VANCOUVER, BC – The snow covered pitch and cold weather did not deter Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency teams from finishing the weekend with a pair of strong performances, earning them both victories. The U-18s barraged Arsenal FC with six goals for a 6-1 win and the U-16s came back to win 2-1 in the second half.
Match day against Arsenal FC began unsure due to the snowfall that had covered the field the night before. But three hours before the game, several staff members and parents made sure it would not be a factor come match time, shovelling the fields clear. Both Residency teams would like to give a special thank you to those who worked diligently to clear the field three hours before the game.
“We’d like to say a big thanks to the staff members and the parents that showed up before the game to clear the field,” U-18 assistant coach Steve Meadley told whitecapsfc.com. “Absolutely great effort for those people to come and clear the field to allow us to come out today and improve on the performance that we had yesterday.“
“The parents and staff deserve a lot of credit. There was about 5cm of snow and they were at SFU at 9 a.m. this morning shovelling,” U-16 head coach Rich Fagan also added.
U-18
The U-18 squad bounced back from their tough draw the day before to record their 11th win of the season in impressive fashion, rolling to a 6-1 win ove Arsenal FC. The victory is the largest margin the ‘Caps have won by and the most goals they have scored this season.
The ‘Caps jumped right on their Californian counterparts to begin the first half scoring twice in the early minutes from Ali Musse and Marco Bustos – the latter of whom just recently returned from preseason with the Whitecaps FC first team, including a fine performance in Wednesday's 2-0 win over San Jose Earthquakes at the Rose City Invitaitonal. Arsenal responded back in the 18th minute with their lone goal for the match.
But the home side would not dissapoint those who put in the effort to clear the field. Musse found the back of the net once again in the 44th minute to end the ‘Caps dominant first half up 3-1.
The Blue and White began the second half once again controlling the course of the game. Bustos showed that, like many others in the Residency program, his development continues along a very strong path. The young midfielder rounded out a hat-trick by scoring in the 60th and 67th minutes to bring his season total to eight goals.
In the 77th minute Mason James again found the back of the net to further the ‘Caps lead to 6-1. The defence held tight and did not allow any goals in the second half to finish the team's dominant performance with a final score of 6-1.
“An excellent reaction to yesterday's performance,” Meadley told whitecapsfc.com. “The boys came out and played really well. A lot of spirit, a lot of fight, and a lot of will to put things right and to show the quality that they have in the squad and we’re proud of the boys for doing that.”
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-18
1.Nolan Wirth; 27.Chris Serban, 15.Vaggeli Boucas, 5.Nicholas Prasad (12. Nike Azuma 70’), 3. Sam Adekugbe; 4.Mark Baldisimo(7.Titouan Chopin 46’), 11.Jordan Haynes, 10.Marco Bustos; 8.Matthew Chow (20.Kyle Jones 62’), 9.Dario Zanatta (16. Mason James 72’), 21.Ali Musse
Scoring Summary
4’ – VAN – Ali Musse
6’ – VAN – Marco Bustos
18’ – AFC –
44’ – VAN – Ali Musse
60’ – VAN – Marco Bustos
67’ – VAN – Marco Bustos
77’ – VAN – Mason James
U-16
Whitecaps FC U-16 kept the ball rolling with another impressive result against Arsenal FC in a come from behind win.
The ‘Caps came out strong to open the first half as they controlled the momentum. The squad was relentless, coming close twice as they hit the crossbar and the post on separate occasions. The defence gave their counterparts a tough time, as they didn’t allow the direct attacking of the Gunners any opportunities. The half came to a close at 0-0.
The home side again came out strong to begin the second half, but were caught in transition, giving up a goal in the 48th minute. Unfazed by the goal, the boys continued to press on with their attack, showing their persistence and patience. The ‘Caps were rewarded in the 60th minute as Kadin Chung drove down the left side of the park, beating three defenders before cutting the ball back through the six-yard box to find substitute Rahid Rahiem who buried the ball in the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
The ‘Caps continued their relentlessness. Substitute Daniel Sagno found the back of the net for the game winner in the 75th minute, putting his squad up by one. The Blue and White held on to finish the game by a score of 2-1.
“We are so pleased with the character that they showed, and how patient they were,” Fagan told whitecapsfc.com. “They were relentless in getting the result. The players that have come off the bench for us have been so important and so strong for us this weekend.”
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16
30. Aidan Aylward; 39. Josh Cuthbert, 51. Manraj Bains, 2.Andre Baires, 31. Erik Morden (32. Kadin Chung 55’); 13.David Norman, 24.Vana Markarian (45. Rahid Rahiem 40’), 28. Thomas Gardener; 36. Cole Morokhovich (43. Daniel Sagno 70’), 41. Terran Campbell, 15.Hayden Simmonds-O’Grady
Scoring Summary
48’ – AFC –
60’ – VAN – Rahid Rahiem
75’ – VAN – Kadin Chung
