Whitecaps FC Residency teams hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to California for a pair of West Conference matches against Nomads SC and San Diego Surf of the Southwest Division.
U-18
The elder ‘Caps Residency team played to a 2-2 draw against newcomers Sacramento Republic FC in their season opener last Sunday at Cloverdale Athletic Park.
The Blue and White twice took the lead on goals from Daniel Sagno and Terran Campbell, but Sacramento scored in second have stoppage time to end the match on level terms.
Nomads SC and San Diego Surf both finished outside the playoff places at the U-18 level last season, ending in fifth and eighth spot respectively in the Southwest Division.
U-16
The U-16s also played to a draw in their opener, 1-1 against Sacramento.
Brendan Skinner got Whitecaps FC on the board in the second half before the visitors equalized to keep the ‘Caps from maximum points.
At the U-16 level, San Diego Surf finished in eighth in the Southwest Division, while Nomads SC finished in 10th.
Residency in the pros
It was a great week for Residency graduates playing professionally with Whitecaps FC. On Wednesday, Kianz Froese scored the winning goal for the first team in the club’s first ever CONCACAF Champions League victory against Honduran champions C.D. Olimpia. Defender Sam Adekugbe – who recently made his debut for Canada’s senior men’s national team – also played the full 90 minutes, while Marco Bustos came on for the final 20 minutes and nearly had a goal.
Last Sunday at Thunderbird Stadium, U-18 Residency player Kadin Chung made his professional debut for WFC2, electrifying the crowd by bursting past two Orange County Blues defenders in the second half. Fellow U-18 teammate Thomas Gardner also subbed on, playing in his second pro match for WFC2.
