(March 15, 2018) 168 Provincial Team players, coaches and athletic therapists made the trip to Vancouver early Saturday morning to kick off what is expected to be a unique opportunity at the Vancouver Whitecaps Combine. The tone was set early as all teams had the opportunity to practice with Whitecaps FC Academy Coaching staff.

With players settled into their surroundings, Day 2 offered a chance for further interaction with Whitecaps FC Academy staff and for some teams, games against our provincial counterparts from Eastern Canada.

U13 South Boys

The Goalkeepers had an opportunity to hear from Whitecaps FC Goalkeeper Coach Mike Norris. The boys went through two different training sessions during the day in order to prepare for their upcoming match against Team Ontario. Whitecaps Staff coaches were on hand to observe the technical and tactical qualities of the boys at their sessions.

U13 North Boys

The boys started off their week with some excitement as they had the opportunity right off the bat to train with Whitecaps FC coaches with a focus on possession, field awareness and decision making. Their first match would see them face Team Nova Scotia on Monday.

U13 South Girls

Day 2 was a training day for this young team from Southern Alberta. Training was focused on effectively moving the ball across the field, set pieces and team shape. The girls had a chance at the end of the day to present on why they play the game, their expectations for the week and their approach to their first game which would take place Monday against Team BC.

U13 North Girls

The girls had to jump right into a match environment as they faced off against the PEI/Newfoundland U14 Girls. The result was a 1-0 win on a goal from Amelia Edmonds. The girls played the ball around well and demonstrated their supportive team culture as they committed to working for each other on the field. The players had an opportunity to understand how to improve their performance using match observations with a practice day on Monday.

U14 South Boys

The boys also had the opportunity to participate in the Goalkeeper session with the 13 Boys. Following that, they had the opportunity to train with Whitecaps FC Coach Martin Herdman. The session worked on exploiting attacking numbers up situation. After training with the U13 Boys in the afternoon, the boys had an opportunity to meet and prepare for their game against Team BC on Monday.

U14 North Boys

Day 2 consisted of a game day for the boys against Team Nova Scotia. The boys were able to put six goals past their Eastern opponents and showed relentlessness in defense. Goal scorers included Felix Mutuyemungu and Michel Dieu-Merci with two apiece and Ali Yildiz as well as Joshua Ndakala each with one.

U14 South Girls

The girls had the opportunity to train with Whitecaps FC Coaches on Day 2 with a focus on possession, field awareness and decision making. Of note has been their conduct on and off the field which has shown incredible maturity. Their first match would come on Day 3 against Team BC.

U14 North Girls

The girls faced off against Team Nova Scotia on Sunday and with a solid team performance including defending well as a team and attacking as a unit, the girls were able to secure a 1-0 win off of an early goal from Jyla Erandio. Their training session on Monday would focus on link up play, movement off of the ball and defending pressure.

Stay tuned for Day 3 and 4 Updates coming soon!