DONCASTER, ENGLAND – Happy Easter, indeed.
Canada’s U-20 national team went head-to-head with a star-studded England U-20 side on Sunday in front of a crowd of 3,264 at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, England.
They came for Manchester United phenom Marcus Rashford, but Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s youngsters stole the show. Canada battled to a hard-fought 2-1 win thanks to goals from 17-year-old WFC2 fullback Kadin Chung and 19-year-old Whitecaps FC midfielder Marco Bustos.
They were quite the goals, too.
Chung, a Port Coquitlam, B.C. native who was named the 2015 Canadian U-17 Player of the Year, opened the scoring in the 14th minute after making a fantastic run from his left back position and blasting in a right-footed strike from the top of the box.
Not to be outdone, Bustos curled in a left-footed beauty in the 68th minute to make it 2-0.
<img alt="" src="https://vancouver-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/chungvrashford_edited.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 331px; float: right; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; margin: 5px;"> |
<b>Marcus Rashford vs. Kadin Chung (Getty Images)</b> |
Chelsea midfielder Kasey Palmer pulled one back for England in the 71st minute, finishing from 12 yards after a nice little ball from Rashford, but Canada held on for the upset victory despite some relentless pressure from the home side.
“Absolutely delighted,” Canada U-20 head coach Rob Gale told MUTV after the match. “We knew we’d have to work hard for it and make sure we were tactically disciplined considering the quality of the opponent. But we also wanted the lads to express themselves going the other way and they certainly did. I thought we went toe to toe.”
In addition to Rashford, who has five goals in eight appearances with Manchester United this season, and Palmer, England’s roster also featured the likes of Manchester United striker Ashley Fletcher and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks.
But the story on this afternoon was about the boys in Red and White.
Bustos and Chung were two of three ‘Caps in Canada’s starting lineup – the other being 15-year-old WFC2 midfielder Alphonso Davies, who played 65 minutes in a central midfield position. Former Whitecaps FC Residency players Duwayne Ewart and Dario Zanatta also started, while ‘Caps goalkeeper Marco Carducci was on the bench.
All six players came through Whitecaps FC’s Residency program.
This year, every Tier 1 ‘Caps Club MLS membership includes three open tickets to WFC2 matches. Members can select their matches and theme days online through Account Manager. Information on theme days is available at whitecapsfc.com/wfc2/themedays.
Youth season passes are also available for $30 all in. For more information contact wfc2@whitecapsfc.com or call 604-484-7862.
