VANCOUVER, BC
– Back at it after a month long winter break, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency travel down to California for their first games of 2015. Both the U-18 and U-16 teams will look to get back to winning ways in the United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) West Conference against Strikers FC and Pateadores.
The Blue and White will take to the pitch first against Strikers FC first when they will square off on Saturday, January 17 (the U-18s will kick off at 10 a.m. PT while the U-16s match begins at 12:30 p.m. PT). On Sunday, January 18 the ‘Caps are scheduled to play Pateadores at Vanguard University, as the U-18s are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. PT and the U-16s follow with their kick off going at 12:30 p.m. PT.
U-18
Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency (11W-1L-2D) are ranked first in the Northwest Division, as well as being the top ranked team in the USSDA. The ‘Caps 2.50 points per game are a league best to go along with their second ranked 49 goals for, while their defence has allowed the third fewest goals, making them formidable opponents.
The last time out Whitecaps FC showed they belong at the top of the table in
a 3-3 draw with defending USSDA U-18 Champions Players Development Academy
. Captain
Marco Bustos
opened the scoring from the spot in the 12th minute after ‘Caps defender
Jordan Haynes
made a dangerous run into the penalty area forcing a PDA player to attempt a slide tackle that resulted in a handball.
Dario Zanatta
scored the 'Caps second goal before Bustos netted his second of the match.
Strikers FC U-18 (7W-8L-1D), ended 2014 with a 3-1 loss to Charlotte Academy and will be looking to get 2015 started on the right track against Vancouver. Currently sitting in seventh place in the West Division, Strikers FC are on the outside of the playoffs and will be looking to gain ground on the teams above them.
The weekend’s second showdown will have the ‘Caps up against a tough Pateadores (9W-3L-4D) side who currently sit 14th overall in the USSDA standings. Finishing 2014 with three consecutive wins Pateadores will be looking to keep their streak alive and move up in the Western Conference standings.
The ‘Caps will be down a few players this weekend, as Canada are playing in the CONCACAF U-20 Championships. Away with Canada’s U-20 squad are goalkeeper
Marco Carducci
, Haynes, Bustos, and midfielder
Kianz Froese
. Canada opened their U-20 FIFA World Cup qualify with a
3-1 win over Haiti
that saw, Bustos named Man of the Match while, Carducci backstopped Canada to the win. Former Residency players Chris Serban and
Sam Adekugbe
(now on the MLS first team) played the full 90 minutes with Adekugbe assisting on the match winner. Canada lost their next match 2-0 to Mexico, and their most recent match 3-2 to El Salvador, with
.
Head coach Niall Thompson isn’t looking at his missing players as a problem, but as an opportunity for others on the team to step up.
“We have been in this position before on the road and the players responded brilliantly,” said Thompson. “Our goal in the Residency program is to move players forward in the development process, and this road trip is a great way to gauge our players development.”
Speaking on Strikers FC, Thompson notes: “From the footage we've seen we know we'll have to be at our best at both ends of the park," adding that “Pateadores will be another tough test as we know they have a lot of options in the scoring department.”
U-16
Similar to their U-18 counterparts, Whitecaps FC U-16 (9W-1L-4D) are in a strong position 14 games in the season. The Blue and White sit atop the Northwest Division and are sixth in the overall USSDA standings.
Whitecaps FC U-16s drew their final two matches leading into the winter break. The ‘Caps final game of 2014 was the team’s third game in five days and saw a strong performance in a
3-3 draw with Montreal Impact
. Vancouver opened the scoring through a
Noah Verhoeven
strike. After the Impact drew level,
Daniel Sagno
was able to convert twice to put the Blue and White up 3-1. Montreal came back with two goals in the final 20 minutes to equalize.
Striker FC U-16s hold a 5W-6L-5D record and sit in ninth in the West Division. However, the California club do hold a record of 3W-1L-0D over their past four matches with the one loss coming to division leaders LA Galaxy in their most recent match.
Pateadores U-16 (7W-6L-3D), will be looking to build momentum off of a 2-1 win in their final game of 2014. Pateadores have a balanced attack with 10 players finding the back of the net this season.
For head coach Rich Fagan, his U-16 side’s success will depend on finding their rhythm and tempo.
Focusing on this weekend's opponents Fagan shared his thoughts on Strikers FC noting they had a strong season last year. As we turn to Sunday's opponents, Fagan notes that there are normally “two or three dangerous players” in the traditionally strong Pateadores side.
The U-16 'Caps will also look to their depth as nine players return from a recent call-up to Canada's U-17 national team
"We have a very strong confident group," added Ragan. "Every Residency player wants to play in every game, so this will be another great development opportunity."
