If all goes according to plan, fans in Vancouver will have another Sedin to cheer for at a professional level. That’s because Henrik Sedin’s 16-year-old son Valter is rising through the ranks with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Valter, who wears #55, is a midfielder with the Whitecaps’ MLS academy, playing in League 1 BC, the highest semi-pro level in Canada. He’s not the only player in the academy with a famous parent, as teammate Riley Ferraro is the 16-year-old son of Ray Ferraro and Cammi Granato.
“My short-term goals are obviously to make it onto a national team, and my long-term goals are to play professionally for the Vancouver Whitecaps,” Valter said in a video posted by the Whitecaps this week.
From growing up watching his father and @Canucks legend Henrik Sedin on the ice, to dreaming of playing soccer @BCPlace 💫 #ItStartsWithAGoal | #VWFC pic.twitter.com/SQNNhWq1OM
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) May 29, 2023
Valter, who was born in Vancouver in 2007, is the oldest of Henrik’s two boys. He has three cousins in town, as Uncle Daniel Sedin has two daughters and one son.
“Growing up with a dad who was a star athlete in Vancouver, it doesn’t seem normal to many people. To me, it was normal. Some of my favourite memories are just being in and around the training environment, and getting to watch my dad play,” Valter said.
“I’ve been playing soccer for as long as I can remember. I always loved the sport, but I remember getting obsessed with it after the 2018 World Cup watching Sweden make it to the quarter-finals.”
Checking into the match in the 78th minute, Valter Sedin (#55) of the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy.
Son of Henrik Sedin.
33+22=55
Whitecaps leading 4-2 in this one v @AltitudeFC_ca, with a hat-trick from Michael Hennessy.#Canucks pic.twitter.com/GOCAoVcJ0g
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) May 13, 2023
MLS writer Ben Steiner has followed Valter Sedin in League 1 BC play, and believes he has a bright future.
“He’s impressed in his stints in League 1 BC, and his ability to move off the ball into attacking positions is something that could put him into the pro ranks,” Steiner told Daily Hive. “He’s still raw, and will fill out, but his skills are good enough that he’s able to match up well with older players.
“The coaching staff loves his attacking midfield potential and he’s at a point where those opportunities start to come for the club’s top youth players, which he is.”
The path to professional soccer with the Whitecaps is to graduate from their academy to Whitecaps FC 2, an MLS Next Pro team that plays out of Swangard Stadium. From there, players from Whitecaps FC 2 can be called up to the first team in Major League Soccer.
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