Vancouver Whitecaps 2 currently occupy 14th spot in the Western Conference table, with 23 points from 28 games. Rising are in 6th, with 43 from 26.
Vancouver’s home form reflects their place in the table – the team has lost twice as many games at Thunderbird Stadium as they’ve won. (W3, D4, L6).
The two sides met at Rising Soccer Complex on June 10th. Didier Drogba gave Phoenix the lead on his debut, before Marco Bustos equalised from the penalty spot. Drogba then set up Shaun Wright-Phillips, who secured a 2-1 win for Rising in the 77th minute.
Vancouver has scored only 28 goals all season, tied with Los Dos and ahead of only Portland in the Western Conference. The team score most often in the second half.
Marco Bustos is the leading scorer for Whitecaps 2. The 19-year-old, who has been capped by the Canadian national team, has scored a total of 8 goals in his 17 appearances. One of Vancouver’s key playmakers in midfield is David Norman, who is in his first season with Whitecaps 2, after making his way up through their academy.
Whitecaps 2 has conceded a total of 42 goals this season, less than 5 other Western Conference sides. They have recorded a total of 5 clean sheets this season.
They seem to concede goals at a similar rate during all stages of the game. The exception to this is the last 15 minutes of the game, where they concede less. This suggests that the side is fitter than most of their rivals.
