Ryan Raposo

Ryan Raposo
Personal information
Full name	Ryan Christopher Raposo
Date of birth	March 5, 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Height	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Number	27
Youth career
2003–2009	Mount Hamilton SC
2010–2011	Toronto FC
2012–2015	Burlington Youth SC
2016–2017	Vaughan SC
College career
Years	Team
2018–2019	Syracuse Orange
Senior career*
Years	Team
2017–2019	Vaughan Azzurri
2020–	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
International career‡
2021	Canada U23
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 13, 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 28, 2021

Ryan Raposo (born March 5, 1999) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a wingback for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.^[2]

Youth

Born in Hamilton to a Portuguese father and Chinese mother, Raposo began playing soccer at a young age, making his first competitive rep team when he was eight with Mount Hamilton SC.^[3] When he was 11, he joined the Toronto FC Academy, but the club released him two years later, believing him to be "too small and too skinny".^[4] Afterwards, he joined the Burlington Youth SC at age 12, joining the provincial program at age 14. Soon after, he was selected to play on the Canadian under-15 national team.^[5] When he was 16, he moved to Vaughan SC.^[3] In 2016, he fractured his right fibula in a club match against Sigma FC.^[3] He was named MVP at the 2017 Canada Summer Games, as part of the gold medal-winning Team Ontario.^[6]

Raposo attended Syracuse University, where he played soccer for two years. In his second and final year, Raposo led his team in goals (15) and points (37), which set the school records for a sophomore, and earned a spot in the All-ACC first team.^[7]^[8]

Club career

During college, Raposo also appeared for League1 Ontario side Vaughan Azzurri in the 2017,^[9] 2018^[10] and 2019 during the NCAA offseason.^[11] He played in the 2019 Canadian Championship and scored in the first leg of their tie, which was lost on away goals to Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers FC.^[12]

On January 9, 2020, Raposo was selected fourth overall by Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, and was signed by the club to a Generation Adidas contract.^[13] He made his debut on March 7, 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute, against the Los Angeles Galaxy, recording an assist on the only goal of the game.^[14] He scored his first professional goal in the 73rd minute of a 1–0 win over Sporting Kansas City on April 2, 2022.^[15] Later that year, he won the Best Young Canadian Player Award at the 2022 Canadian Championship, after scoring one goal and getting two assists.^[16]

International career

Eligible for Canada, China, Portugal.

He joined the Canadian under-15 in 2014, playing matches against Costa Rican teams.^[17]

Raposo was named to the Canadian under-23 roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship on March 10, 2021.^[18]

In May 2023, Raposo was listed on the Canada preliminary rosters for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.^[19]

Style of play

Described as "a skilful winger" by Neil Davidson, Raposo is also capable of playing as a number ten. His former Syracuse coach Ian McIntyre labelled him a "dynamic, exciting attacker who can torment defenders."^[20]

Honours

Vancouver Whitecaps

Canadian Championship: 2022,^[21] 2023^[22]

Individual

Canadian Championship Best Young Canadian Player: 2022^[21]

Career statistics

As of match played on November 3, 2024^[23]

Club	Season	League			Playoffs		Domestic Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Vaughan Azzurri	2017^[9]	League1 Ontario	10	9	—		—		0	0	—		10	9
	2018^[10]		4	0	0	0	—		3	1	—		7	1
	2019^[11]		10	4	0	0	2	1	—		—		12	5
	Total		24	13	0	0	2	1	3	1	0	0	29	15
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	2020	MLS	15	0	—		—		—		—		15	0
	2021		21	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		22	0
	2022		29	2	—		4	1	—		—		33	3
	2023		26	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	4	1	34	1
	2024		29	3	2	0	4	0	2	0	3	0	40	3
	Total		120	5	3	0	11	1	4	0	7	1	145	7
Career total			144	18	3	0	13	2	6	1	7	1	174	22