Fraser Valley – MSOC: De Souza selected fifth overall in Canadian Premier League draft
Matheus De Souza became the first UFV Cascades player in program history to be selected in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft, as Vancouver FC nabbed the goalkeeper with the fifth overall pick on November 28.
UFV head coach Tom Lowndes noted how pleased he was to see De Souza be selected after his strong campaign.
“Obviously delighted to have our first player drafted to the CPL, it is well deserved for Matheus but also a testament to the work from his teammates as well after another successful season. Matheus was by far the strongest goalkeeper in Canada West this season, and arguably in whole country. His commanding presence, excellent shot stopping, and overall play was fantastic all season.”
The keeper had a terrific start to his career with the Cascades, setting a new single-season program record with six shutouts over his 14 regular season games played. De Souza posted a 7-3-4 record in the UFV goal. He continued his stellar play in the postseason, knocking off the Calgary Dinos 2-0 in the Canada West Quarterfinal before seeing the season come to an end in a heartbreaking 1-0 extra time defeat in the conference semifinal.
De Souza was named a Canada West First Team All-Star, a U SPORTS Second-Team All-Canadian, and part of the conference All-Rookie team for his efforts.
As one of the players selected in this year’s draft, De Souza may now be invited to pre-season training with Vancouver FC, where he can compete for a roster spot for the 2026 CPL season.
CPL clubs may add up to three players on CPL-U SPORTS contracts to their developmental roster, which was created by the League to provide opportunities for the next generation of talent in Canada. Players signed to a CPL-U SPORTS contract do not count towards a club’s player compensation budget, and will remain eligible for the upcoming U SPORTS soccer season.
“We are excited to see him continue to develop over the next 6 months and look forward to him being back with us as we look towards another successful U SPORTS season in August 2026,” Lowndes continued.
“This program will continue to get stronger each year, prove people wrong and show that we can compete with anybody in the country.”
