EVERETT — The North Sound SeaWolves won’t be playing a Major League Soccer team this year.
That challenge goes to the Kitsap Pumas, who earned the right to represent the Premier Development League Northwest Division in the U.S. Open Cup and now have a third-round matchup Tuesday against two
-time defending Cup champ Seattle Sounders.
But the SeaWolves will get a small taste of the MLS when it plays host to the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency team at 5 p.m. today at Goddard Stadium.
The Whitecaps are essentially a developmental club of the expansion MLS Whitecaps and feature several players who have seen time with the senior club’s reserve squad or have experience in Europe or at the international level.
Yet despite some impressive talent, Vancouver and North Sound are on nearly even ground when it comes to the Northwest Division. The Whitecaps (4-2-2) are tied with Victoria for third place in the league standings with 14 points after last weekend’s surprising home loss to last-place Washington.
The SeaWolves, meanwhile, recovered from a disappointing home loss to Abbotsford by beating Tacoma on the road Wednesday. That improved fifth-place North Sound to 3-3-2, giving it 12 points and keeping it within comfortable distance of second-place Portland (16 points). The top two teams in the league — Kitsap is well in front with 25 points — qualify for the playoffs.
A win today would move North Sound into fourth place. Victoria has a chance to put some distance between itself and the rest with home games against Abbotsford today and Tacoma Sunday, while Portland plays Washington today. That makes a strong result for the SeaWolves today essential.
It won’t be easy, though. While Vancouver doesn’t have any clear star, it does have some very solid players.
Forward Caleb Clarke, who has two goals, played with the Whitecaps Reserve team earlier this season and spent eight months training with Udinese of Italy’s Serie A. Cornelius Stewart also played for the Whitecaps Reserves this season and played for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Ben McKendry has trained with New Zealand’s U-20 National Team, Alex Rowley trained with Hibernian of the Scottish Premier League and Tim Hickson had a one-month trial with English Premier League club Middlesbrough. Defender La’Vere Corbin-Ong also has time with the Whitecaps’ Reserves this season and forward Benjamin Fisk Routledge has two goals and two assists.
In part because of the loss to Abbotsford and in part because of a suspension of defender Craig Tomlinson due to yellow card accumulation, SeaWolves coach Alex Silva shuffled his lineup in the win over Tacoma. Defenders Zach Hammond and Kainoa Owens earned starts, as did Drew Williams, and it clearly worked, with Hammond scoring a goal on a header. Silva may ride that hot hand in today’s game while relying on the continued strong play of midfielder Marshall Kosaka, who has five goals and three assists, and forward Brady Ballew, who has two goals. Keeper Claudio Lazar ranks ninth in the PDL with 42 saves though Liviu Bird also saw action in the Tacoma win.
Today is the final home game for North Sound before it heads out on the road for three-straight games against Kitsap, Washington and Victoria before heading home on July 13 to meet Kitsap.
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