Get to Know Marcus Haber

LSBTV stopped by Pacific FC's training camp to chat with Marcus Haber about life, soccer and the Island.

Photo Gallery - Victoria Highlanders FC U18 Futures vs. Whitecaps U-23s

The Victoria Highlanders U18 Futures squad met the Whitecaps U23s at Westhills Stadium for a preseason friendly early today. Amid the rubble of the massive stadium renovation project, the Highlanders managed to pull away with a decisive victory, scoring the only goal of the game in the final minutes despite a solid run of defending from the visiting Whitecaps.

LSBTV was in attendance at Westhills Stadium for the Victoria Highlanders FC Futures vs. Whitecaps U-23s friendly match, here are some photo highlights:

Pacific FC Returns to Training with Draft Picks, Trialists in the Mix

***PRESS RELEASE***

Pacific Football Club returns to training, Mar. 12 at Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence. This week’s training will see the trio of Pacific’s UBC draft picks Thomas Gardner, Nick Fussell and Zach Verhoven, as well as a number of trialists joining training in an attempt to crack the club’s inaugural roster. 

Below is the week’s confirmed trialists. Please note that trialist appearances during training sessions will vary. 

Mamadi Camara

Age: 23

Position: Forward

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec 

The 23-year-old forward was drafted 46th overall by San Jose in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Camara comes from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. Born in Guinea, Africa, Camara grew up in Montreal and is a Canadian citizen. In 2018, he was named United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year. 

Elie Gindo

Age: 23

Position: Centre Back

Hometown: Surrey, BC 

The towering centre back turned heads at the CPL Open Trials late last year, receiving an invite following the event. Island soccer fans will be familiar with his play, having made appearances with the Highlanders over the past two seasons. 

Shun Takano

Age: 23

Position: Winger

Hometown: Chiba, Japan 

The midfielder captured the 2017 Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Nationals and during the tournament, Takano was named Most Valuable Player. He was also a finalist for Sport BC’s College Athlete of the Year. 

Ryan McCurdy

Age: 28

Position: Centre Back

Hometown: Belfast, Northern Ireland

 McCurdy captured a championship with Bill Merriman’s Vancouver Island University Mariners in 2017. The Belfast native also paired up with fellow trialist Elie Gindo on the back line of the Highlanders in 2017, where he also served as captain. He was a member of League1 Ontario’s Kingston Clippers in 2016. 

Chris Merriman

Age: 28

Position: Defender

Hometown: Nanaimo, BC 

Merriman captained his father’s VIU Mariners side to a CCAA National Championship in 2017 and is the third member of the championship-winning team who will be vying for a spot on the Pacific FC roster this week. 

Jake Ruby

Age: 18

Position: Defender

Hometown: Vancouver, BC

Ruby was 16 years old when he made his debut in the Canadian youth program in 2016 with coach Paul Stalteri. Ruby represented Canada at the 2017 CONCACAF Men’s U-17 Championship in Panama. A consistent player throughout the ‘Caps development program, Ruby started all 26 of 27 games for the U-16’s. 

Cam Hundal

Age: 26

Position: Forward

Hometown: Terrace, BC 

Hundal is well-known in the Victoria region, having captured a U SPORTS National Championship with the University of Victoria Vikes in his rookie season. The 26-year-old carries a number of accolades from his five-year, varsity career at UVic, with National Championship MVP, Rookie of the Year (2011) and U SPORTS Player of the Year (2016) among the most notable.

Sean Keith

Age: 22

Position: Defender

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada 

Son of Victoria soccer legend Simon Keith, Sean Keith featured for the famed American High School Bishop Gorman. Played for Lake Tahoe Community College and FC Tucson of the USL League 2, formerly of the Premier Development League. 

Cem Seven

Age: 20

Position: Defender

Hometown: Martingues, France 

The French defender will make the trip to Canada to vie for a position with the Canadian side. Seven made 12 appearances for Oudenaarde in 2017-18, collecting 238 minutes.

ABOUT PACIFIC FOOTBALL CLUB
Founded in 2018, Pacific Football Club brings professional football to Vancouver Island. Playing out of a renovated, 6000-seat Westhills Stadium in Langford, the club will provide an outlet for Canadian soccer players to compete at the professional level of the sport on home soil. Fans will be able to enjoy the thrilling, fast-paced sporting atmosphere associated with the sport when the Canadian Premier League season kicks off in April 2019.

For season ticket information: https://pacificfc.canpl.ca/pacific-football-club-ticketing

ABOUT THE CANADIAN PREMIER LEAGUE
Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada’s professional men’s soccer league set to debut on April 27, 2019. Playing in world-class and unique venues, and partnering with strong community-led ownership groups, the CPL is a league for Canadians by Canadians that will bring professional soccer to communities coast-to-coast.

For updates and more information, please go to CanPL.ca.Connect with us on Twitter: @CPLsoccer and #CanPL

Mira Laurence Joins Pacific FC Management Team

Pacific Football Club added Mira Laurence, long-time BC sportscaster, to their management team. Laurence will take on the position of Director of Communications and Community Partnerships with the club for the inaugural 2019 season.

LSBTV was at the announcement and asked Mira a few questions.

Jonesing for Answers, Episode 1

In this multi-part series, LSBTV Correspondent Ryan Arrowood gets to ask Pacific FC Executive Vice President Brad Norris-Jones any three questions he wants, and Brad has to answer at least two of them.