Official: Kadin Chung Joins Vancouver FC

The ink on the contract is dry: former Toronto FC right-back Kadin Chung has signed with Vancouver FC.

Chung, who won the CPL with Pacific FC before his move to MLS heights, appeared in eight of Toronto FC’s first eleven league matches last season before finding himself out of Bob Bradley’s starting plans. He made one more appearance for the reds in the belated 2020 Canadian Championship Final win over Forge FC, and nine for Toronto FC II ahead of the mutual termination of his contract last week.

Kadin Chung gets his first MLS assist with @TorontoFC, finding Pozuelo. You love to see it. pic.twitter.com/BKmjK2K12V

— Martin Bauman (@martin_bauman) April 17, 2022

“I am proud to sign with my hometown club,” said Chung of the move. “It means a lot to me to be back playing professionally where I grew up and where my love of the game began. The staff here at Vancouver FC is bringing fresh new ideas and experience to the League, and I am excited to play my part not only in launching this club but in making it successful on the field in its first season.” 

Chung, who began his career with the Whitecaps Residency program and featured for the WFC2 and FC Kaiserslautern, made history as Pacific FC’s first signing ahead of the inaugural Canadian Premier League season in 2019. Over the next three years, he established himself as a league-leading right back on the national team doorstep who tallied 63 appearances across all competitions, helping the Tridents left the North Star Shield in 2021.

He will reunited with former Tridents teammate Callum Irving, who was part of the title-winning squad who hoisted the championship trophy in enemy territory.

“It is important to build a competitive team right from the start,” adds Chung. “There are a lot of young guys on the squad who are hungry, and others who have experience that will be key to immediate success. Being a new team is not an excuse. Winning the League in 2021 has only made me hungrier to do it again, and I want to bring Vancouver to the playoffs and win it all. I think we have a group that can push for that.”

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Kadin had also featured for Canada at the youth level, collecting the Canada Soccer U-17 Male Player of the Year award in 2017 and featuring on the provisional roster for the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. All-told, he arrives to Vancouver FC as one of the most battle-tested players in the squad, and a truly significant pickup in a team that has several first-year professionals.

“I am personally thrilled to bring Kadin, a fan favourite in the Canadian Premier League, back to his hometown with Vancouver,” said VFC head coach Afshin Ghotbi. “His ability to get forward, combine and provide service into danger areas will add an exciting dimension to our attack. We will also count on Kadin to provide leadership both on and off the field to our young squad.”

Vancouver FC is in the midst of its first-ever preseason, recently recording a big 3-1 comeback win over the Whitecaps FC 2. The club also added experienced Liga MX attacker Gael Sandoval last week, who appears as one of the league’s best players on paper.

With Chung now following, it’s been a great March of signings for the club thus far.

“There is that motivation and that urge for me to prove myself again,” Chung told CanPL.ca regarding his return. “I feel like I can play at that level again, hopefully at another stage in my career. CPL was what got me to that level. I know I can get back there again, so I’m hoping to use this first and foremost to be a part of this team and bring success to Vancouver, but also to get back to the level that got me my first MLS contract.”

Vancouver FC did not disclose the length or financial details of Chung’s contract.