Pathway To Pro: Keshavarz Signs With Pacific

After two seasons of being on a development deal with Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC, 18-year-old midfielder Sami Keshavarz is getting the nod to turn professional.

The Saanich, BC native has just put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Pacific that also includes a club option for 2027.

The move comes after Keshavarz earned eight appearances for The Tridents this year, including back-to-back full nineties against Halifax and Vancouver. He got to taste 375 minutes of professional competition, with 2025 now set to be an even bigger year for the young midfielder.

“Sami is a fantastic example of our club’s mission to develop local players and he deserves this opportunity to sign his first professional contract,” says Pacific FC head coach James Merriman, who is also bringing back another local face to midfield with Van Isle’s own Sean Young.

“We have seen firsthand how he has developed while training in both our youth academy and first-team environments over the past two seasons. He was able to impact matches as a player on a development contract last year. We are happy for Sami, and we believe in his potential.”

Sami was also a training player for the Canadian women’s national team as they prepared for Australia last year. Recently graduating from Claremont Secondary School, he’s now set to test himself as a fully-fledged professional after progressing through the Van Isle Wave program.

This season saw Pacific claw its way into playoffs with a late season push – with Keshavarz featuring for most of the club’s crucial league comeback win over York United – before bowing out in the first round of playoffs.

Pacific has plenty of its roster on club options, but only has until December 31 to make its decisions on them. Club captain Josh Heard, another Van Isle local, recently signed a new two-year deal with the team.