VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency, an elite youth player program, will embark on a trip to Germany from October 21 to November 3, 2007. The two-week tour will include six exhibition matches against some of the top youth teams in the German football league system.The Whitecaps will kick off their exhibition matches on October 22 against the under-19 junior Bundesliga team of Bayern Munich. They will also play the U-19 junior Bundesliga teams from 1860 Munich (October 23), Jahn Regensburg (October 25) and VfB Stuttgart (October 27). On October 30, the residency team will play a combined U-19/U-23 team of 1860 Munich before wrapping up their exhibition schedule on October 31 against SC Zwiesel, a fifth-level men’s team who play in the Lower Bavaria Bezirksoberliga.“Our trip to Germany will be an excellent opportunity for our players to experience the atmosphere and level of play that we are aspiring to achieve," said Thomas Niendorf, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency head coach and managing director. “Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich have some of the top youth programs in the world and will be a great test for our group."Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency is based out of the Whitecaps Training Centre at Simon Fraser University (SFU) with the majority of the players attending Burnaby Central Secondary School. The roster now totals 17 young stars including 11 members from Canada’s U-17 national team, as well as the Jamaican under-17 national team captain.Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency provides elite youth players U-17 to U-19 a development gateway through to professional opportunities with the Whitecaps men’s team and European clubs using the European club model of identification, development and placement.Whitecaps Residency and the Whitecaps youth prospects programs are committed to cooperation and communication with the provincial and Canadian national team programs. Each player's professional commitments, education, club, and national or provincial team responsibilities are carefully considered and coordinated for optimal periodization.
