Vancouver Whitecaps U18s kept on track for back to back "Finals Week" appearances in the USSDA playoffs in Dallas on Tuesday evening, with a 5-2 victory over Houston Dynamo Academy.
The Whitecaps made it six points from six in their two group games and now only need a draw in Thursday morning's final match against PA Classics to go through to the final eight once again.
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This game was always going to be a battle for the young Caps, facing a fellow MLS academy side who are very familiar with the Texas heat and humidity. Their task wasn't made any easier by missing the in-form Spencer DeBoice, who had to go off injured in the <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4695-Whitecaps-U18s-on-fire-against-Chicago-in-playoffs-opener" target="_blank"><u>first game against Chicago</u></a> with an ankle injury and missed out in this one.
And it was the Dynamo who opened the scoring in the 15th minute when the Caps defence failed to clear the danger from a free kick and in the resultant scramble Houston poked the ball home.
Their lead was to last only seven minutes before USSDA regular season leading scorer Brody Huitema made it two in two in the playoffs, heading home a Yassin Essa cross.
Vancouver were in the ascendancy and grabbed the vital lead in the 36 minute when Marco Bustos combined well with Titouan Chopin before firing home to make it 2-1.
That was how it was to go in at the half and the challenge for Vancouver now was squad management in the heat, whilst protecting their lead.
They were doing well and controlling the game but Houston capitalised on some slack defending to hit an equaliser on the hour mark.
The goal just spurred Vancouver on and they were back in the lead minutes later when Yassin Essa won the ball at the halfway line, ran on goal and buried a 25 yard screamer to restore the Caps lead.
Despite the conditions, the Whitecaps showed no signs of tiring and Jordan Haynes nicked the ball from a defender to give them the vital cushion of a fourth goal with less than ten minutes to go.
That killed off any hopes that Houston had of getting back into the match and Vancouver put the final nail in their coffin in stoppage time.
Chopin was brought down in the box and up stepped Essa to drill home the penalty and give the Caps a commanding 5-2 victory, sending a message to the rest of the U18 division that they are looking to go one better than runners up in last year's Championship game.
It was another great team performance with Yassin Essa and Marco Bustos standing out for the neutrals watching.
In Tuesday night's other Group 1 game, the defensively astute PA Classics kept another clean sheet, but this time couldn't find a way through at the other end either playing out a 0-0 draw with Chicago Fire Academy.
The results eliminate both Houston and Chicago from the mix and Vancouver will now take on PA Classics at 7am PST on Thursday morning, knowing that just a point will see them win the group.
It should be a cracker and at least the guys now have a day off to rest and recover.
What's the time in Texas? It's five past Houston.
The Caps line up for this game was:
Sean Melvin; Quinton Duncan, Jackson Farmer, Nicholas Prasad, Sam Adekugbe; Mitch Piraux, Kianz Froese (Jordan Haynes 46), Marco Bustos; Titouan Chopin, Yassin Essa, Brody Huitema (Matthew Chow 60)
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