Marco Carducci left Calgary to pursue his soccer dream when he was just 14. At 17, he’s coming back for just a day to give the hometown folks a chance to see how his development’s going.

The goalkeeping phenom, who signed a pro contract in March, will be one of four players with Calgary connections on the Vancouver Whitecaps U23 squad as they face the locally-based Foothills U23 side in a friendly at Shouldice Park’s Enmax Field at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

“It was a big change moving away from home, but it was definitely what I had to do to move to the next level,” Carducci said during a chat that took place Wednesday while he rode the SkyTrain to practice. “Since then I haven’t looked back at all.”

Carducci’s roommate in Vancouver, Mitch Piraux, will also play in the friendly. The 19-year-old midfielder left Calgary in September 2011 to join the Whitecaps residency program after playing for the Foothills Rapids U-16 team. He’s now with the U23s.

Also expected to play for Vancouver is Calgary Chinooks grad Chris Serban, a defender who signed with the residency program in February, and Mount Royal University star Cody Cook of Cranbrook. Cook is having an outstanding U23 season, having scored the winning goal in Vancouver’s first victory of the Professional Development League season on Tuesday against the Crossfire in Redmond, Wash., to give him four goals in seven games.

Sunday’s game will also provide another rising Foothills star, 17-year-old Drake Rendle, an opportunity to become familiarized with the Whitecaps before he signs a residency contract in September. Rendle will be on the Vancouver bench but is not expected to play.

Piraux started playing soccer at the U10 level, joined the Foothills program at U14 and left for Vancouver at the age of 16.

“The Foothills program was the right fit for me and the coaching staff and all the players were top class. It’s a great organization and I definitely thank them for the start they gave me,” Piraux said.

Piraux got his first taste of life with the Whitecaps’ Major League Soccer team on May 7 when he was in uniform but did not play during a 2-1 loss to Toronto FC in a Canadian championship game at Toronto’s BMO Field.

Carducci, a product of the Calgary Villains, played both games in that series and made his home debut for the MLS squad in front of 18,000 people at BC Place a week later. He’s the youngest goalie in the 40-year history of the Whitecaps franchise and is expected to star for Canada on the international scene for years to come.

“The last few months have been fantastic,” Carducci said. “Signing my first pro contract in March was a dream come true for me. And lately getting into some games and making my professional debut was really the same thing, a dream. It was my goal since I was young.”

Missing the game will be left back Sam Adekugbe, who made his MLS debut in the Whitecaps 2013 regular season finale and was tabbed to make the trip but is not ready to return from a knee injury.

Two former Calgarians, who were previously part of the Whitecaps residency program, Adekugbe’s younger brother, Elijah, and Tyrin Hutchings, will play for Foothills. So will former Whitecaps keeper Simon Thomas, who is coaching at the Foothills Academy until July while playing for the U23s.

Sunday’s game is the big day for the U23s during an exhibition schedule that is leading up to them joining the PDL for 2015. Upwards of 3,000 fans are expected.

Coached by Foothills executive director Tommy Wheeldon, the Foothills U23s had two wins (over University of Calgary and MRU) and a pair of draws (both against Edmonton FC) heading into a game against the U of C on Wednesday night.