Philippe Davies

PROFILE
A midfielder with fine abilities on set pieces, Philippe Davies became Whitecaps FC's first-ever Major League Soccer Homegrown player and Canadian signing on Nov. 26, 2010. The native of Longueuil, Quebec, first joined the club on Oct. 10, 2007, as a member of the inaugural Whitecaps FC Residency squad and has represented Canada at the U-17, U-20, and U-23 youth international levels.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
2011: Davies made his Whitecaps FC first-team debut in the Herbalife World Football Challenge friendly, as the midfielder appeared as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 home defeat to English Premier League side Manchester City FC on July 18.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER RESERVE LEAGUE
2011: Davies started Vancouver's debut match in the MLS Reserve League, as Whitecaps FC reserves fell 2-1 at San Jose Earthquakes on Mar. 22. He then assisted on Long Tan's winning goal, as Whitecaps FC reserves claimed a 2-1 home win over Seattle Sounders FC reserves on Aug. 9. The result at Swangard Stadium was Vancouver's first-ever win in the MLS Reserve League.

UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION DIVISION-2 PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
2010: After making four substitute appearances, Davies made his first start of the season during the 2-1 away defeat to Rochester Rhinos on May 29. He registered his first men's team point when he assisted on Nizar Khalfan's goal during a 2-1 home defeat to Portland Timbers on July 22. Davies then scored his first men's team goal on July 31, as Whitecaps FC drew 2-2 away to Carolina RailHawks. He then assisted on Greg Janicki's goal during a 3-0 victory at Crystal Palace Baltimore on Sept. 11. Davies' run in the first team as a right-sided midfielder saw him start 26 of his 32 appearances that season.

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES FIRST DIVISION
2009: Davies made his men's team debut when he came on as a late substitute for Wes Knight in a 4-0 home win over Minnesota Thunder on July 9. His first men's team start came on Aug. 6 during the 1-0 away defeat to Portland Timbers.

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
2011: Davies started Whitecaps FC Residency's PDL season opener at Empire Field, as Vancouver fell 2-0 at home to Kitsap Pumas on May 1. He then assisted on Ben Fisk's goal during a 3-1 home win over BC rivals Victoria Highlanders FC on Canada Day (July 1). The midfielder scored the Residency team's equalizer during a 2-2 away draw with Portland Timbers U-23's on July 10 before scoring the second goal in a 2-0 home win over North Sound SeaWolves on July 20. Davies then scored in the Residency team's PDL season finale on July 24, as Whitecaps FC won 3-0 at Washington Crossfire. 2009: The midfielder recorded assists on Kenold Versailles' winning goals during the Residency's PDL home wins over Yakima Reds (July 4) and Cascade Surge (July 5). 2008: Davies played a pivotal role in helping the Residency team reach the PDL semifinals in their first-ever season in the league. His three goals during the regular season came against Spokane Spiders (June 13), Cascade Surge (July 5), and Yakima Reds (July 11). The midfielder also started all three playoff matches against San Fernando Valley Quakes (July 26), Tacoma Tide (July 27), and Thunder Bay Chill (August 2).

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC RESIDENCY
2009-10: Davies served again as team captain during the Residency's appearance at Dallas Cup XXXI. Drawn in Bracket D of the U-19 Super Group, the midfielder played all three group matches versus Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt (Mar. 28), United States national team (91/92 - Mar. 29), and Mexico national team (91/92 - Mar. 31). Davies also appeared as a substitute during a 1-1 friendly draw with Germany's TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Apr. 3. 2008-09: Davies started the Residency team's first four matches of their successful 12-day tour of Japan in Dec. 2008. He appeared in friendly wins over Vissel Kobe U-19's (Dec. 7), Takigawa Kobe U-19's (Dec. 8), Kyoto Sanga U-19's (Dec. 10), and Gamba Osaka U-19's (Dec. 11) before leaving the tour to join Canada's U-20 national team in Florida later that month. In Apr. 2009, Davies served as Residency team captain and led the squad to the U-19 Super Group final at Dallas Cup XXX. He scored two penalties in their Bracket C matches versus Mexico's Club Futbol Monterrey on Apr. 5 and Argentina's Club Atletico River Plate on Apr. 6. In May 2009, Davies started all four friendly matches during the Residency team's two-week trip to Germany. This included starts against the U-19 Junior Bundesliga sides of FC Energie Cottbus (May 23), Hansa Rostock (May 26), and Hertha Berlin (May 27). The midfielder also appeared in the 2009 INSEL-CUP junior international tournament in Germany. 2007-08: As part of the inaugural Residency squad that began training in the first week of Sept. 2007, Davies appeared in all six of the team's friendly matches on their first trip to Germany in Oct. 2007. This included starts against Bayern Munich U-19's (Oct. 22) and 1860 Munich U-19's (Oct. 23), as well as a substitute appearance versus VfB Stuttgart U-19's (Oct. 27). He played in all three matches in Bracket C of the U-19 Super Group at Dallas Cup XXIX, with Davies scoring a penalty in the 3-3 draw with Germany's Eintracht Frankfurt on Mar. 19, 2008. He also appeared as a substitute in the 2-1 friendly win over England's Leicester City U-19's on Mar. 26. Four days later in Victoria, BC, Davies scored in a 3-0 win over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds to win the 2008 Keg Spring Cup. Later that spring, he appeared in wins over SV Stuttgarter Kickers U-19's (Apr. 30) and VfL Neckarau U-19's (May 8). He also helped the Residency team to a third-place finish at the INSEL-CUP junior international tournament.

FRENCH LIGUE 2
In 2006, Davies played for the U-16 and reserve sides of French Ligue 2 club Dijon Football Côte-d'Or.

INTERNATIONAL
U-23: In Jan. 2010, Davies earned a call-up to the Canadian U-23 Olympic team for a one-week training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The camp began preparations towards Canada's qualification campaign for the 2012 Men's Olympic Football Tournament in London, England. On Jan. 16, 2010, Davies started for the U-23 squad in a behind-closed-doors friendly versus the Honduran men's national team in Sunrise, Florida. Honduras won the friendly 3-1. Davies then trained with Canada's U-23 squad during a Nov. 2010 camp in Sunrise, Florida, a Jan. 2011 camp in Phoenix, Arizona, and a Feb./Mar. 2011 camp in Oxnard and Los Angeles, California. U-20: Davies took part in two Florida-based training camps with Canada's U-20 national team in Dec. 2008 and Jan./Feb. 2009. This included a goal in a 3-0 friendly win over Haiti on Dec. 18 and starting in the 1-0 defeat to the United States on Dec. 22. In Mar. 2009, Davies was one of seven Whitecaps FC players to be named in Canada's 20-player squad for the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. Playing in Group B, the midfielder started all three of Canada's matches. They include the 1-0 defeat to hosts Trinidad & Tobago (Mar. 7, 2009), the 2-0 win over Mexico (Mar. 9, 2009), and the 2-1 defeat to eventual champions Costa Rica (Mar. 11, 2009). Those results meant Canada missed out on qualification for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. In the autumn of 2009, Davies captained Canada's U-20 squad at the VI Francophone Games in Beirut, Lebanon. The midfielder started all four matches in the men's soccer competition, as Canada finished in fourth place. This included assists on both of Canada's goals during the 2-2 extra-time draw with Congo in the semifinals on Oct. 3, 2009. Congo won the semifinal 2-1 on penalties. U-17: Davies earned 13 international caps at the U-17 level for Canada between April 2006 and May 2007. A predominate member of the Canada's U-15 Development squad in 2005, the midfielder made his international debut in a 1-0 friendly win versus Northern Ireland on Apr. 21, 2006. He scored four goals during his appearances for Canada U-17's, including the winner versus Scotland in their first match at the Ballymena International Tournament in Northern Ireland on Apr. 24, 2006. Later that year, Davies also scored in a 10-0 win over Bermuda before striking the winner in a 2-1 victory over El Salvador at the Caribbean Football Union Youth Cup in Bacolet, Tobago. He also found the back of the net in a 2-2 draw versus Panama at the same tournament. In the spring of 2007, Davies started in the final three Group B matches of the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in Kingston, Jamaica.

YOUTH/AMATEUR
From 2003 to 2005, Davies played in the Ligue de soccer élite du Québec (LSEQ) at the U-15 and U-16 levels for FC Select South Shore AAA. This included trips to various youth tournaments in France during that time. Following his year in France in 2006, the midfielder joined the Select South Shore AAA U-18 side in 2007. In July 2004, Davies won a gold medal for Quebec at the Canadian U-14 All-Star Championship in Surrey, BC.

PERSONAL
Before joining Whitecaps FC Residency, Davies was a student at College Francais in his hometown of Longueuil, Quebec. His parents are Randolph Davies and Chantal Boutin.

INTERESTING FACTS
Davies comes from a sporting family, as his father was a baseball player. He grew up playing both hockey and soccer, and is fluent in both English and French. His favourite soccer team is English Premier League giants Chelsea FC, while his favourite player is Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard. He is also a fan of the NHL's Montréal Canadiens. When not concentrating on his soccer career, Davies enjoys listening to music.