Russell James Teibert (born December 22, 1992) is a Canadian former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played his entire career for

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

Club career

Youth and amateur

Teibert attended St. Paul High School (Ontario) in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and is of German and Italian descent. He had a brief spell with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...

's academy in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

's reserve division, before joining the

Vancouver Whitecaps Residency Whitecaps FC Academy ( sponsor name Whitecaps FC BMO Academy) is the youth system of the professional soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It fields a men's and women's team in the semi-professional League ...

program in 2008. He appeared in friendly games with the Residency team during tours of Japan, Germany and Spain, and played in the prestigious Dallas Cup against youth academies from Argentina's

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city's estuary, Río de la Plata. ...

and Germany's

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...

and Brazil's

São Paulo FC São Paulo Futebol Clube () is a professional Association football, football club in the Morumbi, São Paulo, Morumbi district of São Paulo, Brazil. It plays in Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo (state), São Paulo's premier State football lea ...

. Teibert also played with the

team in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

in 2009 and 2010.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Following the conclusion of the 2010 PDL season Teibert was called up to the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...

senior team. He made his professional debut on July 31, 2010 in a 2–2 tie with the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 2006, the team previously was named the Carolina Railhawks. On December 6, 2016, the RailH ...

. In doing so, Teibert became the 10th youngest player to appear in a competitive match for the Whitecaps men's team at 17 years and 221 days. The club moved to

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

for the 2011 season. Teibert had a successful preseason and signed with the MLS

on March 17, 2011. The league signed Teibert to a

Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...

contract which made his salary exempt from the league's salary cap for a period normally lasting 1–3 years. Teibert was also signed as a homegrown player from Vancouver's residency program, meaning he did not have to go through the

MLS SuperDraft The MLS SuperDraft is an annual Draft (sports), college draft for teams of Major League Soccer in the United States and Canada in which MLS clubs take turns selecting from a pool of eligible amateur players. These drafted players usually come f ...

process. He made his MLS debut on March 19, in Vancouver's 2011 MLS opener against

. On May 11, 2013 Teibert scored his first two professional goals, both in the second half, against the

LA Galaxy The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...

in a 3–1 Whitecaps victory. Teibert would play in a number of positions with the Whitecaps in his first few years; as a winger in 2011, as a fullback in 2012, again as a winger in 2013, and finally as a defensive midfielder when coach

Carl Robinson Carl Philip Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a Welsh former international footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach at Atlanta United FC. Early life Robinson was born and raised in Llandrindod Wells, ...

took over in 2014. Teibert would serve as captain during the

2014 Canadian Championship The 2014 Canadian Championship (officially the Amway Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toro ...

, and would also play in the 2014 MLS Homegrown Game that same season. During the

2015 Canadian Championship The 2015 Canadian Championship (officially the Amway Canadian Championship for sponsorship reasons) was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association. It was the eighth edition of the annual Canadian Championship, a ...

, Teibert would win the George Gross Memorial Award as tournament MVP as the Whitecaps won the Voyageurs Cup for the first time in their history. After appearing in 23 matches in 2015, Teibert struggled for playing time during the 2016 season, appearing in only 11 matches with 8 starts, despite earning praise from head coach Carl Robinson. In the 2017 MLS season, Teibert struggled again for playing time, and did not have his option exercised by the Whitecaps. However a few days later he re-signed with the club on a new three-year contract through the 2020 season. He scored his first goal in five years for Vancouver, netting the opener in a 2–1 victory over

on October 6, 2018. In July 2020, during his tenth year with the Whitecaps, Teibert signed a contract extension with the club through the 2023 season, with an option for 2024. In January 2024 it was confirmed that Teibert's contract would not be renewed, ending his time at the club after 301 appearances. On March 1, 2024, he announced his retirement from professional soccer, having spent 16 seasons with one club. Teibert will join the Whitecaps front office.

International career

Teibert has represented

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

at U-17, and U-20 levels. He was selected in Canada's squad for the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, and scored a goal from the penalty spot in their 1–1 draw with

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

on April 21, 2009. Teibert was awarded the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year award in both 2008 and 2009, he became the first player in history to win the honour twice. Teibert earned his first cap for Canada's senior team August 15, 2012 in a friendly against

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

. Teibert came on as a second-half substitute for Patrice Bernier, the game ended in a 2–0 victory. On June 27, 2013 Teibert was listed as a part of the confirmed 23-man squad for Colin Miller's Canada squad for

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 12th CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 22nd CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition began on July 7, 2013, at the ...

. After almost a year in between call-ups, in which rumours circulated of a row between player and coach, Teibert was recalled by

Benito Floro Benito Floro Sanz (born 2 June 1952) is a Spanish football manager. Football career Floro was born in Gijón, Asturias. During his professional career he managed Albacete (two spells, starting off in 1989 in Segunda División B and leading the ...

on November 6, 2014 for a friendly against

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. Teibert scored his first international goal off a penalty kick in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

on June 11, 2015. On June 22, Teibert was named to Canada's squad for the

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 23rd CONCACAF regional championship overall in the organization's fifty-four years of existence. It was held in the United States, with two matches bei ...

. Teibert continued to feature under new Canada coach

Octavio Zambrano Octavio Zambrano Viera (born 3 February 1958) is an Ecuadorian football coach. He is a former player with international coaching experience. Zambrano has coached in North America, Latin America, and Europe. He holds a UEFA "A" diploma and a USSF ...

, appearing in Zambrano's first match in charge against

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

on June 13, 2017 and being named to Canada's squad at the

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ove ...

on June 27. In May 2019 Teibert was named to the 23-man squad for the

2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 15th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's association football, soccer championship of the North, Central American, and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament was p ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Teibert goal''.

Honours

Vancouver Whitecaps *

Canadian Championship The Canadian Championship () is an annual soccer tournament contested by Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. It is contested by Major League Soccer sides Toronto FC, Va ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Individual * Canadian U-17 Player of the Year: 2008, 2009 * George Gross Memorial Trophy: 2015

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Teibert, Russell 1992 births 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Men's association football midfielders Canada men's youth international soccer players Canada men's under-23 international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players Canadian men's soccer players Homegrown Players (MLS) Living people Major League Soccer players Soccer people from Ontario Sportspeople from Niagara Falls, Ontario Toronto FC players USL League Two players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Whitecaps FC Academy players Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 players Canadian people of German descent Canadian sportspeople of Italian descent 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Toronto FC Academy players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen