Vancouver Whitecaps FC men continued their preparations for the 2008 season with a 4-0 friendly win over Portland Timbers in Tukwila, Washington.
In what was a low-key scrimmage contest between two of USL-1's Pacific Northwest rivals, the Whitecaps put in a solid performance against an experimental Timbers side at the Starfire Sports Complex.
A first-half strike by left fullback Steve Kindel was followed by new signing Nick Addlery's first-ever Whitecaps goal early in the second half.
A Portland own-goal made it 3-0 before two second-half substitutes in Stefan Leslie and Alfredo Valente combined to complete the scoring on Thursday afternoon. "I was quite happy with the way we played," men's team head coach Teitur Thordarson told whitecapsfc.com. "We did very well defensively, as Portland didn't create many dangerous moments. When you end up scoring four goals, then you are doing well. I was quite satisfied with a lot of things, as we were the better team today."
Though the Timbers had two players red carded by the match referee during Thursday's friendly, the Whitecaps were happy to allow their Oregon opponents bring in two new players as substitutes, as both teams were aiming to fine tune their squads before the start of the new season next month.
Thordason's side will remain in Western Washington for another important friendly contest, as they face current USL-1 champions and Interstate 5 rivals Seattle Sounders at the Starfire Sports Complex on Saturday evening. The game in Tukwila kicks off at 7pm.
Whitecaps FC men - line-up v Portland Timbers (Preseason friendly - Tukwila, Washington)
Srdjan Djekanovic; Lyle Martin, Omar Jarun (Luca Bellisomo 70'), Adrian Cann, Takashi Hirano; Vicente Arze (Stefan Leslie 45'), Martin Nash, Nick Webb (Alfredo Valente 45'), Steve Kindel (Mason Webb 70'); Nicholas Addlery, Eduardo Sebrango
Vancouver Whitecaps open the 2008 regular season at Swangard Stadium against the Montreal Impact on Saturday, April 12. Season tickets are now on sale, starting at $199. Call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or visit whitecapsfc.com for more information.
