Vancouver Whitecaps FC continued preseason on Saturday with an intrasquad match at the National Soccer Development Centre (NSDC), playing two 35-minute halves.
The two squads were split into VWFC Wave and VWFC Hoop. VWFC Wave included nine first team players and two members from the club’s BMO MLS Academy. VWFC Hoop included four first team players, six BMO MLS Academy players, and one academy trialist.
A total of 10 current BMO MLS Academy players took part in the match, as well as four Homegrown players.
Wave opened the scoring on 10 minutes. After a nice passing sequence through midfield, Cristián Gutiérrez fed Russell Teibert streaking into the box from the left flank. With a quick touch, he was taken down in the box for a penalty kick.
Lucas Cavallini promptly stepped up and smashed it into the back of the net with authority to make it 1-0.
VWFC Hoop acquitted themselves well after the opening goal, with Andy Rose marshalling the young squad.
However, just before half, VWFC Wave once again enjoyed a nice passing sequence where Cavallini found Teibert inside the box. The longtime 'Caps midfielder played it back to an open Kamron Habibullah, who made no mistake to make it 2-0.
In the second 35, VWFC Wave began to take control of the match.
With momentum building, Cavallini cut in on his left foot and unleashed a hit on goal, but Evan Newton came up with a huge diving save to keep the score at 2-0. Moments later Erik Godoy got on the end of a corner kick, with his header just rising over the crossbar.
Late in the match Cavallini showed his playmaking ability. After delicately chesting the ball down in midfield, he carried it forward and played a soft cross-field pass to the feet of an onrushing Habibullah. He then had his shot blocked before fellow academy player Jay Herdman eventually cleaned up the rebound to make it a 3-0 final.
VWFC Wave
16.Maxime Crépeau; 28.Jake Nerwinski, 4.Ranko Veselinović, 22.Érik Godoy, 3.Cristián Gutiérrez; 19.Janio Bikel, 17.Leonard Owusu; 47.Kamron Habibullah, 92.Jay Herdman, 31.Russell Teibert; 9.Lucas Cavallini
VWFC Hoop
1.Thomas Hasal (12.Evan Newton HT); 61.Matteo Campagna, 34.Gianfranco Facchineri, 15.Andy Rose, 48.Nathan Demian (72.Jaden Manetta 21'); 46.Abraham Jones; 51.Ali Ahmed (76.Eric White HT), 62.Damiano Pecile, 52.Owen Antoniuk, 65.Keishean Francois; 57.Amir Batyrev
