Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team captain Jay DeMerit is photographed 3D by game developers at Electronic Arts Sports Studios in Burnaby, British Columbia March 11, 2011. DeMerit and his team mates we being photographed for future video game development. The Whitecaps play their inaugural game in Major League Soccer against Toronto FC March 19. REUTERS/Andy ClarkANDY CLARK/Reuters
It was a peak into the future and the Vancouver Whitecaps liked what they saw.
A video game simulation put together by EA Sports had the Whitecaps defeating Toronto FC 1-0 next Saturday in Vancouver's first regular-season match in Major League Soccer. Midfielder John Thorrington scores the winning goal in the 39th minute.
"They obviously have been tracking my prowess through the pre-season," laughed Thorrington, who along with the rest of the Whitecaps, visited the Electronic Arts Inc. motion capture studio Friday.
"It's pretty cool. All this video game technology is way over my head. It's crazy how life like it is. I'll certainly be very pleased if that proves to be reality a week from now."
Matt Bilbey, a vice-president who oversees soccer for EA Sports, feels pretty confident about the simulation, which was made using FIFA Soccer 11.
"I think 1-0 is pretty accurate," said Bilbey.
So far this year EA Sports has simulated eight games in advance of some of the biggest matches in European football. The game has predicted the correct winner six times, and the right score three times.
"I like the score line," said defender Jay DeMerit, the Whitecaps captain. "Defensively we kept a clean sheet. Hopefully we can mimic that."
DeMerit didn't even mind that at one stage of the game he was shown chasing a Toronto forward, who just missed the net with a shot.
"I do a lot of chasing," he chuckled. "Thankfully they didn't put it in the net."
If only it were that easy, said Whitecaps chief executive officer Paul Barber.
"If we could bank that result we would take it for sure," he said. "It would be great to get off with a win.
"Unfortunately the real game is a little bit more difficult than a simulation."
The Whitecaps were at the EA Sports studio so the players could have three-dimensional head photographs done. The photos are then downloaded and used for FIFA Soccer 11.
EA Sports is one of the Whitecaps founding partners. The deal is the video game company's first partnership with a North American soccer club.
Being a partner has its privileges. Beginning Friday, people owning FIFA Soccer 11 can download the entire Whitecap team.
"It's the first time midway through our product launch we have taken a team and put them directly into the game," said Bilbey.
Fans of the Portland Timbers, the other MLS expansion team this season, will have to wait until the release of FIFA Soccer 12 later this year before they can download their players.
Michael Harrison, director of the motion capture studio, said the 3-D scanning process uses 18 cameras synchronized to take a picture at one time.
"With all those cameras, each getting a bit of depth, that takes a slice of the face," he said. "From the circular set up of the camera we can bring all those slices of the photos together into a three dimensional head.
"We can then clean it up and put that into the game so it looks exactly like the Whitecap players."
DeMerit was the first Whitecap to have the process done.
"It's probably the easiest photo shot you will ever do," he said. "With all the different cameras, there's a lot of things going on.
"As far as what we have to do, it's really easy."
With the Whitecaps now part of the FIFA series, gamers can restructure and build Vancouver's virtual lineup.
Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi can join the attack with Vancouver's recently signed designated player Eric Hassli.
"My son is already busy moving Gareth Bale from Tottenham and Messi from Barcelona," said Barber. "He has ideas for me every night when I go home.
"I have to remind him we have a salary cap."
It was also announced Friday that EA Sports will be a title sponsor for a newly former developmental soccer league in B.C.
The EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League has eight founding franchises. The teams range from U-18 to U-13 levels.
Barber said the goal of the league is to create a soccer program that will develop players for Canada's national teams and the Whitecaps.