VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps' inaugural MLS roster continued to take shape on Friday with the club announcing the signings of Philippe Davies, Wes Knight and Jay Nolly from their USSF-D2 roster.
Davies becomes the club’s first ever homegrown player. The 19-year-old midfielder was part of the Whitecaps FC Residency Program from 2007 to 2009 before being called up to the Whitecaps’ USSF-D2 first team last season. The native of Longueuil, Quebec, also recently participated in a training camp for Canada’s U-23 national team.
Fans will be happy to see Knight join the MLS roster after the defender won the club’s "Fan Favorite" award in 2010. The native of Easley, S.C., became a staple of the team’s back line the past two seasons, starting 69 of his 72 appearances. He was also a finalist for USL-1 Rookie of the Year in 2009 after registering a league-leading eight assists.
Nolly will be looking to translate three productive seasons in the second division into a starting role in MLS next season. The 28-year-old backstopped the Whitecaps to the 2008 USL-1 championship, followed by a return to the finals in 2009, and this past season he was named USSF-D2 Goalkeeper of the Year. The native of Littleton, Colo., holds the club record for consecutive matches played with 78, and is second in career shutouts with 41.
The trio join Jay DeMerit, Joe Cannon, Atiba Harris, Jonathan Leathers, Shea Salinas and John Thorrington on the Whitecaps FC 2011 MLS roster.
The announcement coincided with the Grand Opening of the new Whitecaps FC team store located in Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, British Columbia.
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