View source for Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23

{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2014}}
{{short description|Soccer team}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname    = Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23
| image       = 
| image_size  = 150px
| fullname    = Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23
| nickname    = The Caps
| founded     = 2005
| dissolved   = 2014
| stadium      = [[Thunderbird Stadium]]
| capacity    = 3,500
| chrtitle    = Owner
| chairman    = [[Greg Kerfoot]]
| mgrtitle    = Head Coach
| manager     = [[Nick Dasovic]]
| league      = [[Premier Development League]]
| season      = 
| position    = 
| current     = 
| website     =

| pattern_la1 = _WHITECAPS_11h
| pattern_b1  = _WHITECAPS_11h
| pattern_ra1 = _WHITECAPS_11h
| pattern_sh1 = _STRICON_ONWHITE
| pattern_so1 = _3_stripes_on_white
| leftarm1    = FFFFFF
| body1       = FFFFFF
| rightarm1   = FFFFFF
| shorts1     = 000030
| socks1      = 000030

| pattern_la2 = _WHITECAPS_11a 
| pattern_b2  = _WHITECAPS_11a
| pattern_ra2 = _WHITECAPS_11a
| pattern_sh2 = _STRICON_WHITE
| pattern_so2 = _3_stripes_white
| leftarm2    = FFFFFF
| body2       = FFFFFF
| rightarm2   = FFFFFF
| shorts2     = 000030
| socks2      = 000030
| }}
{{Vancouver Whitecaps FC sections}}

'''Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23''', formerly known as '''Whitecaps FC Reserves''', was a Canadian [[association football|soccer]] team based in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada. Although founded in 2005 as part of the development system for the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] [[USL First Division]] franchise, beginning in 2011 they became part of the development system for [[Major League Soccer]]'s [[Vancouver Whitecaps FC]]. The team played in the [[Premier Development League]] (PDL), the fourth tier of the [[American Soccer Pyramid]], in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.

The team played its home games at [[Thunderbird Stadium]].  The team's colours were blue and white.

==History==

===Pacific Coast Soccer League===
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 began their competitive life as '''Whitecaps FC Reserves''' in the [[Pacific Coast Soccer League]] in 2005, and were immediately competitive. As the official development team of the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)|Vancouver Whitecaps]] [[USL First Division]] club, they had the pick of the local youth soccer talent, and this translated to results on the field. They won the North Division title in their freshman season with a 10–2–4 record, finishing three points clear of second place [[Hibernian and Caledonian F.C.|Hibernian & Caledonian]]. However, they lost the championship title match against [[Victoria United (Canada)|Victoria United]], and had to be content with second place. [[Andrew Corrazza]] was Whitecaps' top scorer, tallying 15 goals for the season.

The PCSL reverted to a single-table format in 2006, but the change in structure did not distract the Whitecaps, who took their first league championship title with an 11–2–1 record, finishing four points clear of [[FK Pacific]] in second place and Vancouver Thunderbirds in third.

The team spent the 2007 season in hiatus, preparing for their PDL debut in 2008. In joining the PDL in 2008, the Whitecaps became the first team to make the PCSL to PDL jump.

===USL Premier Development League===
[[Image:Vancouver-Whitecaps-FC-Logo.svg|thumb|200px|right|Original logo of the USL-affiliated Whitecaps]]
Vancouver's first season in the PDL was an impressive one; they rattled off three wins out of the gate, including an impressive 4–1 victory over 2007 divisional champions [[BYU Cougars soccer|BYU Cougars]]. Their 4–0 loss to [[Tacoma Tide]] at the beginning of June would prove to be costly at the end of the season, but despite this slight stutter the Whitecaps continued to post impressive results. They outclassed local rivals [[Abbotsford Rangers]] 4–1, exacted revenge on Tacoma with a 5–1 thumping that included a hat-trick from striker [[Randy Edwini-Bonsu]], put another five past [[Cascade Surge]] in early July, and knocked off title contenders [[Yakima Reds]] 4–1 on the road. At this point the divisional title looked to be theirs for the taking, but two surprising defeats in their last three league games – 0–3 at [[Spokane Shadow]] and then 0–1 at [[Ogden Outlaws]] in the final game of the season – allowed Tacoma to pip them at the post and take the divisional title on goal difference. Nevertheless, Vancouver travelled to Fresno for the Western Conference playoffs, where they faced the [[San Fernando Valley Quakes]] in the semi-final, who they beat 3–1 in extra time, after scoring an equalizer with virtually the last kick of normal time thanks to [[Randy Edwini-Bonsu]]. They comfortably dispatched [[Tacoma Tide]] 4–1 to take the Western Conference title with another brace from Edwini-Bonsu, and travelled to Ontario to take on Central Conference champions [[Thunder Bay Chill]] for a place in the PDL Championship game. The first ever all-Canadian semi final went the way of the Chill, who scored a last minute winner to take the game 2–1 (and would eventually go on to win the national title). For the Whitecaps, however, it was a positive debut season in the PDL, and the future looks bright. The prolific [[Randy Edwini-Bonsu]] was top scorer for the season, with nine goals, while [[Gagandeep Dosanjh]] and [[Alex Semenets]] contributed 8 assists each.

Having lost many of their best players – including [[Luca Bellisomo]], [[Randy Edwini-Bonsu]], [[Ethan Gage]], [[Navid Mashinchi]], [[Dever Orgill]], [[Admir Salihovic]], [[Mason Trafford]] and [[Simon Thomas (soccer)|Simon Thomas]] – to the senior Whitecaps roster at the end of 2008, the Residency Class of 2009 did not fare as well in the PDL. Despite playing their first six regular season games at home at [[Simon Fraser University]], the Caps could only register two wins, a 2–1 win over fellow Canucks [[Abbotsford Mariners]], and an admittedly very impressive 6–0 hammering of [[Spokane Shadow]] in which [[Coulton Jackson]] scored twice. The bad run of form continued when they hit the road, losing four of their five trips around the Pacific Northwest, including a demoralizing 4–0 drubbing at the hands of eventual divisional champions [[Kitsap Pumas]] in mid-June. A late rally in July saw the Caps enjoy their only unbeaten streak of the season, a 4-game stand that included a 6–0 battering of the [[Yakima Reds]] thanks to goals from senior side loanees [[Randy Edwini-Bonsu]], [[Dever Orgill]] and [[Kenold Versailles]]. Unfortunately, a 4–0 loss to their local rivals [[Victoria Highlanders]] on the last day of the season left the Caps stuck mid-table in sixth place, out of the playoffs and with some re-building to do. [[Gagandeep Dosanjh]] was the team's top scorer with 4 goals, while [[Russell Teibert]] contributed 3 assists.

On November 21, 2014, the Whitecaps announced the formation on the [[Whitecaps FC 2]] [[United Soccer League]] team. The U23 team was disbanded and its staff was moved to the new team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitecapsfc.com/wfc2/2014/11/whitecaps-fc-launch-usl-pro-team-update-nsdc|title=Whitecaps FC launch USL PRO team, provide update on National Soccer Development Centre at UBC|publisher=Vancouver Whitecaps FC|date=November 21, 2014}}</ref>

==Players==
===Notable former players===
''This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.''

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* {{flagicon|MAR}} [[Mehdi Ballouchy]]
* {{flagicon|BOL}} [[Vicente Arze]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Tyler Baldock]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Luca Bellisomo]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Brandon Bonifacio]]
* {{flagicon|VIN}} [[Wesley Charles]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Gordon Chin]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Jeff Clarke (Canadian soccer)|Jeff Clarke]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Michael D'Agostino]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Srdjan Djekanovic]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Randy Edwini-Bonsu]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Ben Fisk-Routledge]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Ethan Gage]]
* {{flagicon|JAM}} Jhamie Hyde
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Callum Irving]]
* {{flagicon|VIN}} [[Marlon James (footballer)|Marlon James]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Diaz Kambere]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Stefan Leslie]]
* {{flagicon|IRN}} [[Navid Mashinchi]]
* {{flagicon|JAM}} [[Dever Orgill]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} Dan Pelc
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Kyle Porter]]
* {{flagicon|BIH}} [[Admir Salihovic]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Alex Semenets]]
* {{flagicon|JAM}} [[Keithy Simpson]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Adam Straith]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Simon Thomas (soccer)|Simon Thomas]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Russell Teibert]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Mason Trafford]]
* {{flagicon|HAI}} [[Kenold Versailles]]
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Mason Webb]]
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Nick Webb (soccer)|Nick Webb]]
{{div col end}}

==Year-by-year==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Division
!League
!Regular Season
!Playoffs
!Open Canada Cup
|-
|1995
|4
|[[Pacific Coast Soccer League|PCSL]]
|3rd
|
|N/A
|-
|1996
|4
|[[Pacific Coast Soccer League|PCSL]]
|5th
|
|N/A
|-
|2005
|4
|[[Pacific Coast Soccer League|PCSL]]
|bgcolor="B3B7FF"|1st, North
|Finalist
|''did not participate''
|-
|2006
|4
|[[Pacific Coast Soccer League|PCSL]]
|bgcolor="FFEBAD"|1st
|
|''did not participate''
|-
|2007
|rowspan=1 colspan=6 align=center|'''''On Hiatus'''''
|-
|2008
|4
|USL PDL
|2nd, Northwest
|National Semifinals
|N/A
|-
|2009
|4
|USL PDL
|6th, Northwest
|''did not qualify''
|N/A
|-
|2010
|4
|USL PDL
|6th, Northwest
|''did not qualify''
|N/A
|-
|2011
|4
|USL PDL
|3rd, Northwest
|''did not qualify''
|N/A
|-
|2012
|4
|USL PDL
|5th, Northwest
|''did not qualify''
|N/A
|-
|[[2013 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season#U23/PDL Season|2013]]
|4
|USL PDL
|3rd, Northwest
|Divisional Playoffs
|N/A
|-
|[[2014 Vancouver Whitecaps FC season#U23/PDL Season|2014]]
|4
|USL PDL
|3rd, Northwest
|Conference Semifinals
|N/A
|}

==Honours==
* USL PDL Western Conference Champions 2008
* '''PCSL Champions 2006'''
* PCSL North Division Champions 2006
* [[Juan de Fuca Plate (soccer)|2012 Juan de Fuca Plate Champions]]
* [[Juan de Fuca Plate (soccer)|2013 Juan de Fuca Plate Champions]]

==Head coaches==
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Thomas Niendorf]] (2008–2009)
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Colin Miller (soccer, born 1964)|Colin Miller]] (2010)
* {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Craig Dalrymple]] (2010, 2012)
* {{flagicon|NED}} [[Richard Grootscholten]] (2010–2012)
* {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Stuart Neely]] (2013)
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Niall Thompson (soccer, born 1974)|Niall Thompson]] (2014)

==Stadiums==
* [[Percy Perry Stadium]]; [[Coquitlam]], [[British Columbia]] (2006)
* [[Terry Fox Field]] at [[Simon Fraser University]]; [[Burnaby]], [[British Columbia]] (2008–2011)
* [[Swangard Stadium]]; [[Burnaby]], [[British Columbia]] (2010, 2012)
* [[Empire Field]]; [[Vancouver, British Columbia]] (2011)
* [[Hugh Boyd Stadium]]; [[Vancouver, British Columbia]] (2011) 1 game
* [[Thunderbird Stadium]]; [[Vancouver, British Columbia]] (2013)

==Average attendance==
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.

* 2008: 96
* 2009: 79
* 2010: 129
* 2011: 254
* 2012: 108
* 2013: 81
* 2014: 95

==See also==
* [[Reserve team|Reserve team football]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Vancouver Whitecaps}}
{{Major League Soccer academies}}
{{PDL Northwest}}
{{Soccer in Canada}}
{{British Columbia Sports}}
{{Vancouver Sports}}

[[Category:Association football clubs established in 2005]]
[[Category:Vancouver Whitecaps|Res]]
[[Category:Canadian reserve soccer teams]]
[[Category:United Soccer League teams based in Canada]]
[[Category:2005 establishments in British Columbia]]
[[Category:2014 disestablishments in British Columbia]]
[[Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 2014]]