VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Thursday that the club has signed American centre back Danny Barbir to a contract with Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) for the remainder of the 2017 USL season.

“Danny is a big, strong young centre back who has experience in a highly competitive environment in England,” said Whitecaps FC 2 head coach Rich Fagan. “We’ll continue to push him and evaluate him during the final stretch of our USL season.”

Barbir, 19, joins WFC2 after spending the past three years at English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion FC, where he made 16 appearances for their U-23 and U-21 sides, scoring one goal in Premier League 2. The native of Allentown, Pennsylvania also played three matches and scored one goal with the Stoke City FC U-23 team in 2017.

Prior to signing with West Brom, Barbir played one year in the Manchester City youth academy in 2014.

An American-Romanian dual citizen, Barbir previously made five appearances with the United States U-17 men’s national team, including two starts at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.

"I'm a ball playing centre back ...I'm aggressive."



🗣️ from our newest #WFC2 player @DannyBarbir pic.twitter.com/C5Y7W4EfdQ — Whitecaps FC 2 (@wfc2) September 15, 2017

Danny Barbir

Pronunciation: bar-BEER

Position: Centre back

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 190 pounds

Date of Birth: January 31, 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia

Hometown: Allentown, Pennsylvania

Citizenship: United States / Romania

Status: Domestic

Previous Club: West Bromwich Albion FC (Premier League 2)

How Acquired: Free agent signed to a USL contract with Whitecaps FC 2 on September 14, 2017