Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson was true to his pre-match word and went with a young starting lineup against Toronto FC, fielding a team with an average age of just 22.11 years old for the two teams' clash in Amway Canadian Championship semifinals.
Robinson's young side repaid his faith in them, battling to a 2-1 first leg defeat as Kekuta Manneh's stoppage time away goal gave Whitecaps FC a real chance of advancing to the final in next week's return leg in Vancouver.
<a href="//www.youtube.com/embed/Sfb2OUNem7I?rel=0"></a> |
<b>Highlights: Toronto FC 2-1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC</b> |
"I'm so proud of the young guys in there and based on the second half performance we deserve to still be in the tie by just being a goal down," Robinson told Vancouver's TEAM 1410 radio after the match.
"That's credit to the young boys in there, but it's credit to us a group because we have a never say die attitude. Two down with two minutes to go, we could easily say we'll shut down shop or whatever and lose 2-0 but we kept going and I think we got our deserved reward in the end."
Following a run of three straight defeats, Toronto decided to go with eight of their starters from Saturday's home loss to New England, including all three of their Designated Players (Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe and Gilberto), all of whom played the full 90 minutes.
There were a lot of disparities in terms of age and experience between the lineups the two coaches chose to field, making for something of a David-and-Goliath cup match between two teams who play in a parity-friendly league.
One of the biggest was between 17-year-old Whitecaps FC Residency product Marco Carducci, and the DPs he was trying to keep off the scoresheet. The game marked the young goalkeeper's professional debut and although he let in a goal from two of those players on the night, it was an occasion Robinson felt was key to the two-time Canadian U-17 Player of the Year's continued development.
"Marco, to come in to an environment like this, is never easy at the best of times," Robinson noted. "After the first three or four minutes I thought he was a little bit hesitant and I said to him just go out and enjoy it. They put him under pressure. They were playing a lot of straight balls, they're a big team. They tried to bombard him and I think he handled it well. Second half, I thought he looked awesome."
Carducci was one of three players born in 1996 to start for Vancouver, alongside Residency midfielders Marco Bustos and Kianz Froese. The trio was in turn part of a group of five Canadians who started the game for Vancouver, with a further three on the bench from their Residency set-up.
All three teenagers have played together for a couple of years for the 'Caps in the youth ranks and were part of Canada's team at last year's FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Bustos and Froese have been pushing hard to follow Carducci onto a MLS Homegrown contract and their play in the match didn't do their chances any harm at all.
"If they continue going in the right direction, they continue to get their opportunity and they play like they did today then not only Vancouver Whitecaps FC but Canadian football is in good hands."
It’s not too late to participate in the best sporting experience in Vancouver. Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including half-season tickets ($244), 5-packs ($149), student season tickets ($199), and a youth soccer half-season ticket ($100). Single-match tickets start at $22, subject to applicable fees. For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
