Whitecaps acquire rising Canadian star
Centre-back set to sign multi-year MLS deal after two seasons in Serbia’s top league
He’s young. He’s talented. He’s Canadian.
Derek Cornelius is the trifecta that Vancouver Whitecaps fans want to see in a new signing.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound, left-footed centre-back is close to agreeing on terms with the Whitecaps. It’s a multi-year deal including team options, pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
Cornelius is a rising star with the Canadian national team who was named the 2018 Canadian Youth International Player of the Year in December. He spent the past two seasons with Serbian Superliga club FK Javor Ivanjica.
The Whitecaps are expected to make the official announcement in the next few days.
The 21-year-old Ajax, Ont., athlete was capped three times with the Canadian senior side in 2018 after a standout showing with Canada’s U-21 side at the Toulon Tournament, where Les Rouges lost only a single game and conceded just one goal in the group stage.
In his three appearances with the senior team, all CONCACAF Nations League qualifying, Canada didn’t surrender a goal.
Cornelius has been in the national team program since age 15, a year before he moved to Germany to play for VfB Lübeck’s U-19 side, then on to the senior side in the country’s fourth division. He spent two years there before transferring to VfR Neumunster for the 2017 season.
The only other centre-back currently on the Caps’ roster is Doneil Henry, though more CB signings are expected over the next few weeks. For Cornelius, his familiarity in playing alongside Henry on the national squad works in his favour, though it’s likely he won’t be tabbed as a fullfledged starter when the season opens.
The Caps have made just a few moves this off-season, mostly depth related. Midfielder Andy Rose (Motherwell) and fullback Victor “PC” Giro (Orlando City) were added to the back line, while Zac MacMath (Colorado Rapids) and Maxime Crepeau (Ottawa Fury) will battle to be the No. 1 goalkeeper.
Sources inside the Whitecaps’ organization say they’re in negotiations with high-profile targets, but any announcements would come after the closing of the European transfer market at the end of the month. That’s likely because it would give the teams losing the player time to sign a replacement, or if the Caps’ target had multiple offers — or was waiting on a more lucrative overture — it would provide some time to make a decision.
The MLS transfer window opens Feb. 7. The team leaves for its pre-season tournament in Hawaii on Jan. 31.