Encouraging signs on Vancouver FC’s Player Development Pathway 

In football, like in life, it is important to celebrate the seemingly smaller things that are a part of the journey, in addition to reaching the final destination (or the achievements that obviously stand out to all). In any given League you’re likely only going to have one to four clubs that can win any type of meaningful silverware in a campaign, but most teams will have certain elements of their club that they are proud of and that exemplify who they are as a part of their community and as an organization and they should be highlighted.

Today Vancouver Football Club is living this out as they acknowledge the work being done through its U19 initiative. VFC is only in its fourth season playing in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), but its U19 team has only been around for 2 years now. The young prospects play in the top division of the Fraser Valley Soccer League (FVSL). The club have announced that 18 players from their 2025/26 squad have, “received athletic and academic scholarships and committed to university and college football programs across NCAA Division 1, NCAA Division 2 and U SPORTS.”

Some reading this, or the club’s press release, might be wondering why this is an achievement worth honouring? Here are three reasons why it should be getting more recognition in the football community than it may initially receive.

Fit For Purpose

The Eagles have not really had a lot to celebrate to date. There were all the firsts of the inaugural campaign, some wonderful matches in each season so far, a number of standout individual performances, and of course the Voyageurs Cup run last year that saw them make it all the way to the final and a memorable, even if unsuccessful, contest with Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place.

On the playing side, the results haven’t yet hit the heights that all involved have desired. However, VFC has always had a significant focus on signing, developing, and moving on young players. The poster boy (and star boy!) for this in year one was TJ Tahid. In 2024 Grady McDonnell was seamlessly passed the baton to be the youngest and most promising talent on the roster. Last year, after both had been sold by the club to play in European teams, Emrick Fotsing clearly took up the mantle. Tahid and McDonnell predated the set up of the U19s and Fotsing is from Quebec, where he was involved in CF Montreal’s youth system. The VFC program was brought to life for the 2024/25 FVSL season. This expansion of the club’s footprint would allow it to bring in young players to be more closely evaluated, developed, and integrated into the club. This includes opportunities to train with the first team and even get into the squad.

In 2025, three players moved up from the U19s to be a part of the first team squad. Two of them were goalkeepers (Felipe Jaramillo and Jakob Frank), who were brought in to be understudies for and to be mentored by the club’s inaugural signing and captain, Callum Irving. The other was Dominic Joseph. The diminutive midfielder made his CPL debut, but it was for only one minute of action and it would be his sole appearance. He has continued to progress via U19s, but also through his experiences with the Trinidad & Tobago U20 national team. Joseph has put in some goal scoring performances for them and has decided to continue his development at SFU this Fall.

In the 2026 pre-season, a variety of U19s featured for VFC in their camps and friendlies. The two most prominent were defender Tyler Marsden and attacker Lucas Friend. Marsden looked cool and confident in multiple friendlies that I was able to take in. He is a modern centreback, who plays the ball well out of the back and is tactically astute, which typically means his positioning gives him an edge in the defensive third. Friend was the U19’s leading scorer in FVSL play and his energy, courage, and technique all served him well in the minutes he was given this winter. His determination definitely put pressure on senior players who were in the midst of finding their form in the early days of training camp prior to the CONCACAF Champions Cup matches versus Cruz Azul. He is currently getting more valuable experience in the BCPL with Langley United, starting against Vancouver FC in their recent Canadian Championship match-up.

All of that to say that VFC’s U19 program is really serving its primary purposes. Every football club around the world longs to have one or two players from their own youth setup break into the first team every year or two and it feels like VFC is finding that rhythm.

Player Development + Education

Obviously not every player will be able to make the jump into the first team and so a massive part of the U19s is helping players discern the next step on their development journey. Not all the players that come through the program will find a place in the professional game either. It is encouraging to see that so many of these young players are choosing a balanced approach to their futures by furthering their education while also working at growing as a player. In conjunction with the club’s core pillars of respect, leadership, and discipline, it sees itself playing a meaningful role in helping its players get connected to quality university/college programs. It shows a healthy and holistic approach to caring for and nurturing its young players.

Along with the aforementioned Joseph heading to SFU. here are a few examples of where players from this year’s “graduating class” will be landing in the late summer/fall of 2026:

Tyler Marsden, despite having time with the first team, has chosen to go the NCAA Division 1 route and committed to the Golden Grizzlies at Oakland University in the State of Michigan.

Also going to an NCAA Division 1 school is fullback Razik Walji. He will be playing for the Royals of Queens University Charlotte down in North Carolina.

Striker Aidan Nielsen will be staying in Canada and joining the X-Men at St. Francis Xavier. Nielsen will be putting his 4.0 GPA to the test in the Nova Scotian school’s renowned business program as well.

A couple of VFC teammates will be playing together at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. Goalkeeper Brady McLarty and defender Finn Raible have signed up to play for the Pronghorns.

The U19s second leading scorer in the FVSL, and leading scorer in multiple cup competitions, striker Markus Blount is staying local. He has committed to joining the cause of the UBC Thunderbirds as they look to return to the summit of U SPORTS, as they last did in 2024.

Lucas Friend, who has been playing for partner club Langley United since the end of the U19’s season and almost scored against VFC in the opening round of this year’s Voyageur’s Cup. It would have been interesting to see his father’s response to that. Rob Friend is of course the owner and President of VFC. It has been a joy for him to see his son follow in his footsteps as a striker. Lucas will continue to emulate his dad (and mom) by going to hone his skills at a school in the States. Lucas has made a verbal commitment to be a Badger at the University of Wisconsin.

That is just a sampling of the 18 players from this past season that have chosen to carry on with their footballing journey via post-secondary education.

More Is Better

The systems and pathways for young players to develop in Canada are still really in a phase of figuring out what’s best. Not everything is streamlined the way it is in Europe, or it might be in other more traditional North American sports. In footballing terms, Canada is very much still a developing nation and to that end, it is better that there are more opportunities for players, particularly in the lower mainland and province of British Columbia, to grow and develop. CPL clubs are not able to invest in youth development to the same degree as their MLS counterparts, but they also can’t totally rely on others to fully develop players for them. VFC’s initial venture in this respect, to create the U19s, has already begun to yield results – for the Club and players – and it only looks to carry on going forward.

The person entrusted to give leadership to the Eagles U19s is Niko Giantsopoulos. He is of course also the club’s goalkeeper coach and a part of Martin Nash’s first team coaching group. The former CPL ‘keeper brings a depth of experience to the role. He knows what it takes to play in the CPL and he also played in the American school system. Giantsopoulos suited up for two NCAA Division III schools in Michigan. He is excited about the approach the Club is taking. He said (in the press release):

“Seeing so many post-secondary commitments is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our players, as well as the club’s investment in the Academy. We are committed to providing as many pathways as possible for young players in the area. Every player’s journey is different, and we take pride in finding the right fit and opportunity for each and every one of our players.”

This level of care can only help VFC as they look to recruit new players from year-to-year. As the club continues to grow, it will also be interesting to see how it chooses to expand its youth development. Will they add sides for younger ages, or will they continue to partner with local youth clubs, like they have with Langley United Soccer Association? Time will tell, and AFTN will be here to follow the progress along the way.