Whitecaps FC Add Canadian and International Talent

August 10, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release


VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the signing of Canadian midfielders Terry Dunfield and Kyle Porter, the acquisition and signing of midfielder Alexandre Morfaw from Bodens Bandyklubb (Bodens BK) of the Swedish Division 1 Norra (third tier in Sweden), as well as the three-month loan acquisition of striker Omar Salgado from Major League Soccer (MLS) - pending USSF D-2 Pro League approval. Per club policy, terms of the acquisitions and contracts were not disclosed.

Dunfield, 28, joins Whitecaps FC after spending his entire career in England, having initially joined the youth set-up at English Premier League giants Manchester City FC in 1999. The native of Vancouver, BC, made one appearance for City during the 2000-01 Premier League season before joining Bury FC of English League Two, where he scored five goals in 63 appearances over three seasons with The Shakers. After a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury, Dunfield joined English League Two side Macclesfield Town FC in the summer of 2007. The midfielder scored two goals in 59 appearances with The Silkmen before moving to fellow League Two club Shrewsbury Town FC in January 2009. He scored a further two goals in 43 total appearances before leaving Shrewsbury this summer.

Internationally, Dunfield has appeared for Canada at both the youth and senior international level. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound central midfielder played in all three matches in Group B at the 2001 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina before earning his first senior international cap on May 29, 2010, as Canada earned a 1-1 friendly draw in Venezuela.

Porter, 20, re-signs with Whitecaps FC after spending two seasons on loan with FC Energie Cottbus of the German 2.Bundesliga. Last season, Porter scored one goal and added one assist in 11 appearances with the club's U-23 side, as he helped Cottbus win the league championship title in Germany's fifth-tier NOFV-Oberliga Nord and promotion back to the fourth-tier Regionalliga Nord. During his first season in Germany, the six-foot, 160-pound midfielder made 19 appearances and scored two goals with Cottbus' U-19 squad.

Prior to his spell in Germany, Porter was a standout with the Whitecaps Residency squad. During the program's inaugural United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) season of 2008, Porter scored five goals in 10 appearances, as he helped the 'Caps to a PDL Western Conference playoff berth. Born in Toronto, Ontario, and raised in nearby Mississauga, Ontario, Porter represented Canada at the 2007 CONCACAF U-17 qualification tournament in Kingston, Jamaica, and the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Macoya, Trinidad & Tobago.

Morfaw, 22, comes to Vancouver after spending the past two seasons with Swedish club Bodens BK. The native of Douala, Cameroon, started seven of his eight appearances during the 2010 Swedish Division 1 Norra campaign. In 2009, the midfielder led Bodens BK to promotion from the fourth tier of Swedish soccer as champions of Division 2 Norrland. He started all of his 22 appearances that season, scoring eight goals. During the 2007-08 season, Morfaw played in the English League Championship with Scunthorpe United FC after a successful trial spell. His time at Scunthorpe included a brief loan spell with English League Two side Lincoln City FC. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound central midfielder, who also has experience playing on the wing as well as a defender, is a product of the youth system at French club FC Nantes.

Morfaw has also appeared for his native Cameroon at the youth international level. As a member of Cameroon's U-23 squad, Morfaw helped the African nation qualify for the 2008 Men's Olympic Football Tournament in Beijing, China. Unfortunately, Morfaw missed out on appearing at the Beijing Olympics after picking up an injury in the squad's build-up.

Salgado joins Whitecaps FC after recently signing with MLS as a member of 'Generation adidas' - a program that encourages early entry of elite players into the league. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, the 6-foot-4, 175-pound striker recently scored his first international goal in his debut for the United States U-20 national team at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland. Appearing in all three of the USA's matches, Salgado helped the American U-20 squad prevail in the prestigious international youth tournament, as they defeated host nation Northern Ireland 3-0 in the Elite tournament final on July 30.

Before joining the U.S. U-20 squad, the young striker spent one season with the youth set-up of Mexican giants Club Deportivo Guadalajara - better known as 'Chivas' (Goats). Salgado scored seven goals in 10 appearances with the Chivas reserves side, with the youngster also spending time with the club's U-17 squad.

Following the completion of the USSF D-2 Pro League season, Salgado will be available for selection in next January's MLS SuperDraft, with the Whitecaps owning either the first or second overall pick.

North American Soccer League (NASL) Conference leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC (8W-3L-11D) will battle USL Conference club NSC Minnesota Stars (7W-9L-6D) this Saturday, August 14, at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. Saturday's match kicks off at 5 p.m. PT and can be seen live online at whitecapsfc.com/live.



U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from August 10, 2010


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