CPL Pacific FC

Pacific FC Re-Sign Defender Eric Lajeunesse to a U SPORTS Contract

Published on February 5, 2025 under Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Pacific FC News Release


Langford, BC - Pacific FC today announced the club has re-signed standout defender Eric Lajeunesse (LA-GEN-ESS) to a Canadian Premier League-U SPORTS contract for the third consecutive season.

"Eric continues to grow and develop in our team as one of the only players in the CPL that will be going into year three on a U SPORT contract and impacting games consistently," said James Merriman, Head Coach, Pacific FC. "We respect his ambition to compete professionally while pursuing his education. We would love to have him for the full seasons but have built a great trust and relationship."

Lajeunesse, 21, played 1,558 minutes for the Tridents last season before returning to the University of British Columbia last fall to continue his studies as a third-year science student. While Lajeunesse did not finish the 2024 season with Pacific, the club retained the defender's U SPORTS rights, ensuring it could sign him to a CPL-U SPORTS contract without him needing to enter the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft last November.

A player signed to a CPL-U SPORTS contract can maintain their U SPORTS eligibility while earning professional experience in the CPL. The first-of-its-kind initiative was introduced by the CPL prior to the league's inaugural season with the intent to provide professional experience to top U SPORTS athletes.

Lajeunesse was initially selected sixth overall in the 2023 CPL-U SPORTS Draft. The six-foot three defender is a shining example of the benefit of the CPL-U SPORT program, having played in 20 matches for the Tridents over the two seasons and serving as a consistent force in the club's backline.

Lajeunesse has also continued to have success at the U SPORTS level. His UBC Thunderbird's squad won the U SPORT Men's Soccer Championship in 2024, defeating the Université de Montréal 1-0 in the final. The Vancouver-based university has won the most U SPORT championships all-time, with the victory in 2024 marking its fourteenth title.

A native of Ottawa, Ont., Lajeunesse spent time in the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy before university.

CPL clubs may add up to three players on CPL-U SPORTS contracts in 2025.

Pacific selected defender Fin Tugwell from the University of Victoria and forward Niklas Hallam of University of Toronto in the 2025 CPL-U SPORTS Draft. Tugwell and Hallam are invited to Pacific's preseason training, where they will be eligible to compete for a roster spot for the 2025 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season.

Pacific FC has a history of finding first-team players through the CPL-U SPORTS Draft, signing midfielder Zach Verhoven in 2019, defender Chris Lee in 2021, and midfielder Luca Ricci in 2022 draft in addition to Lajeunesse.

Current 2025 Pacific FC Roster as of Feb. 5 :

Goalkeepers: Emil Gazdov, Sean Melvin

Defenders: Christian Greco-Taylor, Aly Ndom, Juan Quintana, Kadin Chung, Georges Mukumbilwa, Eric Lajeunesse

Midfielders: Sean Young, Sami Keshavarz, Aidan Daniels, Daniel de Pauli, Lukas Browning Lagerfeldt

Forwards: Dario Zanatta, Josh Heard, Ronan Kratt, Marco Bustos

Check out the Pacific FC Statistics

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Canadian Premier League Stories from February 5, 2025


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