FRESNO, CA – The new Whitecaps FC Development Squad debuted on Wednesday, traveling to California to take on USL affiliate Fresno FC. In the end, a back-and-forth match saw the Foxes from Fresno take a 4-3 victory.
The young Development Squad lineup was comprised of top prospects from the Academy, young players from the first team, and a trio of prospects signed to Fresno FC. The team was led by Academy technical director Craig Dalrymple, with Steve Meadley as assistant coach and Raegyn Hall as goalkeeper coach. On the other side were 'Caps Academy grad Noah Verhoeven, loanee Myer Bevan, and Fresno assistant coach Robert Earnshaw.
It was the white-clad 'Caps who took the match early and went into halftime with a 2-0 advantage. Theo Bair converted a early penalty kick, and Simon Colyn tucked home a rebound.
Fresno came out firing in the second half with four straight goals, with two each from Renato Bustamante and Franck Tayou.
In the 87th minute, substitute striker Jefferson Alade found space in behind the Fresno FC defence and finished for a 4-3 final score.
The Development Squad now looks ahead to an October trip to Mexico City for match competition, including a battle versus the Mexico U-20 national team. For more information on the Whitecaps FC Academy, visit whitecapsfc.com/boysacademy.
Whitecaps FC Development Squad Starting XI
Thomas Hasal; Georges Mukumbilwa, Patrick Metcalfe, Cory Brown, Gabriel Escobar; Matthew Baldisimo, Michael Baldisimo, Simon Colyn; Jose Hernandez, Theo Bair, Terran Campbell
Scoring summary
14’ – VAN – Theo Bair (penalty kick)
21’ – VAN – Simon Colyn
50’ – FRS - Renato Bustamante (Jorge Escamilla Moreno)
56’ – FRS – Escamilla Moreno (Diego Casillas)
63’ – FRS – Franck Tayou (Renato Bustamante)
85’ – FRS – Franck Tayou (Diego Casillas)
87’ – VAN – Jefferson Alade
Cautions
34’ – VAN – Terran Campbell
37’ – VAN – Simon Colyn
66’ – FRS – Suleiman Samura
90’+4 – FRS – Sam Strong
