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Toronto FC announced on Wednesday that Jacob Shaffelburg has signed a USL contract for the upcoming season.
The 19-year-old attacker joined the TFC Academy in 2016, but has spent the majority of the last few seasons with the Berkshire School in Massachusetts, as well as with club side Black Rock FC, including their PDL outfit.
Shaffelburg was included in the recent Canadian U-20 camp ahead of the 2018 Concacaf Championship, invited to the preparations as a non-roster player for the national team program to have a closer look.
Upon news that Shaffelburg and Mohamed Omar, another TFC product currently at Notre Dame, would be in camp, Greg Vanney revealed a little about the player and hinted that this day would come sooner rather than later.
“Jacob is a young lefty, who has been going to a private school, same school that [Jack] Harrison, [formerly of NYCFC attended],” said Vanney. “He’s an out-and-out winger, incredible speed, very aggressive, will attack the end-line, will run at players. We like him a lot. He’s a guy that we hope to have around here pretty soon.”
Some goals from soon-to-be TFC forward Jacob Shaffelburg. pic.twitter.com/wnX5V1j3xb
— Travis Clark (@travismclark) November 21, 2018
In conversation with Top Drawer Soccer, John Moodey, Shaffelburg’s coach at Berkshire, compared him to Harrison, who made the move from New York to Manchester City ahead of the MLS season – he was then loaned out to Middlesbrough and then Leeds United.
Shaffelburg, a native of Port Williams, Nova Scotia, was committed to attend the University of Virginia, but will instead join TFC II as they prepare for their first season in USL League One come 2019.