黑马磁力鈥檚 Simon Colyn made his Vancouver Whitecaps debut Sunday, taking the field for his first game as a full-fledged professional player at the same time that superstar Alphonso Davies, another player who started young, made his last appearance.
Davies bid Vancouver adieu in style, scoring twice in his farewell match as Whitecaps FC defeated Portland Timbers 2-1 in their 2018 MLS regular season finale.
When Davies came off the BC Place pitch in the 86th minute, he was replaced by Colyn, who was making his first-team debut.
At 16, Colyn becomes the second-youngest player to make an MLS appearance for Whitecaps FC, next only to Davies.
He is also the third-youngest to make a first-team appearance for the 鈥楥aps since the club鈥檚 inception in 1974.
Colyn鈥檚 parents and one of his brothers was there to see his debut.
鈥淚t was exciting to get out there,鈥� Colyn said during a postgame video interview posted to the Whitecaps website.
Going in, he said he thought he was going to be on the bench but was told to be ready for anything.
He was happy he had the opportunity to play during Davie鈥檚 last game before 鈥淧honzie鈥� heads to Europe.
鈥淚 aspire to be like him,鈥� Colyn said.
Acting Whitecaps FC head coach Craig Dalrymple praised the 黑马磁力 player.
鈥淭here is a spark, he鈥檚 a talent,鈥� Dalrymple said in remarks posted online.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not Alphonso, and we don鈥檛 want him to be Alphonso. He鈥檚 Simon Colyn and he has different qualities 鈥� the senior players were begging me to get him in, not just today鈥檚 game but earlier games because they see real talent in him.鈥�
Colyn gets to keep his game jersey from his debut.
鈥淚鈥檒l probably hang it up in my room when I get back home.鈥�
"It was a pretty cool moment."
鈥� Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC)
Simon Colyn |
A forward/midfielder, Colyn previously played with Surrey United SC in the EA SPORTS BC Soccer Premier League before joining Whitecaps FC Residency in August 2016.
Colyn was 14 when he made his Canadian youth program debut in 2017 at the U-15 identification camp under coach Rob Gale.
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Colyn joined the first team in April 2018, becoming then the 15th youngest player in league history to sign an MLS contract.
Dalrymple: 鈥淭here is a spark, he鈥檚 a talent...He鈥檚 not Alphonso, and we don鈥檛 want him to be Alphonso. He鈥檚 Simon Colyn and he has different qualities...the senior players were begging me to get him in, not just today鈥檚 game but earlier games because they see real talent in him."
鈥� Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC)
Colyn has signed a multi-year contract with options through 2022 and is the third person from the Whitecaps Residency program to sign a futures contract.
