TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Transfer
Vancouver Whitecaps FC have transferred midfielder Damiano Pecile to Italian Serie B club Venezia FC, where he played on loan in the Primavera since May 2021, the club announced Saturday.
The 20-year-old is the sixth Whitecaps academy product transferred to a European club.
“Damiano and both clubs agreed it would be best for him to continue his development in Italy after he made great strides forward with his loan to Venezia’s Primavera team last season,” Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement. “Our agreement with Venezia also includes the potential to receive future compensation in the years to come. We wish Damiano all the best in this next chapter of his career.”
Pecile, who holds dual Canadian and Italian citizenship, spent the majority of the 2021 season on loan with Venezia’s Primavera team, where he tallied nine goals in 22 starts and 23 appearances across all competitions.
The Canadian youth international originally joined the Whitecaps academy in August 2015 and signed a homegrown contract in February 2020, making one MLS appearance.
Pecile represented Canada at the youth level, starting all three matches at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup and starting four of his five appearances at the 2019 Concacaf U-17 Championship.
MLS connections
Pecile is the second MLS homegrown to join Venezia via transfer this summer after the Philadelphia Union sent US youth international attacker Jack de Vries there. During their 2021-22 Serie A season, both Sporting Kansas City product Gianluca Busio and FC Dallas product Tanner Tessmann enjoyed prominent midfield roles.
