Photo courtesy Darren Abate / San Antonio FC
FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno Football Club announced on Thursday it had signed three players from the club’s MLS affiliate Vancouver Whitecaps FC as goalkeeper Sean Melvin, midfielder Matthew Baldisimo and forward Terran Campbell will head to Chukchansi Park for the 2018 season. The signings are pending league and federation approval.
“The players that are coming in, they know the league, have played in the league and they’re good guys,” said Foxes Head Coach Adam Smith. “They’ve been hand-picked by Vancouver and are players the Whitecaps feel have a chance to go on to the next level. It’s great for Fresno and it’s great for Vancouver.”
Melvin has made 20 USL appearances over his first two professional seasons. The 23-year-old recorded four shutouts and 80 saves over that span, twice being named to the USL Team of the Week in 2017. Melvin made his senior international debut with Canada this past January during a 4-2 friendly win over Bermuda.
Baldisimo has made 42 appearances over two seasons in the USL, and this past year led Vancouver Whitecaps FC with 61 tackles. The captain of Canada’s side at the 2015 CONCACAF U17 Championship in Honduras, Baldisimo won 45 of 61 tackles in the 2017 USL regular season, recorded 26 interceptions and won 93 duels at a 53.8 percent success rate.
Campbell, 19, will enter his fourth USL season in 2018. After making his debut late in 2015, Campbell has made 34 professional appearances in USL and is coming off a season that saw him record three goals and three assists. The speedy forward has also competed at the international level for Canada at the U17 level, where he played alongside Baldisimo.
“Playing with Fresno FC will be a great opportunity for Sean, Matthew, and Terran,” said Whitecaps FC Head Coach Carl Robinson. “This will be a highly competitive and challenging environment for them under head coach Adam Smith. Our staff in Vancouver will be tracking their progress closely.”
Earlier this week, Fresno FC announced it had signed defender Mickey Daly, midfielder Agustin Cazarez and forward Christian Chaney.