Blake Wagner

PROFILE
A left-sided player who can play in defence or in midfield, Blake Wagner joined Whitecaps FC's Major League Soccer roster on Mar. 11, 2011. A product of Tampa, Florida, Wagner first joined Vancouver on Feb. 2, 2010, after spending four seasons in MLS with FC Dallas.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
2011: The defender/midfielder made his Whitecaps FC debut in MLS when he started at left fullback during Vancouver's 1-0 defeat at Philadelphia Union on Mar. 26. 2009: Wagner started around half of his 15 appearances during his final season with FC Dallas. His final appearance for the club came as a late second-half substitute, as Wagner replaced Dutch midfielder Dave van den Bergh during a 2-1 victory at San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 7. 2008: His third season with FC Dallas proved to be his most productive MLS campaign, as Wagner started all but one of his 24 appearances as a left-sided player, with two-thirds of those starts coming at left fullback. He also started both of FC Dallas' games in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. This included all 90 minutes of their 2-1 victory over former United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) club Miami FC in the third round on July 1 and the majority of the 3-1 home defeat to former USL-1 club Charleston Battery in the quarterfinals on July 8. Wagner also appeared in four of FC Dallas' six international friendly matches that season. 2007: Wagner was on FC Dallas' substitutes' bench on a dozen occasions during his second season with the club before making his MLS debut on Sept. 30 when he started at left fullback during a 3-0 home defeat to Texas arch-rivals Houston Dynamo. 2006: Wagner was selected in the second round (18th overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft after initially signing on with the league as a 'Generation adidas' player. He made his debut for the Texas-based club on July 19 during a 2-0 win over Mexican outfit Club Deportivo Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (Tigres UANL) in the first leg of the two-match Rio Grande Plate friendly series. The defender/midfielder's first start for FC Dallas came a week later in the second leg in Monterrey, Mexico, as the MLS side won the friendly competition 5-4 on penalties after losing the second leg 2-0 for a 2-2 aggregate draw.

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER RESERVE LEAGUE
2011: The defender/midfielder started Vancouver's inaugural match in the MLS Reserve League, as Whitecaps FC reserves fell 2-1 at San Jose Earthquakes reserves on Mar. 22. 2008: Wagner recorded an assist in three reserve team matches with FC Dallas. 2007: The midfielder started 11 of 12 reserve team matches for FC Dallas that season. 2006: Wagner started all but one of his eight appearances for FC Dallas reserves that season, playing primarily at left fullback, but also seeing action at centre back, as well as in central and left midfield.

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES PREMIER DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE
2011: Wagner made his PDL debut for Whitecaps FC Residency during a 2-1 home win over defending league champions Portland Timbers U-23's on June 12.

UNITED STATES SOCCER FEDERATION DIVISION-2 PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE
2010: Following an extended period on the sidelines with a foot injury, Wagner made his Whitecaps FC debut as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 victory away to Canadian rivals Montreal Impact on June 30 after replacing striker Randy Edwini-Bonsu at halftime. His first Whitecaps start came in the next match on July 3, as the winger played 78 minutes of a 0-0 away draw with Pacific Northwest rivals Portland Timbers. Wagner then claimed his first Whitecaps FC point when he assisted on Randy Edwini-Bonsu's equalizer during a 1-1 home draw with Athletic Club of St. Louis on July 8. He then registered a hat-trick, and subsequently his first three goals, for the Whitecaps in a 3-1 home win over Miami FC on July 14. Wagner then scored a highlight goal from distance during a 1-1 away draw versus FC Tampa Bay on Aug. 19.

INTERNATIONAL
U-23: With the USA U-23 Olympic squad, Wagner started all three Group B matches at the 2008 Toulon International Tournament in Toulon, France. Those matches included the 3-2 defeat to Turkey (May 21), the 1-0 defeat to Côte d'Ivoire (May 23), and the 2-0 defeat to Italy (May 25). U-20: Wagner was involved with the USA U-20 squad throughout much of 2006. He attended a camp in Argentina in April of that year, where he earned a start in the 4-0 friendly defeat to Argentina U-20's on Apr. 26. He then attended a training camp in Canada in July 2006 before participating in the 2006 Milk Cup tournament in Northern Ireland and the Busan International U-20 Four Nations Tournament in South Korea. His last U-20 appearance came as a late substitute at FC Dallas' Pizza Hut Park, as the American U-20's defeated Haiti's senior national team 2-1 on Mar. 28, 2007. U-17: From 2003 to 2005, Wagner was a member of the United States U-17 national team Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. As a member of the USA U-17 squad, the defender/midfielder made 20 appearances, scoring his first-ever international goal in a 4-3 friendly defeat to Uruguay U-17's in Porte Alegre, Brazil, on July 15, 2005. Wagner also appeared in all four of the USA's matches at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru. Those matches included all three contests in Group C versus North Korea (Sept. 17), Italy (Sept. 20), and Côte d'Ivoire (Sept. 23), as well as the 2-0 quarterfinal defeat to the Netherlands on Sept. 26.

HIGH SCHOOL/AMATEUR
Wagner attended and played soccer for Paul R. Wharton High School in Tampa, Florida, during his freshman year before moving to the USA U-17 Residency Program in 2003. It was with the Residency Program that the defender/midfielder finished high school a year early at the Edison Academic Center in Bradenton, Florida. Wagner was also a student at Hunter's Green Elementary School in Tampa, Florida. As a youth player, Wagner won three Florida state championships with Tampa's Black Watch Soccer Club. He also played one year with Hillsborough County United Soccer Club (HC United) in Tampa, Florida. Wagner initially committed to playing NCAA Division I soccer with the University of Maryland before opting to sign a Generation adidas contract with MLS in 2006.

PERSONAL
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Wagner moved with his family to San Diego, California, when he was just 10 months old. By the time the defender/midfielder was four years old, Wagner moved again with his family to his current hometown of Tampa, Florida. His parents are Carol and Bo Wagner. He has two older brothers named Brandon and Brett, and a younger sister named Allegra.

INTERESTING FACTS
Wagner is a fan of Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam and the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When not concentrating on his professional soccer career, the defender/midfielder enjoys spending time at the beach and surfing, while he also enjoys winter sports like skiing and snowboarding.