BURNABY, BC – Whitecaps FC 2 offered fans a warm welcome home in their home opener with a thrilling 1-1 draw against Portland Timbers 2, before WFC2 added the extra point in the ensuing penalty shootout.
In the first 30 seconds, WFC2 goalkeeper Alexander Milošević eagerly began his first start of 2025. He dove across the goal mouth to punch away Daniel Nunez’s dangerous effort from outside the box.
Later, Milošević also confidently parried away a 25-yard hit from Alex Moreno.
At the other end, the Blue and White strung together two excellent chances within the opening 10 minutes. Effective long passes led to Mateo Clark’s speedy burst down the right wing, as he turned a pair of Portland defenders inside out with a stutter step, but goalkeeper Lukas Burns rose to the occasion.
WFC2 forward Cyprian Kachwele, also in his first start of the year, got in behind the Timbers2 backline after a through ball from midfielder Jackson Castro. Kachwele was one-on-one with Burns but failed to put his effort past the onrushing keeper, who made a smart save to deny the forward.
After the half-hour mark, Kachwele got on the end of a loose ball at the top of the WFC2 box and then sprinted forward with the ball on the break. The Tanzanian international ran the length of the field to the Timbers2 box and booted a low cross for an onrushing Nelson Pierre, who saw his half-volley go skyward.
That rush got the Swangard crowd on their feet. Pierre had another golden opportunity before halftime, as he tried to juke Burns who came out to challenge and the keeper bravely won the battle.
In the second half, the Kachwele highlight reel continued as he spun and put an 18-yard strike directly towards Burns.
Midway through the second half, Nelson once again had a glorious chance, seeing his half-volley smash from in close once again saved by Burns.
Timbers2 continued to push forward and were rewarded six minutes from time. Substitute Reo Griffiths deflected home a rebound from the goal mouth for a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after, WFC2 head coach Ricardo Clark sent fullback Nikola Djordjevic onto the pitch for his professional and WFC2 debut. The 22-year-old draft pick offered immediate dividends.
On the stroke of the 89th minute, Djordjevic recorded his first professional assist with a looping cross that connected with Nelson Pierre, who smashed in a powerful header and third goal of the season to send the Swangard faithful into a frenzy. The goal meant the winner of the match would be decided via a shootout.
All WFC2 players were successful from the spot through the first four rounds. Then came the fifth round, WFC2 goalkeeper Milošević slid to kick out Griffiths’s attempt to put all the pressure on Timbers2.
WFC2 midfielder Jackson Castro stepped up and made no mistake as he cooly slotted the shootout winner into the left-hand corner for the extra point.
Next up, WFC2 heads down the I-5 for a Cascadia clash against Tacoma Defiance at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington on Sunday, April 6. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT.
The White and Blue returns home on the Easter weekend to take on Austin FC II on Saturday, April 19. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Swangard Stadium. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Nico Jecanski
Scoring Summary
84’– POR – Reo Griffiths (Kyle Linhares)
89’ – VAN – Nelson Pierre (Nikola Djordjevic)
Shootout
POR – Scored – Blake Pope
VAN – Scored – Mark O’Neill
POR – Scored – Malcolm Johnston
VAN – Scored – Nelson Pierre
POR – Scored – Eric Izoita
VAN – Scored – Cyprian Kachwele
POR – Scored – Kyle Linhares
VAN – Scored – Mateo Clark
POR – Missed – Reo Griffiths
VAN – Scored – Jackson Castro
Cautions
61’ – POR – Kai Carlson
71’ – VAN – Mark O’Neill
Statistics
Possession: VAN 41% - POR 59%
Shots: VAN 27 - POR 15
Shots on goal: VAN 8 - POR 6
Saves: VAN 7 - POR 5
Fouls: VAN 3 - POR 11
Offsides: VAN 0 - POR 0
Corners: VAN 6 - POR 6
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
60.Alexander Milošević; 62.Luca Chen (61.Kyler Vojvodic 89’), 51.Dembo Saidykhan, 53.Mark O’Neill ©, 46.Deylen Vellios; 68.Yuma Tsuji, 44.Jackson Castro; 42.Nelson Pierre, 63.Johnny Selemani (41.Nikola Djordjevic 75’); 64.Mateo Clark, 55.Cyprian Kachwele
Substitutes not used
70.Trystan Read, 57.Ryder Sewell, 61.Kyler Vojvodic, 71.Carson Rassak, 74.Charlie Rogers
Portland Timbers 2
91.Lukas Burns; 79.Kai Carlson (57.Bryce Vanvoorhis 67’), 44.Alex Bamford, 55.Malcolm Johnston ©, 45.Blake Pope; 42.Alex Moreno (46.Victor Velazquez 59’), 63.Daniel Nunez (67.Hudson Tate 83’), 73.Eric Izoita; 77.Kyle Linhares, 88.Gage Guerra (90.Reo Griffiths 67’), 47.Mataeo Bunbury (84.Max Eisenberg 59’)
Substitute not used
98.Maximilian Deisenhofer
