Pacific FC has announced another addition to its squad ahead of the 2021 CPL season, revealing on Thursday that they’ve signed CPL-U SPORTS Draft pick Christopher Lee to a contract.
The club selected Lee fifth overall in the 2021 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, picking him from the University of British Columbia. Lee, a Vancouver native, is a technically-gifted fullback, with experience playing in the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program as well as at the university level. Pacific has described him as a talented left-footed player with a knack for crossing the ball from the flank. Although he never got to play a match for the UBC Thunderbirds due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee had already impressed Pacific’s staff with his talent.
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“Chris is a student of the game with good potential,” said Pacific assistant coach James Merriman when the club first drafted Lee.
Lee, 19, will qualify as one of Pacific’s under-21 players for the upcoming season, meaning he will help the club hit the newly increased 1,500 minutes threshold.
“It feels amazing,” Lee said of signing. “I feel very accomplished and very proud of where I’m at, but I’m also not completely satisfied. There’s a lot more that I can do and I trust the players and the coaching staff to push me to my limits and get me even more to where I need to be.”
He added: “I want to win the whole thing, I came here to win. This team has the quality to win and we’re all pushing to win the whole thing. Individually, I am trying to play as much as I can and develop as a young player, but the main goal is to win.”
The young left-back will join a fullback corps on Vancouver Island that includes Kadin Chung, Jordan Haynes, and Kunle Dada-Luke, and he will add more depth to the position in the wake of news that Duran Lee will miss the 2021 season with an Achilles injury.
LEE'S IN! ARE YOU?
Chris Lee signs for @Pacificfccpl on a @USPORTSca Contract ahead of the 'Kick off' and will travel with the squad to Winnipeg.
Full story: https://t.co/OLF11dPnfH#ForTheIsle | #USport | #NewSigning pic.twitter.com/0Kj5SyARHq— Pacific FC (@Pacificfccpl) June 10, 2021