BMO Featured Players

Birth Year: 2009

What her coaches say: “Ava has been a role model in her training group since coming into the Academy. Ava trains with a high level of focus and enthusiasm in each activity and sets the tempo in training for the other players to follow. Ava has been excelling in her passing ability especially short to mid-range with good accuracy and weight but needs to improve her longer range. Ava has also been noticeably effective when engaging in 1v1 defensive duels with good timing and anticipation skills. She also has good athletic traits as well. Keep up the great start Ava!”

Name: Ashlynn Kane
Birth Year: 2007

What her coaches say: “Ashlynn has been a standout member of our Academy this season. Ashlynn consistently trains with a work ethic and intensity that sets the tone for the rest of the group. What has been impressing the coaches lately as well is her range of passes especially her ability to play disguised passes through the lines. She has also proven to be effective in 1v1 situations defensively in her group. Ash is improving and catching the eye each week. Keep up the great work Ashlynn!”

Name: Desmond Gulley
Birth Year: 2013

What his coaches say: “Des has been dazzling the coaches for the past couple of seasons with his intricate dribbling skills. He has turned it up another notch this season though in relation to his decision-making when passing off the dribble. Des also shows a huge appetite for learning as he practices what we work on in training at home. This is helping him excel really well in his training group by getting that deliberate practice in at home. Keep up the great form dazzling Des!”

Name: Emma Mehillaj
Birth Year: 2010

What her coaches say: “Emma has been a part of our Academy for a couple of phases now and has shown breathtaking ability in different player tools. Emma has great timing in 1v1 situations and also has a natural change of pace with the ball to help her evade recovering defenders. She displays great understanding as well as she releases the ball in the right moments to players in a better position to score as well as coming out of her dead-ends efficiently. An area of continued growth for Emma is to practice her finishing in different situations as goals are worth their weight in gold. Emma is also most importantly a player of great character and trains with high work ethic sun, rain or snow! Keep it up Emma!”

Name: Matthew Matjasic
Birth Year: 2011

What his coaches say: “Mattie has been a part of our Academy since it’s inception in 2017-2018 and could have been deserving of this accolade every month since! Mattie is the player that all the coaches want to coach every week because he always trains with a high work ethic, is competitive and is totally focused throughout each exercise. Not to mention, no shortage of skill! Mattie is a genius when it comes to manipulating the ball out of dead-end situations to protect and switch the point of attack. He relishes isolating his opponent as he has a lot of flair in 1v1 situations to get past them. Mattie has also been showing good awareness this season to release the ball off the dribble at the right time to a teammate. Defensively, he also works really hard to get back into position in moments of transition. Keep up the great work Mattie!”

Birth Year: 2010

What her coaches say: “Abby started with our Academy this Fall and has impressed greatly with her skillset and training habits. Abby’s strengths lie in her ability in the 1v1 attacking tool. Abby is very effective when running with the ball to imbalance opposition defenders. She has natural athleticism which helps give her a change of pace when she goes past someone. Abby also trains with a really high work ethic which helps her learn faster. An area of continued growth for Abby is for her to improve her spatial awareness when she has the ball to help with her decision-making. Keep up the great work Abby!”

Birth Year: 2013

What his coaches say: “Thomas has come into our inaugural Academy in Cochrane and shown a real appetite for learning. He trains with great enthusiasm and energy and has impressed us with his skill set. Tommy is particularly effective in the 1v1 attacking player tool and has a natural change of pace with the ball which helps with his end product to assist or score. Tommy has also displayed good decision-making in situations where his teammates are in a better position to score. Keep up the great work Tommy!”

Name: Liam Knipelberg
Birth Year: 2011

What his coaches say: “Liam is an athlete who gets better and better each day. With an eye for goal and fearlessness on the ball, Liam is shaping up to be an exciting player. His love of the game and dedication is infectious, and I am looking forward to seeing the places he will go in soccer as he continues on with the Whitecaps Academy. Well done Liam, keep up the great work!”

Name: Ella Mohr
Birth Year: 2009

What his coaches say: “Ella is an awesome member of our Whitecaps Academy! She comes to every practice engaged, ready to work hard, and with a big smile on her face. She is fearless as a goalie and has really improved in her shot-stopping abilities recently. She is also very dedicated to getting better and listening to coach feedback. Congrats on a very impressive month, looking forward to finishing the season with you on a high note!”

Name: Elysha Keyserlingk
Birth Year: 2009

What his coaches say: “Elysha has shown excellent training habits and work ethic over these last few months. She comes to each practice with a big smile on her face and is ready to learn. Elysha has improved her dribbling and ball control significantly over the last few weeks, as well as her ability to slow the game down when needed. Congrats on the job well done, Elysha, we are excited to be part of your development!”

Birth Year: 2010

What his coaches say: “Jared has been working hard in our academy and his ability to protect and ball as well as receive and turn with speed and control has really improved. Keep working hard Jared, you had a great last few weeks”

Birth Year: 2011

What his coaches say: “Lucas has now won his second player of the month in his Whitecaps journey and this one is richly deserved. Lucas has been training with the same level of focus and energy as always but is now showing really strong leadership skills in the way he supports and encourages his teammates. Lucas has also been displaying ferocious ability when shooting from short and long range finding the target and the net consistently. What is more impressive though is his good decision-making in relation to shooting and slotting in a team-mate with a penetrating pass if they are in a better position on the pitch to score. Keep up the great work Lucas!”