VANCOUVER, BC – And so it begins…
After a strong preseason, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) will begin their inaugural season in the United Soccer League (USL) this coming Sunday, March 29 as the team travels across the border to take on Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2).
“They’re a good footballing team," said WFC2 head coach Alan Koch at training this week. "I think we’re a good footballing team too. They’re going to be young, enthusiastic, energetic. We’ll be the exact same thing."
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT on Sunday at Starfire Sports Complex and will be broadcast live on whitecapsfc2.com.
"We’re looking forward to it," added Koch. "It’s going to be two teams who will try to play the game the right way. We hope to go there and impose ourselves on them, and then hopefully take over the game and get a positive result.”
Who are WFC2?
Stay tuned on Sunday for a more in-depth look at the roster and players on the team. Below is the basic look at the team.
<p align="center">Goalkeeper</p> |
<p align="center">Defender</p> |
<p align="center">Midfielder</p> |
<p align="center">Striker</p> |
<p align="center">3</p> |
<p align="center">6</p> |
<p align="center">8</p> |
<p align="center">3</p> |
Whitecaps FC 2 current roster:
Goalkeepers:Spencer Richey, Paolo Tornaghi, Mark Village
Fullbacks:Jordan Haynes, Ethen Sampson, Chris Serban
Centre backs:Jackson Farmer, Tim Parker, Craig Nitti
Centre midfielders:Ian Christianson, Ben McKendry, Mitch Piraux, Tyler Rosenlund
Wide midfielders:Victor Blasco, Jovan Blagojevic, Brett Levis, Sahil Sandhu
Strikers:Caleb Clarke, Mackenzie Pridham, Billy Schuler
WFC player on-loan to WFC2
- Port Coquitlam native Tyler Rosenlund is captain of WFC2
- 9 first year Whitecaps FC players (Blagojevic, Blasco, Christianson, Nitti, Pridham, Rosenlund, Richey, Schuler, Village)
- 6 players came through the Residency program or U-23 team (Farmer, Haynes, Levis, Piraux, Sandhu, Serban)
- 5 players are free agent acquisitions with no previous affiliation with the club (Blasco, Christianson, Rosenlund, Richey, Schuler)
- 4 players joined the club via the MLS SuperDraft (Blagojevic, Nitti, Pridham, Richey)
- 4 players with USL experience (Christianson, Farmer, Pridham, Rosenlund)
Preseason
The ‘Caps enter Sunday’s contest after going 3W-0L-1D in preseason, including a 4-3 victory in Seattle against S2. Striker Mackenzie Pridham led the team with four goals during the four preseason matches, all coming in a 5-1 win over Simon Fraser University.
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Home </strong> |
<strong>Away</strong> |
<strong>Venue</strong> |
<strong>Result</strong> |
<strong>Goalscorers</strong> |
<p>March 9</p> |
<p>UBC</p> |
<p>WFC2</p> |
<p>Thunderbird Stadium</p> |
<p>0-0 D</p> |
|
<p>March 15</p> |
<p>Sounders FC 2</p> |
<p>WFC2</p> |
<p>Starfire Sports Complex</p> |
<p>4-3 W</p> |
<p>Clarke (2), Farmer, Blasco</p> |
<p>March 19</p> |
<p>SFU</p> |
<p>WFC2</p> |
<p>Simon Fraser University</p> |
<p>1-5 W</p> |
<p>Pridham (4), Nitti</p> |
<p>March 22</p> |
<p>WFC2</p> |
<p>Oregon State</p> |
<p>Simon Fraser University</p> |
<p>3-2 W</p> |
<p>Blasco, Rosenlund, Blagojevic</p> |
Sounders FC 2
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bfXQ3LVnwjw"></a> |
<b>Highlights: Sounders FC 2 take 4-2 win over Sacramento</b> |
Playing at home in the opening weekend of the USL season, Sounders FC 2 (1W-0L-0D) earned an impressive 4-2 victory against defending USL champions Sacramento Republic FC.
Here are three players to watch who made the USL Team of the Week after the win over Sacramento, including Rossi who was USL Player of the Week.
Midfielder – Pablo Rossi: Scored a beautiful free kick, provided an assist on Sam Garza’s goal, and was creative throughout the second half against Sacramento.
Midfielder – Giuliano Frano: A Canadian midfielder from Mississauga, Ontario. Recovered possession well in the centre of midfield and covered ground defensively to restrict Sacramento going forward.
Striker – Andy Craven: Scored the first goal in S2 history, and provided strong hold-up play throughout the game.
Come and see the next generation of Whitecaps FC stars as USL arrives in Vancouver. With Season Tickets available for as low as $118, WFC2 matches will be a unique and affordable experience for fans, families, students, and supporters. Flex packs are also available to fit your schedule - get seven tickets to use any way you want, to any matches you want. For more information on all WFC2 ticket options, call 604-484-7862 or e-mail wfc2@whitecapsfc.com.
