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Perhaps Batherson is poised to surpass Belcher as the most famous person from Port Williams. And then possibly Shaffelburg himself.

While the 20-year-old Batherson is already making a name for himself in pucks, Shaffelburg is on the cusp of doing the same in soccer.

This past November, TFC II signed the 19-year-old to a USL contract and the lightning-quick forward has opened eyes here at TFC’s pre-season training camp in soggy southern California. So much so that head coach Greg Vanney believes there’s a chance Shaffelburg could actually be on the roster when the Reds travel to Panama on Feb.19 for the first round of the CONCACAF Champions League.

“He’s an out-and-out winger, incredible speed, very aggressive, will attack the end-line, will run at a player,” Vanney told reporters earlier. “We like him a lot. He’s a guy that we hope to have around here pretty soon.”

That could be sooner than expected. Vanney actually started the teenager in TFC’s exhibition game on Saturday night against the L.A. Galaxy and the kid held his own in his first taste or professional game action.

“He played against a right back who has international experience and I thought the most important thing was, Jacob did not look scared whatsoever,” Vanney told the Sun. “He put in a decent shift. He got the ball in some dangerous spots but had about three crosses blocked. He needs to adapt to the pace of play for sure. Was it perfect? No. There is no expectation for it to be perfect because there’s a lot learning for him to do. But he showed me the capacity to not be afraid and to understand what he’s trying to do. And he’s just going to continue to grow from that experience.”