VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Thursday that the club has signed five additional products from the Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy to MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts through 2022, with options for 2023.
Added to the roster are centre backs Finn Linder and Joshué Ndakala, wingback/winger Elage Bah, midfielder/forward Jay Herdman, and forward Joe Hanson.
“It’s important to push players from our academy to the professional level when they are ready, and this young group of teenagers is now ready to be challenged,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC sporting director. “We look forward to seeing them continue to progress.”
Linder, 17, joined the Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy in 2020. Prior to his arrival in Vancouver, Linder was a part of the Whitecaps FC BMO Alberta Academy Centre in Calgary, in partnership with the Alberta Soccer Association and Calgary Minor Soccer Association. In his youth he played at Calgary Blizzard.
Ndakala, 17, was selected to the Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy as a 13-year-old in 2018. He previously played at St. Nicholas Soccer Academy, in the BTB Soccer Academy, and at Edmonton Strikers.
Bah, 17, joined the Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy in 2020 from Ottawa St. Anthony Futuro Soccer Academy. Over the past year, Bah has played with the Whitecaps FC U-23 team.
Herdman, 17, entered the Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy as a 12-year-old in 2017 from Surrey United SC in the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League. Over the past two years, Herdman has spent time in preseason with the Whitecaps FC first team, including a 2021 preseason appearance against Indy Eleven.
Hanson, 18, was selected to the Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy in 2019. Hailing from Whitehorse, Yukon, the forward previously played with Yukon Selects FC and in the Total Soccer Excellence Academy, as well as spending time with Vancouver Island Wave in the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League and across the border with Crossfire Premier.
Finn Linder
Position: Centre back
Height: 6-03
Weight: 170 pounds
Date of Birth: May 6, 2004 in Calgary, AB
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Citizenship: Canada
Status: Domestic
Youth Teams: Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy, Calgary Blizzard
Instagram: @finn.linder
Joshué Ndakala
Position: Centre back
Height: 6-00
Weight: 180 pounds
Date of Birth: August 4, 2004 in Montreal, QC
Hometown: Edmonton, AB
Citizenship: Canada
Status: Domestic
Youth Teams: Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy, St.Nicholas Soccer Academy, BTB Soccer Academy, Edmonton Striker
Instagram: @joshue.ndakala
Twitter: @JoshueNdakala
Elage Bah
Position: Wingback/winger
Height: 5-07
Weight: 175 pounds
Date of Birth: July 30, 2004 in Ottawa, ON
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Citizenship: Canada
Status: Domestic
Youth Teams: Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy, Ottawa Futuro Soccer Academy
Instagram: @thiiiierno
Twitter: @thiiiierno
Jay Herdman
Position: Midfielder/forward
Height: 5-07
Weight: 140 pounds
Date of Birth: August 14, 2004 in Invercargill, New Zealand
Hometown: Surrey, BC
Citizenship: New Zealand, United Kingdom
Status: Domestic
Youth Teams: Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy, Surrey United SC
Instagram: @jayherdy110
Joe Hanson
Position: Forward
Height: 6-03
Weight: 185 pounds
Date of Birth: October 8, 2003 in Whitehorse, Yukon
Hometown: Whitehorse, Yukon
Citizenship: Canada
Status: Domestic
Youth Teams: Whitecaps FC BMO MLS Academy, Yukon Selects FC, Total Soccer Excellence Academy, Vancouver Island Wave, Crossfire Premier
Instagram: @joe.hansonn
