VANCOUVER - Vancouver Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi says creating a USL Pro franchise in Vancouver will build a bridge to help talented young players cross the gap into professional soccer.The Whitecaps announced the launch of Whitecaps FC2 on Friday. The team, which will be known as WFC2, will play a 28-game schedule with home matches at the 3,500-seat Thunderbird Stadium on the University of British Columbia campus.The Whitecaps play in Major League Soccer, North Americas top professional league. The USL Professional Division (known as USL Pro) is a third-tier league below MLS and the North American Soccer League.This club is a bridge between what we do at the bottom of our pyramid and what happens at the top, Lenarduzzi told a news conference.We have spent a lot of money on player development. There is an acknowledgment of a gap between players graduating out of residency at 18 and being ready for our MLS team.The Whitecaps are the seventh MLS club to announce a USL Pro team for 2015. The Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, L.A. Galaxy, Montreal Impact, Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC will also have teams competing.Lenarduzzi sees USL Pro as a great training ground and a peek at possible future MLS stars.The idea of our young players coming out playing against their counterparts from Seattle, from Portland, from L.A., it will be something, he said.We will be able to access their abilities at that level and determine which ones are good enough to actually graduate through to our senior team.The USL Pro league can also help develop players for Canadas national team.Members of the Whitecaps needing conditioning or game preparation can also be added to the WFC2 roster.The Whitecaps havent selected a coach for the new team yet.We are just keeping our options wide open at this stage, said Lenarduzzi. There is a lot of interest in the job.We havent dug down too deep in terms of determining who it might be at this time.The Whitecaps had originally hoped to locate the WFC2 team in nearby New Westminster. That plan was scuttled when the New Westminster city council voted against a proposed $11.4 million refurbishing of the facility the team wanted to use.Councillors were concerned about the cost of the project and the time frame involved.The Whitecaps held talks with a couple other communities before deciding to locate the team at UBC.We just decided we didnt want to get caught in the middle of any political discussions that were taking place, said Lenarduzzi.We just laid low and looked at what the options were. There is a lot of good reasons to be here.The club also wanted to have the team operating this year.It was important for us we didnt miss another year of development, said Lenarduzzi.It was important for us these young players that have come through our system to actually get the opportunity to play week in and week out against very good opposition.The Whitecaps currently have a training facility at UBC.In 2012 the club announced plans for a $31.5 million National Soccer Development Centre at UBC. The centre will have a three-level, 35,000-square-foot fieldhouse, three grass fields and two artificial turf pitches.The facility will be the permanent home for the Whitecaps, the USL Pro team and youth programs. It will also be used by UBCs varsity teams, students and the community.Arvind Gupta, UBCs president, said the facility allows the university to connect our community together.UBC supplied the land and the provincial government has committed $13.9 million towards the project. The Whitecaps are responsible for the remaining money.The clubhouse was originally scheduled to be completed in time for next years womens World Cup. Lenarduzzi said construction now wont begin until the middle of 2015.Things come up, he said. Unfortunately that delayed the process. Iman Marshall Ravens Jersey . A last-minute leveler ensured the two-time defending champion remained nine points ahead of Roma, which drew 0-0 at bitter rival Lazio in the capital derby. Justin Tucker Womens Jersey . And all things considered, the first 40 games have offered a little bit of everything from a hockey club that faced many questions in its first year under new management, with a new head coach and with a number of new faces in the lineup. 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Dubbed Mr. Cub, Banks suited up on Chicagos North Side from 1953-71, slugging 512 home runs over 19 seasons. A 14-time All-Star, he was elected to Cooperstown in 1977. Words cannot express how important Ernie Banks will always be to the Chicago Cubs, the city of Chicago and Major League Baseball. He was one of the greatest players of all time, Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said. He was a pioneer in the major leagues. And more importantly, he was the warmest and most sincere person Ive ever known. Approachable, ever optimistic and kind hearted, Ernie Banks is and always will be Mr. Cub. My family and I grieve the loss of such a great and good- hearted man, but we look forward to celebrating Ernies life in the days ahead. Banks was also active in the Chicago community during and after his tenure with the Cubs. In 2013, he a was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to citizens in the United States.dddddddddddd He was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1958 and 1959. Banks hit 47 home runs with 129 RBI in 1958 and followed up with 45 homers and 143 RBI in 1959. During his career, Banks hit 512 home runs, 277 of which came at shortstop. That still stands as the most in the National League for a shortstop. He hit .274 and drove in 1,636 runs. Banks also became the first African American to manage a major league team on May 8, 1973 when he took over for the ejected Whitey Lockman. He was also the first player in Cubs history to have his number retired in 1982 and was voted to Major League Baseballs All-Century Team in 1999. He was the first Cub to be honored with a statue at Wrigley Field on March 31, 2008. 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