Playing their final match of the 2011 MLS Reserve League season, Vancouver Whitecaps FC reserves (2W-5L-2D) travel to Southern California to take on Chivas USA reserves (2W-3L-3D) on Tuesday morning. Kickoff from The Home Depot Center is set for 11 a.m. PT and can be followed at twitter.com/whitecapsfc.
Assistant coach Denis Hamlett will take charge of this final game of the season for Vancouver's second string, with the Blue and White looking to bounce back from a home defeat to Portland Timbers reserves on October 3. The 'Caps reserves will also be aiming for their first away win in the Reserve League when they take on The Goats. Both clubs first met in Reserve League's West Division back on April 17, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Empire Field. Omar Salgado gave Vancouver the lead before Chris Cortez earned Chivas USA reserves a point with a late equalizer.
"It's our last game and we want to get a result on the road because we haven't been able to do that in the Reserve League this season," Hamlett told whitecapsfc.com. "It's just another opportunity for our guys to go out there and show what they're capable of doing. We've got some younger players in this roster that have done well over the last month, so they'll get some minutes to see how they match up against MLS opposition. I expect all of the players to put in an honest effort tomorrow, as these guys will want to be involved on Saturday."
The midweek match offers one last opportunity for many of Whitecaps FC's first-team roster to make an impression ahead of their MLS season finale versus Colorado Rapids on Bell Pitch at BC Place this Saturday afternoon. The game also provides another opportunity for interim head coach/director of soccer operations Tom Soehn and his coaching staff to further assess their squad ahead the 2012 campaign.
Hamlett will be taking an experienced 14-player squad to Carson, California, on Tuesday, as several players look to sharpen their match fitness. They include Salgado, playmaker Davide Chiumiento, Designated Player Eric Hassli, and veteran midfielder Pete Vagenas. Young midfielders Philippe Davies and Michael Nanchoff are also in the travelling roster, as are three members of the Whitecaps FC Residency program. Midfielder Bryce Alderson and strikers Caleb Clarke and Ben Fisk will have the chance to impress in the Reserve League.
WHITECAPS FC RESERVES – SQUAD AT CHIVAS USA – OCTOBER 18, 2011
GOALKEEPERS - Jay Nolly
DEFENDERS - Bilal Duckett, Omar Elmasri, Greg Janicki, Michael Nanchoff
MIDFIELDERS - Bryce Alderson, Davide Chiumiento, Philippe Davies, Alexandre Morfaw, Pete Vagenas
STRIKERS - Caleb Clarke, Ben Fisk, Eric Hassli, Omar Salgado
