OXNARD, California – Nizar Khalfan and Kyle Porter each netted a pair of goals, as Teitur Thordarson’s Team Blue defeated Colin Miller’s Team Orange 4-0 in a Vancouver Whitecaps FC intrasquad match on Sunday.
Thordarson’s side consisted mainly of players with whom he’s familiar, while Miller’s team was comprised mainly of trialists. “We purposely set up quite a strong team on one side against the trialists to see how they reacted and to show them the level that they are competing against,” explained Thordarson.
The first goal of the match came in the seventh minute when Terry Dunfield chested down a cross from Long Tan, allowing Khalfan to volley a shot into the bottom corner.
Miller’s Team Orange looked to get on the board on 18 minutes, but Simon Thomas was there to tip a long strike over the net. Thomas was called on again two minutes later, deflecting a dipping shot out of play.
The Team Blue doubled their lead on 28 minutes when Khlafan headed home a terrific cross from Blake Wagner for his second goal of the match.
“He was very mobile,” said Thordarson of Khalfan. “He did the right things and scored some great goals.”
The second half saw eight new players come on for Thordarson’s side, including Residency products Kyle Porter and Russell Teibert.
Porter opened his account on 57 minutes when he was sprung in on goal by Cornelius Stewart and calmly finished with a low shot to the far corner. Two minutes later, he struck again, heading home a pinpoint cross from Teibert for the fourth and final goal of the match.
Although the final score was one-sided, Thordason was overall pleased with the way the match was played. “I felt both teams played quite well in periods,” he stated. “I think the trialists fought well all the way through and really showed us their best. In the second half, it was more about our players because they took over a little bit and dominated the game, but the first half, I felt it was especially good.”
Scoring Summary:
7' - Nizar Khalfan (Terry Dunfield)
28' - Nizar Khalfan (Blake Wagner)
57' - Kyle Porter (Cornelius Stewart)
59' - Kyle Porter (Russell Teibert)
