The Vancouver Whitecaps have landed an important player, and he’s a name that Canadian soccer fans will recognize. Richie Laryea is headed to Vancouver on loan from Nottingham Forest.
The loan from the English Premier League side will last through the end of this year, but the Whitecaps intend to buy him during the winter transfer window, Paul Tenorio and Tom Bogert reported in The Athletic. Laryea reportedly “chose” to sign with Vancouver, and the Whitecaps have designs of making him a designated player and “one of the faces of the franchise” ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A fixture on Canada’s men’s national soccer team, the 28-year-old Laryea appeared in all three of Canada’s matches at the World Cup in Qatar, starting two of them. Laryea appeared in five matches with Nottingham Forest in 2022 before being loaned to Toronto FC. The Toronto native appeared in 10 matches with TFC last season and another 18 this year.
𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙. 🍁
‘Caps acquire Canadian international wingback Richie Laryea on loan from @premierleague side Nottingham Forest FC @NFFC until Dec 31, 2023. ✍️🇨🇦
Welcome to the west coast, @richielaryea 🌊#VWFC
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) August 2, 2023
“Richie is a winner, competitor, leader and has proven to be one of the best fullbacks in our league,” said Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster. “Since the end of 2021, he has played in every single national team game, including all three World Cup games. We are very pleased to welcome Richie, Melanie and their son Elijah, to our family.”
Listed as a defender with Nottingham Forest and Toronto FC, Laryea can play right back or as a midfielder, as he has done internationally for Canada.
Transferred to Nottingham Forest on January 8, 2022, for a £821,820 ($1 million) fee, Laryea made his debut for the club on April 18, 2022, in an English Championship match. The club was promoted to the Premier League last season.
Laryea has made 45 appearances with Canada’s national team, starting 36 times and scoring one goal. He has appeared in 116 MLS regular-season matches, including 21 with Orlando City SC before signing with TFC in 2019.
WHITECAPS RE-SIGN VESELINOVIĆ
The Whitecaps also announced that centre back Ranko Veselinović has signed a contract extension through 2026, with a club option for 2027. The 24-year-old Serbian international leads the Whitecaps with the most starts (101) and matches played (109) since 2020.
“Ranko has made tremendous strides since joining our club in 2020 and has been a staple in our backline over the last three plus years,” said Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster. “Still only 24 years old, Ranko has already played more than 100 games for our club, 15th most in our MLS era. We are pleased that we were able to reach an agreement and we now look forward to seeing him continue his growth as a leader in our group on and off the pitch as he helps us achieve our goals for this year and beyond.”
Named vice-captain at the start of this season, Veselinović ranks sixth among MLS players in both clearances (447) and blocks (83) since joining the Whitecaps in 2020.
“I feel at home here in Vancouver,” said Veselinović. “The entire club and all the supporters have been very welcoming since I arrived and I’m excited to extend my stay here at Whitecaps FC. The goal is to continue to build on our strong performances and results in league and cup play, secure a spot in the playoffs, and ultimately win an MLS Cup for this city.”
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