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<\/p>\nGOLDEN VALLEY \u2014 Canadian forward Marcus Caldeira, who scored 42 goals for West Virginia University during a stellar college soccer career, has signed with Minnesota United.<\/p>\n
Minnesota took Caldeira in the first round (20th overall) of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. But the 21-year-old from Mississauga opted to return to school, unwilling to forgo his college eligibility unless offered a contract by Minnesota. Caldeira did train with the team briefly the year he was drafted, but paid his own way.<\/p>\n
Caldeira is now on the Minnesota payroll.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am beyond grateful for the opportunity to join this ambitious club and take the next step in fulfilling my lifelong dream of playing professionally,\u201d Caldeira said.<\/p>\n
Caldeira\u2019s 42 career goals and 99 career points rank third in Mountaineer history, while his 17 game-winning goals set a program record. In all, he made 84 career appearances, including 77 starts.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-2, 193-pound player left college on a high note, scoring a hat trick in the Mountaineers\u2019 4-3 win over St. John\u2019s in the first round of the NCAA tournament and adding another goal in West Virginia\u2019s 3-2 loss to High Point in the second round.<\/p>\n
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The Canadian finished his senior year with 14 goals and seven assists, adding first-team all-America honours to the second-team status he achieved in 2023. His 35 points on the season were the most by a Mountaineer since Jack Cardosa\u2019s 59 in 1973.<\/p>\n
He was also named the Sun Belt Player and Offensive Player of the Year, and named to the All-Southeast Region First Team, and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome Marcus to our club and look forward to seeing him continue his development while adding depth and competition to our team this season,\u201d Khaled El-Ahmad, Minnesota\u2019s chief soccer officer and sporting director, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Caldeira, who attended Port Credit Secondary School, played for Toronto-area academy Sigma FC until he was 16, when he got a development contract with Forge FC. He made his debut with the Canadian Premier League club at 17 and did his last year of high school online while training with Hamilton-based Forge.<\/p>\n
He recorded one assist in four appearances for Forge and played for Sigma\u2019s League1 Ontario team while not at West Virginia.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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