Episode 717 – The AFTN Soccer Show (Some Questions Answered - VANvRSL, Sorensen extended, Whitecaps stadium chat, MLS round-up and season predictions)

We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, and general football chat. The Whitecaps got their 2026 MLS season off to a winning start with a narrow win over Real Salt Lake at the weekend. We pick over the bones of that one and the main talking points coming out of the game, hear some postgame thoughts from RSL's Pablo Mastroeni and Ariath Piol on the match and the Whitecaps, and look ahead to the midweek clash with Cartagines in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. We also delve into some Whitecaps off the pitch news from the week around Jesper Sorensen's contract extension, talk of building a training centre and maybe even a new stadium out in Surrey, and look at some of MLS Commissioner Don Garber's latest comments about the Whitecaps stadium situation. Plus we round up the first week's action around MLS West, look at how the battle to be the Canadian number one goalkeeper is playing out down in Florida, and bring you our fun predictions for the Whitecaps and MLS for the season to come. All of this plus we move onto the letter I in our Canadian Soccer A to Z series and music-wise, Syd Barrett continues his residency as our Artist of the Month, A Witness are the latest band to feature in our 40th anniversary tribute year to the C86 movement, and we have another World Cup themed song in Wavelength, this time from the German national team with some interesting singings friends! Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 01.26: Intro - CanMNT injuries, online abuse to footballers, Scottish Premier drama 15.50: Canadian Soccer A to Z - I 28.00: Whitecaps beat RSL in MLS season opener 60.05: RSL postgame audio from Pablo Mastroeni and Ariath Piol 70.10: MLS West Week 1 round-up 94.10: Dayne vs Max - The battle to be Canadian number one 110.45: Our Whitecaps and MLS season predictions 149.45: Whitecaps News of the Week - Jesper extends, Surrey stadium chatter, Sabaly arrives, WFC2 coach 171.30: Wavelength - The Village People and the German National Team - Far Away In America