VANCOUVER, B.C. — The Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2017 Showcase kicked off on Friday morning at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey, bringing together predominantly Cascadia youth clubs but attracting further flung participants from as far away as Brazil.

The event, Western Canada’s largest such showcase, attracts more than 100 NCAA and CIS coaches and runs through Sunday afternoon.

The headliner of Day 1 pitted the Whitecaps Girls Elite REX team, the provincial champion, against Woodbridge Strikers, a top Ontario club. The hosts prevailed, but not before being tested in a way they rarely are in these parts.

The following is Friday’s list of 16 standouts from the first day of action: