It was a rainy night at Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday as WFC2 won 2-0 over UBC in their first preseason match.
Here are three things that stuck out from the match.
Getting a run
Both Blas Perez and Christian Bolaños (pictured right) missed the start of preseason, so Saturday’s WFC2 match was another opportunity for them to continue to raise their fitness levels.
The two players ended up combining for the opening goal, benefiting from great build-up from two of their younger teammates. Brett Levis found Alphonso Davies, who then fed Perez in the middle. The veterans took care of the rest. The Panamanian had the vision to switch it to the right, and the Costa Rican was calm on the finish.
Pa-Modou Kah and Erik Hurtado also had a run, with Kah returning from an injury that kept him out the preseason friendlies in Tucson.
Young guns impress again
Two young players we’ve heard about frequently in preseason have been the aforementioned Levis and Davies. And both looked the part once again.
Levis was comfortable at left back, a position that Carl Robinson has stated he’d like to see more of him.
Davies did not look like a 15-year-old. He has speed and vision, and great composure for his age. He certainly still has developing to do, but if he can keep up the hard work he’ll have every opportunity to succeed.
And let’s not forget about Kadin Chung (pictured right). The Port Coquitlam native started at right back and looked very much the modern fullback, flying down the wing to jumpstart the attack, including one particular combination with Perez which led to a great scoring chance.
New faces
Saturday’s match was the first chance to see a number of new faces for WFC2.
Dutch centre back Sem de Wit started alongside Kah and, even in the rain, showed his technical abilities with the ball at his feet.
Canadian Giuliano Frano started as a holding midfielder and was gritty throughout – he’ll bring toughness to the team.
And Fatawu Safiu, formerly an enemy with Timbers 2, showed exactly what he’s capable of (see video below from last season).
Safiu came from the same club in Ghana as Gershon Koffie, Inter Allies FC. And like Koffie, Safiu has one heck of a shot when he has a chance to unleash it, which is exactly what he did on Saturday. WFC2 learned that the hard way last year, but now they have a great weapon on their side.
This year, every Tier 1 ‘Caps Club MLS membership includes three open tickets to WFC2 matches. More information on how to select your WFC2 matches will be sent out with your Tier 1 MLS membership packages. All ‘Caps Club Members can upgrade to the full WFC2 season for only $7 per month over 12 months, while Youth can get WFC2 season tickets for $2 per match.
Tier 2 season ticket memberships are also now available, while single match and group tickets will be available in March. For more information, contact wfc2@whitecapsfc.com or call 604-484-7862.
