VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds are in the heart of yet another race for a Canada West championship, but the squad is also already looking to the future having committed to 2002-born midfielder Markus Kaiser for the fall of 2020.

The younger brother of second-year T-Birds' defender Daniel Kaiser, Markus is a fixture with Calgary Foothills FC's U-20 team in his hometown where he is set to graduate high school in the spring.

"We are really excited to be adding Markus to our team as our first new recruit for 2020," said UBC head coach Mike Mosher. "Markus comes from a strong Foothills FC program in Calgary where he played primarily with their U-20s this past summer, dressing for a few of their USL 2 games also. Markus is an intelligent, dedicated and versatile footballer who we expect to come into the team and compete for minutes right away."



"There were many attractions that led me to choosing UBC including the quality of schooling, the high level of the soccer program, the amazing climate, and beautiful location," said Kaiser. "Also, the fact that my brother had nothing but good things to say about both the soccer and school programs."

Kaiser will become the latest member of his family to join a Canada West soccer program following in the footsteps of Daniel, as well as his father, Burk, who was an All-Canadian at the University of Alberta while his mother, Alisa, also played university soccer.

"It is great to add another Kaiser into the squad," added Mosher. "They are terrific individuals, both really love the game, training and competing and they certainly come by all that honestly."



For Markus, it's a rare opportunity to be able to compete with his older brother, something he hasn't had the chance to do in quite some time.

"I'm looking forward to joining a team that is consistently successful and I'm excited to be able to contribute to the success of the team. I'm also excited to be able to play with my brother, Daniel, for the first time competitively since I was eight years old."