Sunday, February 10, 2019 ~ LANGFORD.
~ West Shore Voice News
Pacific Football Club (Pacific FC) continues building its inaugural season lineup with this week adding three more players to seven already on the roster. Total of 10 so far!
As announced February 7, Pacific FC has signed midfielder Ben Fisk, forward Jose Hernandez and midfielder Victor Blasco — a trio of strengths and styles, says Pacific FC head coach Michael Silberbauer. “They will make our attack even more versatile and I see them as a great addition to our growing team.”
Fisk is a Canadian international who returns home to play in the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) alongside Hernandez and Blasco. (Signing is pending International Transfer Certificate (ITC) approval).
Fisk, 26 returns to Canada after spending last season playing for Derry City FC in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Raised in Vancouver, Fisk entered the Whitecaps FC youth program in 2006 and made his debut with the club’s U-23 squad in 2011. Fisk’s pro career has taken him to Charleston Battery before heading abroad to Spain’s Coruxo FC and later Deportivo de La Coruna. He then returned to Canada with FC Edmonton before signing in Northern Ireland for 2018. Fisk has played on both the Canadian men’s U-20 and U-23 youth squads and made his senior team debut in 2017, where he featured in two matches.
“We are delighted to have secured three dynamic attacking players,” said Rob Friend, CEO, Pacific Football Club. “Ben Fisk brings a wealth of experience and he’s coming into the prime of his career. Jose Hernandez is one of the top young strikers in Canada, and Victor Blasco has the potential to be one of the most exciting midfielders in the league.”
Edmonton-born Hernandez joined the Whitecaps FC Residency in 2016 and appeared in 26 matches for the U-16 team, registering an impressive 19 goals. He competed internationally in 2017 at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship for Canada, making his international debut against Cuba. At 18, Hernandez is the youngest player to sign to Pacific FC to date.
Spanish native, Blasco has already played on Vancouver Island while at Vancouver Island University in 2014. Born in Barcelona, Blasco, 24, spent his youth playing in his home city, Cornella and Mallorca before coming to Canada to play at VIU where he was named 2014 PACWEST Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year. In 2015, Blasco made his pro debut with Whitecaps 2 of the USL Championship and turning heads in the local soccer scene over the course of two seasons.
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:
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