BRADENTON, FL – The second day of the 2013 United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) Winter Showcase brought a pair of positive results for Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Residency teams.
The U-18s bounced back from yesterday’s tough loss with a convincing 4-0 win over host IMG Academy, while the U-16s claimed an exciting 3-2 victory over Chicago Fire’s U-16 side.
U-18
The Blue and White got off to a rocking start after Kianz Froese netted two goals, including the game-winner, through two brilliant individual efforts in the opening 25 minutes of action.
The ‘Caps continued the first half scoring barrage 10 minutes later when Marco Bustos potted home a beautiful ball from the top of the 18-yard-box to open up a three-goal advantage.
An organized ‘Caps back line nullified most of the scoring chances for the IMG Academy, keeping their opponents from the Southwest away from dangerous areas.
An insurance goal came right before halftime, when Matthew Chow made a fantastic run after lobbing the ball over two defenders and then calmly slid it past the keeper to cap off a four-goal opening half for the ‘Caps.
The dominant performance was exactly what the U-18s needed on this day after a disappointing loss in their tournament opener.
“Today was all about reaction,” assistant coach Steve Meadley told whitecapsfc.com. “We needed a positive one and we were very pleased with the outcome. It was great that we were given an opportunity to fix our wrongs and play again so quickly. This definitely helped them perform to the standards that they are capable of.”
The U-18s wrap up the tournament Saturday morning, as they meet the youth academy side of MLS squad Houston Dynamo at 8:15 a.m. PT.
Scoring Summary
12' – VAN – Froese
25' – VAN – Froese
35' – VAN – Bustos
43' – VAN – Chow
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-18
Nolan Wirth (Marco Carducci 45’); Mark Baldisimo, Jackson Farmer, Vaggeli Boucas, Sam Adekugbe (Nike Azuma 76’); Mitch Piraux (Kyle Jones 70’), Jordan Haynes, Marco Bustos; Matthew Chow (Mason James 60’), Kianz Froese (Aymar Sigue 45’), Ali Musse
U-16
Behind a balanced team effort, Whitecaps FC’s U-16 side fought tooth and nail to preserve a 3-2 victory over Chicago Fire’s U-16 squad in their tournament opener.
Chicago struck first in the second minute of play when a pass back from the ‘Caps was intercepted, but it didn’t take long for the Blue and White to find an equalizer. On 10 minutes, Jeevin Kang made a solid run down the wing and crossed it into Daniel Sagno, who blasted home Whitecaps FC’s first goal of the showcase.
The ‘Caps took the lead five minutes later, as Thomas Gardner finished off a brilliant run down the middle of the pitch with a calm finish past the keeper.
At the half hour mark, the Fire capitalized on a miscue between Whitecaps FC’s backline to bring things level, once more.
An eccentric first half culminated in the eventual game-winner for the Blue and White in the 36th minute, when Gardner made a slick move to run through two defenders to set up an open Terran Campbell.
The Blue and White held their shape for the rest of the match to keep Chicago at bay and maintain the victory.
“It was a very good performance; the team showed a ton of character to go down early on and fight back,” head coach Rich Fagan told whitecapsfc.com. “Overall, I was very pleased with the team’s performance in the tournament opener.”
The U-16s are back at it Friday morning when they meet the youth side of MLS Western Conference rival Colorado Rapids.
Scoring Summary
2' – CHI – Jack Shaw
10' – VAN – Sagno (Kang)
15' – VAN – Gardner
30' – CHI – Rigo Rojas
36’ – VAN – Campbell (Gardner)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16
Luciano Trasolini; Joshua Cuthbert, Eric de Graaf, Matthew Baldisimo, Kadin Chung; Jeevin Kang, David Norman (Riley Pang 64’), Thomas Gardner; Cole Morokhovich (Erik Morden 51’), Daniel Sagno (Patrick Izett 45’), Terran Campbell.
