KITSAP 3
VICTORIA 0
听
The Victoria Highlanders, following a detour last year in the Pacific Coast Soccer League, returned to the higher-level USL Premier Development League Saturday night for a seventh season. But they ran directly into the meat-grinder that is the Kitsap Pumas in a 3-0 season-opening loss in Washington state.
The Northwest Division of the 67-team PDL, considered the top development league in North America, features MLS affiliates Seattle Sounders U-23 and Portland Timbers U-23. Yet the defending division champion is Kitsap, which also runs a pro-type model.
鈥淭hey [Pumas] were good, but nothing I feel we can鈥檛 cope with as the season progresses,鈥� said Highlanders head coach Dave Dew, following the game.
鈥淲e made three simple mistakes tonight and they punished us for them. We showed our youthfulness and some technical naivety, to be honest.鈥�
The Pumas organization had the luxury of having its group together for about two months and have played five exhibition games. Victoria has been together for less than three weeks and played no exhibition games.
鈥淭he preparation period was definitely an edge for them,鈥� said Dew.
鈥淏ut I was proud of our workrate tonight. With that, we are going to improve and surprise some people this season.鈥�
The Pumas lead the all-time series against the Highlanders 6-5-2.
This is a good level of soccer. There were 189 players in the North American top-level pro MLS in 2015 who were PDL alumni and 295 players in the second-level pro USL were PDL alumni.
The Pumas boast a roster that includes two MLS draft picks, ironically both of Canadian club Toronto FC, with Mike Ramos selected 50th overall in 2015 and Darius Madison 70th overall this year. Ramos, Hiroki Kobayashi and Nick Hamer were called up on loan last year from the Pumas to Seattle Sounders 2 of the professional USL. Javier Castro, with Oklahoma Energy of the USL, Emad Houache, with Ottawa Fury of the NASAL, and goalkeeper Austin Rogers of the Albanian First Division, are other Pumas players with pro experience.
Victoria also boasts some pro experience with Highlanders veterans Blair Sturrock, a former Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town pro, and former NCAA Kentucky Wildcats star and sa国际传媒 U-20 World Cup player Riley O鈥橬eill, a former pro in the Finnish Premiership and German second division.
The Highlanders, however, mostly answer with an amateur team put together from top Island players, UVic Vikes and recruited collegians from the sa国际传媒 West Conference of the CIS.
The Highlanders open at home next Sunday against the Calgary Foothills at Centennial Stadium.
