BURNABY, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 made it three consecutive wins on Thursday night as they claimed a 2-0 victory over LAFC II at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC.
WFC2, who hadn't been in action since May 28, showed no rust under a cloudy sky. As fans still streamed into Swangard Stadium, the Blue and White struck for glory in the fifth minute.
Off an Antoine Coupland corner, centre back Mark O’Neill stood near the far post. He put all of his six-foot-one frame into a leap to make space between defenders. Just as the 23-year-old came back down to earth, he alertly angled his right boot for a sublime tap-in past goalkeeper Cabral Carter, collecting his third goal of the season for a 1-0 lead.
Midway through the first half, Coupland continued to display his work ethic. A through ball sprung the speedy Chelsea, Quebec native on LAFC II’s side of the centre circle for a possible breakaway, until backtracking forward Sebastian Nava dragged Coupland down. Nava was shown a red card, bringing the away side down to 10 men.
On the other side of the circle, O’Neill and his back line corps showed their commitment to disciplined defending. Goalkeeper Adrían Zendejas faced only one shot on target before halftime.
After play restarted, the defensive mastery continued. WFC2 midfielder Jackson Castro received high-fives from teammates after he bravely blocked Tommy Mihalić's 18-yard attempt.
Then, Castro switched roles to set-up man. A deft cross from the right wing connected with an onrushing Yuma Tsuji. His one-touch smash from the top of the box streaked into the top corner for 2-0 to secure the victory for the young 'Caps.
Up next, the young ’Caps continue their Swangard homestand this Saturday, June 21 against North Texas SC, with kickoff at 4 p.m. PT. Tickets are available at https://www.whitecapsfc.com/tickets/.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Mo Mohseni
Scoring Summary
5’ – VAN – Mark O’Neill (Antoine Coupland)
72’ – VAN – Yuma Tsuji (Jackson Castro)
Cautions
10’ – LAFC – Tommy Mihalić
32’ – LAFC – Érick Díaz
58’ – VAN – Daniel Russo
83’ – VAN – Deylen Vellios
Ejection
23’ – LAFC – Sebastian Nava
Statistics
Possession: VAN 43% – LAFC 57%
Shots: VAN 16 – LAFC 8
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – LAFC 3
Saves: VAN 3 – LAFC 5
Fouls: VAN 12 – LAFC 11
Offsides: VAN 1 – LAFC 2
Corners: VAN 8 – LAFC 2
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
30.Adrían Zendejas ©; 46.Deylen Vellios, 48.Adrián Pelayo, 53.Mark O’Neill, 54.Daniel Russo; 68.Yuma Tsuji (62.Luca Chen 90’), 44.Jackson Castro; 41.Nikola Djordjevic (66.Sahil Deo 78’), 43.Antoine Coupland (65.Francesco Troisi 86’); 42.Nelson Pierre, 64.Mateo Clark
Substitutes not used
60.Alexander Milošević, 71.Carson Rassak
Los Angeles Football Club 2
31.Cabral Carter; 62.Joshua Santiago (72.Carlos Diaz 79’), 45.Kenneth Neilsen, 44.Christian Díaz, 55. Érick Díaz; 40.Sebastian Nava, 66.Bryan Moyado (48.Gavin Zambrano 73’), 43.Adam Saldana (46.DeCarlo Guerra 79’); 37.Kairo Walters (71.James Arteaga 73’), 47.Marius Aiyenero (59.James Lane, 79’), 90.Tommy Mihalić
Substitutes not used
41.Ethan Scally, 59.James Lane, 65.Adrian Sanders, 88.Adrián Aguilar
