Montreal Impact's Karifa Yao, left, and New England Revolution's Teal Bunbury, right, keep their eyes on the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. The Vancouver Whitecaps picked up Canadian defender Yao in Major League Soccer's re-entry draft on Thursday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Steven Senne
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps picked up Canadian defender Karifa Yao in Major League Soccer’s re-entry draft on Thursday.
The 22-year-old centre back from Montreal came up through CF Montreal’s academy and signed a contract with the MLS team in June 2019.
He spent the last two seasons on loan to Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC, starting in 53 of 56 appearances and tallying two goals and two assists.
Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster says in a release that the six-foot-two, 180-pound Yao will add depth to Vancouver’s backline, and is good in the air, comfortable on the ball, and strong in one-on-one defending.
The Whitecaps have also announced that the club will kick off its CONCACAF Champions League campaign in Vancouver on March 8 when it hosts Real CD Espana in the round of 16.
The second leg of the series will be played at Estadio Francisco Morazán in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on March 15.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 17, 2022.
