Q: What does it mean to you to be a member of Vancouver Whitecaps FC?
A: It means a lot because I feel like I’m representing my hometown now. I’ve grown up through the youth system and almost been here half my life. My family loves Vancouver, it has become a home to me. The city, fans, and club have really taken me in as one of their own.
Q: What was the defining moment of your career so far?
A: I don’t think I’ve had a defining moment yet. Maybe I'll be able to answer that question better at the end of my career. Up to this point, I’m not sure I’ve had one.
Q: What inspires you?
A: What inspires me now is just the young kid inside of me who plays soccer strictly because it’s a game that he loves. I think that’s what drives me to continue to play. I remember how much I loved to have the ball at my feet when I was younger. I remember how much the game meant to me at recess, how you saw people watch soccer as a culture, and now being fortunate enough to be a part of it. To play soccer for a living, you become a part of this culture that is timeless.
Q: What was it like growing up in Niagara Falls?
A: It’s a small town that’s getting bigger. Niagara Falls is a tight-knit community, you know everybody and everybody knows you. There is a simplistic beauty to Niagara Falls that I don’t think will ever escape the city or me. It’s a great city to grow up in and I wish my children to grow up in a city like that.
Q: What are some of your favourite things to do in Vancouver?
A: I don’t even think I’ve scratched the surface in terms of how much there is to do in Vancouver. There’s so much to do here. I currently live in Chinatown and I find there’s a lot of culture in Chinatown. It’s like an oasis in the city. There’s a lot of culture in the city, a lot of diversity in the city, so you can experience a lot of different things. For example, you can be skiing and surfing within the same hour.
Q: What’s your favourite TV show?
A: My favorite series is probably the Sopranos. I’ve just always enjoyed mafia type storylines.
Q: What’s your favourite holiday?
A: Christmas. It’s just the time I get to go home, plus new years and my birthday are around that time. So it’s just a lot of good food, everybody is thankful for what they have, and it’s always nice to start the new year around my family
Q: Do you have a favourite sports team?
A: Nope, I’ll stick to the Whitecaps.
Q: What’s on your bucket list?
A: I want to have my own hobby farm, not like when you’re producing things for money, just a farm for myself as a hobby. I kind of grew up on one. My dad had one growing up as well. And that was the farm we used to go to when we were kids. I just always liked the space and the ability to live without the support of an actual city, when you have a grocery store just around the corner or have everything accessible when you need it. Just being away and having your own space and living like the old days.
Q: When is the last time you cried?
A: Probably in a movie. I was watching Marley and Me on the airplane. Man, that movie is so sad. The movie wasn’t on the individual screens, it was on the big screen, so you could definitely tell people were crying. I was trying to play it off so hard that I wasn’t crying, but it’s a sad movie.
