Whitecaps FC announce U-18 Residency roster for 2015-16 season

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the club’s 2015-16 U-18 Residency roster for their upcoming United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) season.

"We have an exciting group of talented players with strong positional depth,” said U-18 head coach Rich Fagan. “It’s an exciting time as our staff and players are counting down the days to kickoff.”

Four total provinces are represented on this year’s U-18 team, which features 13 players from British Columbia, four from Ontario, two from Manitoba, and one from Alberta.

Five players return from last season’s Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency squad: defenders Andre Baires, Quinn Bredin, and Eric de Graaf, as well as midfielders Vana Markarian and Marcello Polisi.

An additional 11 players are moving up from last season’s U-16 Residency side: goalkeepers Aidan Aylward and Luciano Trasolini; defenders Matthew Baldisimo, Kadin Chung, John Kasper, and Frazer Poulter; midfielders Gloire Amanda and Thomas Gardner; and strikers Terran Campbell, Cole Morokhovich, and Daniel Sagno.

Four new players join the squad this year, including three players from Victoria, BC. Defender Andre Earthy-Find and strikers Liam McManaman and Charlie Miller come to the club from Victoria Highlanders FC, where they played under the guidance of head coach Steve Simonson. The trio also played with Vancouver Island Wave in the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League.

Also joining the team this year is striker Ndzemdzela “Zoom” Langwa of Stittsville, Ontario. Langwa spent last season in the Ottawa Fury FC Academy, and previously played in the Toronto FC Academy after developing at Ottawa South United. Internationally, Langwa has represented Canada at the U-17 national team level.

10 players on the U-18 roster have taken part in the BC Soccer Provincial Development program, including Baldisimo, Campbell, Chung, Gardner, de Graaf, Kasper, McManaman, Morokhovich, Polisi, and Poulter.

Entering their fifth season in the USSDA, Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency are set to open their 2015-16 campaign on Sunday, September 13 at home to newcomers Sacramento Republic FC U-18.

As part of the Whitecaps FC Residency program, players will be given evolving developmental objectives and will be challenged daily across all four corners of player development (technical, tactical, mental, and physical). Each player will be provided the necessary support and guidance from the club to nurture their talent, maximize their potential, and ultimately to graduate into a professional playing career. For more information on the Whitecaps FC Residency program, visit whitecapsfc.com/residency.