Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2’s 2015 season could be summarized in three phases – a slow start, a much-improved late spring and early summer, followed by a disappointing finish. For Head Coach Alan Koch, WFC2’s first season was a learning curve that featured some promise down the road. Heading into this 2016 campaign, the group is a bit more defined and experienced and has some ingredients to move up the Western Conference standings for a potential spot in the USL Playoffs.

Head Coach: Alan Koch

Stadium: UBC Thunderbird Stadium

2015 results: 8-14-6 record; 11th in Western Conference

2015 postseason: Did not qualify for USL Playoffs

Goalkeeper: During Spencer Richey’s first professional season, the Seattle native led WFC2 with 12 games in goal and 55 saves. He returns to the team with a year’s worth of experience and improve on last year. He posted a 4-7-1 record and two shutouts as Vancouver rotated three goalkeepers last season. Backing up Richey this year is Sean Melvin, who recently played for UNC Wilmington and spent a couple seasons during the 2011 and 2013 PDL seasons with Vancouver.

Defense: Vancouver’s back line gained some seasoned experience while also retaining a couple standouts from last season. WFC2 is deep, particularly at center back, with Jackson Farmer and Will Seymore returning from last year’s club. Farmer logged 2,001 minutes in 24 games, and Seymore appeared in 10 matches. They will have some competition with 22-year-old England footballer Elliot Green coming in. The left-footed center back recently played for Sweden’s Ange IF.

Midfield: WFC2’s midfield is peppered with a number of familiar names from last year’s club. Victor Blasco, Brett Levis and Jordan Haynes in particular stood out last season. Blasco led the team with six assists and tied for third on the team with Blasco with four goals apiece. Haynes made 16 appearances last year, 14 of them starts. Mitch Piraux also saw some minutes last year with seven games under his belt, so collectively this should be a familiar group that understands each other’s tendencies. One of the biggest additions WFC2 made was signing Canadian Giuliano Frano. He brings in a year’s worth of experience following his 2015 campaign with Seattle Sounders FC 2.

Forward: In late January, Vancouver made a significant move by signing 26-year-old USL veteran Kyle Greig. He was an integral member of OKC Energy FC for the past two seasons, leading the team with nine goals in 2014 and then ranking second behind only Danni Konig with seven goals in 2015 as the club advanced to the Western Conference Final. Also among this incredibly new front line is 23-year-old striker Daniel Haber, a former Ivy League Player of the Year at Cornell, who has spent the past few years in leagues abroad such as the Israeli Premier League and Cyprus First Division. Their experience will be helpful with the likes of former Whitecaps Academy players Terran Campbell and Alphonso Davies who are continuing their rise up Vancouver’s system.

Strengths: It could take several games to determine if everything has come to fruition, but WFC2 took a good approach in attempting to upgrade its midfield while maintaining a good base from Year 1. Frano’s versatility, experience and ability to link well with those around him are intangibles that should generate even stronger numbers from the likes of Blasco and Levis. Last season’s subpar scoring and 53 goals conceded were a collective shortcoming, and Koch’s side potentially could see both of those numbers sway in a positive direction with this midfield group on board.

Weaknesses: The Vancouver attack will be significantly new this season, and despite the inclusion of Greig, this is a young and inexperienced group. Greig has one of the most challenging tasks as the team captain, utilizing his experience to improve the play of those around him. An instantaneous transition to the professional ranks could be asking for quite a bit for some of the young front line and midfield players. Overcoming that hurdle isn’t out of the realm, but that could wind up being one of WFC’s bigger challenges early in the season.

Key number: 76 – WFC2’s captain Greig has appeared in 76 games between regular-season and postseason play in three previous USL seasons.

Noteworthy matchups: WFC2 improved against Cascadia rival Seattle Sounders FC 2 over the course of the 2015 season, posting a draw and then winning back-to-back games. Vancouver will take that three-game unbeaten streak in the series to S2’s Starfire Stadium on June 9.

Coach’s view: “Last year, we were scrambling and it showed in our first game. This year, we’re hoping to be a little bit [further] ahead by the time we play our first game of the season.” – Alan Koch during the early portion of preseason