Tristan Blackmon

Tristan Blackmon

Personal information
Full name	Tristan Michael Blackmon [1]
Date of birth	(1996-08-12) August 12, 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position	Defender
Team information
Current team	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Number	33
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2017	Pacific Tigers	70	(16)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016	Orange County SC U-23	7	(0)
2017	Burlingame Dragons	3	(0)
2018–2021	Los Angeles FC	64	(2)
2018–2019	→ Phoenix Rising (loan)	10	(0)
2022–	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	98	(5)
International career‡
2025–	United States	2	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of January 20, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of September 9, 2025

Tristan Michael Blackmon (born August 12, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the United States national team.

Early life

He attended Bishop Gorman High School in Summerlin, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas.

College career

Blackmon played his college career at University of the Pacific where he played mainly as a defender after starting as a forward. Blackmon played 70 matches for the Tigers, starting 68. He scored 16 goals and had nine assists. ^[3] Blackmon finished his collegiate soccer career as the Tigers' all-time goal scoring leader, until Camden Riley broke his record one year later.

Club career

Blackmon played for Premier Development League sides Orange County SC U-23 and Burlingame Dragons. ^[4]

On January 19, 2018, Los Angeles FC selected Blackmon with the third overall pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. ^[5] He signed with the club on February 22, 2018. ^[6] Blackmon made his professional debut on March 4, 2018, as an 80th-minute substitute during a 1–0 win over Seattle Sounders FC. ^[7] On May 24, 2019, at Banc of California Stadium, in a 4–2 win over the Montreal Impact, Blackmon scored his first professional goal on a header in the fifty-fifth minute. ^[8]

On December 14, 2021, Blackmon was selected by Charlotte FC in the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft, before being immediately traded to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in exchange for $475,000 of General Allocation Money. ^{[9] [10]}

On July 26, 2022, Blackmon scored the winning penalty kick against Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship Final.

On April 9, 2025, Blackmon scored a dramatic late equalizer against UNAM sending the Vancouver Whitecaps to the semi final of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. On October 28, Blackmon was named 2025 MLS Defender of the Year. Blackmon contributed two goals and one assist and was an integral part of the second-best defense in the league, which helped Vancouver Whitecaps to their best season, during which they recorded their best points total, most total league wins, their best goal differential, and total goals scored. ^[11]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played January 20, 2025 ^[12]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Playoffs		National cup [a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Los Angeles FC	2018	Major League Soccer	10	0	2	0	—		—		—		12	0
	2019		18	1	2	0	3	0	—		—		23	1
	2020		14	0	1	0	—		5 [b]	0	—		20	0
	2021		22	1	—		—		—		—		22	1
	Total		64	2	5	0	3	0	5	0	—		77	2
Phoenix Rising (loan)	2018	USL Championship	5	0	3	0	—		—		—		8	0
	2019		5	0	—		—		—		—		5	0
	Total		10	0	3	0	—		—		—		13	0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	2022	Major League Soccer	28	1	—		1	0	—		—		29	1
	2023		30	2	2	0	3	0	4 [b]	1	3 [c]	0	42	3
	2024		25	0	4	0	1	0	2 [b]	0	0	0	32	0
	2025		33	2	0	0	0	1	3 [b]	0	0	0	3	0
	Total		83	3	6	0	5	0	9	1	3	0	106	4
Career total			157	5	14	0	8	0	14	1	3	0	196	6

1. Includes U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship
2. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions Cup
3. Appearances in Leagues Cup

International

As of match played September 9, 2025

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
United States	2025	2	0
Total		2	0

Honors

Los Angeles FC

• Supporters' Shield: 2019

Vancouver Whitecaps

• Canadian Championship: 2022, ^[13] 2023, ^[14] 2024 ^[15]

Individual

• MLS All-Star: 2025
• MLS Defender of the Year: 2025 ^[11]

References

1. "2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup – Club roster: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Canada)" (PDF). CONCACAF. January 30, 2024. p. 27. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
2. "Tristan Blackmon". Major League Soccer. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
3. "Tristan Blackmon Profile". pacifictigers.com. University of the Pacific. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018.
4. "Tristan Blackmon 2017 PDL Stats". uslpdl.com. USL PDL. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017.
5. "LAFC sign 2018 MLS Draft pick Tristan Blackmon". angelsonparade.com. Vox Media. February 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
6. "LAFC, third overall SuperDraft pick Tristan Blackmon agree to terms". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. February 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
7. "Boxscore: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Los Angeles Football Club". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. March 4, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
8. "GOAL: Tristan Blackmon header opens his MLS account". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
9. Club, Charlotte Football. "Charlotte FC selects Tristan Blackmon, Defender | 2021 MLS Expansion Draft | Charlotte FC". Charlotte Football Club.
10. "Whitecaps FC acquire defender Tristan Blackmon in trade with Charlotte FC | Vancouver Whitecaps". whitecapsfc.
11. "Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Tristan Blackmon named 2025 MLS Defender of the Year". Major League Soccer . October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
12. Tristan Blackmon at Soccerway . Retrieved January 20, 2025.
13. "Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2022 Canadian Championship Final". Canada Soccer. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
14. "Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2023 Canadian Championship". Canada Soccer. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
15. "Vancouver Whitecaps FC capture 2024 Voyageurs Cup". Canada Soccer. September 25, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2025.