Six Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency players recently had their first taste of the Canadian national team program last week, as they were called to a U-15 national talent identification camp. And four of those players are products of the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL).
“I would like to congratulate the four players from the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier that were invited to the U-15 Camp,” said Paul Mullen, BC Soccer executive director. “The BCSPL is going into its fourth full year in 2015 and we are looking forward to seeing more and more of these players move onto Whitecaps FC and Canada Soccer programming as well as university teams.”
The camp featured two alums of BCSPL side Coquitlam Metro Ford in Pre-Residency goalkeeper Trevor Schneider and midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour, as well as two products of the BCSPL’s Coastal FC, Pre-Residency defender Brandon Bassi and striker Sahil Dhindsa. Pre-Residency midfielder Gabriel Escobar and U-16 Residency midfielder Michael Baldisimo were also named to the camp roster.
The 27-player camp gave Canada Soccer an opportunity to get a first look at a talented crop of players born in 2000, as players from the academy programs of professional clubs throughout the country were pooled together.
However, it’s not just a credit to the players when they get selected to these elite level camps.
When BC Soccer implemented the BCSPL, the primary goal was to create a clear pathway for players in their development. The success of having players continue on to the Whitecaps FC Residency program and ascend to the national radar after years of training with their local clubs is a point of pride for the burgeoning league.
“The pathway and the vision, from the beginning, was to develop players,” said Matt Holbrook, general manager of the BCSPL. “It’s our job to put them into a high-performance environment and then get them on to next level of play. Any opportunity that we get to have players come in, work with our clubs, and graduate on to the next level is huge for us.”
These types of camps are invaluable to the players in the long run, according to Whitecaps FC U-16 Residency head coach Rich Fagan.
“It’s the first opportunity for these boys to see the Canadian Soccer Association style of soccer, and it’s the first time they get to interact with their staff and coaches,” said Fagan. “Most importantly, it’s a real litmus test for them, as they get the chance to compare themselves to the best players of their age group from around the country.”
Considering Fagan’s evaluation of the boys’ play at the identification camp, that development is being put to good use.
“I was pleased and proud of the boys out there. I feel they represented the club and themselves very well, and they definitely did not look out of place among the best.”
