VANCOUVER, BC - Whitecaps FC Residency teams returned home on Friday and earned a pair of strong results in USSDA action against Real Salt Lake AZ at SFU Field 4.
U-18
Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency stood toe-to-toe with last season's USSDA national finalists Real Salt Lake AZ on Friday, playing to a hard fought 1-1 draw.
The 'Caps opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Marcello Polisi crossed to the feet of Gloire Amanda, who then finished with a side-foot strike to make it 1-0.
Whitecaps FC continued to control the match, but were caught against the run of play with an equalizer from the visitors just before the halftime whistle. After tension grew between the two teams, RSL AZ scored a header from a corner kick to draw level at 1-1.
The Claret and Cobalt went down a man in the second half. The 'Caps dominated possession, and didn't concede any chances to their opponents but were unfortunate not to find a winning goal.
"We've just outplayed one of the top teams in the entire league, so the boys should be proud," said U-18 head coach Rich Fagan. "This shows what we're capable of. We'll use this performance to push forward as we continue improving throughout the season."
Whitecaps FC U-18 lineup
13.Luciano Trasolini; 2.Andre Baires (20.Ndzemdzela Langwa 60'), 19.Vana Markarian, 6.Eric de Graaf, 3.Kadin Chung; 8.Marcello Polisi, 28.Thomas Gardner, 4.Matthew Baldisimo; 10.Daniel Sagno (12.Andre Earthy-Find 65'), 9.Gloire Amanda (23.Liam McManaman 70'), 17.Terran Campbell
U-16
The U-16s earned their third straight victory with a 1-0 win over previously unbeaten Real Salt Lake AZ U-16s.
The 'Caps got on the scoreboard first when Alan Camacho scored his third goal of the season in the 18th minute, connecting on a corner kick from Alphonso Davies.
That was all the scoring they would need as they held off the visitors in the second half to claim the 1-0 result.
"We were tested today by a very organized team and we had to work very hard for our reward tonight, so all credit must go to the players," said U-16 head coach Adam Day. "Overall I am fairly pleased with how we defended as a team. We showed good character, resilience, and a strong work rate and that was rewarded by a clean sheet and a win."
Whitecaps FC U-16 lineup
50.Trevor Schneider; 48.Terrell Smith, 29.Joel Harrison, 25.Brendan Skinner, 43.Chris Guerreiro (52.Gabriel Escobar 46'); 38.Andres Charles-Barrera, 33.Michael Baldisimo, 34.Georges Mukumbilwa (32.Noah Verhoeven 65'); 39.Alphonso Davies, 41.Alan Camacho (45.Devin O'Hea 60'), 37.Nicolas Apostol
