Pacific FC Signs 17-Year-Old Goalkeeper Emil Gazdov

Pacific FC has signed 17-year-old Canadian youngster Emil Gazdov to a contract.

The six-foot-three goalkeeper had been training with the club prior the original COVID-19 suspension, and has now signed on as the club’s third shotstopper behind Nolan Wirth and Callum Irving.

The move continues the west coast club’s philosophy of giving young Canadian talent professional playing opportunities. In fact, the six-foot-three goalkeeper is presently the youngest player on an already-young Pacific FC roster. Having just wrapped up the eleventh grade, he’ll be aiming to make his professional debut in a modified 2020 Canadian Premier League season that is expected to be announced later on this week, though not necessarily on Canada Day.

Pacific FC CEO Rob Friend believes that the 17-year-old has the potential to be one of Canada’s leading goalkeepers in the future:

We are very excited Emil chose Pacific FC as his first professional stop. He is one of the top goalkeeper talents in the country, and we are confident with the right development, he has a very exciting future ahead of him.

Rob Friend

Pacific FC goalkeeper coach Mark Village – who made 17 appearances for Pacific FC last season before hanging up his boots – had previously worked with Gazdov when the youngster was a Whitecaps Residency prospect three years ago, after he came in from Mountain United FC in the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League.

Emil is a great young man and an excellent addition to our club. He is a strong goalkeeper with a bright future and I am excited to be working with him again.

Mark Village

The move means that Pacific FC now has 17 players on the books, though new head coach Pa-Modou Ka will likely want to add some more depth ahead of the modified 2020 Canadian Premier League season which will likely take place in a single province. The west coast club has supplemented its youth players with plenty of high profile talent, bringing in the likes of Alejandro Diaz, Marco Bustos, and more former Ottawa Fury players in Jamar Dixon and Thomas Meilleur-Giguere.

The club resumed preseason training on June 1. Once the modified Canadian Premier League season is completed later on this year, the club will also compete in a modified version of the Canadian Championship, too.

Last year only York9 FC opted to sign three goalkeepers to a professional contract, though it was Nathan Ingham who played all but two matches for the Nine Stripes. With limited playing opportunities to come in a shorter modified season, it’ll be interesting to see if Emil gets any playtime.

Pacific FC did not disclose the length and financial details of Gazdov’s contract.