Vancouver Whitecaps ink midfielder Pedro Vite to extension through 2029
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed midfielder Pedro Vite to a long-term extension.
The club announced the deal Friday, saying the deal stretches through the 2029 campaign.
Vite has 15 goals and 20 assists in 136 appearances with the 'Caps, including five goals and a team-leading six assists across all competitions this year.
The 23-year-old has also made eight appearances for Ecuador's men's national team and helped the squad qualify for the 2026 World Cup earlier this month.
Vite first joined the Whitecaps in October 2021 from Ecuadorian first division side Independiente Del Valle.
Vancouver sporting director Axel Schuster says in a release that Vite has since shown 'exceptional dedication to his development and that hard work has transformed him into one of the best young playmakers in Major League Soccer.'
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
'Recently, he's also emerged as a key figure for Ecuador's national team, playing an important role in their qualification for next year's World Cup,' Schuster said. 'Pedro's success is a credit to his talent and determination, and we're excited to continue supporting him as he strives to reach his full potential.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
England's Lionesses face new challenges and ‘noise' in Euro 2025 title defense
England will look to eliminate the 'noise' when it kicks off its campaign to retain the Women's European Championship crown. The defending champions travel to Switzerland as one of the favorites at the 16-team tournament, despite recent upheaval in the squad, after winning last time and finishing runner-up to Spain in the 2023 World Cup. Euro 2022 saw England triumph on home soil and secure the country's first senior title since the men's team won the World Cup in 1966. And, in a soccer-mad country, that success has ratcheted up the hype around the Lionesses. 'My experience is before a major tournament there's always noise,' England coach Sarina Wiegman said. 'So we expect noise until we go into the tournament, and it probably stays. 'The difference is that … now, just the attention and the visibility of the women's game has increased so much. So it sounds like that's more noise, but there's just more talk, more journalists here … we just have to deal with it and move on and focus on football.' The 55-year-old Wiegman, who took charge of the Lionesses in September 2021, is bidding to make it a hat trick of European Championship titles, as she steered the Netherlands to the trophy in 2017. However, a chaotic week leading up to her Euro 2025 squad announcement saw several key, experienced players pull out of selection for the tournament. Star defender Millie Bright declared herself unavailable, saying she was not ready '100% mentally or physically,' while goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby retired from international soccer. All three were in England's title-winning team at Euro 2022. 'We can only control ourselves and how good we can be,' England captain Leah Williamson said. 'That noise it's there, it is a factual thing, and of course there will be times when it will weigh heavier than others, but ultimately I think we're very much focused on this new task which has changed dramatically. 'The two tournaments of the Euros are incomparable really in terms of what's out there and what's to come,' she added, 'so I think it will be very exciting for us and we're excited for that new challenge as this new team.' Bright had knee surgery but Earps' surprise move came after she fell behind Chelsea's Hannah Hampton in the goalkeeping pecking order. It leaves Hampton as the only capped shot-stopper in a relatively inexperienced squad. The group includes 13 players who lifted the trophy three years ago, but there are also seven players heading into their first major tournament. And Wiegman is hoping to have found a winning blend of experience and youth. 'When I came in, the team was very experienced. But I do think we have enough experience in the team,' Wiegman said. 'There's about 16 players who have played a major tournament. Also with playing at such a high-level club, you are experienced with having media around, playing for big crowds. So I don't think that's a problem. 'I think the experience is enough, the balance with very young, with players that are coming in and playing the first tournament, they are so eager too.' In the build-up to Euro 2025, the Lionesses had ups and downs in the Nations League, where in their last three games they lost at Belgium 3-2, beat Portugal at home 6-0, and lost at Spain 2-1. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. So there is uncertainty surrounding the team's title defense, which begins with a Group D opener against France on July 5 in Zurich. England also plays the Netherlands, which is Wiegman's home nation, as well as tournament debutant Wales. 'Before every tournament, things are different,' Wiegman said. 'And, to be honest, before every tournament you have your doubts. I think that's completely normal because if we all knew what was going to happen, then it would be very boring too.' ___ AP soccer:
Vancouver Sun
10 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Whitecaps look to snap two-game skid against Los Angeles FC
The Vancouver Whitecaps are in unfamiliar territory and looking to snap a losing skid. A 5-3 defeat to expansion side San Diego FC on Wednesday marked Vancouver's second loss in a row. It's the first time this season the team has dropped back-to-back games. The result saw the Whitecaps (10-3-5) slip to the No. 2 spot in Major League Soccer's Western Conference. They'll strive to reclaim first place Sunday when they visit Los Angeles FC (7-4-5). Even after a pair of losses, there's no panic among the 'Caps, said head coach Jesper Sorensen. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'It's about believing in what we should be good at and what we should be doing well,' he said. 'We're in a very good position. We've earned our position. So we earned the right to step aside a couple of times. But we, of course, have to get back into winning things as well. But it's a difficult position.' There are lessons to be taken from Wednesday's loss, he added, including that the team needs to play with courage and without hesitation. 'Of course we got punished pretty hard,' the coach said. 'That's what it is. But also that we shouldn't wait to start taking initiative — we should take it right away.' LAFC is a team Vancouver knows well — Sunday's matchup will mark the 14th time the two sides have clashed since April 2023. The last bout came May 11 at B.C. Place , where the 'Caps fell behind early before rallying to earn a 2-2 draw. The Whitecaps need to play with more intensity to collect all three points this time out, said defender Mathias Laborda. 'We have to step forward and do a good game,' he said. With elite players — including striker Denis Bouanga — on the roster, L.A. presents a number of offensive threats, Laborda added. 'They're a really good team. They have really good players with quality. So we expect a really good game,' he said. L.A. is coming off a tough run at the FIFA Club World Cup where they finished at the bottom of their group with two losses and a draw, but is unbeaten in the club's last nine MLS games (4-5-0). The club is one of the better teams Vancouver has faced this season, Sorensen said, and Sunday's contest will be a difficult one. 'We know that they have some players we have to give special attention to. We know they have some things in their play that they're very good at and we have to take care of,' the coach said. 'But we also know we're a pretty good team ourselves and we have to also believe and trust in what we are doing. And then believe that that's how we're going to win the game.' NEXT GAME Sunday Vancouver Whitecaps vs. LAFC 7 p.m., BMO Stadium Goodbye Giroud: Olivier Giroud is set to play his final game for LAFC on Sunday. The club announced Friday that is has 'mutually parted ways' with the famed French striker. Giroud signed with L.A. in May 2024, but has struggled in MLS, putting up five goals in 37 games across all competitions. Home field advantage? : LAFC has been solid at BMO Stadium this year, posting a 6-1-1 record in MLS play. The Whitecaps have been one of the league's best road teams, though, and are 4-1-3 away from B.C. Place . Locked down : Despite giving up five goals on Wednesday, Vancouver has conceded the fewest goals in the Western Conference (19) and is tied with San Diego for the best goal differential (+15) in the West.
Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C., Vancouver, First Nations sign deal to partner in planning, hosting World Cup
VANCOUVER – British Columbia's government, the City of Vancouver and three First Nations have signed an agreement to co-operate on hosting the seven World Cup games being played in the city next year. In a ceremony on Friday, Premier David Eby, Mayor Ken Sim, Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow, Squamish Nation councillor Wilson Williams and Tsleil-Waututh councillor Deanna George signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure 'interests of the nations are reflected throughout' the planning and hosting of the games. Sparrow said the location of the ceremony — a facility on Musqueam land used during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games — is symbolic of how local communities can benefit from events such as the World Cup. The B.C. government said the agreement is a framework on how the five parties will work together in planning, staging and hosting the World Cup games, as well as developing approaches to shared opportunities. Organizers are expecting the seven World Cup games in Vancouver to draw about 350,000 spectators to BC Place Stadium and to add more than a million out-of-province visitors between 2026 and 2031. They say that will generate direct and indirect provincial tax revenues of up to $224 million. The B.C. government issued a release this week saying the net core provincial cost of hosting the games is in the range of $85 million to $145 million. Organizers announced last year that the estimated cost of hosting the seven games more than doubled to between $483 million and $581 million, which includes costs for the city, the province and stadium upgrades. Eby said the agreement gives the province a unique opportunity to not only demonstrate the co-operation between governments and First Nations, but to also showcase Indigenous culture to the world. 'In this time of global turmoil and strife, it is a chance to demonstrate how we do things in British Columbia, how we work together to create something amazing,' Eby said. 'It is a huge opportunity for us culturally, economically, and yet another chance to demonstrate the British Columbia way of doing business.' Sparrow said the Musqueam community had relied on 'a small piece of grass' for its soccer needs before the 2010 Olympics, but the Games brought about the construction of the current facility, featuring a turf field, a grass field and a clubhouse. 'Where we stand today was how we came together in the 2010 Olympics and put our differences aside and came together as family and worked together,' Sparrow said at the ceremony site on Friday. 'Now that we have a place for our kids to play. And that shows how when we come together and our sport brings us together, that we have the opportunity now for our kids to have a place.' Williams, the Squamish chief, said the World Cup — with the First Nations acting as host partners — presents B.C. with an even greater opportunity to draw more major international sporting events. 'The experience when people come off those planes, come ashore, come and visit, the retention of the experience they're going to have is going to be so memorable and so strong, there's no way they're going to turn down a request that we're hosting the World Cup in the future — and any world international event for that matter.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
