Tuesday, February 19, 2019 ~ LANGFORD.
~ West Shore Voice News
Pacific Football Club (Pacific FC) continues building its inaugural season lineup with this week adding their 11th player to the roster.
As announced this evening February 19, at an event in downtown Victoria, Pacific FC has signed Canadian international Marcel de Jong for the 2019 inaugural season.
A defender who can also step into midfield, de Jong spent the previous three years with Vancouver Whitecaps FC following stops at Sporting Kansas City and the Ottawa Fury. The 32-year-old’s professional career includes 250 appearances with top tier clubs in Europe and North America.
“I’m coming to Pacific FC to be successful, achieve my goals and win,” said de Jong. “I’m still hungry and fit, and I have the drive to be a leader and role model for the younger players.”
A commanding and exciting player to watch, de Jong has earned 56 senior caps for Canada’s men’s national team. Born in Newmarket, Ontario de Jong holds dual citizenship with Canada and the Netherlands.
De Jong joined West Coast outfit Whitecaps FC in 2016 and gained notoriety during his previous three MLS seasons as a left fullback. His professional career includes stints in the Netherlands with Helmond Sport and Roda JC, where he played for four years, and later in Germany for FC Augsburg.
“Marcel’s qualities speak for themselves, he is one of the best left backs in Canada and we are excited he has agreed to join our club,” said Michael Silberbauer, Head Coach, Pacific Football Club. “Marcel is a true professional and his experience and leadership will help move other players forward as well.
De Jong joins 10 other players who have been named to Pacific FC’s roster, including Marcus Haber, Kadin Chung, Mark Village, Ben Fisk, Victor Blasco, José Hernandez, Matthew Baldisimo, Terran Campbell, Noah Verhoeven and Alessandro Hojabrpour.
More signings are slated for the coming weeks. Spring training begins in early March with the season officially kicking off in late April at Westhills Stadium.
The inaugural Canadian Premier League season with seven teams across Canada starts in April.
BACKGROUND:
Over the coming weeks, the team will continue to build its roster preparing for spring training in March.
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 young Canadian soccer players to realize their dreams of playing at the professional level. 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 CPL: Canadian Premier League (CPL) is Canada’s professional men’s soccer league set to debut in April 2019. Playing in world-class and unique venues, and partnering with strong community-led ownership groups, 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 . On Twitter: @CPLsoccer and #CanPL
LINKS:
Three more players: Ben Fisk, Victor Blasco, José Hernandez (February 10)
Trio signed: Alessandro Hojabrpour, Matthew Baldisimo, and Terran Campbell (January 19, 2019)
Pacific FC signs Marcus Haber for inaugural season (January 9, 2019)
Pacific FC opens downtown Victoria storefront & signs Kadin Chung (November 30, 2018)
For season ticket information: https://pacificfc.canpl.ca/pacific-football-club-ticketing