Umbro Speciali 92 Contest

On Sunday night, Paul Dolan, Whitecaps FC Radio Analyst; Canadian Mens National GK coach and Umbro rep joined Full-Time to talk about the new Umbro Speciali that is currently available. The new line is limited edition lifestyle capsule collection from Umbro to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their iconic Speciali boot. The items in the collection range from:


The Speciali 92 Pro Football Boot; Leather Ball; Leather Bag; Leather Milton Shoe; and Leather Anthem Jacket. 


See the full line by clicking here. 


Time now to explain the CONTEST: With all the buzz surrounding Speciali '92, we've decided to giveaway a few pieces! Starting Monday December 5th, to December 16th we will be posting one trivia question per day. Each question will have a point value, in order to earn points you must correctly answer each question. For Facebook participants: you simply comment on the corresponding status update with your answer. For Twitter submissions, just reply to our tweet. The first person to get 92 points will win the contest. 

In order to participate you must "Like" the UmbroCanada Facebook page and/or follow UmbroCanada on Twitter. 

First place: Umbro Speciali '92 Anthem Jacket - Retail price: $750CDN
Second place: Umbro Speciali '92 Weekend Bag - Retail price: $500CDN
Third place: Umbro Speciali '92 Milton Lifestyle Shoe - Retail price: $150 CDN

The question today is:

Name the player that said:  “I’ve worn Umbro Specialis throughout my career and I’ve scored many memorable goals – both at club and  international level. As a youngster, I would take great care in looking after my boots and my dad would encourage me to clean them after every game. Umbro’s Speciali boot is so close to my heart that I even named one of my horses after it!” 


Hit up the Umbro Facebook Page or Twitter page to enter.


A closer look at a few of the items in the Umbro Speciali 92 line.

Barber Leaves - Front Office Woes

Whitecaps FC CEO Paul Barber resigned today with current COO Rachel Lewis and President Bob Lenarduzzi taking extra duties.

Barber is leaving for another opportunity, but left it vague as to where he may end up. Most speculate it's back in the English Premier League. Some have even said the London Olympics, but hiring someone of his stature this late in the game seems confusing. So we'll stick with soccer at the highest level in England.

In giving Lenarduzzi and Lewis more responsibility, the Whitecaps are seemingly taking a step backwards, back to the USL and NASL days with the same top level execs that had a division 2 team running.

For many, Bob Lenarduzzi is seen as a great spokesman for the club and does that role extremely well, but many of the fans and business people don't see him as a businessman, instead he trades on his name ad legacy. A person that attended one of his speeches at a BMO event, gave me this review, "what was the point? He told stories that had no interest to the business people there."

In Rachel Lewis, the clubs chief operating officer, they have someone who is regarded as Business in Vancouver's 40 under 40 list in 2009. Some would even suggest she has quietly been a key figure for the Caps behind the scenes. But she's quiet, and perhaps that's the problem.

The other problem lies in talking to people associated with the club during the division 2 years at Swangard Stadium and the city of Burnaby. The reviews of Rachel Lewis with those people are less that desirable.

The Whitecaps have gone from a man at the top of his professional with major experience in the soccer world and could captivate a group with his stories and his business sense. Now you have a quiet COO with some less that desirable reviews and a President with an apparent lack of business aptitude. One interested observer suggested it's 'quite the downgrade'.

It's now three coaches in one year and a CEO gone. It's going to be an interesting time in the Whitecaps front office on the business side of things. Barber has two months to make sure there's a plan in place and Lewis and Lenarduzzi can step their games up to a major league level.


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