BURNABY, BC – Whitecaps FC 2 took full advantage of a spectacular team effort in a 4-1 victory over Timbers2.
17-year-old Rayan Elloumi was an attacking force again for WFC2 as he scored the opener in the 18th minute. The young striker then collected a helper on forward Nelson Pierre’s match-winner.
WFC2 head coach Ricardo Clark had four first team players in the starting XI. Isaac Boehmer started in net, newly signed German centre back Sebastian Schonlau played the first 34 minutes as captain from the backline, and Jeevan Badwal and Nelson Pierre slotted in at the front. Schonlau, the 31-year-old Bundesliga veteran, had previously worn the captain’s armband for German side Hamburger SV.
Under a cloudy sky at Swangard, Timbers2 woke up Boehmer early. He stretched out to tip a low cross with his gloves into a dangerous area in front of goal. But Schonlau stepped up to show his mettle under pressure; he bravely blocked a 10-yard follow-up smash from Timbers2 forward Mataeo Bunbury.
The breakthrough came in the 18th minute. Midfielder Jackson Castro put a sublime through ball ahead for Elloumi, who adeptly brought Timbers2 ’keeper Lukas Burns off his line. Then, Elloumi clinically finished with his right boot with a blast over Burns for his 10th of the season, and a goal to the good for the young ’Caps.
They followed up with a second successful strike, as Elloumi went from scorer to set-up man. Off of a perfect layoff into the middle of the box, forward Nelson Pierre sprinted ahead to cooly slot home for 2-0 into the lower left corner.
In first-half stoppage time, O’Neill was tripped inside the box, and referee Nicolas Melita pointed to the penalty spot. Castro’s strike rippled the net for an impressive 3-0 lead at the half.
After play resumed for the second half, Burns raced out beyond his box to break up a through ball for Pierre, and ended up clipping Nelson, who thankfully dusted himself off.
On the next rush, WFC2 midfielder Carson Rassak slipped a ball into the crosshairs of forward Cyprian Kachwele, who turned on the jets to go down the right wing for one-on-one with Burns. The 20-year-old Tanzanian put all of his strength into a 15-yard rocket that streaked inside the far post for a 4-0 lead that brought an appreciative cheer from the Swangard faithful.
Unfortunately, Boehmer’s bid for a clean sheet was spoiled from the spot. Portland forward Gage Guerra cracked a penalty past Boehmer to put Timbers2 on the scoreboard.
Five minutes later, Timbers 2 midfielder Marquinhos was sent off after he collected his second caution after a reckless challenge.
In the 85th minute, Whitecaps FC BMO Academy forward Tyler Brown made his professional and WFC2 debut. The speedy teenage ’Caps player came off a brilliant campaign in the MLS NEXT academy league, where he scored 33 times, and was named the U-16 MLS NEXT '24-’25 MVP.
Up next, the Blue and White will head south of the border to face Tacoma Defiance on Thursday, September 4, at 7 p.m. PT. Whitecaps FC 2 will host their final regular season home match on Saturday, September 13 versus The Town FC at 1 p.m. PT at BC Place. Get your tickets at whitecapsfc.com/wfc2.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Nicolas Melita
Scoring Summary
18’ – VAN – Rayan Elloumi (Jackson Castro)
36’ – VAN – Nelson Pierre (Rayan Elloumi)
45’+1 – VAN – Jackson Castro (penalty kick)
63’ – VAN – Cyprian Kachwele (Carson Rassak)
67’ – POR – Gage Guerra (penalty kick)
Cautions
39’ – POR – Sawyer Jura
42’ – VAN – Deylen Vellios
45’+1 – POR – Marquinhos
68’ – POR – Eric Izoita
69’ – VAN – Mateo Clark
77’ – POR – Malcolm Johnston
Ejection
72’ – POR – Marquinhos
Statistics
Possession: VAN 45% – POR 55%
Shots: VAN 12 – POR 8
Shots on Goal: VAN 8 – POR 3
Saves: VAN 2 – POR 4
Fouls: VAN 17 – POR 14
Offsides: VAN 2 – POR 0
Corners: VAN 3 – POR 5
Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer ©; 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 53.Mark O'Neill, 15.Sebastian Schonlau (48.Adrián Pelayo 34’), 46.Deylen Vellios (54.Daniel Russo HT); 44.Jackson Castro, 71.Carson Rassak; 55.Cyprian Kachwele (73.Ryder Sewell 85’), 42.Nelson Pierre (89.Tyler Brown 85’); 75.Rayan Elloumi (64.Mateo Clark 61’), 59.Jeevan Badwal
Substitute not used
80.Isaac Francoeur
Timbers2
91.Lukas Burns; 45.Blake Pope, 55.Malcolm Johnston, 94.Charles Ondo, 51.Sawyer Jura (57.Bryce Vanvoorhis 55’); 46.Victor Velazquez (59.Dario White 77’), 70.Marquinhos, 42.Alex Moreno (73.Eric Izoita 55’); 47.Mataeo Bunbury (39.Santino Gallardo 80’), 88.Gage Guerra, 37.Noah Santos
Substitutes not used
68.Grayson Lamb, 44.Alex Bamford, 64.Jacob Izoita
