Whitecaps Residency Off To Spain
October 29, 2009 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency, an elite youth player program, will embark on a trip to Madrid, Spain, from November 1 to November 15. The two-week trip will include four friendly matches against the U-18 teams from some of Spanish and European soccer's top professional clubs.
Thomas Niendorf's side will begin their schedule of friendly matches in the Spanish capital on Wednesday, November 4, when they take on Club Atlético de Madrid. The following day, Whitecaps Residency will face Getafe Club de Fútbol. The third friendly match of the trip takes place on Remembrance Day (Wednesday, November 11), as the Residency team meets Spanish and European giants Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. They will conclude their friendly schedule the next day when they take on Rayo Vallecano de Madrid.
The first teams of Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, and Getafe all play in Spain's top-flight Primera División (First Division), while Rayo Vallecano's first team play in Spain's Segunda División (Second Division). Real Madrid are one of soccer's most decorated clubs, having won the Spanish league title a record 31 times and the European Cup/UEFA Champions League crown a record nine times.
For Niendorf, the trip to Madrid is a chance to give his new-look Residency squad their first test in a top soccer environment. "We've just started a new two-year cycle in our Residency program that involves players born in 1992 and 1993," said Niendorf. "What we look to do at the start of a new cycle is to schedule a trip where we introduce the players to the standards that they need to achieve in the work they do with us. The trip to Spain will allow these players to see, with their own eyes, the requirements that are needed for earning professional career opportunities in soccer. By playing top U-18 programs of professional clubs in Spain, and having the chance to watch games of professional and national teams first-hand, the players will hopefully get a very good idea of the standards they need to achieve."
The two-week trip will also aim to familiarize the current Residency group to the style of play in Spanish soccer. "Having focused over the last two years with integrating players into clubs in Germany, we felt this time that this would be a very good opportunity to look at the Spanish approach to the game, especially when it comes to the quality of ball possession," said Niendorf. "One of our main priorities is to improve the technical abilities of the players, and we feel that the Spanish environment will give us some very good motivation and inspiration to achieve this, as Spanish teams play with a lot of flair. We feel the players' creative part of the game needs improving over the next two years, so we hope this trip will play a role in that aspect of their development."
This will be the Residency team's third autumn/winter season trip since the program began back in 2007. The squad first travelled to Germany in October 2007, while last December, the team spent a highly successful 12 days in the Far East nation of Japan. The program has also made further trips to Germany in the springs of 2008 and 2009 and participated in the prestigious Dallas Cup tournament in 2008 and 2009. At Dallas Cup XXX last April, the Residency team finished runners-up behind champions Sao Paulo FC of Brazil in the U-19 Super Group.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency is based out of the Whitecaps Training Centre at Simon Fraser University, with a number of the players attending Burnaby Central Secondary School. The team plays in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League.
The elite youth program - for players from U-17 to U-19 - provides a development gateway through to professional opportunities with the Whitecaps men's team and European clubs. The program uses the European club model of identification, development, and placement.
Whitecaps Residency and the Whitecaps youth prospects programs are committed to cooperation and communication with the provincial and Canadian national team programs. Each player's professional commitments, education, club, and national or provincial team responsibilities are carefully considered and coordinated for optimal periodization.
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- Whitecaps Residency Off To Spain - Vancouver Whitecaps
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
