Michael_Baldisimo

Michael Baldisimo

Michael Baldisimo

Filipino footballer

Michael Robert Otucan Baldisimo (born April 13, 2000) is a professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes. Born in Canada, he plays for the Philippines national team.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Otucan and the surname or paternal family name is Baldisimo.
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Early life

Baldisimo began playing soccer at age four with Wesburn Youth SC.[1] Afterwards, he played with South Burnaby Metro Club, Mountain United FC, and Burnaby Metro Selects SC.[2][3] In 2011, he represented Western Canada at the Danone Cup qualifiers.[4] Later in 2011, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy.[5] He was named the 2018 Whitecaps FC Most Promising Player at the club's annual awards ceremony.[6]

Club career

On August 4, 2016, he made his professional debut in the USL with Whitecaps FC 2 as an academy call-up in a match against Arizona United SC.[7][8] He attended the 2017 pre-season with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC first team.[8] In March 2017, he signed a professional contract with Whitecaps FC 2 in the USL.[8]

In July 2018, Baldisimo signed a homegrown player contract with Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.[9][10] After not featuring for the team in 2018 or 2019, he began to feature regularly with the team in 2020.[11] He made his debut for the first team on August 25, 2020, starting in a 2–0 away defeat to the Montreal Impact.[12][13] He scored his first goal the following week on September 5, in a 3–2 home victory over Toronto FC.[14][15]

After the 2022 season, following the expiry of his contract, he was selected by the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2022 MLS Re-Entry Draft.[16] In January 2023, he signed a one year contract with a club option for 2024 with the Earthquakes.[17]

International career

Baldisimo was born in Canada and is of Filipino descent.[18]

Canada

In October 2014, he made his debut in the Canadian program when he was called up to a camp with the Canada U15 national team.[1] In the summer of 2015, he was named to the U15 squad for a tournament in Mexico.[19] In 2017, he was named to the Canada U17 team for the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.[20] He was called up to the Canada U21 team for the 2018 Toulon Tournament[21] and also made three starts for the Canada U20 team at the 2018 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, recording an assist against Dominica U20.[2] In March 2021, Baldisimo was named to the Canadian U23 squad for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.[22] In June 2021, he was named to the 60-man provisional squad for the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup,[23] but was left off the final team.

Philippines

In May 2021, Baldisimo received an invitation to play for the Philippines senior national team in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, however he declined the offer as he was still expecting to receive a call up from the Canadian senior team.[24] In November 2021, he accepted a call-up to the Philippines for the rescheduled 2020 AFF Championship tournament, but had to withdraw due to injury.[25] He accepted another invite to train with the team in November 2022.[26][27]

In March 2024, Badlisimo was called up to the team for two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Iraq.[28][29]

Career statistics

As of February 24, 2024[30]
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    Honours

    Vancouver Whitecaps FC

    Personal life

    Michael is the younger brother of Matthew Baldisimo, who is also a professional soccer player.[32]

    References

    1. [1]
      Michael Baldisimo at the Canadian Soccer Association
    2. [2]
      "Michael Baldisimo Vancouver Whitecaps profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
    3. [3]
      "Burnaby's Baldisimo inks deal with Whitecaps". Burnaby Now. July 20, 2018.
    4. [4]
      "Danone Cup duo". The New Westminster Record. August 5, 2011. p. A18.
    5. [5]
      McColl, Michael (September 5, 2018). "Michael Baldisimo "mentally focused" as long Whitecaps journey moves to the next level". Away from the Numbers.
    6. [6]
      "Whitecaps FC Announce 2018 Player Awards, Presented by BMO". Our Sports Central. October 24, 2018.
    7. [7]
      "Shorthanded Whitecaps FC 2 Fall Late to Arizona United". Our Sports Central. August 4, 2016.
    8. [8]
      "Whitecaps FC sign Residency product Michael Baldisimo to USL contract". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. March 9, 2017. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017.
    9. [9]
      Butler, Dylan (July 17, 2018). "Whitecaps sign Michael Baldisimo, Theo Bair to Homegrown contracts". Major League Soccer.
    10. [10]
      "Whitecaps FC sign Residency midfielder Michael Baldisimo to MLS Homegrown contract". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. July 17, 2018.
    11. [11]
      Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (April 28, 2021). "AGR's Analysis: Breaking down Michael Baldisimo's 'growing' importance to the Vancouver Whitecaps offence". BTS Vancouver.
    12. [12]
      Adams, J.J. (September 3, 2020). "Whitecaps kids keeping pace with the big boys in MLS". The Province.
    13. [13]
      "'Shy' midfielder Michael Baldisimo catching attention with Whitecaps". Sportsnet. October 14, 2020.
    14. [14]
      Karstens-Smith, Gemma (September 5, 2020). "Michael Baldisimo scores 1st MLS goal to help Whitecaps snap 3-game skid". CBC Sports.
    15. [15]
      Adams, J.J. (September 6, 2020). "Whitecaps 3, TFC 2: Baldisimo bellissimo in upset win over Canadian rivals". The Province.
    16. [16]
      "News: Earthquakes Select Midfielder Michael Baldisimo in Stage 2 of MLS Re-Entry Draft". San Jose Earthquakes. November 22, 2022.
    17. [17]
      "News: Earthquakes Sign Canadian Midfielder Michael Baldisimo". San Jose Earthquakes. January 9, 2023.
    18. [18]
      "Filipino-Canadian teen signs with Vancouver Whitecaps soccer". Balitang America. July 28, 2018. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018.
    19. [19]
      "Canada U-15 national team calls in five Whitecaps FC Residency players for Mexico tournament". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. July 30, 2015.
    20. [20]
      "Burnaby pair named to national u-17 squad". Burnaby Now. April 13, 2017.
    21. [21]
      Rodriguez, Alicia (May 19, 2018). "Canada national team roster for prestigious Toulon Tournament released". Major League Soccer.
    22. [22]
      "Canada Soccer announces squad for CONCACAF's men's Olympic Qualifying". Canadian Soccer Association. March 10, 2021.
    23. [23]
      "11 'Caps named to provisional Concacaf Gold Cup rosters". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. June 8, 2021.
    24. [24]
      Adams, J.J. (May 16, 2021). "Whitecaps: 'Big Baldi' accepts call-up to Philippines, with an eye on World Cup qualification". The Province.
    25. [25]
      "Azkals gear up for AFF Suzuki Cup 2020". The Azkals. November 29, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022.
    26. [26]
      Terrado, Jonas (November 19, 2022). "Local league mainstays, young guns lead Azkals pool". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
    27. [27]
      Jacques, John (November 23, 2022). "Michael Baldisimo Called Up By Philippines". Northern Tribune.
    28. [28]
      "Earthquakes Midfielder Michael Baldisimo Called to Philippine Men's National Team". San Jose Earthquakes. March 11, 2024.
    29. [29]
      Terrado, Jonas (March 12, 2024). "PH men's football team taps Baldisimo brothers for World Cup qualifiers". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
    30. [30]
      Michael Baldisimo at Soccerway
    31. [31]
      "Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2022 Canadian Championship Final". Canada Soccer. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
    32. [32]
      Jacques, John (March 12, 2024). "Baldisimo Brothers Called Up To Philippine National Team". Northern Tribune.
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