Could Grady McDonnell become the latest young Canadian-made talent to benefit from the creation of the Canadian Premier League? The 16-year-old central midfielder became the second youngest player in Vancouver FC history and the third youngest player in CPL history when he debuted in a 3-1 defeat to Cavalry FC in May. The progress of the Surrey, British Columbia native has been noted in Europe as McDonnell has recently represented Ireland at the youth international level.
In October, McDonnell, who previously played four games for Canada’s U15 men’s national team, played 60 minutes for the Republic of Ireland U17 in the U17 UEFA European Championship qualification match against Iceland. Then on the last international break, McDonnell played in both friendlies against Denmark’s U17, scoring in the first match. Overall, McDonnell has represented Ireland in 14 official games across various youth levels.
The latest U17 Ireland games were the latest milestone for a young player, who already has managed 15 appearances in the CPL this season, including in a crucial Salish Sea Derby against local rivals Pacific FC (0-3). Down a goal in the first half, Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi brought on McDonnell in the 36th minute to provide a fresh impulse. “It’s amazing how much he has grown mentally, physically, technically and practically,” Ghotbi said to Transfermarkt after the match. “It is also impressive how, as a young boy or young man rather, how mature he is, how competitive he is, you could put him in Nou Camp against Barcelona, and he wouldn’t shy away from the bright lights of a big competition. And I feel he has a bright future ahead of him and will play a big role for our team in the last five games [of the regular season].”
Grady McDonnell: Vancouver FC talent “has great career ahead of him”
The CPL regular season is shaping up to be a tight race for the final playoff spots. With just three games left, Vancouver FC are currently one point behind Pacific FC, who are sitting just above the CPL Playoff line. But looking over their shoulders, both HFX Wanderers and Valour FC are hot on their heels as well. Indeed, with the CPL nearing its final stretch, every single club in the league can still make the post-season. It is a remarkable situation, and despite all that, VFC head coach Ghotbi features young players in high-pressure situations.
In fact, McDonnell wasn’t the only teenager to feature against Pacific FC. Coming on in the second half was Taryck Tahid, who was featured in the Transfermarkt Talents Calendar last December. Tahid just about edges out McDonnell for the youngest player in club history and after playing the U17 World Cup in last winter struggled with injuries to start the season but is slowly regaining his form.
“I think you’re going to see some nice surprises,” Ghotbi said. “We must make corrections, adjust, and put players on the pitch who can do the job for us. And I think young players can do it. I must find the right balance between young players and veterans.” Only 20, Matteo Campagna can be considered one of those veterans on a still very young Vancouver FC team. “I think Grady is fantastic,” Campagna said. “I think he is one of the best young players in the league. He is a really hard-working kid. He’s really focused, and with his technical ability and the way he sees plays, I think he has a really great career ahead of him.”
McDonnell admires Jude Bellingham – Will he represent Canada or Ireland?
What sort of player is McDonnell? McDonnell is a typical box-to-box midfielder who combines his technical skills and visions with an extremely high work rate. Fantastic on and off the ball, McDonnell can create attacking plays and shut down the opponent’s transition moments. Speaking to CanPL.ca, McDonnell highlighted Real Madrid star and fellow Irish citizen Jude Bellingham as his role model. The Bellingham comparison is intriguing, even if McDonnell still has significant room to grow as a player. But there is no doubt that European clubs have paid notice to the CPL’s latest talent.
The league has undoubtedly given many young Canadians opportunities that haven’t existed in the past. The Transfermarkt database underlines this observation, as the likes of Lukas MacNaughton, Joel Waterman, Victor Loturi, Woobens Pacius, Marco Bustos, Mohamed Farsi, Kwasi Poku, and many others have graduated from the CPL to play either in Europe or MLS. The league has also been an excellent pathway to the Canadian men’s national team. No less than ten players who have played in the CPL have gone on to represent Canada. Those players are: Loturi, James Pantemis, Dominick Zator, Jonathan Sirois, MacNaughton, Waterman, Marco Carducci, Amer Didic, Tristan Borges, and Bustos.
Could McDonnell be next? The Irish passport will undoubtedly help, and the fact that teammates Tahid and teammate James Cameron trained with Feyenoord and Luton Town, respectively, in the offseason will open doors for McDonnell. Ultimately, who will he represent at the senior level? One of the reasons the CPL was created was to create more talent for the Canadian men’s national team. As things stand, McDonnell is representing Ireland, but that could change. “You know he was born here and has lived here his entire life,” Campagna said. “It is obviously up to him and what he wants to do. But if you look at how well Canada is doing lately, it is up and coming. I hope it is an option for him.”
As Grady and the rest of the VFC squad prepare to take on Halifax this weekend many fans will have their sights set on the Eagles final Home Match of 2024 on October 13th. Vancouver FC are set to take on Valour with the 5th and final CPL Playoff spot still up for grabs, fans looking to attend the match that is set to kickoff at 2:00PM PT can do so here.
This article was originally written by Manuel Veth for Transfermarkt on September 18, 2024, this article was last updated by Vancouver FC on October 2nd, 2024.
Fans wishing to read the original article on the Transfermarkt website can do so here.
