Vancouver Football Club is proud to announce the signing of three Canadian players to 2023 Developmental Contracts: midfielder Lennon Thompson, fullback James Cameron and forward Kourosh Jamshidi.
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“One of our main missions is to invest in local Canadian youth players and provide them an excellent professional environment to realize their true potential and dreams,” said Afshin Ghotbi, Head Coach, Vancouver FC. “All three of these players are exciting prospects with exceptional talent who can contribute to both the future of VFC and Canadian football.”
Thompson, 18, represented Coastal FC before joining the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency program in 2019 at the U-15 level. The Surrey, B.C. native spent three years with the program before he was invited to trial with Sirens Football Club of the Maltese Premier League in 2022. Thompson returned to his roots, playing one season with TSS Rovers in 2022 before committing to Unity FC.
He is the son of Vancouver FC assistant coach Niall Thompson, a former member of the Canadian Men’s National Team who competed at club level for Crystal Palace, Colchester United, Montreal Impact, Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps, among other teams.
“Lennon is a football prodigy who combines talent, fighting spirit and football IQ,” said Ghotbi. “He can play multiple positions. I believe he will follow his father’s footsteps and will one day represent Canada in international football.”
Cameron, 18, grew up in North Vancouver and played for multiple youth programs including North Vancouver FC, Mountain FC in the BC Soccer Premier League (BCSPL), and Blaise Soccer Academy. Cameron recently represented Team BC at the 2022 Canadian Summer Games in Niagara, where he scored one goal and helped the team secure a fifth place finish in the tournament.
“James can run over opponents with his long relentless strides, and his competitive nature and work ethic will fuel his future success,” said Ghotbi.
Jamshidi, 17, was born in Toronto, ON where he played for Wexford Soccer Club and Markham Soccer Club before joining North Toronto of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) at the age of 15. Last season, Jamshidi played for the Richmond Hill Raiders U21 in League1 Ontario, where he made 11 appearances and scored one goal.
“Kouroush Jamshidi is a natural striker with an aptitude to score goals,” said Ghotbi. “He is as cool as a cucumber in front of the goal, and he has an instinctive nose to arrive at the right moment to where the ball will be in the danger area.”
Vancouver will kick off its home schedule at Willoughby Community Park at the Langley Events Centre on Sunday, May 7 against Cavalry FC.
Fans eager to secure their tickets for Vancouver’s inaugural season can do so by clicking here. Stay tuned to canpl.ca/vancouverfc and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
