If his first goal in MLS play is anything to go by, you'll want to remember the name Theo Bair.
The 19-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps FCHomegrown striker opened his account in league play in Week 23 with a breathtaking golazo in a Cascadia Cup clash against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park.
With the Whitecaps down 1-0, Bair pounced on a fly ball in the box, stepping back and hitting a side volley sweetly into the goal.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had," he said after the 'Caps eventual 3-1 loss. "Very unfortunate to get the result that we did, but it’s still the best moment of my life.”
“Zac [Whitecaps backup GK MacMath] told me 'They never expect you to shoot [the ball] when your back is towards the goal. So just do it, and see what happens,” said Bair describing a conversation with his teammate before the match. "So in that moment I saw the ball dropping and I said ‘If I shoot this and it goes in, then nobody’s getting mad at me.' And it happened. The most unbelievable experience of my life."
Bair is a product of the Whitecaps' residency academy and has broken through to receive some playing time this season, his first as a pro. With Marc Dos Santos' striker corps struggling to get on the scoresheet, if Bair can score with any regularity, he'll be in position to garner more playing time...and plenty of headlines, too.
