Vancouver FC Signs Top Two 2023 CPL-U Sports Draft Picks

March 22, 2023 – Canadian Premier League (CPL) – Vancouver FC News Release

Langley, BC – Vancouver FC today announced the signing of its two 2023 CPL-U SPORTS Draft picks, centre-back Anthony White and striker Ameer Kinani.

Vancouver received the top two picks in the annual draft, which was held last December, as the latest expansion side to join the Canadian Premier League (CPL). VFC selected White with the first overall pick out of the University of Toronto (U of T), followed by Kinani with the second overall pick out of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

White and Kinani were invited to Vancouver’s pre-season training, where they competed for a roster spot ahead of the 2023 CPL season.

“The CPL-U SPORTS Draft plays a key role in Canada’s player development pathway, allowing university level athletes to gain visibility from the professional clubs within our League,” said Rob Friend, President, Vancouver FC. “We’ve already seen success stories through this pathway, including Joel Waterman and Victor Loturi of Canada’s Men’s National Team as well as our own Gabriel Bitar. We believe both Anthony and Ameer will further showcase how critical this draft is in terms of identifying and developing more professional talent in this country.”

White, 19, joins Vancouver through the 2024 season on a standard player contract (SPC), with a club option to extend his stay through 2026. In signing an SPC rather than a CPL-U SPORTS contract, White has forfeited his U SPORTS eligibility.

The native of Port Moody, B.C., who grew up representing Coquitlam Metro Ford Soccer Club, returns to the west coast after making 11 starts for the University of Toronto in 2022, which was tied for the team lead in his sophomore season with the Varsity Blues. Outside of the U SPORTS structure, he most recently helped TSS Rovers win the 2022 League1 BC championship last summer.

White is the youngest first overall pick in the history of the CPL-U SPORTS Draft.

“I am proud of all of the hard work it took to get to this moment and grateful to Vancouver for making this investment in me,” said White. “As a young player, it is a luxury to know where I will be playing for the foreseeable future, and I look forward to living up to the faith Afshin and everyone at VFC has placed in me.”

The left-footed central defender, who stands at six foot one, has previously trained in top professional environments, such as with Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb and NK Sibenik, as well as FC Nurnberg in Germany. He…