VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Thursday that the club has signed goalkeeper Thomas Hasal from the Whitecaps FC Academy to an MLS Homegrown contract through 2020, with options for 2021 and 2022.
Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Thomas Hasal
- Member of WFC Saskatchewan Academy Centre prior to moving to Vancouver
- 31 starts for WFC U-19 in Development Academy play from 2016-18, including playoffs
- Played with the WFC U-23 development squad in 2018
- Canadian national team player at U-18, U-20, and U-23 levels
- Two clean sheets in five starts for Canada at the Concacaf U-20 Championship in 2017 and 2018
“We see a lot of potential in Thomas,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos. “He was recommended by our Academy coaches and we liked what we saw during preseason. With our structure in place with the U-23 development squad, he will have the opportunity to continue to grow as a goalkeeper and progress in our club.”
TRANSACTION: On March 7, 2019, Thomas Hasal signed to MLS Homegrown contract through 2020, with options for 2021 and 2022
Hasal, 19, becomes the first player signed from the club’s U-23 development team. He is the fourth teenage WFC Academy product on the roster, along with Theo Bair, Michael Baldisimo, and Simon Colyn. He is also the second player on the ‘Caps roster from Saskatchewan, following Brett Levis.
“This is an amazing moment, it’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid,” added Hasal. “This is the main goal that I have had for the past few years, but nothing stops now, this is only the beginning. I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for their support, as well as coaches Raegyn Hall, Bryce Chapman, JD Blakley, Kent Kowalski, and Nuno Santos. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
The 6-foot-3 goalkeeper moves up to the first team after climbing up the club ranks, beginning with the Whitecaps FC Saskatchewan Academy Centre in 2013. In 2016, he moved to Vancouver to join the U-18 side, which became the U-19 team the following year. In his two seasons in Development Academy competition, he compiled 23 starts in league play, plus eight more in the playoffs. In 2018, he led the U-19 team to the Academy Championship semifinals before playing with the club’s newly launched U-23 development squad.
Born in Cambridge, Ontario, Hasal later moved to Alberta before settling in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. At the international level, he received his first Canadian national team invite in 2016 with the U-18 side. He competed in consecutive Concacaf U-20 Championship tournaments in 2017 and 2018, registering two clean sheets in five total starts. He also earned his first call up to a U-23 camp in January 2018.
Prior to joining the ‘Caps youth system, Hasal played one year with Saskatoon club Aurora SC.
Thomas Hasal
Pronunciation: HA-sall
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6-03
Weight: 190 pounds
Date of Birth: July 9, 1999 in Cambridge, Ontario
Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Citizenship: Canada
Status: Homegrown, Domestic
Last Club: Whitecaps FC U-23 development squad (‘18), WFC Academy (’16 - ’18)
