Kyle Edward Bekker (born September 2, 1990) is a Canadian professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, and team captain, for

Forge FC Forge FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Hamilton, Ontario, that competes in the Canadian Premier League, the top tier of Canadian soccer. The club plays its home matches at Tim Hortons Field. Forge FC joined the CPL in 2019 as ...

Club career

Youth

Bekker was born in

Oakville, Ontario Oakville is a town in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton. At its Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census population of 213,759, it is List of tow ...

and began his youth soccer career with the Oakville Blue Stars, winning back-to-back Ontario Cup Championships in 2004 and 2005 and a National Championship in 2004. In 2006, he moved onto the Mississauga Dixie Dominators, where he won the Ontario Cup in 2006 and 2007 adding another National Championship in 2006. In 2007, he also played with

Sigma FC Sigma Sports is a Canadian youth soccer development academy and player management company based in Mississauga, Ontario. They also operate a senior academy soccer team that currently competes in League1 Ontario, as Sigma FC. Over 140 Sigma player ...

, where in March of that year, his team played eight matches in the Netherlands against professional youth academies. His time over there earned him a trial with Ajax's youth academy, which ended up lasting six weeks until his inability to receive a European work permit led to his return to Canada. At 18, helped Sigma FC climb the ranks for the Ontario Soccer League Men's Divisions. Over his four years in the OSL, Bekker scored 28 goals and registered 35 assists. He played with former Toronto FC teammate

Emery Welshman Emery Welshman (born 9 November 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sigma FC of League1 Ontario. Born in Canada, Welshman represents the Guyana national team. Club career Early career Welshman attended Siena College of ...

during this period. Bekker eventually received interest from colleges in the United States before accepting a scholarship to attend

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. During his four years at Boston College, Bekker played in 80 games, starting 79 of those, while scoring 17 goals and adding 22 assists. He picked up several awards on his way including

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

All-Freshman-Team in 2009 and ACC All-First-Team in 2011 and 2012. Bekker trained with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

during the summer of 2011, and then trained with Montreal Impact and Seattle Sounders in the Summer of 2012. He had a trial with

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building * ...

in December 2012, before work permit issues led to signing a pro contract with

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and entering the MLS Draft.

Toronto FC

Bekker signed a contract with MLS on January 6, 2013. He was drafted third overall in the

2013 MLS SuperDraft The 2013 MLS SuperDraft was the fourteenth SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. The draft took place on January 17, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Indiana Convention Center. The Colorado Rapids enjoyed returns from the 2013 draft, ...

on January 17, 2013. Bekker made his debut for Toronto on March 2, in a 1–0 away defeat to

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

FC Dallas

On January 21, 2015, Bekker was transferred to

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

. He made his debut for Dallas as a substitute for

Fabian Castillo Fabian may refer to: People * Fabian (name), including a list of people with the given name or surname * Pope Fabian (died 250), Catholic saint * Fabian Forte (born 1943), 1950s American teen idol, singer and actor, known by the mononym Fabian * ...

on March 14 in a 3–1 victory against

Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...

Montreal Impact

On July 16, 2015, Bekker was traded to Montreal Impact in exchange for the central

bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who ...

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. Bekker was released by Montreal on December 9, 2016.

San Francisco Deltas

After four seasons in MLS, Bekker signed with the

San Francisco Deltas The San Francisco Deltas were an American professional soccer team based in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 2016, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2017. The franchise played its home games at Ke ...

of the NASL. In their inaugural season, the club won the Soccer Bowl, but ceased operations three days after winning the title, leaving Bekker to look for a new club.

North Carolina FC

Bekker signed with

USL The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

side

North Carolina FC North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

on February 6, 2018. Bekker has appeared on the Raleigh City Sports podcast twice. The first recording went missing which has been called "The Lost Tapes of Raleigh"

Forge FC

In November 2018, Bekker joined

of the new

Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League (CPL or CanPL; french: Première ligue canadienne, links=no) is a professional men's Association football, soccer league in Canada. At the top of the Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary nationa ...

. Bekker cited the desire of starting for a new club in a new league as motivation for the move. In April 2019, Bekker was named the first captain in team history. On April 27, 2019, he participated in the first ever game in Canadian Premier League history, as Forge hosted

York9 FC York United Football Club (formerly known as York9 FC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League and plays its home games at York University's York Lions Stadium. History ...

and battled them to a 1–1 draw. In the

2019 Canadian Premier League season The 2019 Canadian Premier League season was the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian professional soccer. The regular season began on April 27 and ended on October 19, with seven teams competing. The inaug ...

, Forge finished as the runners up in both the spring and fall seasons, qualifying them for the

2019 Canadian Premier League Finals The 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals determined the winner of the Canadian Premier League's inaugural 2019 season. It featured Cavalry FC of Calgary, Alberta, and Forge FC of Hamilton, Ontario, and was the culmination of a rivalry that had de ...

where they faced off against

Cavalry FC Cavalry Football Club, is a Canadian professional soccer club based in the Calgary metropolitan region of Alberta. The club competes at the top of the Canadian soccer league system in the Canadian Premier League, and plays their home matches at ...

over two legs. Forge won both games 1–0 to win the North Star Shield and become the first ever Canadian Premier League champions. Bekker also played all four of Forge's games in the

2019 CONCACAF League The 2019 CONCACAF League (officially the 2019 Scotiabank CONCACAF League for sponsorship purposes) was the third edition of the CONCACAF League, a football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North America, Cent ...

, in which they defeated

Antigua GFC Antigua Guatemala Fútbol Club is a Guatemalan professional football team based in Antigua Guatemala. They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. They play their home games at the Estadio Pensativo. They are nickname ...

in the first round but were defeated in the round of sixteen by Olimpia. Bekker finished the 2019 season with five assists, tied for first in the league with five other players. He also scored four league goals, as well as one in the

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contest ...

. During the 2020 season, Bekker captained Forge to a second consecutive league title. He recorded three goals and one assist in 11 games and was named CPL Player of the Year. Following the season, Bekker re-signed with Forge FC. In the 2021 season, Bekker had an individually successful year. Across all competitions he contributed with 5 goals and 2 assists in 35 appearances. He was named to the CPL Team of the Week 6 times, and for the third straight year was nominated for CPL Player of the Year, though he did not win. For the first time, Forge failed to win the league championship, losing in the final to

Pacific FC Pacific Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Greater Victoria, British Columbia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League, playing home matches at Starlight Stadium located in Langford. History On May 5, 201 ...

. However, they had their best performance ever in the

CONCACAF League The CONCACAF League was an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF as its second-tier continental competition. It was announced on 8 May 2017. The competition uses a knockout cup format with each round having two leg ...

, reaching the semi-finals and qualifying for the

2022 CONCACAF Champions League The 2022 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2022 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League) was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 57th edition of the premier football club competition org ...

. Bekker remained with Forge for the 2022 season. On June 29, he became the first player in league history to play 100 games for a club and was commemorated by his club for his dedication.

International career

Bekker played in the

2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament The 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship was the thirteenth edition of the CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying, the quadrennial, international, age-restricted football tournament organized by CONCACAF to determine which men's under-2 ...

. On January 18, 2013, he received his first call up by the Canada national team for friendlies against

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Bekker made his senior team debut as a starter against Denmark, the game ended in a 4–0 defeat. On June 27, 2013 Bekker was listed as a part of the confirmed 23-man squad for Colin Miller's Canada squad for

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 12th CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 22nd CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition began on 7 July 2013 at the ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Club

San Francisco Deltas *

Soccer Bowl The Soccer Bowl was the annual championship game of the North American Soccer League, which ran from 1968 to 1984. The two top teams from the playoffs faced off in the final to determine the winner of the NASL Trophy. From the league's founding ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Forge FC *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Individual

* Canadian Premier League Player of the Year:

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bekker, Kyle 1990 births Living people Association football midfielders Canadian soccer players Soccer people from Ontario Sportspeople from Oakville, Ontario Canadian expatriate soccer players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Boston College Eagles men's soccer players Toronto FC draft picks Toronto FC players FC Dallas players CF Montréal players FC Montreal players San Francisco Deltas players North Carolina FC players Forge FC players Major League Soccer players North American Soccer League players USL Championship players Canadian Premier League players Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Sigma FC players