VANCOUVER, BC – A month after Whitecaps FC 2 suffered a last-minute loss to Town FC, the Blue and White avenged that heartbreak with a comprehensive 3-1 victory in their final home match of the season.
Under an open roof at BC Place, WFC2 relied on a dominant display from goalkeeper Max Anchor, who saved a penalty kick, and forward Cyprian Kachwele’s two brilliant goals for the home side to take all three points, with Antoine Coupland adding a third goal.
With this result, the young ’Caps are currently in fourth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference with 40 points. The top eight teams make the postseason, while the top four will host in the first round.
Before the match, Whitecaps FC 2 head coach Ricardo Clark inserted two first team players, both of whom laced up after an extended time away.
Between the wickets, Anchor put on his gloves for his second MLS NEXT Pro start in 2025 after being recalled from a loan to Canadian Premier League (CPL) side Pacific FC this week.
Midfielder Liam Mackenzie was also welcomed back to the pitch after a long-term injury that had kept him sidelined since March.
WFC2 captain Mark O’Neill, who signed a first team contract on Friday, held strong defensively. He bravely stepped in front of a 15-yard attempt lashed by Town FC midfielder Nick Fernandez.
Though they started on the back foot, Whitecaps FC 2 found the opener after the quarter-hour. Speedy forward Kachwele scored for the third consecutive match with an exquisite one-touch finish off a terrific Jackson Castro pass.
That 1-0 goal was also Castro’s ninth assist this year. His output is only three helpers off the most assists league-wide this year.
Midfielder Mackenzie joined the fray. The 18-year-old alertly sent a pinpoint through ball for striker Nelson Pierre, who streaked over the centre line. He blew past a defender but was denied by Town FC ’keeper Francesco Montali’s controlled slide to dive on the loose ball.
Half-an-hour in, Town FC equalized. Defender Ricardo Ibarra spotted teammate Missael RodrÃguez down the right wing. In turn, RodrÃguez flashed the ball across goal for oncoming forward Nonso Adimabua, who calmly nodded home past an outstretched Anchor at the far post for 1-1.
In the second half, WFC2 continued to expose Town FC’s defensive miscues on the right wing. Kachwele tried to return the favour to Castro with a brilliant 20-yard chip forward into open space. This time, Montali smartly pawed away the subsequent Castro effort.
The Blue and White gained confidence with short passes and plenty of possession. Fullback Nikola Djordjevic kept his head up to feather a lovely cross to onrushing defender Daniel Russo.
The 23-year-old went skyward and took the ball out of mid-air for a powerful volley that Montali barely steered out of play.
O’Neill then dragged down RodrÃguez in the home team’s box. O’Neill was booked, as RodrÃguez stepped up for the penalty kick.
Anchor pulled off the miraculous – he put every fibre of his being into a powerful punch to the far post to deny RodrÃguez. Welcome back, Max!
Kachwele took that momentum and ran with it all the way down the pitch to add to his highlight reel. The red-hot Tanzanian international smashed in his second of the match off defender Adrián Pelayo’s cross, for a 2-1 lead.
Three minutes from time, the young ’Caps salted the match away with a two-on-one finish led by a Kachwele pass deep in the box to wide-open attacker Antoine Coupland, for the 3-1 final.
Next up, Whitecaps FC 2 will finish the regular season with three straight matches on the road to determine their postseason fate.
First, WFC2 heads to Kansas to take on Sporting Kansas City II on Friday, September 19 at 4 p.m. PT.
For the penultimate match, Whitecaps FC 2 heads to Moraga, California, to lace up versus The Town FC once more on Wednesday, October 1 at 7 p.m. PT.
Finally, the Blue and White head to Utah for their season finale against Real Monarchs on Sunday, October 5, at 1 p.m. PT.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Cody Baldauf
Scoring Summary
19’ – VAN – Cyprian Kachwele (Jackson Castro)
30’ – TTFC – Nonso Adimabua (Missael RodrÃguez, Ricardo Ibarra)
71’ – VAN – Cyprian Kachwele (Adrián Pelayo)
87’ – VAN – Antoine Coupland (Cyprian Kachwele)
Cautions
67’ – VAN – Mark O’Neill
89’ – VAN – Deylen Vellios
90’+2 – TTFC – Alejandro Cano
Statistics
Possession: VAN 47% – TTFC 53%
Shots: VAN 14 – TTFC 15
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 – TTFC 6
Saves: VAN 5 – TTFC 3
Fouls: VAN 11 – TTFC 12
Offsides: VAN 0 – TTFC 2
Corners: VAN 7 – TTFC 9
Whitecaps FC 250.Max Anchor; 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 46.Deylen Vellios, 48.Adrián Pelayo, 53.Mark O'Neill ©, 54.Daniel Russo (66.Sahil Deo 79’); 97.Liam Mackenzie (68.Yuma Tsuji 63’), 44.Jackson Castro; 55.Cyprian Kachwele, 42.Nelson Pierre (63.Johnny Selemani 79’), 43.Antoine Coupland (71.Carson Rassak 90’+2)
Substitute not used
80.Isaac Francoeur
The Town FC31.Francesco Montali; 72.Ricardo Ibarra, 66.Alejandro Cano, 27.Wilson Eisner, 74.Ariel Mbumba; 38.Edwyn Mendoza, 20.Nick Fernandez, 15.Cruz Medina (50.Rohan Rajagopal HT); 80.Missael RodrÃguez (71.Riley Lynch 83’), 55.Nonso Adimabua (44.Chance Cowell 78’), 52.Julian Donnery (88.Diogo Baptista 58’)
Substitutes not used
97.Luca Ulrich, 29.Kaedren Spivey, 60.Yujin Kikuchi
