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While the Vancouver Whitecaps battled back to tie with the Portland Timbers 1-1 in MLS action over the weekend, there was no such comeback in store for WFC2 in the USL Pro League. WFC2 fell to Portland's USL team, Timbers 2, by a final score of 4-2.
Veteran Robert Earnshaw was given the Captain's armband, and he certainly earned it, opening the scoring with a penalty kick goal in the 8th minute. According to WFC2.com, it was Earnshaw's third goal against Cascadia opponents in 2015, both in MLS and USL.
The lead would only last roughly 10 minutes, as Kharlton Belmar tied the match up with a beautiful header in the 18th minute. The Timbers 2 would take the lead in the 29th minute, when Ghanian Fatawu Safiu slotted home a corner strike to make it 2-1.
In the second half, the Whitecaps watched the match slip further out of their grasp with some sloppy defensive play. The Timbers were given three chances to score in the 52nd minute; First, a strike from Blair Gavin hit the crossbar, and a follow-up shot from the Timbers was cleared by Debyi Flores. The Timbers kept pushing, and George Fochive would beat Paulo Tornaghi to make it 3-1.
Kianz Froese would make it 3-2 with a beautiful strike in the 78th minute, but Blair Gavin finished off a 3 on 1 to put the match at 4-2, and out of reach for the visitors.
While the Whitecaps had obvious lapses of concentration during the match, they have nothing to be ashamed about. The first year USL club continues to grow, and is showing a good level of compete everytime they take the pitch.
Proud to say we started 4 teenagers in a professional match again tonight. #WFC2 Great experience for our @WhitecapsFC young players!
— Alan Koch (@AlanKochYVR) July 20, 2015
With the loss, WFC2 falls to 6-9-5 on the year, which puts them just one point back of a playoff spot. Simply put, it's time to forget the match, move forward, and get ready for Tulsa this weekend.
XI:70.Tornaghi;55.Serban,58.Seymore,18.Rodriguez,27.Sampson; 30.McKendry,20.Flores;32.Bustos,88.Earnshaw,38.Froese;19.Hurtado