VANCOUVER, BC – Playing at home for the second straight week, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency look to remain the leaders of their respective U-16 and U-18 Northwest Divisions. The ‘Caps take to the pitch against Northwest Division adversaries Crossfire Premier in United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) action.
The Blue and White will play Saturday, February 7 at Fox Field turf at Simon Fraser University (SFU). As always, the U-18 Residency team will play the opening match, kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. PT. The ‘Caps U-16 Residency side play the second match of the day on Fox Field, with the match scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PT.
U-18
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-18 (13W-3L-3D) split their games last weekend. After losing the first match of the weekend Saturday, the ‘Caps responded with a dominant performance Sunday.
The Blue and White played San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, January 31, losing 1-0. The next day, a strong performance by the whole team saw Ali Musse score twice, while newcomer Dario Conte scored his first, as the ‘Caps beat Juventus SC 8-0.
Crossfire Premier U-18 (12W-3L-5D) are currently third in the Northwest Division. Last weekend, Crossfire played the same opponents as Whitecaps FC. Crossfire won both of their games without conceding a goal. They beat Juventus SC 4-0 and San Jose 2-0, to extend their unbeaten run to nine games.
“Crossfire are always a difficult opponent," noted newly-appointed U-18 Residency head coach Rich Fagan. "As a club, they have a distinct playing style that can give any team trouble if taken lightly. We will approach the match the same way we would approach Montreal or New York.”
U-16
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16 (13W-2L-4D) enters the weekend with a USSDA league best 52 goals for. The Blue and White are currently in first place in the Northwest Division, 12 points up on the second place Portland Timbers.
Last weekend, Vancouver won both of their games, extending their unbeaten run to four games. Saturday, January 31, the ‘Caps beat San Jose 3-1 before winning 4-0 on Sunday, February 1 against Juventus SC.
Gloire Amanda scored five goals, including all three goals against San Jose.
The weekend’s opponent, Crossfire Premier U-16 (8W-10L-2D) are sitting fifth in the Northwest Division and not in a playoff position, but have won five of their last seven matches. In their previous two matches, Crossfire lost 4-3 to Juventus SC and then beat San Jose 2-0. A player to watch on Crossfire Premier is striker Simon Lekressner, the leading goal scorer in the USSDA with 22 goals.
"We had two strong performances last weekend," noted interim U-16 Residency head coach Carl Valentine. "We are hoping to build on that and do not want to see a drop. This will be a difficult match, as Crossfire are a hard working and physical team, the lads will need to be in form."
