Ahead of the Vancouver Football Club's (VFC) third season start in early April, Langley's professional soccer team continues to shuffle its roster – bringing in new players, re-signing some returns, and bidding adieu and best wishes to a few athletes.
The most recent signing came Thursday, when VFC signed Canadian Premier League’s (CPL) all-time leading goal scorer, Terran Campbell.
“It feels good to be in Vancouver. It’s the place where it all started for me," said Campbell. "I’m excited to join Vancouver FC, and I’m ready to give my all on the field. My goal this season is to help the team reach the playoffs and compete for a title.”
The 26-year-old Burnaby native joins VFC's Eagles on a two-year guaranteed contract, with an option for 2027.
Campbell is a three-time CPL champion and the league’s all-time top scorer with 39 goals between CPL regular season and playoff action since its inception in 2019.
He is a proven winner and potent forward who has made his mark on the CPL over its first six seasons, and who is intent on doing more of the same with VFC in this next chapter of his career, said Afhsin Ghotbi, VFC's head coach.
"We are thrilled to welcome him back home, to Vancouver FC... We are confident that his partnership with [Alejandro] Diaz will give us the most dynamic attacking duo in the league" Ghotbi continued.
In signing with Vancouver, Campbell will reunite with another of the CPL’s all-time top goal scorers, Diaz. The pair played together at Pacific FC, forming a strike partnership that led the club to its title-winning season in 2021.
Campbell and Diaz are currently tied on 37 regular season goals in the CPL, with Campbell’s playoff goal scoring record just edging Diaz’s by two goals to one.
Together, they form a formidable attacking duo, one that could make Vancouver FC’s frontline one of the most feared in the league, noted the coach, who earlier in the week was also on hand for the club's signing announcement of 17-year-old midfielder Emrick Fotsing.
Fotsing was signed under the Canadian Premier League’s Exceptional Young Talent (EYT) roster subcategory, which was introduced in 2023 with the aim of furthering the shared commitment by CPL and its clubs to developing the next generation of young talent in Canada. EYT players are provided with a direct pathway into professional soccer, ensuring they receive meaningful first-time minutes in a competitive environment.
Speaking to VFC's continued dedication to developing the next generation of Canadian football stars, Vancouver has signed more EYT players than any other CPL club since the roster subcategory was implemented less than two years ago, exemplifying its mission to identify, develop, and showcase the best talent in Canada.
“His extraordinary athleticism, football intelligence, and maturity at such a young age demonstrate that he is ready for the Canadian Premier League challenge," Ghotbi said.
The local club is emerging as a launchpad for burgeoning Canadian talent in the country’s soccer landscape, having last month transferred Grady McDonnell, a 16-year-old native of Surrey, to Belgian side Club Brugge KV for a club-record fee plus future considerations.
The move marked a defining moment for a club that is quickly establishing itself as a premier talent incubator, said Rob Friend, co-owner, president, and CEO of Vancouver FC.
“Our dedication to developing the next generation of football stars is already proving successful. Grady McDonnell’s rapid rise from Vancouver FC to Club Brugge in just one year is a clear example of our ability to provide the right environment for young players to thrive,” noted Friend.
“Signing a talent like Grady, one of the top emerging players in Canada, shows the ambitions of our young club, as his further development demanded that he be given the right platform to thrive,” he added.
“We’re thrilled at the progress we’ve seen in him over the past year," he said of the16-year-old local phenomenon.
McDonnell became the youngest signing in CPL history when the Surrey native joined his hometown club Vancouver on his first professional contract in January 2024, at the age of 15 years, 10 months and 25 days.
"Emrick now steps into that same pathway, and we are excited to help him reach his full potential on the professional stage,” Friend elaborated.
"I am very grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me and excited to start my pro career here at Vancouver FC," shared Fotsing. “I know that this club believes in young players and helps them grow. That’s exactly what I need at this stage of my career, and I can’t wait to get started.”
The EYT roster subcategory allows a CPL club to sign up to two additional Under-18 domestic players to standard professional contracts outside of its 23-man primary roster. Fotsing joins Maple Ridge's T.J. Tahid as one of the club’s two EYT players, while midfielder James Cameron has been moved to the primary roster.
The club has also recently signed 17-year-old Joey Buchanan and 16-year-old Dominic Joseph, both of B.C., each to development contracts.
A player signed to a development contract must be a domestic under-18 player (born Jan. 1, 2007 or later), and is eligible to make four appearances for a CPL club while maintaining his amateur status and ability to train and play with the amateur team that holds his registration. There is no time limit for completion of these games. In any one calendar year, a player may sign a maximum of two development contracts in the CPL season.
In addition to Campbell and Fotsing joining the Eagles' roster, others already confirmed included team captain and record-breaking goalkeeper Callum Irving, and fellow netminder Niko Giantsopoulos. As for defenders, the team has Elage Bah, Matteo Campagna, Paris Gee, David Norman Jr., and Joey Buchanan on the roster, along with midfielders James Cameron, Tyler Crawford, Vasco Fry, T.J. Tahid, Dominic Joseph, and forwards Mikael Cantave, Alejandro Dìaz, Jose Navarro.
Vancouver FC will begin its 2025 CPL season on its home pitch at Willoughby Park, next to the Langley Events Centre, on Sunday, April 6, when the Eagles host York United FC.
Vancouver will subsequently entertain Atletico Ottawa on April 13, before hosting the first Salish Sea Derby of the campaign when Pacific FC comes to town in week 4, on April 26. Vancouver’s road schedule begins on April 18, when they're off to Calgary to take on Cavalry FC.
Their regular season will see VFC meet all seven of its opponents twice at home and twice on the road, for 14 home matches and 14 away matches.
