Last week, four prospects from the Whitecaps FC Saskatchewan Academy Centre made a visit to Vancouver to link up with the club. Kuhle Bekwayo, Mathew Hnatiw, Albert Kang, and Luke Mackie were given the opportunity to train with the Residency program, attend a Whitecaps FC first team training session, and play two matches against BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL) opposition that are a year older.
“These are players from Academy Centre in Saskatoon who have been identified as high potential players,” noted Whitecaps FC Pre-Residency and Academy Centre head coach Bart Choufour. “They were here to see how they match up with our current Pre-Residency player pool and to give them an opportunity to train and play at the highest possible level within our club organization. This is also an evaluation that may lead to future selection into our Residency program
The players arrived last Monday night and were billeted with Pre-Residency goalkeeper Evan Ince’s family, getting to experience what Residency life is like. Each day the players trained with the Pre-Residency team at Simon Fraser University.
Wednesday was an experience of a life when the boys attended Vancouver Whitecaps FC first team training. Afterwards, they had the opportunity to meet all of the club's MLS players, have photos taken, and go into the Whitecaps FC locker room at UBC.
While meeting with the first team, the players were able to see the path that is set up from academy to first team as they met with former Residency players
Sam Adekugbe
,
Marco Bustos
,
Marco Carducci
, and
Kianz Froese
.
“Training opportunities like this week for KB, Luke, Albert and Mathew are so valuable in their development as players and young people,” noted Saskatchewan Academy Centre head coach Bryce Chapman. “Staying with a host family, training with Pre-Residency, viewing MLS team training and getting to experience the club as a whole is a great way for these players to realize that they are part of the club. It allows them to become excited about the game and what they are part of.”
Now, the boys are no doubt even more motivated to take the next steps.
“It’s important for our players who are performing well in our Academy Centre to be rewarded and for them to see what the next level is,” added Chapman. “They then will realize that they can compete in some areas, but they will also see that they have to improve in other areas. For young players to be taken out of those comfort zones only makes them better and when they return, they raise the standard for all our academy players.”
