OAK PARK, CA- Another day, another set of wins for Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency, as both the ‘Caps U-18 and U-16 squads won their respective clashes with Real So Cal. With the victories, both squads still remain undefeated six matches into the 2013-14 United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) campaign.
U-18
Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency (6W-0L-0D) were full value in their 3-2 win over Real So Cal U-18 (5W-2L-1D). Midfielder Ali Musse opened the scoring for the ‘Caps, and Marco Bustos bagged a brace to get the Blue and White a win over the Southwest Division-leading So Cal.
The first half was a rollercoaster, and Musse started the ‘Caps off with a high, as he found himself with a bit of space from 20 yards out and delivered a great strike past the So Cal keeper, putting the Blue and White up 1-0 in the 12th minute.
After Real So Cal responded with a goal of their own in the 20th minute, Bustos restored the ‘Caps lead at the 29-minute mark on a penalty. The attacking midfielder stepped up to the spot and cooly put the ball past the keeper for a 2-1 lead.
After Real So Cal evened up the score again in the 40th minute, both sides went into the half deadlocked at 2-2.
Coming out of the break, the ‘Caps were flying. While they created several scoring opportunities of their own, the ‘Caps did concede a few. However, Marco Carducci stood tall in the Blue and White goal.
Finally, with just 10 minutes left in the contest, Kianz Froese made a phenomenal run in transition and put the ball at Bustos’ feet in scoring range. The captain made no mistake, picking up his second goal of the game and 11th of the season, and sealed the result for the Blue and White.
“Overall, it was a good performance from a physical side who capitalizes on set pieces,” said head coach Niall Thompson. ”We refocused after the tying goal, we outplayed them from then on and Marco Carducci came up big with some excellent saves.“
Scoring Summary
12’ – VAN – Ali Musse
20’ – RSC
29’ – VAN – Marco Bustos (penalty kick)
40’ – RSC
80’ – VAN – Marco Bustos (Kianz Froese)
Vancouver Whitetcaps FC U-18
1.Marco Carducci; 17.Jeevin Kang, 5.Vaggeli Boucas, 2.Andre Baires, 11. Jordan Haynes; 24.Vana Markarian (7.Haden Simmonds-O’Grady 45’), 15.Drake Rendle (39.Josh Cuthbert 66’); 19.Kianz Froese, 10.Marco Bustos, 8.Ali Musse; 9.Dario Zanatta (12.William Grayson 76’)
U-16
Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency (5W-0L-1D) were excellent from start to finish on Saturday, dictating both the flow of play and the scoreboard en route to a 4-1 win over Real So Cal U-16 (5W-2L-1D).
After Thomas Gardner and Terran Campbell got the ball rolling for the Blue and White with two first-half goals, Duwayne Ewart posted a brace in the second half to ensure Vancouver’s fifth win of the season.
Like their U-18 counterparts, the ‘Caps U-16 side got out to a fast start, as Gardner drew first blood with a blast from 25 yards out. Gardner showed nice touch on the ball, labelling it to the top left-hand corner and putting the ‘Caps up 1-0 in the 13th minute.
Following a quick response by Real So Cal to equalize just four minutes later, the ‘Caps pressed hard and regained their lead in the 29th minute. From around the same distance as Gardner`s tally, Campbell struck a brilliant free kick, putting it over the wall and into the left side of the net.
From that point onward, the ‘Caps piled it on.
Ewart added to the Blue and White lead coming out of the break. At 48 minutes, Ewart collected the ball just inside the So Cal half, beat four guys with some quick footwork and fired home a ball from the top of the box.
However, the Scarborough, ON native wasn’t finished there, as Ewart added another goal in the 65th minute to secure the victory for Whitecaps FC.
“I’m really pleased with the overall game,” said head coach Rich Fagan after the contest. “We had talked about having a large territorial advantage, winning the ball back as high up the field as possible, and trying to keep possession in their end, and we did that. Defensively, we were sound, getting set quickly and getting our lines right. Overall, I’m just pleased with the team’s effort and performance.”
Scoring Summary
13’ – VAN – Thomas Gardner
17’ – RSC
29’ – VAN – Terran Campbell
48’ – VAN - Duwayne Ewart
65’ – VAN – Duwayne Ewart
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-16
42.Luciano Trasolini; 32.Kadin Chung, Jonas Hakkinen, 4.Matthew Baldisimo, 48.Terrell Smith (37.Nick Apostol 45’); 45.Munir Saleh, 13.David Norman, 28.Thomas Gardner (38.Noah Verhoeven 45’); 27.Daniel Sagno (36.Cole Morokhovich 56’), 14.Terran Campbell (44.Nathan Graziano 65’), 41.Duwayne Ewart
