He made the Whitecaps. It’s Inspiring a Generation of South Asian Soccer Players

The difference may have been a few yards on the pitch, but before the game, Jeevan Badwal had a question for his coach. 

Years before Badwal, who grew up in Newton, signed his first professional contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps, he was a student of the game. He grew up spending hours on the field and watching online clips of soccer away from it — leading to insight well beyond his age that would surprise many of his coaches.  

“How tight do you want me to our defenders? Or do you want me tighter up to the back of our midfield?” he asked Nathan Eckler, former head coach of the 2005 age group at Coastal FC and now technical director of the North Delta Football Club. 

Badwal was looking for a second opinion. 

In other words, determining how much space he should give up behind or infront of him to the opposing team’s striker. The closer he played to the middle of the field, the more likely he could disrupt a pass into the striker, an individual often seeking the ball to get into scoring position.

“We’re talking five, six, seven yards of difference on the pitch, but it’s a massive difference to the quality of service into the striker,” Eckler said. “I don’t know if I’ve coached a player, before or after, who had his level of soccer IQ at that stage of his life.” 

In November, Badwal was selected as Player of the Year for Whitecaps FC 2, the club’s reserve team.

His rise through the Vancouver Whitecaps academy has not surprised other people within the Surrey soccer community who have known Badwal for years.  

From the age of nine, it was easy to tell that Badwal had some serious skill, said Derrick Basi, who coached Badwal roughly one decade ago for Surrey FC. (Basi still coaches the club’s Under-16 team.) 

Although he never dominated anyone physically — Badwal stands at 5’9” and weighs 145 pounds, according to the Whitecaps — he always had a knack for being in the right place at the right time. 

“He understood the game,” Basi said. “He would find the ball to the strikers, he would break up the play and he just knew where to be.” 

That skillset is relatable for other aspiring soccer plays that may not be as physically gifted, Eckler added. And if they work on the nuances of the game — studying plays, reading the opposition, passing — then they can achieve their potential too. 

“He’s not that tall, he’s not that big, he’s not that fast, but what he does is the little things,” Eckler said. 

Badwal first caught the attention of professional clubs as a 10-year-old in 2016. 

That year, he joined two other Surrey residents in an U.S.-based camp held by the Wolverhampton Wanderers FC of the English Premier League. 

Three years after he attended the camp, which attracted some of the best young players from North America, Badwal joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy. He then made his debut for Whitecaps FC2 last year, and represented the team at the MLS Next All-Star Game that year. 

“My interaction with Jeevan was mainly on the periphery, but I remember Nathan always talking about how strong of a player he was,” said Mark McQueen, technical director of Coastal FC. 

In 2024, Badwal started 19 of 22 games for Whitecaps FC2, playing nearly 1,700 minutes on the pitch. He also earned a spot on the Canadian national team for the Under-20 CONCACAF Championship qualifiers. 

“As a former coach, I’m super proud to see him progress. But I’m going to be honest, this isn’t a shock,” Eckler said. “This kid has worked his tail off to get here.” 

The accolades are making shockwaves through the South Asian community in Surrey, Basi added — a group of people that have been waiting for a homegrown start to represent the Whitecaps and Canada. 

“This is going to be spoken about for many, many years to come,” Basi said. “It’s something I’ll be telling my kids about.” 

The fact that someone who is South Asian, and hails from the Lower Mainland, has accelerated through the Whitecaps academy at such a young age shows that parents and young athletes that the professional soccer pipeline does exist. 

No matter the game or weather — rain, snow, shine, ice and thunder — the Badwal family has come out to support their son on the pitch, Basi said. 

It may be a fine detail, but something that goes a young way for an aspiring athlete. 

“I think it’s an educational thing for parents to see that support,” he said. “Young players, they see there’s a clear pathway… If you’re committed, if you have that drive, passion and resilience.” 

The positive upbringing was also obvious to Eckler, who never struggled to carry conversations with Badwal in the years after he coached him. 

“He’s quick to come up, be respectful and say hello,” he said. “Whether it’s myself, my kids, my wife.” 

Both Eckler and Basi expect Badwal to continue progressing through the Whitecaps academy, and ultimately, make his debut for the pro team sometime down the road. Eckler, specifically, expects Badwal to compete for a spot on the Canadian World Cup roster in 2026, which is going to be held in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. 

Basi doesn’t own a Canadian national team jersey, but if Badwal makes the team — and represents Canada at a World Cup game at BC Place — he may need to make an addition to his closet. 

“My first jersey I would be buying would be with Badwal on the back,” Basi said. 

“That would be one of my dreams come true.”