Development versus success. For any club there is always an internal debate at some point in the season whether a club should focus on winning trophies or whether the long-term future is more important. For club’s tied to top division club’s that line is even more tenuous.
But there are clubs that can somehow do both. Case in point: Whitecaps FC 2 (12-9-9, 49 points) in 2016. A side in just their second season the junior Caps team thrived spending most of their season at or near the top of the USL Western Conference. Their good run of form did not end in the regular season though as the club defeated both the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and the Oklahoma City Energy before falling to Swope Park Rangers in the Western Conference Finals.
There are two things that Whitecaps FC 2 proved in 2016. First that the club can produce and develop players for the senior side. Alphonso Davies certainly grabbed the attention of supporters for both his performance with Whitecaps 2 in 2016, but also for his potential. But so too did Kyle Greig and Spencer Richey, both of whom signed contracts with the senior side after quality seasons in the USL.
Second, the side proved that although there may be a 2 at the end of their name that this is no reserve league team. Although it will be interesting to see how the club copes with the loss of coach Alan Koch, expectations will be high for this club, irregardless of whether or not they produce another blue chip prospect. Either way the supporters at Thunderbird Stadium will certainly be watching.
Until then, please enjoy some of our best photos from Whitecaps FC 2’s 2016 season courtesy of Gerrit te Hennepe.
