VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC selected midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy with the seventh pick in Stage 2 of the 2013 Major League Soccer (MLS) Re-Entry Draft on Wednesday.

Whitecaps FC are now required to make a genuine offer to Ballouchy within the next seven days to secure his rights for the 2014 season.

“Mehdi is a very skillful player who has a great deal of experience in the league” said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. “He’s had some tough luck with injuries the past couple of years, but he’ll have every chance to prove he deserves a place in the team.”

Ballouchy scores a blinder against LA Galaxy in 2007

Ballouchy, 30, has started 140 of 185 matches over his eight-year MLS career. Most recently, the native of Casablanca, Morocco, spent the past two years with San Jose Earthquakes, starting five of his 11 appearances before missing much of each season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Prior to joining San Jose, Ballouchy played for New York Red Bulls and Colorado Rapids, scoring 11 goals and recording 22 assists over the course of five and a half seasons between the two clubs. Originally, the 5-foot-11 midfielder signed a Generation adidas contract with MLS and was taken second overall by Real Salt Lake at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, spending one and a half seasons in Utah while scoring two goals and recording two assists.

Internationally, Ballouchy represented Morocco at both the U-16 and U-17 national team levels before moving to the United States at age 16.

Whitecaps FC 2014 season tickets start at just $349, subject to applicable fees. The 'Caps are also offering a flexible range of ticket products, including half-season tickets ($244), 5-packs ($149), student season tickets ($199), and a youth soccer half-season ticket ($100). For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.