The Vancouver Whitecaps Kadin Chung and Thomas Hasal have been called up to the Canadian U-20 Men’s Team for the upcoming CONCACAF U-20 Championships. This is great news for the Caps, as they look to develop more talent from their youth ranks.
Vancouver Whitecaps Kadin Chung and Thomas Hasal Called Up To Canada U-20 Team
Kadin Chung
Chung, 18, was born right down the road from Vancouver in New Westminster, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Chung truly is an exciting prospect for the Whitecaps, and this isn’t his first experience with national team duties. He made his first appearance at the international level at just 14 years old, for the U17 squad at the CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championships in Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Before his first official appearance he was at multiple evaluation camps, both at the U-15 and the U-17 levels. It is safe to say that Chung has been on the radar for Canada for quite some time, and rightly so. In 2015, at the age of 17, he made six appearances for the Canadian U-17 squad, starting every match and scoring a goal in the process.
Outside of national team duty Chung is playing with the Vancouver Whitecaps 2 in the USL. He has had a good deal of success with them, and slowly turned himself into one of the first names on the team sheet in 2016. Chung made 19 appearances for Whitecaps 2, starting 17 of them, and had two assists over the course of his first professional season. He’s truly proving that he has what it takes to succeed at that level, and possibly make the jump sometime in the near future to the MLS.
Awards and Honours: 2015 Canadian U-17 Player of the Year, Ranked 16th on the USL’s list of 20 Under 20
Thomas Hasal
Another young up-an-comer in the Whitecaps Residency program is that of goalkeeper Thomas Hasal. Along with Chung, Hasal was called up to the U-20 Men’s Team for the upcoming CONCACAF Championships. Impressive for a 17 year old.
Hasal made his first appearance at the national level for Canada at the U-18 Men’s Series in El Salvador back in October of 2016. He impressed with his play and ability and has since made the second national team jump to the U-20 squad, with the upcoming CONCACAF Championships being his second official call-up since January of this year.
Per the Whitecaps Residency website: “A promising young goalkeeper from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan who developed at the Whitecaps FC Saskatchewan Academy Centre, Thomas Hasal joined the Residency program in August 2016.”
Hasal grew up in Saskatoon, SK where he played in the WFC Saskatchewan Academy and in the men’s division there. Goalkeeping coach Bryce Chapman was the coach of Hasal while there, and made leaps and bounds as a young goalkeeper before making the move to Vancouver for the Whitecaps Residency program. Hasal truly is an exciting prospect for the future of the club. However, it may be a bit too early to tell if he can develop into a player worthy of a roster spot in the near future for the Whitecaps.
U-20 Roster Ready to Compete
Chung and Hasal are just two of a very promising U-20 squad that looks ready to compete at the CONCACAF Championships. Along with them both having experience at this level, every other player on the squad has played at the U-20 level as well. This should serve as a point to calm the nerves and get the job done.
The U-20 squad doesn’t only showcase Whitecaps youth talent, but also has players from Toronto and Montreal, as well as players from eight different European clubs. With a wide range of talent, and experienced heads at the top, this should be a good showcase for both Canada and the aforementioned Chung and Hasal.
The CONCACAF U-20 Championships are taking place in San Jose, Costa Rica. The tournament will start on February 11th and run up until March 6th. Canada has been drawn into a group with Honduras (February 17th), Mexico (February 20th), and Antigua and Barbuda (February 23rd). The CONCACAF U-20 Men’s Championship will also qualify four nations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017 in The Korea Republic.
