VANCOUVER, BC – On the road again.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency will head down to California for their second California road trip of 2014, as they aim to take down a couple of United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) Northwest Division foes in Juventus Sport Club and San Jose Earthquakes Academy.
Juventus Sport Club, who are in their first USSDA season, are first on the docket for the ‘Caps. The two sides will square off on Saturday, November 15 (the U-18s are set to go at 11:00 a.m. PT, while the U-16s will kick off at 1:45 p.m. PT). The Blue and White will then face side San Jose Earthquakes Academy on Sunday, November 16, as the U-18s are scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. PT start, and the U-16s will get underway at 1:30 p.m. PT.
U-18
Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency (9W-0L-0D) are ranked first, not just in the Northwest Division, but in USSDA overall. The ‘Caps can credit their vaunted position in the standings to excellent play at both ends of the pitch – among the top 25 teams in USSDA, the ‘Caps are tops in goals scored, while only three teams have allowed fewer goals against.
That two-way aptitude was on full display in their most recent set of matches. Playing hosts to De Anza Force U-18 on October 25, the Blue and White doubled up on the visitors, beating them 4-2. Defender Andre Baires and midfielder Marco Bustos each notched a goal, while striker Dario Zanatta picked up a brace.
The next day, the ‘Caps showed their defensive dominance, blanking Santa Cruz Breakers Academy U-18 by a score of 2-0. Francesco Saporito got the ‘Caps on the board early, scoring in the 11th minute, before Jordan Haynes sealed the result with a second-half strike. William Diaz was perfect when tested, picking up his first shutout of the season.
Juventus Sport Club U-18 (1W-8L-0D), who come into the matchup with the ‘Caps looking for their first home win of the season. Juventus’ first season in USSDA hasn’t gone smoothly, as their 0.33 point-per-game rate has them sitting in last place in the Northwest Division.
The weekend’s second showdown will have the ‘Caps up against a dangerous San Jose Earthquakes U-18 (8W-1L-1D) side that is nipping on the ‘Caps heels in the Northwest Division standings. Sitting at fifth overall in USSDA, San Jose boasts excellent balance in terms of their offense, as their elven different goal scorers is tied with Seattle Sounders FC U-18 for the most in the division.
The ‘Caps will be a little shorthanded this week, as Bustos, Haynes, goalkeeper Marco Carducci, and midfielder Kianz Froese are away with the Canadian men’s U-20 squad, participating in a series of international friendlies. Residency graduate defender Sam Adekugbe captained the side in their first match on Wednesday, a come-from-behind 2-2 draw against England.
Head coach Niall Thompson isn’t looking at his missing players as a problem, but as an opportunity for others on the team to step up.
“With players missing, it’s time for guys to step in and perform to the level that the club expects,” Thompson said. “The guys we use this weekend might not have gotten too many minutes thus far, but now they’ve got an opportunity to come in and show us exactly what they’ve got.”
U-16
Like their U-18 counterparts, Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency (7W-1L-1D) are in good standing nine games into the season. The Blue and White sit atop the Northwest Division and are fifth in the overall USSDA standings.
The ‘Caps showed their versatility in their last set of outings against De Anza Force U-16 and Santa Cruz Breakers Academy U-16.
The Blue and White earned a 2-1 win over De Anza with a pair of early goals from winger Daniel Sagno, and some stout defending in the second half. Luciano Trasolini was excellent in net, making several key saves to preserve the three points against a relentless De Anza side.
After a close contest with De Anza, the ‘Caps put in a fine performance against Santa Cruz, scoring two goals in each half en route to the 4-0 win. Nick Apostol, Gloire Amanda, Georges Mukumbilwa, and Nathan Graziano did the damage for the ‘Caps in a dominant performance.
With a 3W-3L-3D record and sitting fifth in the Northwest Division, Juventus Sport Club U-16’s inaugural USSDA season has been hit-or-miss in terms of results. They’ve had some impressive performances, like a gutsy 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders FC U-16 on October 25, but they’ve also had some forgettable moments, like a 5-1 loss to De Anza on September 27.
Mirroring their U-18 side, San Jose Earthquakes U-16 (6W-2L-2D) sit right behind the ‘Caps in the Northwest Division standings. Outside of an eight goal outburst against Santa Cruz, San Jose’s offense has been averaging just 1.25 goals-per-game, so the majority of their wins have come on the strength of their backend. Not only have they blanked five opponents this season, San Jose have also only given up two goals in the past seven games.
Head coach Rich Fagan is preparing for a competitive weekend against a bit of an unknown in Juventus, and a familiar rival in San Jose.
“Juventus, we don’t know much about, as it’s their first season in the league,” said Fagan. “They’re sitting around the middle of the table, have had some success, but have had some struggles as well. So, even though we’re not entirely sure what to expect, all we can do is go out and do everything we can to have a good performance. San Jose is a dangerous opponent, they always are. They’re right behind us in the standings, and they’re going to be gunning for us, so we’ve got to be on point against them.”
