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CPL Vancouver FC

Vancouver FC Announce Inaugural Head Coach, Roster for U-19 Academy Team

September 20, 2024 - Canadian Premier League (CPL)
Vancouver FC News Release


Langley, BC - Vancouver FC today announced it has hired Todd May to serve as the inaugural head coach for the club's U-19 Academy team, which will make its competitive debut in the Premier Division of the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL) this fall.

May will lead a roster composed of full-time and part-time athletes, providing enhanced development opportunities for talented players in the region.

VFC's new academy team was announced in July 2024 as part of a strategic partnership between the club and FVSL. Together, the organizations aim to create a developmental pathway that provides ambitious local players with the opportunity to train and perform in a competitive environment. VFC's U-19 side will train out of VFC's first team facility and host its home games at Willoughby Park. The side's inaugural match in the FVSL's Premier Division will take place at the end of September.

"We are very excited to be working alongside our local club and provincial partners in supporting the youth soccer development landscape with the launch of our U-19 Academy program," said Rob Friend, President, Vancouver FC. "We hope this investment will be another pivotal component in the player development pathway of young, local talent that is all around this region and help to produce the next generation of soccer stars in our country.

"We are very excited to appoint Todd as the head coach of our U-19 side," said Friend. "He brings extensive experience in the Lower Mainland's youth game, as well as a commitment to developing up-and-coming players in our communities. We are confident he will lead this team to success while playing his part in the overall development of emerging talent in our area."

May, 35, joins Vancouver's U-19 Academy from Burnaby FC (BFC), where he gained experience coaching in both League1 BC and a B.C. Soccer Premier League (BCSPL) play. He led this year's BFC U-17 squad to a silver medal in Canada Soccer's inaugural Player-Development Program (PDP) Championship in August 2024. In 2023, May won the Toyota Nationals Championship with a BFC U-17 team that featured VFC's own Joey Buchanan.

May earned his first professional coaching experience with FC Edmonton as an assistant coach in the former-CPL club's 2022 season. He has also previously coached at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Barça Academy in Vancouver.

"I'm very excited to be joining Vancouver in their launch of a U-19 Academy team," said May. "This is an important opportunity for the development of youth soccer in this region and I'm honoured to be taking the reins from the start. We are looking forward to enhancing the great work that youth club's in our community are already fulfilling and add another component to the highly competitive environment that currently exists."

Vancouver's inaugural U-19 Academy roster was selected through the club's Combine & ID camp which was held in August. The initial roster is composed of nine full-time players and 16 part-time players.

Full-time players are unattached, unsigned youth players who will train and play exclusively for Vancouver's U-19 squad. Full-time players could also include Vancouver FC First Team athletes who have signed contracts on the club's Developmental Roster, which include Exceptional Young Talent contracts, Development contracts, and U SPORTS contracts.

Part-time players can be signed BCSPL and/or academy youth players who will have training with Vancouver's U-19 squad in a limited capacity, as a supplemental development opportunity.

"We are pleased to see the [U-19 Academy] taking shape as it offers another opportunity for players within the [B.C. soccer] system," B.C. soccer stated.

All players who enter VFC's environment will gain valuable exposure to a professional soccer environment and have the opportunity to earn First Team training invitations throughout the Canadian Premier League (CPL) season and/or sign a professional contract with VFC.

Vancouver's U-19 full-time players:

A-Z Name / Hometown / Former Club

Boogemans, Oliver / Richmond, BC / Fusion FC

de Vries, Axl / Kelowna, BC / Thompson Okanagan FC

Frank, Jakob / Delta, BC / Fusion FC

Jaramillo Drolet, Felipe / Vancouver, BC / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy

Kovitch, Jackson / Saskatoon, SK / Alliance FC

Nielsen, Aidan / Langley, BC / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy

de Sousa, Anthony / Maple Ridge, BC / Vancity Pro

Joseph, Dominic / Pitt Meadows, BC / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy

Otuomagie, Tristan / North Vancouver, BC / TSS Rovers

Vancouver's U-19 part-time players:

A-Z Name / Hometown / Current Club

Abay, Mondo / Vancouver, BC / Surrey United FC

Ajagbe, Michael / Surrey, BC / Surrey United FC

Campbell, Cohen / Delta, BC / Coastal FC

Dharamsi, Joaquim / North Vancouver, BC / Surrey United FC

Friend, Lucas / North Vancouver, BC / North Vancouver FC

Glass, Tyler / Vancouver, BC / Fusion FC

Gill, Sukhman / Coquitlam, BC / Langley United SA

Kerr, Andrew / Delta, BC / Coastal FC

Main, Marcus / Langley, BC / Langley United SA

Martino, Matteo / Surrey, BC / Surrey United FC

McLarty, Brady / Langley, BC / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy

Pegg, Aidan / Surrey, BC / Coastal FC

Riascos, Jordan / Langley, BC / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy

Schmidt, Grayson / Delta, BC / Coastal FC

Schulze, Landon / Surrey, BC / Coastal FC

Strauss, Romeo / White Rock, BC / Coastal FC

Vancouver FC has two CPL regular season home matches left as they push their way into the playoffs for the first time in the club's second year. Fans can catch the action at Willoughby Park at 3 p.m. PT on Saturday, Sept. 21 for the Back to School match and at 2 p.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 13 for the club's Fan Appreciation match. Tickets to both games can be purchased online here or at the gates on game day.

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