Feb. 28, 2008

VANCOUVER, B.C.  - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the signing of former Simon Fraser University defender Luca Bellisomo.

Bellisomo, 21, joins the Whitecaps after a successful four-year career at Simon Fraser University (SFU). In his senior year, the six-foot-one, 175-pound, centre back started all 20 matches and guided the Clan to a 17-2-1 record. This included a trip to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Final Four, SFU?s first visit since 1991. Bellisomo, a stalwart leader on a backline that only conceded six goals on the year, also contributed offensively with three goals and one assist. For his efforts, he earned the NAIA Region I Player of the Year award, was named a NAIA First Team All-American, and was a member of the NAIA All-Region Team.

In 2006, Bellisomo started all 15 games with the Clan and was named a NAIA Region I All-Star and a Third Team NAIA All-American. In total, Bellisomo played in 64 matches, scored four goals and added three assists. Bellisomo is currently majoring in biology.

Bellisomo is a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, and first moved to Vancouver in 1994, where he played youth soccer with North Shore Metro and later with Delta Selects. In 2001, the defender moved to Australia for three years before returning to the Lower Mainland to attend SFU. In addition to his time at SFU, Bellisomo was a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps reserve team in 2005 and in 2007, he captained Canada at the World Universiade Games in Bangkok, Thailand, where the team made it to the semifinals.

Luca Bellisomo's Collegiate Statistics:

YEAR	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	GS	G	A	PTS	GWG	SH	SOG
2004	SFU	NAIA	10	3	1	1	3	0	3	1
2005	SFU	NAIA	19	19	0	1	1	0	4	0
2006	SFU	NAIA	15	15	0	0	0	0	3	2
2007	SFU	NAIA	20	20	3	1	7	3	9	5
		Totals	64	57	4	3	11	3	19	8