Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the signing of free agent defender
Blake Wagner
. The left-sided player, who has spent the last four seasons with Major League Soccer (MLS) club FC Dallas, has agreed to a one-year contract - plus an option - pending international clearance. The Whitecaps also announced today that they will not exercise the 2010 contract options on defender/midfielder Mason Trafford and midfielder Gordon Chin.
During the 2009 season with FC Dallas, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound defender - who also saw time in midfield - played in 15 regular season matches, including eight starts, for 789 minutes of action. Over his four seasons with the Texas-based outfit, Wagner started 32 of his 40 regular season appearances for 2,947 minutes of action.
Wagner - who turned 22 last Friday - was selected in the second round (18th overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation adidas player.
Prior to joining FC Dallas, Wagner was a member of the United States U-17 national team Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida, from 2003 to 2005. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, the native of Tampa, Florida, has represented the U.S. at the U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels. This included all four matches for his country at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru, where the Americans reached the quarterfinals before falling to defeat versus the Netherlands.
Trafford, 23, joined the Whitecaps midway through the 2008 season and made 17 regular season and playoff appearances for 750 minutes of action. In 2009, the native of North Vancouver, BC, recorded two assists in 29 total appearances for the club.
Chin, 26, concludes his second spell with the 'Caps, having first played for the club back in 2003. The Burnaby, BC, native scored one goal and added five assists in 28 total appearances for 1,545 minutes of action. In 2003, Chin made 14 appearances for Vancouver during his first season as a professional.
Whitecaps 2010 season tickets are now on sale. Season tickets include all men’s and women's team regular season and playoff home matches at Swangard Stadium, Nutrilite Canadian Championship home matches against Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, as well as priority listing for Vancouver MLS 2011 in BC Place. For more information on the 2010 season ticket packages, call 604.669.WAVE (9283) or
CLICK HERE
.
ABOUT THE NASL
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was established in November 2009 and is comprised of the following active teams: Carolina RailHawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Miami FC, Minnesota (name to be determined), Montreal Impact, Rochester Rhinos, AC St. Louis, FC Tampa Bay, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For the 2010 season, the NASL's nine teams, together with three teams (Austin Aztex, Portland Timbers, and Puerto Rico Islanders) from the United Soccer Leagues, will play in a second division league established and administered by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The league will feature two conferences (NASL and USL) of six teams each, with three NASL teams (Minnesota, Rochester, and Tampa Bay) playing in the USL conference. In 2011, the NASL will be joined by teams in Atlanta and certain other cities to be named at a later date. The NASL and its member teams are committed to building on their long tradition of providing a high level of soccer to fans across the United States and Canada in 2010 and beyond.
