Episode 600 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Here Until The Whistle Blows with guests Vanni Sartini and Gabriel Bitar)

We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver FC, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, and Canadian football chat. And not only that, it's our sexcentenary episode!

The Whitecaps played their first competitive match of the year midweek, putting in a battling performance and almost getting a win over Mexican giants Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. We look back at the main talking points coming out of the game, what it might mean for the 'Caps MLS season to come, and hear from Ryan Gauld, Damir Kreilach and Brian White.

We've two featured interviews for you this episode and first up is Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini. Fresh off his 100th game in charge of the club, we chat with Vanni about the state of the team three weeks out from the MLS season, how the new additions have fitted in, the existing guys taking the next step, what the team might look like this year, what he's allowed to do in his upcoming suspension, how his therapy is going, and a lot more in a 40-minute interview.

Next up is Vancouver FC midfielder Gabriel Bitar. We chat with Gabi about his first season at VFC, his hopes for his second one, his career journey to this point, and his Asian Cup experience with Lebanon.

All of this, plus we look at another week in Canadian soccer that just leaves you shaking your head and wondering where the game is going in the country, as the much respected Dino Rossi departs from the CSA board with a scathing attack and the U17 women fail to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. Plus we look back at this week for the Whitecaps in 1974, and there's a fine splattering of music to boot including our Album of the Month from Marion.

This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Recovery Family Law, family law lawyers in Surrey, working with clients to get excellent results. They support AFTN, go and support them for all your family legal needs.

Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:

02.10: Intro - 600 shows, AFCON, Asian Cup
14.29: Whitecaps v Tigres analysis
33.42: Gauld, Kreilach, and White talk Tigres game
53.12: The State of the Whitecaps with Vanni Sartini
103.03: Gabriel Bitar interview
128.56: Have CSB and Mediapro kissed and made up?
133.40: This week in 1974
145.08: Another bad week for Canadian soccer - where is the game going here?
162.31: Wavelength - Danny Holland - Accrington Stanley?