Derek Cornelius

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Derek Cornelius
Derek Cornelius photo by Djuradj Vujcic.jpg
Cornelius in 2019
Personal information
Full name Derek Austin Cornelius[1]
Date of birth (1997-11-25) 25 November 1997 (age 23)
Place of birth Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Height 187 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Defender
Club information
Current team
 Panetolikos
(on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
Number 13
Youth career
Ajax SC
2009–2011 Spartacus SC
2011–2013 Unionville-Milliken SC
2014–2015 VfB Lübeck
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 VfB Lübeck 1 (0)
2016 VfR Neumünster 17 (2)
2017–2018 Javor Ivanjica 28 (0)
2019– Vancouver Whitecaps FC 35 (1)
2021– → Panetolikos (loan) 1 (0)
National team‡
2018 Canada U23 4 (0)
2021 Canada U23 3 (1)
2018– Canada 13 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 September 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2021

Derek Austin Cornelius (born 25 November 1997) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Greek club Panetolikos, on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Club career[]

Youth[]

Cornelius was born in Ajax, Ontario to a Barbadian father and a Jamaican mother.[2] Cornelius started playing when he was selected for the 1996 House League All-Star team.[3] Then he got selected by Ajax Thunder under-8 at six years old.[3] Next season he was the Unionville Milliken Challenge Cup Champions Most Valuable Player.[3] Next year he moved to North York Spartacus and reached 2nd Place in the Indoor League. Next season at U11 he won the C.O.V.I. Championship and was proclaimed the Most Valuable Player.[3]

In 2012, he played in the Oviedo Cup with PFC CSKA Moscow in Spain, then he played in the Milk Cup by CSKA Moscow in Northern Ireland where he led the team scoring four goals in the tournament. He ended that year by being invited to the CSKA Moscow Reserve Camp and by playing in the U21 Provincial and Men's Regional leagues, scoring 22 goals in 30 games.[3]

In 2013, he was selected for Canadian national under-17 team for camp in Florida and Costa Rica, and later selected for CONCACAF World Cup U17 Qualifier pre-camp in Florida. He was also selected for Canadian National U16 Team for Torneo delle Nazioni tournament in Italy. That same year he was invited to Hungary for trials with Nyíregyháza Spartacus FC and Győri ETO FC in March.[3]

Early career[]

In January 2014, he moved to Germany. He began training with VfB Lübeck U19 team.[4] He spent two seasons with the main team,[5] but was unable to play due to FIFA rules for underaged players. He became eligible to play effective on 1 January 2016.[6][7] With VfB Lübeck he won the Schleswig-Holstein Cup two years in a row and made an appearance in the 2015–16 Regionalliga Nord.[8]

In summer 2016 he moved to VfR Neumünster playing with them the first half of the season.[5]

Javor Ivanjica[]

During the winterbreak of the 2016–17 season, Cornelius was signed by Serbian SuperLiga side FK Javor Ivanjica after successful trials. He made his league debut on 29 April 2017, in an away game against FK Radnički Niš.[8] Javor head coach Srđan Vasiljević converted Cornelius from a forward into a centre-back.[9]

Vancouver Whitecaps[]

On 18 January 2019, Cornelius returned to his native Canada and signed with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[10] He made his debut for the Whitecaps on 2 March in their 2019 MLS season opener against Minnesota United.[11] Cornelius scored his first goal for the club on 18 May against Sporting Kansas City.[12]

Loan to Panetolikos[]

In July 2021 the Whitecaps announced Cornelius had been loaned to Panetolikos of the Super League Greece until December 2022.[13]

International career[]

Cornelius was part of the Canadian U17 camp in February 2013.[14] He was called up to a U23 camp on 8 January 2018.[15] In May 2018, Cornelius was named to Canada's under-21 squad for the 2018 Toulon Tournament[16] and would earn rave reviews for his performance at the tournament.[17]

On 12 March 2018, Cornelius received his first call up to the Canadian senior side for a friendly against New Zealand to be played on 24 March 2018.[18] He would make his debut for Canada on 9 September 2018, starting and playing the entire match in an 8–0 victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands.[19][20] On 30 May 2019, Cornelius was named to the 23-man squad for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[21]

He was named to the Canadian U-23 roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship on 10 March 2021.[22]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of 11 September 2021[23]
Club Season League Cup League Playoffs Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
VfB Lübeck 2015–16 Regionalliga Nord 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
VfR Neumünster 2016–17 Oberliga Schleswig-Holstein 17 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 2
Javor Ivanjica 2016–17 Serbian SuperLiga 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2017–18 22 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 25 0
2018–19 Serbian First League 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 28 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 31 0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2019 MLS 17 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 18 1
2020 13 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 14 0
2021 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Total 35 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 37 1
Panetolikos (loan) 2021–22 Super League Greece 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career Totals 82 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 87 3
  1. ^ Knockout Round of the MLS is Back Tournament.

International[]

As of 16 January 2020
Canada national team
Year Apps Goals
2018 4 0
2019 8 0
2020 1 0
Total 13 0

Honours[]

VfB Lübeck

Individual

  • Canadian Men's Youth International Player of the Year: 2018
  • CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Best XI: 2020[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: Canada" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 2. Retrieved 20 May 2019 – via Bernews.
  2. ^ "Canada Soccer". canadasoccer.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Experience And Accomplishments at derek-cornelius.com, Retrieved 5 November 2017
  4. ^ Profile at derek-cornelius.com, Retrieved 5 November 2017
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Derek Cornelius at thefinalball.com
  6. ^ Das lange Tauziehen um Derek Cornelius: Er will doch nur spielen at sportbuzzer.de
  7. ^ Derek Cornelius at dfb.de
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Derek Cornelius at Soccerway
  9. ^ Vujcic, Djuradj (4 August 2017). "Canadian Derek Cornelius on professional debut in Serbia". Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Whitecaps FC acquire Canadian international centre back Derek Cornelius from Serbian club FK Javor Ivanjica | Vancouver Whitecaps FC". Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  11. ^ Dailey, Mark (2 March 2019). "9 players make Whitecaps debut in MLS season opener".
  12. ^ "GOAL: Derek Cornelius volleys home the equalizer". 18 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Whitecaps FC sign centre back Derek Cornelius to contract extension, loan him to Greek Super League side Panetolikos through 2022". 12 July 2021.
  14. ^ Canada M17 announces roster for February camp at Canada Soccer, 31 January 2013
  15. ^ "Canada Soccer's Men's National Team Program announces U-23 camp squad". 8 January 2018.
  16. ^ Alicia Rodriguez (19 May 2018). "Canada national team roster for prestigious Toulon Tournament released". Major League Soccer.
  17. ^ Peter Galindo (8 June 2018). "Four things we learned about Canada at Toulon Tournament". Sportsnet.
  18. ^ Boehm, Charles (12 March 2018). "Canada call up 10 MLSers for Herdman's first camp, New Zealand friendly".
  19. ^ "Canada cruises to record win in Concacaf Nations League opener". 9 September 2018.
  20. ^ Derek Cornelius at National-Football-Teams.com
  21. ^ "Together We Rise: Canada Soccer announces squad for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup". 30 May 2019.
  22. ^ "CANADA SOCCER ANNOUNCES SQUAD FOR CONCACAF MEN'S OLYMPIC QUALIFYING". 10 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Derek Cornelius Profile". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
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