By Niall Malone/whitecapsfc.com
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-11 and U-12 Boys and Girls Prospects teams enjoyed a highly successful weekend at San Diego's prestigious Surf Cup tournament.
All but one of the 'Caps teams made it through the group stages at the prestigious youth tournament in Southern California this past weekend.
Special commendation is reserved for the U-12 Boys side, who made it all the way to final before eventually going down 2-1 to South Bay Gunners from Southern California.
The U-12 Boys navigated the group stages successfully, recording an unbeaten record of 2W-0L-1D. They started Saturday's proceedings with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Slammers FC, while their second game of the day ended with a similarly impressive scoreline - 3-0 against Abunai 98 from Hawaii. On Sunday, the 'Caps were confirmed as group winners following a 1-1 draw against Santa Barbara SC White. Pac Impact awaited them in the quarterfinals and the 'Caps came through with a 1-0 win. Another 1-0 result, this time against Beach Futbol Black, confirmed the team's passage to the final. It was there on Monday afternoon, however, that their run ended. The loss in the final to South Bay was disappointing for the team, but the boys can take many positives from a fantastic run. Yet, the Surf Cup does remain an illusive prize, with a Canadian team yet to win the competition at any age level.
The U-11 Boys side came through their qualifying stages with a 2W-1L-0D record. In their opening game, they secured a 2-1 win over Washington State side Crossfire Premier B98, and then later on the same day, overcame fatigue to record a resounding 5-0 victory against Texas outfit Chivas USA FC. On Sunday, top spot was confirmed, despite a 3-1 defeat at the hands of California South side Aztecs Premier FC. The 'Caps then won through the quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Albion SC White, but only to bow out in the semis after losing 3-1 to top youth side San Diego Surf 98/99.
The U-11 Girls found it tough going against some of the tournament's best teams, but will be richer for the experience of competing against more established players. A difficult doubleheader on Saturday saw the ‘Caps record losses of 3-1 and 3-0 to Arsenal FC and South Bay Force 98 respectively. They did, however, rally well on Sunday to draw their final group game 1-1 versus Real Colorado 98/99 National, ensuring a positive end to their Surf Cup XXX campaign.
The U-12 Girls made it through to the quarterfinals after finishing second in their group. They opened with a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal FC before regrouping later the same day to notch a 2-1 victory over Northern California club Mustang SC Xplosion. They continued to improve with each match, and on Sunday, booked their place in the last eight with a 3-0 win over So Cal Blues Draluck. A quarterfinal encounter with Slammers FC followed later on Sunday, and with the team suffering from fatigue, it proved to be their last game, as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat.
