Niko Giantsopoulos: ‘Now That I Left York, Vancouver’s Getting All Of Me’

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“I think if anyone looks at my career, they can’t say I’m afraid of competition.”

Vancouver FC’s Niko Giantsopoulos is speaking facts.

The Canadian Premier League veteran has contested for minutes against CPL greats like Marco Carducci and Nathan Ingham, with Callum Irving now the latest competitor to make the list. What do those three have in common? All of them are golden glove nominees, with Carducci even winning it twice.

“To be a successful player, you can’t be afraid of competition. The players I’ve worked with, those guys aren’t afraid of competition either,” Niko tells us as the blip of a Langley crosswalk pings in the background. He’s exploring his new surroundings.

The 29-year-old goalkeeper has done his fair share of time as a second choice goalkeeper, eventually landing the number one role at York United, where he tallied fourteen clean sheets and began to don the armband last season.

While most fans had expected Giantsopoulos to continue on with York United – and he did at the start of the offseason, too – negotiations with his former side broke down after a series of offseason conversations.

While sources from York United posited that he had turned down the largest percentage increase of the squad, it wasn’t about the money for Niko – and, in a salary cap league, he suggests it often isn’t.

“No one in the CPL is getting rich,” he says bluntly, stating that he received a lot comments from fans who were shocked he had turned down York United’s offer. “So what I’m sacrificing is what, five grand to enjoy my work again? It’s not like I left a million bucks on the table, or like I’m Dennis Schroder of the NBA fumbling the bag. The margins are so small that enjoying my work environment is going to be top of my list.”

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His former side eventually landed French goalkeeper Thomas Vincensini, while Niko himself had neared a contract with Cavalry FC before a late spring move to Vancouver FC took place. He’d be the first to say that he’s had a rollercoaster offseason, but he’s been quick to settle out west and is enjoying his work environment – something he reveals was not always the case with York United, though he bears them no ill will. He is a North York boy, after all.

“I spoke to a lot of people I know and respect when I was trying to figure out what my next step was going to be,” adds Giantsopoulos, who couldn’t get certain assurances from York United while their ownership change settled.

When the new owners came in, it still took some time for his offer to arrive, and even then the club couldn’t assuage his concerns regarding the quality for the side’s day-to-day training environment. That’s something which became an insurmountable element to renewing his deal at York Lions Stadium, raise or no raise.

“My number one goal was to be in an environment where I enjoy going to work every day, and that’s why I went to the Cavs because I knew I liked going to work there every day and training, working hard, competing. When I got here [in Vancouver], I’m getting that same feeling back.”

While he had aimed for a longer-term contract during his negotiations with York United, he’s settled for a shorter-term deal out west with club options for the future.

There will also be those who say competing against Callum Irving is nearly a moot point, particularly with the veteran goalkeeper being the club’s captain. For Niko, that was no matter: he’s there to be the best he can be, even after having tasted what it was like to be the first choice ‘keeper.

To be blunt, he says that hadn’t particularly helped him.

“Who cares if I was playing at York and I was the number one? It didn’t get me what I was looking to get. So, I’d rather just enjoy my work and enjoy that grind every day. I didn’t feel like I was going to be able to do that at York so that’s that’s kind of how I’m going into this year.”

Niko is still awaiting his Vancouver FC debut, with the Eagles opening strongly in league play. The club’s offseason acquisitions have elevated the level of the expansion side, with Niko noting that the club’s groundwork also puts them in a position for success.

“The setup that they have is more than what I expected. They take care of the players. They’ve got the medicals, the offices, the goalkeeper coach who I really enjoy and working under a head coach of Afshin with all that experience… it’s another challenge. It’s not what I expected for a club this young.”

“I feel very fortunate to be in this locker room and be a part of this team with Rob and the ownership,” he adds, simplifying his reason for the intra-league move: “I just wanted to enjoy my work environment. I just wanted to work.”

The goalkeeper’s resume is backed with 65 appearances split between York United and Cavalry, with the veteran having nearly notched in an appearance for Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps after they elected to call him up through an emergency loan.

He’s come ever-so-close to those higher-level moments as his career matured, with Vancouver FC allowing him the opportunity to keep punching upwards. He has nothing but love for York United and the fans who cheered him on at YLS, but he’s fully committed to his new project.

“So now that I left York, Vancouver’s getting all of me,” concludes Niko. “I’m looking forward to this year.”

Header Image Photo Credit: John Jacques