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MARIO BARTEL & KYLE BALZER sports@tricitynews.com

When Port Moody’s Anthony White takes the pitch for Vancouver FC, he wears his hometown on his sleeve

Literally

The first-year Canadian Premier League (CPL) franchise that plays out of Willoughby Community Park in Langley features an all-black kit with the name of every Lower Mainland community embossed into it including Port Moody.

White,who turns 20 on Aug. 1, says his rapid rise from the Coquitlam Metro-Ford club system to rookie professional after just a couple of years at the University of Toronto owes a lot to his roots in community soccer.

White,

a Port Moody

Secondary grad, was drafted first overall by VFC in the CPL’s U-Sports draft last December, signed his first pro contract three months later and promptly worked his way up to a starting centre back position after an apprenticeship of less than 10 matches

At 6’2” , White’s not afraid to mix it up in both defensive and offensive roles During a re- cent match against the Halifax Wanderers at Vancouver’s home field in Langley, he bounced up off the pitch following an aggressive tackle by Mohamed Omar and immediately challenged the veteran midfielder, who was subsequently issued a yellow card. After VFC’s first home victory, over Forge FC in the CPL’s 11th week, he was named to the league’s Team of the Week.

Natural Ability

White’s self-assurance between the touch lines comes naturally. Both his parents are accomplished athletes his dad, Chris, even earned a trial with Celtic FC in Scotland as a midfielder when he was younger, and his mom, Sandra, played soccer and tennis His brother, Nik, is the captain of the

MARIO BARTEL/TRI-CITY NEWS men’s soccer team at Harvard University in Boston.

Left, Port Moody’s Anthony White, a centre back for Vancovuer FC, is tackled by Halifax Wanderers’ midfielder Mohamed Omar in a recent Canadian Premier League match at Willoughby Community Park in Langley Below, White, in his first pro season with VFC, loses the battle for a header against a Wanderers forward.

With all that high-level soccer ability gathering around the breakfast table every morning, you might think White felt pres-