BMO Featured Players
Whitecaps FC and BMO share a commitment to developing young soccer talent through a coast-to-coast network of Whitecaps BMO Academy Centres.
With World Cup 2026 fast approaching, get to know below some of your future Canadian stars with our Whitecaps FC BMO “Ones to Watch” and “Players of the Month.”
Ones to Watch
Ellie Lancaster – Nova Scotia BMO Academy Centre
Players of the Month – November
CMSA
Name: Cailyn Cha-Yang
Birth Year: 2008
What her coaches say: “Cailyn came into our Academy this summer and right from the first minute, showed a true willingness to learn. This has remained consistent throughout the sessions. Cailyn has a very good relationship with the ball, she can evade pressure with a first touch and her comfortness on the ball helps with her decision-making which is improving each week. She has been a standout performer in the Academy and we are really excited to continue to work with Cailyn.”
Name: Luca Oliverio
Birth Year: 2010
What his coaches say: “Luca has impressed the coaches this month with his technical ability and execution of different player habits in our game model. His first touch has become more precise and that is a testament to how much he builds his relationship with the ball at home. He is also has a great attitude to training and is an absolute privelege to teach. We are excited to help with Luca’s development!”
Lethbridge
Name: Ethan Menard
Birth Year: 2006
What his coaches say: “Ethan is a fantastic player to coach, first to show, last to leave. He pays great attention to detail and asking questions to improve his game. He takes all three areas (technical, physical and educational) of the ‘Caps to College program very seriously and does everything he can to better his abilites. Through Ethan’s attitude and application, he has established himself in the group as a hard-working, determined player. Great job Eth!”
Okotoks
Name: Brooklynn Kendell
Birth Year: 2008
What her coaches say: “Brooklynn (Brooky), has been in our Academy Centre for the past year now and continues to shine through her improved relationship with the ball. She can create space and time for herself through improved awareness and a more precise first touch which is a testament to how hard she is working with the ball. Brooky is also a privelege to coach, has a high attention to detail and a 10/10 mentality with her willingness to learn being one of her best characteristics. Keep up the great work Brooklynn!”
Name: Sean McMillan
Birth Year: 2008
What his coaches say: “Sean is a very impressive player who epitomises the character cornerstones of players we are looking for at our club – team spirit, work ethic, mentality, and discipline. He impresses with his technical ability, always one of the players that can execute technical challenges really well and it is noticeable how much he encourages some of the more reserved players in the group. A class act. Keep it up Sean!”
Springbank
Name: Kaci Bzeta
Birth Year: 2010
What her coaches say: “Kaci started training in our Academy this phase and she has had an amazing impact already on training. She dazzles coaches with her dribbling ability and enthusiasm for the game. She evidently spends a lot of time developing her relationship with the ball at home, which will be a great advantage to her in the future. She needs to continue to develop her first touch through activities that we run and homework tasks as this will help her awareness even more to make correct decisions on the ball. Keep up the excellent work Kaci!”
Name: Anderson Nuell
Birth Year: 2002
What his coaches say: “Anderson has been training in our Academy for the past couple of years now and has been consistently growing within our game model. He performed really well at the Atlanta Generation Adidas Cup last year and has continued his progression showcasing growth in technical areas most specifically, his awareness and ability to receive from different angles. One of Anderson’s special qualites is his leadership skills which we will continue to hone for the future. Keep up the excellent work Anderson!”
Upper Island
Name: Mario Pranjic
Birth Year: 2007
What his coaches say: “Mario has been a member of our Academy Centres for a couple of years and has also recently started training with our Virtual Academy. Mario has consistently shown a fantastic attitude and work ethic. He is a very technical player and has shown continued improvement with his vision and awareness. Keep up the great work Mario, we look forward to following your continued progress.”
Lower Island
Name: Lif Munson
Birth Year: 2009
What his coaches say: “Lif has been a member of our Lower Island Academy Centre and has also recently started in our Virtual Academy. Lif’s attitude and application are first class. Lif you have worked so hard on your own time to continue developing and it has been a pleasure following your progress. Keep up the excellent work and well done!”
Name: Juliet Twemlow
Birth Year: 2009
What her coaches say: “Juliet has been in our program for three years. She has shown incredible growth in her development of skills and soccer IQ, but her passion for the game shows through every session. She continually has a ball at her feet and meets every challenge that the coaches give her. She never stops wanting to work, grow and learn! Great work Juliet!”
What her coaches say: “Juliet has been in our program for three years. She has shown incredible growth in her development of skills and soccer IQ, but her passion for the game shows through every session. She continually has a ball at her feet and meets every challenge that the coaches give her. She never stops wanting to work, grow and learn! Great work Juliet!”
Name: Carter Boyko
Birth Year: 2009
What his coaches say: “Carter has been in our Academy now for two years and has continually showed his willingness to work hard and get better every session. He is a great listener and has very a good soccer IQ. We see continual development in his technical skills and it will only get better!”
What his coaches say: “Carter has been in our Academy now for two years and has continually showed his willingness to work hard and get better every session. He is a great listener and has very a good soccer IQ. We see continual development in his technical skills and it will only get better!”
Kootenay West
Name: Josie Clayden
Birth Year: 2005
What her coaches say: “Josie has started off the 2020 ‘Caps to College campaign very strongly. She is a fierce competitor in training and raises the effort level and intensity of those around her. Josie is always able to accept constructive criticism and then adjust her game based on things that coaches notice. Keep up the good work, Josie!”
Kootenay West
Name: Jacob Marshall
Birth Year: 2004
What his coaches say: “In this first year on the senior ‘Caps to College team, Jake has really stepped up into a leadership role with the group. He is an intelligent player that can always find pockets of space to link things together, and is a relentless worker on the defensive side of the ball. Well done this month, Jake, and congrats on a well-deserved award!”
Kootenay East
Name: Zoe Amaechi
Birth Year: 2011
What her coaches say: “Zoe is a new player to our program and has shown an incredible appetite to better herself. She has really impressed with her work ethic, her desire to improve, and her 1v1 attacking skills. She has been working hard on her 1v1 moves to beat players and she has applied these in our small sided games during practice. Well done Zoe and keep up the good work!”
Kootenay South
Name: Soleil Bitting
Birth Year: 2010
What her coaches say: “Soleil brings fantastic energy and enthusiasm to training. She always listens to the coaches and takes on feedback very well! She also never backs down from challenges and is improving very quickly in her ability! Awesome work, Soleil!”
Kootenay South
Name: Eli Fricke
Birth Year: 2010
What his coaches say: “Eli has been a great newcomer to our Academy. In training he shows great competitiveness and determination to get better and learn. Eli is a relentless worker and always gives his best – this will serve him well in the future! Keep up the great work Eli!”
Name: Keira Shea
Birth Year: 2007
Birth Year: 2007
What her coaches say: “Keira has improved significantly since the beginning of the season. Her athleticism in addition to the great level of commitment to training over the past months, has increased her game level. Her running speed, the ability to recover the ball, support the offense and shoot are contributing to the improvement of the team. Keira is always willing to follow advice from the coaches and brings a great attitude to every practice or game. Congratulations Keira!”
Mainland Academy – Boys
Name: Devlin Verstraete
Birth Year: 2008
Birth Year: 2008
What his coaches say: “Devlin has had a fantastic month of training. He is always fully engaged and challenging himself to the max! Devlin has been with our Academy and Prospects program for a number of years now and it is great to see him really playing at a high level this month.”
Mainland Academy – Girls
Name: Vienna Gomez
Birth Year: 2013
Birth Year: 2013
What her coaches say: “Vienna is a young and exciting player who has been working incredibly hard over these last few months. She has a love for the game and is always open to learning in both her Academy and Prospects sessions. Congratulations Vienna, keep up the great work!”
UBC
Name: Markus Duhme
Birth Year: 2010
Birth Year: 2010
What his coaches say: “Markus has shown a tremendous attitude so far this Fall. In addition to Markus’ work ethic, he has made a real impact on the UBC Academy Centre and impressed coaching staff with his ability to create and score goals in the final third. Well done Markus!”
Fraser Valley
Name: Veer Sanghera
Birth Year: 2011
Birth Year: 2011
What his coaches say: “Veer is a very dynamic and exciting young player who has consistently impressed in each and every session this year. Veer is constantly trying new things and has found plenty of success against players a few years older than him. In addition to Veer’s continued progression, Veer always shows up ready to train and play at every session. Great work Veer!”
Name: AJ Calado
Birth Year: 2003
Birth Year: 2003
What his coaches say: “We are all extremely proud of AJ. He is a fierce competitor and is always focusing on how to improve himself. AJ has recently made the move from our Manitoba Prospects to our MLS Academy in Vancouver.”
Name: Rowan Antle
Birth Year: 2008
Birth Year: 2008
What his coaches say: “A very competitive player who in every session, not just pushes himself but everyone else around. He has a great personality and very promising leadership qualities.”
Name: Mya Archibald
Birth Year: 2005
Birth Year: 2005
What her coaches say: “Mya is a pleasure to work with. She is a committed person who takes the time to set goals and is deliberate in her effort when attempting to achieve them. She consistently asks detailed questions when self-reflecting and rapidly internalizes new concepts or ideas as they are introduced. Outside of sport, Mya comes across as a considerate and positive young leader. We look forward to her positive impact in and outside of the sport as she continues to grow.”
Name: Emily Pegg
Birth Year: 2009
What her coaches say: “Emily brings a fantastic attitude every session. Her positivity and energy are incredibly infectious! She consistently has an open mind to learning new skills and taking in information. Over the past month, we have seen great improvement in her technical ability and decision-making skills on the ball, at speed. Emily is a great example of a competitive player, always eager to improve. Congratulations Emily! Keep it up!”
Birth Year: 2009
What her coaches say: “Emily brings a fantastic attitude every session. Her positivity and energy are incredibly infectious! She consistently has an open mind to learning new skills and taking in information. Over the past month, we have seen great improvement in her technical ability and decision-making skills on the ball, at speed. Emily is a great example of a competitive player, always eager to improve. Congratulations Emily! Keep it up!”
Name: Jordan Gillott
Birth Year: 2007
What his coaches say: “Jordan has regularly impressed coaches at our Academy Centre with his fearless attitude and desire to improve and develop his fundamentals. Jordan has continued to develop both feet, making him even more calm when in possession. Jordan is very coachable and shows up to all sessions ready to go. Jordan has been a great example on and off the field with his great attitude towards his teammamtes and coaches. We are very happy and proud of you Jordy! Congrats!”
Birth Year: 2007
What his coaches say: “Jordan has regularly impressed coaches at our Academy Centre with his fearless attitude and desire to improve and develop his fundamentals. Jordan has continued to develop both feet, making him even more calm when in possession. Jordan is very coachable and shows up to all sessions ready to go. Jordan has been a great example on and off the field with his great attitude towards his teammamtes and coaches. We are very happy and proud of you Jordy! Congrats!”
Name: Liam McNolty
Birth Year: 2008
Birth Year: 2008
What his coaches say: “Liam has recently started in our Virtual Academy and has had a great start to the program. Liam has shown great work ethic and technical ability in his weekly sessions so far. The extra work he is putting in will continue to pay off moving forward. Keep up the fantastic work and well done. Congratulations Liam!”
Name: Jacob Tweel
Birth Year: 2004
Birth Year: 2004
What his coaches say: “Typically a midfielder, Jacob has recently transitioned into playing as the number nine. Jacob has adjusted well to the new role, his strong dribbling skills and link play have served him well. He also scored two goals in the team’s competitions. Congrats Jacob.”
Name: Bethany Lee
Birth Year: 2006
Birth Year: 2006
What her coaches say: “Bethany joins us every week online from PEI and she is always up for the sessions. Bethany not only has great skill with the ball, she also shows great motivation to improve her weaknesses. Keep pushing yourself Bethany and raising your standard every day!”
Name: Issac Cartmel
Birth Year: 2010
Birth Year: 2010
What his coaches say: “Issac is one of the youngest players in our Virtual Academy, but his application and commitment to getting better is well beyond his years. Issac has had a great month and his general player habits have really improved, in addition to his creative moves and freestyles. Keep working hard and keeping enjoying the process.”
| PLAYER | BMO ACADEMY CENTRE |
| Isaac Boehmer | Okanagan BMO Academy Centre |
| Alessandro Calado | Manitoba BMO Academy Centre |
| Brandon Tam | London BMO Academy Centre |
| Joe Hanson | Yukon BMO Academy Centre |
| Sarina Tait | Kelowna BMO Academy Centre |
| Kimia Kassanda | Alberta BMO Academy Centre |
| Alesandro Comita | Kamloops BMO Academy Centre |
| Owen Antoniuk | Alberta BMO Academy Centre |
| Riad Jaha | PEI BMO Academy Centre |
| Kyle Steenstra | Alberta BMO Academy Centre |
| Molly Mertin | Northwest BMO Academy Centre |
| Taya Short | Kootenays West BMO Academy Centre |
Click here and find a Whitecaps FC BMO Academy Centre program near you.