'It pushes me forward': As Sean Young garners MLS interest, Pacific local keeps focus on rapid growth
As a young kid growing up in Victoria, never in Sean Young’s wildest dreams did he imagine he’d one day play professional soccer in his hometown.
Maybe the closest he'd get was to head over to Vancouver to play in MLS with the Whitecaps – but to play professionally on Vancouver Island was a completely foreign concept to him as he grew up playing across various youth teams in the greater Victoria area.
These days, the 22-year-old is living the reality of what was once an impossible dream. Thanks to the creation of the Canadian Premier League, Young has been able to make his first steps as a pro very close to home, having become a key regular on Vancouver Island-based Pacific FC.
Having joined the club as a 19-year-old back in 2020, Young is now in his fourth season with the Tridents, in the midst of what looks to be a breakout 2023 campaign in the heart of his team’s midfield. Seemingly all of a sudden, Young is catching eyeballs not just around the CPL, but elsewhere, too. As Transfermarkt reported last week, a couple of MLS teams are now keeping a close eye on him, and that list will only continue to grow if he keeps up his newfound level of performance.
For a true Vancouver Island local – one who’d actually scarcely left his hometown before he even became a professional player – the CPL has provided quite the adventure, professionally and personally.
"I'm very happy with my start so far," Young said, in conversation with OneSoccer. "But it’s due to the team's success and the team structure we have, the guys around me have helped me a lot, and they’ve pushed me in training and in games, too.
"I always think that individuals only succeed if the team succeeds, and I think you see that, we have a lot of individuals succeeding here, but it's because as a group, we have a style and I think we’re playing quite well within it."
GOAL 🔱@Pacificfccpl get the scoring started vs. @ValourFootball as Sean Young hammers his finish into the back of the net 🚀#CanPL | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/h7nJLeXLap
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 20, 2023
Eager to credit his teammates for his strong start, those teammates are not shy in throwing that love right back at him, as well.
Young isn't just thriving as a secondary piece on a deep Pacific side right now, either; he’s really started to drive the engine of this team alongside the likes of Manny Aparicio ... and that isn’t lost on those who’ve had a chance to play with him.
"Sean has been great," Pacific attacker Adonijah Reid said of his teammate on the weekend. "He's a workhorse, he's all over the pitch, he can get goals and he can get assists – it’s great playing with Sean. I’ve enjoyed having him behind me on the pitch."
True to form since Young made his debut all the way back in 2020, he continues to do what he does best: cover lots of ground in midfield
Officially listed at 6’2”, he’s always had a knack for popping up in both boxes, truly filling the role of 'box-to-box' midfielder. Primarily, he ended up playing a bit deeper for Pacific to begin his career, tasked with more defensive responsibility, but he did get to push forward quite often.
Nowadays, he’s found a way to get the most out of his ability to cover ground. He’ll still run all over the pitch, make no mistake, but he’s found a way to be more efficient in how he does it.
As a result, Young has taken a huge step forward offensively, using that extra energy to be much more involved on the ball.
Given that he’s already got two goals and four assists in just 10 games in all competitions this season, after putting up just two goals and recording no assists in 66 prior games for the club, that difference in output has been night and day, too.
Able to spray the ball all over the pitch with his extended passing range, while also able to dribble the ball through tight spaces and play intricate balls, without mentioning his thundering shot, that combination of skills has caused all sorts of problems for defenders this year.
"I think I'm most comfortable as a number 8," Young noted. "I enjoy being a box-to-box midfielder the most.
“It’s a lot of work, Manny Aparicio is a great example of that, as he’s an amazing box-to-box midfielder who has been a leader and an example for me over the last few seasons, so yeah, I think being a box-to-box midfielder takes a lot of work, but it's very rewarding because you're involved in the play and you're able to affect both sides of the ball in a game.”
GOAL🔱
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 6, 2023
Sean Young taps it home to open the scoring for @Pacificfccpl over @atletiOttawa in #CanPL action🇨🇦⚽️#ForOttawa | #ForTheIsle
🔴https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/G8G0IV1hrz
He's been challenged to score and assist more by Pacific’s head coach James Merriman – and it’s safe to say that Young has more than stepped up to the mark in that regard.
"James and I set a focus each season," Young explained. "Obviously it didn't quite click for me as much in the last couple of seasons, but this year, I just feel more comfortable out there.
"I feel like I'm taking more risks in the final third, which is what you really need in my position, and I’ve been adjusting to the pace and am just more comfortable and confident out there."
Added Merriman: "Yeah, that was our biggest challenge for him this season: To add more in the final third, to get assists, goals, and to create chances. We've been working and developing him to become a true box-to-box no. 8.
"And I think we’re seeing that next level of development for him, which is exciting, he's working hard every day, his professionalism has been impressive this season, he’s got a lot of potential, and we're seeing it in every match."
To be fair, Young always felt that he had that in his locker, but on a deep Pacific side who have boasted the likes of Aparicio, Marco Bustos, Alejandro Diáz, Gianni Dos Santos and many more in their attack over the last few seasons, he hadn't had the chance to show it as much.
With several key attackers leaving over the past year, however, Pacific was left with a big gap to fill.
And while new arrivals such as Reid, Aymen Sellouf, Kekuta Manneh and others were earmarked to help fill that, improvement from within can always be crucial towards helping a team take a big step forward.
That's where Young's play has been especially huge as someone who knows the club inside out, buying time for the new faces to integrate.
"I always thought it was there, but it’s been coming because of the work that I put in, day in and day out at training, those repetitions," Young said of his offensive growth. "I’m more comfortable now taking on shots myself, just being a little bit more selfish on the ball, in a sense. Yeah, the goals and assists are starting to come, but that’s been due to our other players getting into the right positions and finishing.
"I feel like in other seasons, we’ve put guys in good positions, but they just weren't finishing, and this season our guys have been sharp and they’re finishing their chances."
Now, Young has a clear goal: Push to that next level.
As is the case for many young players in the CPL, Young wants to make the next step in his own career, be it to MLS or Europe. To do that, he’ll have to remain consistent with his play, if not hit another level altogether.
There’s no doubting his talent, but the difference in levels comes down to consistency, and having been on this tear for just 10 games, he’ll have to build off it.
If he does that, he’ll have no shortage of suitors lining up to try and secure his services. Those three MLS teams will be just the start - a midfielder with his unique profile will only attract more interest, especially from teams in Europe as they enter their offseasons.
And Young is aware of that. Instead of completely blocking out the interest, he’s using it as fuel as he continues to push towards that next level.
"Of course, it pushes me forward," Young admitted. "But I know that I still need to put in a lot of work here first, and keep pushing myself day in and day out. It’s a confidence booster, but it’s just interest at this stage, and I know it’s going to take consistency and for me to keep getting better (to turn it into more), so I can't just be happy with how I'm playing right now."
While it feels clear that Young will one day head out in pursuit of his next chapter, until then? He’s got unfinished business in his hometown.
He's out to enjoy his time at Pacific, playing in front of friends and family week in and week out ... all while chasing a second North Star Shield, as well as a first regular season title. As such, there will be lots for Young to keep battling for while he remains a Pacific player.
That's why Young's story is an important one. Before the CPL, a player in his position might've had to cut his teeth elsewhere, grinding away just to get a sniff. But it would require moving to distant lands and learning to adapt and growing in an environment where the battle isn't just on the field, but off of it, too. At home. In grocery stores and malls. In day-to-day life, learning how to live abroad, sometimes without knowing the language. Those trials bring their own hardship. The best of the best rise above and use it to be even better, yes... but eliminating those challenges allows some to focus on their football first.
Now, Canadians can develop in their own backyard, blossoming into impact players who can make that next step, as Young is on track to doing.
TOP 10 UNDER 22 🍁📈
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 29, 2022
At no. 7 in our Top 10 #CanPL countdown, we've got @pacificfccpl hometown wonder Sean Young ✨
Does Sean Young's story serve to prove the CPL's mission of providing more opportunities to more Canadians across the country? 🗣️
FULL LIST 👇 pic.twitter.com/IMuYTx9rzF
That isn't lost on him, and he'll forever remain grateful to Pacific for providing him with that first opportunity as a youngster, helping him pave the way for what he’s been able to do, and those who will look to follow in his footsteps in the years to come.
"Honestly, I'm very lucky," Young said. "I put in a lot of work, a lot of hard work, but I'm very fortunate to be in this position and to have been given a chance by our coaching staff.
"It’s a dream come true to be playing in the stadium, playing against the Whitecaps even if it wasn't the result we wanted, it’s just been amazing looking at the crowd and seeing my friends and family, it’s truly unreal.
"I honestly can't say that enough, it's a dream come true. I’m just so thankful for this organization and the club for giving me a chance in the first place."
