York United FC acquires Canadian midfielder Steffen Yeates from Pacific FC

Pacific FC's Steffen Yeates, front right, and Vancouver Whitecaps' Andres Cubas vie for the ball during the first half of a Canadian Championship semifinal soccer match, in Langford, B.C., on Wednesday, July 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

York United FC has acquired Steffen Yeates from Pacific FC, signing the 25-year-old Canadian midfielder to a two-year contract with a club option for another year.

Yeates joined Pacific in December 2022 from Toronto FC 2, making 32 appearances across all competitions in each of his two seasons with the Canadian Premier League club.

A former Canadian youth international, Yeates has gone on to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the senior level

“We pushed hard to land Steffen and we’re so happy to get him,” York president Ricardo Pasquel said in a statement. “He is another fantastic player, someone whose been remarkably consistent throughout his career — not only in the CPL.

“He has a proven track record and is a perfect fit for us. His attitude, personality, motivations and wider skill set makes him an ideal York United FC player and we can’t wait to see him on the field. He’s another local guy and knows what it means to represent this city and the GTA. That’s a crucial part of the puzzle for us and we value that connection enormously.”

A native of Toronto, Yeates began his youth career with Vaughan Soccer Club, before joining the TFC academy in 2013. He debuted for Toronto FC II in 2018, returning to the TFC reserve side in April 2021 after two seasons in the NCAA ranks, first with the Connecticut Huskies and then the Oregon State Beavers.

Yeates went on to make 42 more appearances for TFC 2, making his first-team debut in May 2022 on a short-term loan agreement. Yeates made a second appearance for the first team that month.

Internationally, Yeates represented Canada at both the CONCACAF Men’s U-17 Championship in 2017 and Men’s U-20 Championship in 2018.

Able to represent Trinidad and Tobago through his father, Yeates made his senior debut for the Soca Warriors in a World Cup qualifier against the Bahamas last year and followed that up with two further appearances in the CONCACAF Nations League.

In other CPL news, Pacific has exercised the 2025 option on fullback Georges Mukumbilwa.

The 25-year-old Mukumbilwa was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spent time in a refugee camp in Rwanda before coming to Canada with his family when he was 13. He joined the Vancouver Whitecaps academy and signed a homegrown contract in August 2019.

Vancouver declined his contract option in November 2020 and Mukumbilwa signed with Pacific in December 2022, making 60 appearances for the Tridents since.

Pacific now has 12 players under contract.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2025