VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Residency teams are headed over to Portland to face Northwest Division rivals Portland Timbers in United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) action this weekend.
Whitecaps FC's U-18 side will kick off the action on Saturday at 12 p.m. PT, followed by the U-16s at 2:30 p.m. PT. Both matches will take place at the Timbers Training Facility in Beaverton, Oregon.
U-18
Whitecaps FC’s U-18 squad currently sits in second place in the West Conference, Northwest Division with a record of 9W-4L-2D. Midfielder Kianz Froese leads the team with six goals, followed closely by fellow midfielder Marco Bustos with five.
The ‘Caps are coming off a pair of California matches against LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. Against the Galaxy, the 'Caps created numerous scoring opportunities before ultimately falling 1-0 after surrendering a goal in the last minute of play. The next day, Mitch Piraux and Titouan Chopin found the back of a net in a 2-2 draw with Chivas USA.
“The boys played extremely well in LA, created numerous chances in both games and showed a real togetherness and understanding,” interim U-18 head coach Craig Dalrymple told whitecapsfc.com. “The focus has been to build on those performances and specifically improve our quality in front of goal. We are prepared and looking forward to the challenge.”
Portland's U-18 squad is currently sitting in sixth place in the West Conference, Northwest Division with a record of 6W-7L-2D.
Vancouver's last meeting with their Cascadia rivals was on November 9, 2013 with the ‘Caps taking it by a score of 3-2. Bustos, Sam Adekugbe, and Jordan Haynes provided the scoring for Whitecaps FC.
U-16
Vancouver's U-16 squad leave for Portland in third place in the West Conference, Northwest Division with a record of 8W-3L-4D. Leading the U-16 squad in scoring is Dario Zanatta, with nine goals, while his teammate Aymar Sigue follows right behind with eight.
In their most recent action, the 'Caps drew 1-1 with LA Galaxy before falling 4-3 to Chivas USA in a pair of weekend matches. In the first match against the Galaxy, Vana Markarian and Hayden Simmonds-O’Grady, who scored Vancouver's lone goal, made their respective debuts for Whitecaps FC’s U-16 squad.
Against Chivas USA, meanwhile, the 'Caps had goals from Zanatta, Cole Marokhovish and David Norman.
Portland's U-16 team is currently at sixth place in the West Conference, Northwest Division with a record of 2W-6L-7D.
In their last meeting, the ‘Caps bested the Timbers at home by score of 2-0. Zanatta bagged both goals while goalkeper Aidan Aylward recorded the shutout.
“The staff and players are excited to get back at it,” U-16 head coach Rich Fagan told whitecapsfc.com. “The players are always up for a game but the local derby matches are definitely special. Portland are always difficult opponents and we will have to be at our best this weekend.”
