Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency suffered a second straight defeat in the USL Premier Development League following a 1-0 loss at Seattle Wolves on Saturday evening.

Second-half substitute Nick James struck shortly after halftime to give the PDL expansion club another three-point haul against the young Whitecaps in Western Conference, Northwest Division action.

Despite their best efforts to claim something from the weekend encounter at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington, the Residency team were unable to break down a strong and physical Seattle side, with the Wolves in prime position to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league.

Residency head coach Thomas Niendorf played a 4-5-1 formation versus Seattle, with youngster Jack Cubbon replacing the more experienced Aaron Richer in the centre of the Whitecaps backline. Nolan Moore was also introduced to the Vancouver starting XI in a five-man midfield, with Jerome Baker playing as the lone striker for the visitors. Whitecaps Prospects forward Gavin Barrett, meanwhile, earned a spot on the substitutes' bench after being called up to the Residency squad this weekend.

On an overcast evening at the Starfire Complex, a sizable crowd saw both sides play out a relatively even and competitive first half, with no incisive chances taken at either end. The closest the 'Caps came to threatening the Seattle goal was through midfielder Moore, as his shot hit his namesake in Wolves goalkeeper John Moore in the Seattle box.

It meant that both clubs had to settle for a goalless stalemate at the break.

The decisive moment of the match came on 49 minutes, and in somewhat controversial circumstances. Casey Cunningham chased down a forward pass in the Residency team's box, with the Seattle striker getting into a tussle with Whitecaps goalkeeper Simon Thomas and a Vancouver defender. Though Cunningham looked to have committed a foul in the process, match referee Manuel Soledad allowed play to continue, with Wolves substitute James taking full advantage to slot the loose ball into an empty net.

The goal saw the visitors change to a 4-4-2 formation on 61 minutes, as Moore made way for Coulton Jackson, who played up front with Baker.

The Whitecaps pressed hard to find a way back into the match in the final half hour, but Seattle used their size and strength to see out the contest and remain on course for the PDL postseason.


Niendorf felt his young side battled well against a mature and physical Wolves squad. "The match could have gone both ways tonight," he told whitecapsfc.com. "I felt the performance we had was good, when you consider the type of physical challenge we faced from Seattle. Defensively, I thought we did a very good job by not allowing them any opportunities throughout the entire game. The goal we conceded early in the second half was a bit botchy, as we felt there was a foul on one of our players in the build-up. However, we didn't generate enough attacking quality to break them down tonight, and that was the difference in the end."

Whitecaps Residency will remain in Washington State following Saturday's match, as they visit Kitsap Pumas in their lone regular season meeting with the PDL expansion club on Sunday afternoon. Kick off at Bremerton Memorial HS Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. PDT. Seattle, meanwhile, visit Tacoma Tide in their next PDL match on Tuesday evening.

Scoring Summary:
49' – SEA – Nick James (Casey Cunningham)

Match Stats:
Shots: Seattle 3 - Vancouver 5
Saves: Seattle 5 - Vancouver 2
Fouls: Seattle 15 - Vancouver 4
Offsides: Seattle 2 – Vancouver 0
Corners: Seattle 3 – Vancouver 4

Cautions:
64' – SEA – Tommy Meyer
72' – VAN – Axel Levry

Ejections:
none

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
31.Simon Thomas; 3.Axel Levry, 4.Jack Cubbon, 5.Paul Hamilton, 27.Keithy Simpson; 7.Russell Teibert, 9.Sahil Sandhu (2.Bobby Jhutty 67'), 10.Gagandeep Dosanjh, 12.Kevin Cobby, 18.Nolan Moore (14.Coulton Jackson 61'); 19.Jerome Baker (15.Gavin Barrett 82')

Subs not used: 1.Julien Latendresse-Lévesque

Seattle Wolves
1.John Moore; 3.Tommy Meyer, 12.Mykell Bates, 16.Brandon Zimmerman, 27.Daniel Scott; 4.Sean Morris, 7.Michael Strickland (14.Cameron Lamming 82'), 10.Alex Klein (9.Nick James 45'), 13.John Fishbaugher (8.Jamie Finch 68'); 21.Casey Cunningham (28.Tyler Klein 87'), 31.Ely Allen

Subs not used: 24.Chris Blais, 5.Fernando Monge, 34.Kevin Huang