January 20, 2025...York United acquire midfielder Steffen Yeates from Pacific FC (from canpl.ca)
York United acquire midfielder Steffen Yeates from Pacific FC
2025-01-20
York United FC announced on Monday that the club has acquired Toronto-born midfielder Steffen Yeates from fellow Canadian
Premier League club Pacific FC.
The 25-year-old has signed a two-year guaranteed contract, with a club option for an additional twelve months. Financial
details of the transfer were not disclosed.
Across two seasons with the Tridents, Yeates was an integral ingredient and consistently racked up impressive numbers as the team
made the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024. In his debut campaign, he was an ever-present and accumulated 32 appearances in all
competitions while he tallied the same number the following term, as Pacific reached the semi-finals of the TELUS Canadian
Championship.
“Honestly, there’s there’s no city like Toronto,” Yeates said.
“So being back home and playing in a home environment is always a benefit and always brings that extra motivation. It feels
amazing to represent the home team, especially when you can feel the direction of the club and the ambition they have to further
themselves after last year and having made history in so many areas. Playing against York last season, it just felt different.
The energy, the intensity. So, it seems like the perfect time to get here. There’s lot to build on so let’s get to work.”
Prior to arriving in the Canadian Premier League, a large chunk of Yeates’ career was spent at Toronto FC. Having taken his first
steps in the game at Vaughan SC, Yeates started with the TFC Academy in 2013 and made over 20 appearances in League1 Ontario
between 2016 and 2018 before enjoying a professional debut with TFC II in the United Soccer League (USL) and adding a further
three USL appearances in 2018.
Yeates also played two years in the NCAA, spending his freshman season with the University of Connecticut Huskies before joining
the Oregon State Beavers’ men’s soccer program in 2019. Across both campaigns, he made 31 appearances, scoring three times.
The central midfielder returned to TFC II and the USL in April 2021 and proved remarkably consistent across two seasons,
making 42 appearances overall and contributing three goals and four assists. His form led to a Major League Soccer debut
in May 2022 as he played 30 minutes off the bench in a home clash with FC Cincinnati. Four days later, he appeared again
in a derby clash with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Yeates returned home and signed a USL contract with Toronto FC II in April 2021. He made 42 appearances for the team between
the 2021 and 2022 seasons, scoring three goals and adding four assists. Yeates made his Major League Soccer debut for Toronto FC
in May 2022, after the club signed him to a short-term loan agreement. Yeates logged a total of 31 minutes over two appearances
for Toronto FC that month. At the end of the year, he signed with Pacific FC.
Having represented Canada at both the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship in 2017 and Under-20 Championship in 2018, Yeates was
called into a preliminary Trinidad and Tobago squad in May 2024. Qualifying to represent the Caribbean nation through his father,
Yeates made his debut for the national team in a World Cup qualifier against Bahamas and followed that up with two further
appearances in the Concacaf Nations League.
Yeates is excited with the construction of the 2025 squad, especially as it reunites with him a number of familiar faces.
“Guys like Kembo [Kibato], Adonijah [Reid] — who I just played with for the past few seasons — even guys like Riley [Ferrazzo],
who I grew up in a in the TFC Academy. It’s something amazing to have: that history, that chemistry. That’s all here. It makes
the transition so much easier. We can be clear and honest with each other from the get-go because we know who we are, we know
what kind of players we are. So it’s important for us to start strong, build on that chemistry and maximize it.”
New head coach Mauro Eustáquio brings some valuable insight and experience to the position, having been at the club since 2022.
“Mauro is young but he has so much experience with this league,” Yeates said.
“He’s well-known across this country and well-versed with the Canadian soccer community. I’m just excited to work with a guy
who has ambition and who’s ready to challenge for big things. I want to push for championships and for trophies,
even at a Concacaf level. That’s the motivation. That’s the objective. That’s why I’m here.”
Yeates was a top target for the club and with some more business on the horizon in the coming days and weeks, York United FC
president Ricardo Pasquel is excited with how the roster is shaping up.
“We pushed hard to land Steffen and we’re so happy to get him,” Pasquel said.
“He is another fantastic player, someone whose been remarkably consistent throughout his career – not only in the CPL. He has
a proven track record and is a perfect fit for us. His attitude, personality, motivations and wider skillset makes him an ideal
York United FC player and we can’t wait to see him on the field. He’s another local guy and knows what it means to represent
this city and the GTA. That’s a crucial part of the puzzle for us and we value that connection enormously.”
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