Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Matthew Anthony Otucan Baldisimo | ||
Date of birth | January 20, 1998 | ||
Place of birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | York United | ||
Number | 33 | ||
Youth career | |||
Wesburn YSC | |||
South Burnaby Metro Club | |||
Burnaby Metro Selects SC | |||
2011–2016 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2017 | Whitecaps FC 2 | 46 | (0) |
2017 | → Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) | 0 | (0) |
2018 | Fresno FC | 3 | (0) |
2019–2022 | Pacific FC | 51 | (0) |
2022 | → York United (loan) | 3 | (0) |
2023– | York United | 27 | (1) |
International career‡ | |||
2013 | Canada U15 | ||
2014 | Canada U16 | ||
2015 | Canada U17 | 4 | (1) |
2024– | Philippines | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 27, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:10, September 4, 2024 (UTC) |
Matthew Anthony Otucan Baldisimo (born January 20, 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Canadian Premier League club York United. Born in Canada, he represents the Philippines at international level, after previously representing Canada at youth level.
Baldisimo began playing soccer at age four with Wesburn Youth SC. [1] Afterwards, he played with South Burnaby Metro Club and Burnaby Metro Selects SC, serving as team captain and being named U14 MVP with the latter. [2] He was also part of the British Columbia provincial team at U13 level, where he was the co-captain. [2] In 2011, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy [3] and in 2015 was the recipient of the club's 2015 BMO Registered Education Savings Plan Youth Soccer Player award. [2]
In February 2016, Baldisimo attended training camp with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC first team, before signing his first professional contract with the second team, Whitecaps FC 2, who played in the USL. [4] [5] He made his professional debut on March 26, 2017 against Orange County Blues FC. [6] Baldisimo, along with fellow Whitecaps Academy products Kadin Chung and Thomas Gardner were praised during the club's USL playoff run in the 2016 USL season [7]
In May 2017, Baldisimo signed a short-term loan with the Vancouver Whitecaps first team for a 2017 Canadian Championship. [8]
In December 2017, Baldisimo signed with the Whitecaps' new USL affiliate Fresno FC, after the Whitecaps disbanded their second team. [9] [10]
In January 2019, he joined Canadian Premier League club Pacific FC for their inaugural season. [11] [12] After the 2020 season, he re-signed with the club for the 2021 season. [13] [14] In 2021, he won the CPL title with the club. [15] In February 2022, he once again re-signed with the club for another season. [16] [17] Over his four seasons with Pacific, he made 56 appearances across all competitions. [18]
In August 2022, Baldisimo was loaned to fellow CPL club York United, as part of an intra-league player swap that involved Cédric Toussaint joining Pacific FC. [19] [20] In December 2022, the club announced Baldisimo would remain with York on a permanent contract, signing a one-year deal with an option for 2024. [21] [22] He scored his first CPL goal on May 23 against the HFX Wanderers. [23]
At the international level, Baldisimo is eligible to represent Canada by birth and the Philippines through parentage. [24]
In June 2013, he made his debut in the Canada youth program, attending a Canada U15 camp. [1] In August 2013, he was named to the Canada U15 team for the Copa Mexico de Naciones. [25] [26] In April 2014, he was named to the Canada U16 squad for the Montaigu Tournament in France, [27] as well as for the U16 Copa Mexico de Naciones. [1] In February 2015, Baldisimo was named to the Canada U17 team for the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and was named team captain. [28] [4] On February 28, 2015, he scored the winning goal in the team's first match of the tournament against Haiti U17. [29]
In 2020, he was set to join the Philippines national team for a camp, however, the camp was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [30] [31] In May 2021, Baldisimo was finally able to accept his first call-up to the Philippines national team ahead of three 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches. [32] [33] [34] However, due to a FIFA registration and eligibility issue, he was unable to appear in a match for the squad. [35] Two days after departing the camp, he was notified by FIFA that his one-time switch paperwork was now officially processed and he would now be eligible to officially represent the Philippines. [36] In November 2021, Baldisimo was called-up for the rescheduled 2020 AFF Championship, but had to withdraw due to injury. [37] [38]
In March 2024, Baldisimo accepted a call-up to the squad ahead of two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Iraq. [39] [40] He made his debut on September 4, 2024 in a 2024 Merdeka Tournament match against Malaysia. [41]
Baldisimo is the older brother of Michael Baldisimo, who is also a professional soccer player. [42] [43]
Pacific FC
Marco Antonio Bustos is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Allsvenskan club IFK Värnamo.
Jordan Markus Haynes is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for Valour FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Joshua David Heard is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for and captains Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League.
J. Kadin Brian Chung is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a full-back for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Sean Ross Melvin is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Terran Campbell is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Thomas Gardner is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder.
Paris Donald Gee is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Michael Robert Otucan Baldisimo is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes. Born in Canada, he represents the Philippines at international level.
Noah Timothy Verhoeven is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for Valour FC on loan from Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Premier League.
Mark Village is a Canadian soccer coach and former player who currently serves as the goalkeepers coach for Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League.
TSS FC Rovers, commonly referred to as TSS Rovers, are a Canadian soccer team based in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada that play in League1 British Columbia, the third tier of soccer in Canada. Established for the 2017 PDL season by general manager Will Cromack and head coach Colin Elmes, the Rovers are the under-23 team of the TSS Academy, one of the largest soccer schools in British Columbia's Lower Mainland.
Elijah Adekugbe is an English professional footballer who plays for York United in the Canadian Premier League.
Alessandro Feridun Hojabrpour is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a central midfielder for Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.
Georges Mukumbilwa is a professional soccer player who plays as a right-back for Canadian Premier League team Pacific FC. Born in the DR Congo, he represented Canada internationally at youth level.
Sean Young is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Karifa Yao is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Rhode Island FC of the USL Championship.
Matteo Mario Polisi is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays for TSS FC Rovers in League1 British Columbia.
Cédric Toussaint is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Pacific FC in the Canadian Premier League. Born in Canada, he represents the Haiti national team.
Marcello Polisi is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for Canadian Premier League side Valour FC.