BURNABY, BC – Under a bright, sunny sky, Whitecaps FC 2 concluded their 2026 MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a closely contested 2-0 defeat to San Jose Earthquakes II at Swangard Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
On a bright note, WFC2 left back Micaah Garnette kept his ironman streak intact. The 26-year-old defender and St. Kitts & Nevis international finished the regular season as the league's leader in minutes played, accumulating a remarkable 2,520 minutes for the young ’Caps.
For the season finale, WFC2 head coach Rich Fagan once again turned to goalkeeper Sam Rogers for his 17th MLS NEXT Pro start. The 17-year-old academy goalkeeper recently signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract to continue with Whitecaps FC 2 through the 2027-28 season.
Early on, Rogers was imperious in his own box. He keenly challenged three corner kicks from Earthquakes II midfielder Kaedren Spivey.
WFC2 centre back Sebastián Ramírez was active as well. The first team defender, on loan from Colombian side Fortaleza CEIF, impressively sprinted back to deflect dangerous crosses and stop numerous San Jose attackers from gaining any sort of rhythm in the final third.
Earthquakes II did strike first just before halftime, as Jacob Heisner's aerial ball in behind dipped into the path of striker Luka Jovanović. As he made his way into the box, Jovanović tapped on the brakes before laying off the ball for Zachary Bohane, who saw his 15-yard attempt swerve over a sliding Rogers for a 1-0 lead at the break.
After play resumed, Rogers once again came up big. At the near post, the young goalkeeper went airborne for a spectacular outstretched parry that denied Heisner's effort.
However, Heisner found an opening in the 58th minute. Edwyn Mendoza's corner kick pinballed in the area before Heisner tapped in from point-blank range.
Ten minutes from time, WFC2 midfielder Hunter MacGowan made his professional debut. The 16-year-old had previously laced up for Whitecaps FC BMO Academy. The youngster came close to finding the net as his effort from the top of the box was cleared off the line by a jumping clearance from a San Jose defender.
The final whistle blew in the 93rd minute, putting a close to WFC2's fifth season in MLS NEXT Pro. The young 'Caps will continue training at the National Soccer Development Centre at UBC over the coming weeks and support the first team with training sessions as the MLS regular season nears its close.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Amer Ramic
\\Scoring Summary
\\43’ – SJ – Zachary Bohane (Luka Jovanović, Jacob Heisner)
58’ – SJ – Jacob Heisner
Cautions
36’ – SJ – Rohan Rajagopal
61’ – SJ – Martin Kwende Jr.
88’ – SJ – Luka Jovanović
Statistics
Possession: VAN 50% – SJ 50%
Shots: VAN 5 – SJ 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 1 – SJ 5
Saves: VAN 3 – SJ 1
Fouls: VAN 13 – SJ 13
Offsides: VAN 3 – SJ 5
Corners: VAN 7 – SJ 9
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
60.Sam Rogers; 53.Immanuel Mathe; 15.Sebastián Ramírez, 43.Trevor Wright ©, 48.Micaah Garnette; 49.Valter Sedin, 71.Manav Badwal (73.Hunter MacGowan 83’) ; 63.Johnny Selemani, 68.Yuma Tsuji, 41.Nikola Djordjevic; 64.Tyler Brown (57.Jayden Kim 65’)
Substitutes not used
90.Marko Kos, 51.Kevin Podgorni, 56.Liam Campagna, 58.Jesse Peace
San Jose Earthquakes II
30.Nathan Crockford; 73.Jacob Heisner, 66.Alejandro Cano, 25.Max Floriani, 99.Shane de Flores (70.Tomo Allen 76’); 35.Rohan Rajagopal, 29.Kaedren Spivey (58.Gabriel Bracken Serra 76’), 38.Edwyn Mendoza; 97.Warren Boyce (74.Martin Kwende Jr. HT), 9.Luka Jovanović (71.Niklas Dossman 90’), 90.Zachary Bohane
Substitutes not used
91.Connor Lambe, 50.Jorge Torres, 77.Jermaine Spivey
