VANCOUVER – UBC Thunderbirds midfielder Markus Kaiser has been selected by his hometown Cavalry FC with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 Canadian Premier League-U SPORTS Draft held Thursday evening.
Having just completed his first U SPORTS season with the T-Birds, the Calgary native appeared in nine regular season games for UBC in 2021 and all five post-season matches, scoring his first goal in the blue and gold on the biggest stage against Laval in the national championship consolation semifinal in November.
A product of the Calgary Foothills Soccer Club, Kaiser is thrilled with the opportunity in front of him.
"It's awesome, the CPL is an up and coming league and it's an opportunity for young players like myself to reach the pro level and this Draft is just a good opportunity to get in with them in preseason and have a good chance of making the team," said Kaiser shortly after the Draft concluded. "(Cavalry FC Head Coach Tommy Wheeldon) was the head technical director at Foothills, he was my coach for many years. I've known them for a long time, they've known my family for a long time. I'm super excited to be part of it."
Already teammates with the T-Birds, Markus now also joins his brother, Daniel, with Cavalry FC. The elder Kaiser signed a U SPORTS contract with the CPL club last season and appeared in 11 matches in 2021.
"Markus is a very honest player, he's a very honest individual, just a terrific attitude with great work habits, he's the kind of kid we want in our program all the time," said UBC Head Coach Mike Mosher. "He's got significant upside and I think he'll just continue to grow. Technically he's a good player, but he doesn't mind a tackle either. Of course Cavalry knowing the family, knowing the history, they're well aware of who that player is. Who knows where he could be in two or three years' time."
For Kaiser, the chance to head to training with a professional club is an invaluable opportunity.
"The big thing is playing with good players makes you better," continued the midfielder who studies Science at UBC. "Even just training, I'm going to go into training and just absorb everything around me. Playing with these good players, you learn so much every single day that you're in that professional environment."
The Thunderbirds' presence on the national stage continues to grow as UBC players have had their name called on nine occasions in the four years the CPL-U SPORTS Draft has taken place.
The partnership between the Canadian Premier League and U SPORTS provides student-athletes an opportunity to be signed to a CPL-U SPORTS Developmental Contract, allowing a player to sign with a CPL club while preserving eligibility to allow a return to U SPORTS competition.
After making their CPL debuts last season,
Thomas Gardner (FC Edmonton), and
Christopher Lee (Pacific FC) are set to return to their respective clubs along with
Daniel Kaiser. It all makes for tremendous experiences at the professional club level, experience these players can then take back with them to the T-Birds.
"With each year the Draft gets more and more credibility and U SPORTS and the players get more credibility," added Mosher of the win-win opportunity the CPL-U SPORTS partnership presents. "The proof is in the pudding in terms of how U SPORTS players have done in that league."
