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(Aug 31, 2007) -
Gage headed for 'Caps college
Kristen Odland, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2007
Come fall, Ethan Gage is going to be getting schooled in a little West Coast soccer.
But kicking a ball around 24/7 and finishing high school with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC under-18 residency program won't be a dramatic change of pace for the 16-year-old midfielder from Cochrane.
"It's going to be my life, school and soccer," said Gage, who'll spend his Grade 11 year in the academy run by former Calgarian Thomas Niendorf.
Right now, I have a routine so I kind of do that already. I have soccer almost every day, so I get up, do school, either go to the park or see my friends for a bit, and then go to soccer -- so, I should be used to it."
The Whitecaps school of soccer runs two sessions per day from Monday to Friday at the Simon Fraser University campus in Burnaby -- the site of the USL Whitecaps -- so Gage will home-school and spend weekends playing with the U-18 Whitecaps.
Niendorf, the former head coach of the now-defunct Calgary Storm FC USL squad from 2002 to '02, runs the three-year program to eventually advance his players onto the German U-19 Bundesliga with hopes of snagging a professional team contract.
Niendorf had a role in placing Calgary's Owen Hargreaves with Bayern Munich and Canadian national team member Kevin McKenna with Energie Cottbus -- both in Germany's elite Bundesliga.
"It's going to be a big challenge," added Gage, who signed in July. "I'm just looking forward to getting pushed hard and getting better because here, I don't think I'm getting much better. (There will be) lots of soccer, which I like."
After finishing his third campaign with the Calgary Villains FC Elite Youth Team, he snared gold for Alberta last month at the under-16 nationals in Regina.
"He's got all the characteristics to make a very good player," said Alberta coach Grant Stevens, who also coaches SAIT's men's soccer team. "The higher he goes, the more likely he's going to improve, especially against stronger competition."
Gage also racked up frequent flyer miles in March, training with English youth academies, including Middlesbrough FC, Reading FC, Newcastle United FC, and Charlton Athletic FC, and Germany's Hamburger SV and Scotland's St. Johnstone FC.
"Getting over to Europe was good because if you want to go pro, it's good to get exposed," said Gage, who was spotted while playing for Len Vickery of the University of Alberta's Green and Gold Academy.
Vickery "basically recommended Ethan for higher opportunities in the game of soccer," said Niendorf, via phone from Vancouver. "This environment will allow him to challenge himself and allow him to develop surrounded by equally good players.
"Ethan is definitely a player who has a chance of entering the national team system of Canada."
July 31, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Adam Straith of Victoria, BC, midfielder Ethan Gage of Cochrane, Alberta and Antonio Rago of Edmonton, Alberta have signed with Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency.
“One of the goals of the residency program is to provide opportunities for the best young players across Canada.” said Thomas Niendorf, Managing Director and Head Coach, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency.
“With Adam coming from Vancouver Island and both Ethan and Antonio from the Alberta market, we are establishing our program throughout Western Canada. Over the next week, we will be announcing additional signings from across Canada.”
Ethan Gage, 16, joins Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency after three very successful years with the Calgary Villains FC Elite Youth Team.
The five-foot-ten, 160-pound defender has captained the side since 2005 and was the driving force in their 2005 and 2006 provincial championships. Gage has also been a member of the Alberta NTC since 2005 and in 2006, the defender was a member of Canada’s men’s U-15 national team.
In March 2007, Gage trained overseas with a number of English youth academies including Middlesbrough FC, Reading FC, Newcastle United FC and Charlton Athletic FC. He has also trained with Hamburger SV in Germany and St. Johnstone FC in Scotland.
Antonio Rago, 16, has played for the U-17 national team since 2006. In April 2006, Rago scored the lone goal in a friendly against Northern Ireland and went on to play two matches at the Ballymena International Tournament.
The five-foot-eight, 160-pound midfielder was also a member of the U-17 squad that played in Guadalajara, Mexico at the Chivas Cup in March 2007.
Rago came through the University of Alberta Green & Gold Academy with Len Vickery, University of Alberta men's soccer coach. The Whitecaps are working closely with the Green & Gold Academy as a partner program for player development in the Edmonton market.
“We are extremely excited for the opportunity that Antonio has been afforded by signing with Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency,” said Vickery. “Antonio is a product of the Edmonton Juventus Soccer Club and has been a regular participant in the University of Alberta's Green & Gold Soccer Academy, earning provincial and national team selections at the youth levels. We believe Whitecaps FC Residency is going to provide the necessary training environment and competitive exposures that will help and support his goal of playing professionally in the future.”
Vancouver Whitecaps Residency Information
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency is a full-time program dedicated to developing North America’s top youth players in Vancouver. Whitecaps FC Residency allows elite youth players from U-17 to U-19 to achieve professional opportunities with the Whitecaps men’s team and world-class European clubs using the European club model of identification, development and placement.
Thomas Niendorf, Managing Director and Head Coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency, is well documented for his achievement of placing England international Owen Hargreaves with FC Bayern Munich and Canada’s national team members Kevin McKenna with FC Energie Cottbus and Tamandani Nsaliwa with FC Nürnberg; all teams play in Germany’s Bundesliga.
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