Tri-Cities soccer fans may soon have another reason to head over the Port Mann Bridge to watch Vancouver FC play next season.
The Canadian Premier League team selected Coquitlam’s Thomas Powell in the second round — 15th overall — of the annual draft of U-Sports players.
The 22-year-old midfielder spent the last three seasons playing for the Trinity Western University Spartans where he scored 10 goals and nine assists in 44 games.
Four of those goals and four assists came in his junior year, which earned him a spot on the Canada West first all star team while wearing the Spartans' captain armband.
Powell also scored two goals in the 11 games he played for Unity FC in League1 last season, the top amateur league in British Columbia.
Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi said Powell "is a complete footballer who will offer us depth, consistency and balance in the midfield."
Mike Shearon, Powell’s coach at TWU, praised his charge as "a late bloomer," adding "he has worked hard on and off the pitch to get this opportunity."
Shearon, who also guides Unity FC, said Powell works well in open areas as well as tight spots to create offensive opportunities.
"He is fearless inside the box and likes to press and defend."
Powell, an Archbishop Carney grad, now has the opportunity to attend Vancouver FC’s pre-season training to earn a roster spot for the 2024 season.
If he makes the team, he’ll join a couple of other players from the Tri-Cities who developed through the Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club program.
Port Moody’s Anthony White just completed his first season with Vancouver FC after he was the first overall pick in the 2022 U-Sports draft last December. The defender signed with the first-year CPL team rather than return for a third year at the University of Toronto and appeared in 20 games.
As well, Kadin Chung of Port Coquitlam played 13 games for Vancouver last season after missing several months with a broken collarbone. He was previously part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy and developmental programs and played pro in Germany, Victoria and Toronto.
