Cambridge Signs Pro Contract With MLS Side Charlotte FC
Date Posted: 12/22/2022
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte FC announced on Wednesday that they have signed Portland Pilots winger Brandon Cambridge a contract through 2024 with options in 2025 and 2026.
"It's a dream come true to sign my first professional contract with a club like Charlotte FC," Cambridge said. "I want to thank all the coaching staff, my teammates and friends for pushing me to become a better player to get to this point. Although I'm embarking on a new journey I'll always be a Pilot till I die."
The signing is part of trade between Charlotte and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Vancouver sent homegrown priority of the 20-year-old over to Charlotte in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money for 2023. Vancouver would retain 10% of any potential trade fee Charlotte receives for Cambridge's rights if certain conditions are met as well as up to $100,000 in future conditional GAM.
Cambridge joins a long list of Pilots who have earned the opportunity to play in MLS, becoming the 22nd player to earn the chance. He is the fifth Pilot to play under Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt to earn an opportunity with an MLS team, with Benji Michel, Rey Ortiz, Kris Reaves and Paul Christensen all having been either drafted or signed to homegrown deals. Former Pilot Jacobo Reyes also attended the 2020 MLS Combine, but signed a deal with Liga MX side Monterrey instead. Across his career, this is the 30th player that Carlin-Voigt has coached that has signed an MLS contract.
Collen Warner and Benji Michel are the only two former Pilots currently playing in MLS, and the Pilots are also represented by Steve Cherundolo, the current head coach for LAFC and reigning MLS Coach of the Year.
"I'm so excited and proud of Brandon for earning this amazing multi year opportunity," Carlin-Voigt said. "I always preach, the more that you give, the more you receive and this applied to Brandon and our team this year. Brandon returned fitter and hungrier for team success. Brandon developed into one of most dominant and dynamic attackers in the country this year under our team principles. He leaves the program better than he found it and that's always part of our vision. He came in full of big dreams and ambition and turned his unrealized potential into increased responsibility and production for the team and program as he fought for the shirt and learned to win for Portland. You saw a different Brandon this year on Merlo field and that is a credit to everyone around him. I can't thank Brandon enough for trusting the program and allowing us to truly coach him to unlock his full potential. He made a great impact on The Bluff both on and off the field and we're excited to continue to support him as he enters Major League Soccer and joins a rich history of Pilots in the pros. I know our players and supporters are proud of his personal growth as he fulfills his dream of becoming a first team professional player."
The Canadian is coming off one of the best offensive seasons in almost 10 years for a Pilot. Cambridge scored 12 goals and added seven assists for 31 total points. He led the WCC in points as well as goals and game-winning goals (five) and ranked sixth nationally in both points and game-winning goals as well as seventh in total goals. He scored the most goals by a Pilot since 2013 and the most points by a Pilot since 2012. He scored 17 goals with 13 assists across 45 career games.
The Pilots put together their best season in 27 years, with the Pilots finishing 15-3-3 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal for their best postseason finish since 1995. They led the WCC in 14 different statistical categories and finished top 10 in the nation in goal differential (third, 32), total goals (fourth, 51), total points (fourth, 154), won-lost-tied percentage (seventh, .786), goals per game (eighth, 2.43), points per game (ninth, 7.33) and total assists (ninth, 52).