in NASCARs All-Star race the night before and flew back from Concord, North Carolina, on Sunday morning. Busch was humbled when he said hed never be able to duplicate a weekend like this one — "except for maybe next week." Defending 500 champion Tony Kanaan will start 16th. Hinchcliffe appeared to have no problems in the car days after he was cleared to return for his concussion. He paced as he watched Carpenter make his final run, then his chance at the pole end when Carpenter found more speed on his final lap. He was injured last weekend in Saturdays Grand Prix when debris from Justin Wilsons car flew into the cockpit, striking Hinchcliffe in the head. He was taken away from the track on a stretcher, transported to a hospital and diagnosed with a concussion. The 27-year old Canadian was cleared to drive Thursday, and took the wheel back from pinch-driver E.J. Viso. "I had to kind of pretend that I had been here all month and take the feedback my teammates had given me at face value," Hinchcliffe said. "I knew what to expect from the car and that was a huge part of it." For the first time, IndyCar awarded points based on qualifying runs. The top qualifier on Saturday earned 33 points, second place got 32 and so on, all the way to one point for the 33rd-place entrant. The pole winner earned another nine points Sunday, decreasing to one point for the ninth-place starter. Carpenter, a Butler University alum, is an avid Indiana Pacers fan and couldnt wait to watch them play the Miami Heat in the playoffs. "Racers and Pacers right now," he said. "So go Pacers, beat the Heat." ' ' '