Ottawa pair join Whitecaps academy

By Dan Plouffe

It’s not quite the case of two old buddies going off together to conquer fresh frontiers, but owning matching hometowns has now brought Ottawa natives Hayden Simmonds-O’Grady and Vana Markarian closer together as they settle in to their new lives as members of the Vancouver Whitecaps under-16 soccer academy.

“He always played on the rival team,” explains Simmonds-O’Grady, who savoured any time he got the best of the “tough” battles with Markarian’s Ottawa South United side.

“We’ve got a lot closer now,” adds the FC Capital United product who also dressed for the Ottawa Fury locally. “We’re two new guys and we don’t know many faces, so we just talk to each other.”

When they joined the Whitecaps in late January, the pair were greeted by a third local face in Vancouver, former Fury goalkeeper Aidan Aylward, who now rooms with Markarian.

“(Aylward)’s made it a lot easier for me here – getting to know everyone and everything and getting used to the life here,” Markarian notes. “It’s not easy.”

Twice a week, the players have early-morning training sessions before school, which is then followed by their regular practice until 6 p.m., usually held outdoors on turf fields except when the west coast city receives a rare snowstorm.

“It’s exhausting. It’s a very long day,” highlights Markarian, a former St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School student. “And being away from your family and not seeing them everyday, it’s something not many people are used to, and it’s really difficult.”

Most people don’t imagine leaving home at age 16, but doing it before most others should prove beneficial long-term, indicates the 2013 Ontario Youth Soccer League-champion midfielder.

“I’ve got a head-start,” Markarian maintains. “And I’m in such a good environment that’s not only going to help me grow as a footballer but as a person.”

The players live with a host family in Vancouver, but the reality is different than at home, with chores like laundry to take care of, and simply devoting full effort to be the best possible every day in a professional club academy, Simmonds-O’Grady concurs.

“You have to get used to it,” says the midfielder who scored in his debut to lift the Whitecaps to a 1-1 tie on the road against the L.A. Galaxy. “I miss my home, and old habits. But you have to change to get what you want in life.”

It was a big decision to move across the country, details Simmonds-O’Grady, but he was inspired to make the move by his older brother Sheldon, a former Algonquin Thunder soccer player who was killed last year at age 18.

“A lot of it had to do with my brother,” explains the former St. Patrick Catholic High School student. “My brother had a big impact in my life. He was always pushing me. He knew I could possibly go somewhere with soccer. He wanted me to pursue it with the talent I had.

“That gives me a big edge and makes me want to work harder.”

For Markarian, the difficult decision was made easier when he came to realize that the backup plan for an academy looks pretty good even if he doesn’t go on to make it as a pro player with the Whitecaps.

“If worse comes to worse, I go off to an amazing university and follow my dream that way,” says the Ontario national all-star championships gold medalist. “There’s no losing situation here.”

Another benefit is the Whitecaps’ close link to Team Canada, signal both players, who joined the youth national side for a trip to Qatar before setting up shop in Vancouver.

“The national team, they expect everyone to be in a pro club,” Markarian explains. “It’s easier to monitor for them, and that’s how you’re going to grow most as a player.”

To suddenly be in a pro academy and playing for Canada represents a remarkable journey for an athlete who only got his first shot with the provincial team program this past season.

“It’s kind of weird to look back. It’s crazy that it’s happened in such a short period of time,” Markarian marvels. “It’s pretty cool. One thing led to another and next thing you know, I’m living across the country.

“It’s been the best year of my life by far.”