VANCOUVER, BC
– After a month long break, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency returned to action against Northwest Division and Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers on Saturday.
U-18
In the first match of the afternoon, Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency (15W-3L-3D) preserved a clean sheet, beating Portland Timbers U-18 1-0.
The Blue and White made a bright start to the match, relentlessly bombarding Portland’s back four with waves of pressure. Early midfield dominance for Whitecaps FC caused Portland all kinds of trouble.
A quick combination play with clever forward runs led to the Timbers goalkeeper charging out of his box and clattering into William Grayson, leaving the referee no choice but to send off the goalkeeper and award the ‘Caps a free kick 20 yards from goal. The 'Caps unfortunately missed the free kick, but maintained their dominance for the rest of the half.
The staff preached patience at halftime and sure enough the ‘Caps were rewarded for their efforts through Grayson. One and two touch passing found him behind the back four as he calmly settled the ball with his first touch and placed the ball past the backup goalkeeper with his second.
When called upon, goalkeeper William Diaz made important saves and his quick distribution was key to the team’s transition. The back four were solid defensively, and offensively they showed great confidence to get on the ball and start build-ups. The midfield was excellent from start to finish in and out of possession and the front two worked tirelessly for the team all game.
“We created a dozen chances but only needed one goal to walk away satisfied,” noted U-18 Residency coach Rich Fagan. “I am pleased with the team’s effort and performance today. It would have been easy to get frustrated with how Portland set up after going down a man but full credit to the players for sticking to the plan they were excellent.”
Scoring Summary
65’ – VAN – William Grayson
Vancouver Whitecaps U-18
18.William Grayson; 2.Andre Baires (17.Jeevin Kang 15’), 24.Vana Markarian, 5.Vaggeli Boucas, 11.Jordan Haynes (39.Joshua Cuthbert 65’); 23.Francesco Saporiot, 15.Drake Rendle (16.Quinn Bredin 65’), 21.Dario Conte, 3.Nike Azuma (13.David Norman 46’); 20.Kyle Jones, 12.William Grayson (6.Eric de Graaf 77’)
U-16
In the second match, Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency fell 1-0 to the host Timbers U-16.
The ‘Caps struggled to find any real rhythm in the first half with Portland enjoying the majority of possession.
If not for Aidan Aylward’s command of his penalty area, the 1-0 hole the 'Caps found themselves in at half time might have been deeper.
The second half was a different story, right from the whistle you could tell the Blue and White weren’t going down without a fight.
Michael Baldisimo and Noah Verhoeven discovered a second wind and suddenly the entire team was playing with a refreshed confidence.
Baldisimo’s courage to get on the ball opened up space for Verhoeven in higher areas, affectively opening up space between Portland’s midfield and back four bringing forwards Alan Comacho and Gloire Amanada into the game.
Despite an improved second half, it wasn’t to be for the U16s as they were unable to find a second half goal.
Scoring Summary
20’ – POR
Vancouver Whitecaps U-16
30.Aidan Aylward; 40.Brendan Skinner (43.Christopher Guerreiro 70’), 31.Fazer Poulter, 35.John Kasper, 48.Terrell Smith; 33.Michael Baldisimo, 37.Nicolas Apostol (47.Jonas Hakkinen 60’), 38.Noah Verhoeven; 36.Cole Morokhovich (44.Nathan Graziano 55’), 49.Gloire Amanda, 52.Gabriel Escobar (Alan Comacho 41’)
