Player Details

Name

Joaquin Ardaiz

Height

6' 1"

Weight

181 lbs

Date of Birth

1.11.1999 (25)

Birthplace

Salto, Uruguay

Position

Forward
Career Summary

Returned to FC Chiasso after 2019 loan with Vancouver.

Ardaiz is a young striker with a very high ceiling and has the physical and technical tools to succeed in MLS. He’s at the early stages of his career and the Whitecaps will work with him to reach his full potential.INTERNATIONAL: Ardaiz has represented his country at both the U-15 and U-20 levels. In 2017, he would score two goals against Ecuador to clinch the South American U-20 Championship title for Uruguay, going on to make another seven appearances for his country as they finished fourth at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

OUTSIDE MLS: Ardaiz most recently had a short loan spell at Italian Serie A club Frosinone Calcio, making one appearance against Lazio last September, before being recalled later that month. The 6-foot-1 striker first ventured outside of his home country at 18 years old, joining Belgium First Division club Royal Antwerp FC as a highly regarded international prospect. He would go on to score five goals in 13 starts and 21 appearances in league action and UEFA Europa League playoffs, as well as make two appearances in the Belgian Cup. At the end of the 2017 season, Ardaiz was recognized 36th in Goal.com's NxGn’s list of the 50 best teenagers in the world. Ardaiz was also named one of 100 finalists for the 2018 Tuttosport Golden Boy award for the best U-21 player at a European club. After coming through the youth academy of Uruguay’s Danubio FC that famously produced Uruguayan national team striker Edinson Cavani, Ardaiz made his professional debut for the club’s first team as a 17-year-old in February 2016. The native of Salto, Uruguay would go on to make 29 appearances as a teenager in the Primera División, scoring four goals.