VANCOUVER, BC – In their home opener, Whitecaps FC 2 notched the first victory of the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a 2-1 triumph over Minnesota United FC 2 at BC Place.
Early on, the Loons came close to the opening goal, as forward Mamadou Dieng was sent an onrushing Marcus Caldeira through on goal. The 21-year-old Canadian’s soft roller spun narrowly wide.
The home side responded off a Yeider Zuluaga corner, with Immanuel Mathe going skyward to put a powerful 10-yard header on target. The effort was cleared off the goal line and eventually dipped to WFC2 defender Trevor Wright, yet his attempt soared over the woodwork.
The young 'Caps contined to battle forward. On a breathtaking 40-yard rush, forward Daniel Ittycheria showed why WFC2 signed him in the offseason.
The 22-year-old went one-on-one against defender Nick Dang and expertly juked past for open space. However, Dang bolted back to recover deep in the area. Another Ittycheria spin forced a late tackle from the defender, leading to a point to the spot from the head referee.
On his birthday, attacking midfielder Liam Mackenzie drew first blood with a sweet strike that zinged past MNUFC2 goalkeeper Kai Zeruhn’s outstretched right glove in the 21st minute.
In first-half stoppage time, a WFC2 corner led to Wright’s hard work fighting for positioning against Loons defender Alpha Kabia. The contact from Kabia was too much for the referee's liking, leading to a second penalty kick.
Again, Mackenzie stepped up to drill his effort into the left corner for the 2-0 lead.
The Loons came back to life when attacking midfielder Dominik Fitz booted a long ball ahead to Dieng, who sprinted in behind to split the WFC2 backline. Dieng cooly finished under Zendejas, to cut the home side’s lead in half.
WFC2 defended valiantly and would hold on for their first three points of the season.
Next up, the young ’Caps head to Utah for a clash against the Real Monarchs SLC on Sunday, March 22, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. PT. You can catch the match live on OneFootball and MLSNEXTPro.com.
Then, WFC2 returns home to Swangard Stadium to take on LAFC 2 on Saturday, March 28, with kickoff at 4 p.m. PT.
For home matches, WFC2 tickets are only $10 each, and can be purchased through Universe. Season ticket members can access their complimentary WFC2 tickets by using their account number as their access key at checkout. Youth who are 18 and under get in free.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Alain Ruch
\\Scoring Summary
\\21’ – VAN – Liam Mackenzie (Penalty kick)
45’+1 – VAN – Liam Mackenzie (Penalty kick)
49’ – MIN – Mamadou Dieng (Dominik Fitz, Luciano Pechota)
Cautions
12’ – VAN – Prince Amponsah
42’ – MIN – Luciano Pechota
45’ – MIN – Alpha Kabia
82’ – MIN – Jakob Friedman
Statistics
Possession: VAN 46% – MIN 54%
Shots: VAN 18 – MIN 12
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – MIN 4
Saves: VAN 3 – MIN 3
Fouls: VAN 10 – MIN 8
Offsides: VAN 0 – MIN 5
Corners: VAN 4 – MIN 11
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
30.Adrían Zendejas ©; 53.Immanuel Mathe, 43.Trevor Wright, 54.Prince Amponsah, 48.Micaah Garnette; 62.Ryder Sewell (64.Tyler Brown 90’), 46.Cristiano Bruletti; 66.Sahil Deo (65.Anyole Peter 65’), 97.Liam Mackenzie, 45.Yeider Zuluaga (61.Carson Rassak 84’); 44.Daniel Ittycheria (47.Marko Popović 65’)
Substitute not used
60.Sam Rogers
Minnesota United FC 2
60.Kai Zeruhn; 95.Sam Vigilante, 92.Alpha Kabia, 31.Nick Dang (14.Kenyel Michel 73’), 33.Kieran Chandler; 32.Troy (59.Anderson Farris 73’), 7.Dominik Fitz, 90.Luciano Pechota, 36.Jakob Friedman; 29.Mamadou Dieng, 22.Marcus Caldeira (17.Darius Randell 73’)
Substitutes not used
46.Keane Perkins, 51.Calin Grulke, 64.Issa Saidi
