It was already a warm evening at BC Place on Sunday, but Vancouver Whitecaps FC turned up the heat with a red-hot 3-0 win over Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC.
Homegrown talent Jeevan Badwal notched his first MLS goal in the 40th minute. Midfielder Badwal, 19, was thrilled to be in the starting lineup for the first time, with several teammates either sick or away playing international games.
The ball went wide for Ocampo on the left and he drilled a low cross into the box, deflected by J.C. Ngando for Badwal to poke the ball into the back of the net with an outstretched toe.
“It means a lot, especially as an academy player going up the ranks,” Badwal told club reporter Sarita Patel post-game.
Whitecaps have signed midfielder Jeevan Badwal from the club’s MLS NEXT Pro side Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) to an MLS contract as a Homegrown player through 2027, with club options for 2028 and 2029.
The product of Surrey, BC is the 26th all-time academy player to sign an MLS contract with the club.
Badwal joined the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy system at the age of 13 in 2019.
Badwal, 18, signed his first professional contract with WFC2 in February, becoming the 12th Canadian teenager to be signed to a professional contract since the side began play in MLS NEXT Pro in 2022. So far this season, he has started 16 of his 19 appearances for WFC2, notching two goals and three assists.
Badwal has signed four MLS short-term agreements with the first team this season. His first call-up was back in February for the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round One against Tigres UANL and his second call-up was for the MLS regular season away match at New England Revolution in June. The midfielder earned his first team debut in his third call-up, as he came on as a substitute in the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship semfinal first leg against Pacific FC at Starlight Stadium. His final call-up saw him named to the bench for the home match against FC Dallas on September 7.
In 2023, Badwal made five starts and eight appearances as an amateur player with WFC2 in MLS NEXT Pro.
Prior to moving up to MLS NEXT Pro, the young midfielder played with the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy in MLS NEXT, and was selected to the 2023 MLS NEXT All-Star Game. Badwal first joined the Whitecaps FC BMO Academy as a 13-year-old in 2019.
On the international stage, Badwal has represented Canada at the U-17 level, starting all three matches at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. In June, the midfielder started both friendlies for Canada’s U-20 side against Chile and Paraguay in La Calera, Chile, as well as all four games in the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico.
In his youth, Badwal played at Coastal FC, Surrey FC, Supra Academy, and B.E.S.T. Academy.
