Valour FC signed Canadian youngster Erik Pop to a contract guaranteed for 2025 and 2026 with a club option for 2027.
A rising talent, Pop, 19, enters an exciting new chapter of his young career in Winnipeg after an impressive run with 2. Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC, in the second tier of professional soccer in Germany.
“Erik is a talented young Striker with excellent pedigree,” said Phillip Dos Santos, Head Coach and General Manager, Valour FC. “We like the way he moves and creates space for himself, the way he holds the ball and brings his teammates into play and he’s also quite mature physically.”
Pop, a native of Mississauga, Ont., is a product of the Canadian development pathway who made the move overseas to Deutschland in January 2023 after a striking season with the ProStars FC League1 Ontario, where he contributed thirteen goals in eighteen appearances.
He previously represented Canada’s U-17 men’s national team at the 2023 Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship as well as the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, after earning his first call into Canada’s youth national team system at the age of 16 in 2022. Pop is also eligible to play for Romania, and has previously represented the country’s U-18 men’s national team.
“Erik has all the tools to grow and succeed in this business,” said Dos Santos. “He’s still young but we are here to help him develop. We believe he will help us as of this year.”
Current 2025 Valour FC Roster as of Jan. 30, 2025:
Goalkeepers: Eleias Himaras, Jonathan Viscosi
Defenders: Roberto Alarcón, Themi Antonoglou, Gianfranco Facchineri, Rocco Romeo
Midfielders: Dante Campbell, Safwane Mlah, Raphael Ohin, Diogo Ressurreição
Forwards: Jordan Faria, Shaan Hundal, Kris Twardek, Kian Williams, Erik Pop
