From Whitehorse to Whitecaps: Yukon soccer player set to suit up for first pro game in Canada
On Sunday, an 18-year-old from Whitehorse will do something no other soccer player from the Yukon has done before: Suit up and play a professional game in Canada.
Last month, Joe Hanson signed a pro contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC2 reserve team — the squad that is part of the newly formed 21-team MLS "next pro" league.
After opening their inaugural season with two games in the United States, the team plays its first home game on Sunday.
"I'm excited, it's nice to be back home in Canada," he said.
This is uncharted waters for a soccer player from the Yukon. While Yukon athletes have routinely achieved high level success in their respective sports, no player from the Yukon has taken their soccer game to the pro level, until now.
Yukon soccer player Joe Hanson is part of this special day as the Whitecaps return to Swangard Stadium for their first home game. This marks the first time a Whitehorse born play will play professionally in Canada.<a href="https://t.co/FwFJ1HFMcf">https://t.co/FwFJ1HFMcf</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/whitecaps?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#whitecaps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/whitehorse?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#whitehorse</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yukon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yukon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/soccerpro?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#soccerpro</a>
The elements of the North aren't exactly conducive to someone making it to the bigs.
Yukon fields are often blanketed with snow for six months of the year.
When the snow eventually does melt the outdoor season is short, usually just six weeks long.
Yukon's population is also less than 45,000, meaning the pool of talent is much smaller, therefore
