Matthew Anthony Otucan Baldisimo (born January 20, 1998)[2] is a Canadian-born Filipino professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Canadian Premier League club York United FC, on loan from Pacific FC.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Anthony Otucan Baldisimo | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-01-20) January 20, 1998 (age 24) | ||
| Place of birth | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | (on loan from Pacific FC) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wesburn | |||
| South Burnaby Metro | |||
| Burnaby Selects | |||
| 2011–2015 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Whitecaps FC 2 | 46 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Vancouver Whitecaps FC (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2018 | Fresno FC | 3 | (0) |
| 2019– | Pacific FC | 51 | (0) |
| 2022– | → York United FC (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Canada U17 | 4 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 12, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 13, 2015 | |||
Baldisimo was born in Vancouver to Samuel Baldisimo and Mely Otucan, both of whom are Filipinos from Roxas, Capiz. He grew up in neighboring Burnaby.[3][4] He began playing soccer at age four with Wesburn YSC.[4] Baldisimo later played for fellow Burnaby clubs South Burnaby Metro and Burnaby Selects.[5]
His brothers Michael and Mark are also soccer players, both of whom are in the Vancouver Whitecaps system.[4]
Baldisimo signed with Whitecaps FC 2 on February 23, 2016.[6] Baldisimo, along with fellow Whitecaps Academy products Kadin Chung and Thomas Gardner were praised during the club's USL playoff run in the 2016 USL season[7] In December 2016, Whitecaps FC 2 announced that Baldisimo would return to the club for the 2017 season.[8] In May 2017, Baldisimo was named to the Whitecaps roster for the 2017 Canadian Championship on a short-term contract.[9] He would spend three seasons with Whitecaps FC 2 before the club ceased operations after the 2017 season.[10]
In December 2017, Baldisimo signed with Whitecaps USL affiliate Fresno FC.[11] He went on to make three appearances for the club that season.[12]
On January 15, 2019 Baldisimo signed with Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC.[13] That year, he made 22 appearances for the club, including 21 starts.[12] The following year, he started in all ten of Pacific's matches during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.[12] On October 29, 2020, Baldisimo signed a new deal with Pacific, keeping him for the 2021 season.[14] In the 2021 season, Baldisimo was used sparingly, clocking in only 161 minutes in 6 appearances.[15] However, that season he and Pacific won the league. By the 2022 season, he was the only original player left on the Pacific roster.
On August 11, 2022, Baldisimo was loaned to York United FC of the Canadian Premier League as part of an intra-league player swap that involved Cédric Toussaint joining Pacific FC.[16]
At the international level, Baldisimo is eligible to represent Canada by birth and the Philippines through parentage.[4]
In 2013, Baldisimo represented Canada at the Cope de Naciones sub-15 and participated in two other U-15 national team camps that year.[4] In 2014, he played for the under-17 team for the first time at the Montaigu Tournament, and also played at the Copa de Naciones sub-16 later that year.[4] Baldisimo subsequently captained Canada at the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, making four appearances and scoring in his competitive debut against Haiti.[4]
On May 13, 2021, Baldisimo received his first call-up to the Philippines national team ahead of three 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against China, the Maldives, and Guam.[3][17] However, he failed to make an appearance due to a registration and eligibility issue.[18] In November 2021 Baldisimo was initially called-up to the Azkals squad for the re-scheduled 2020 AFF Championship but had to withdraw due to injury.[19]
Pacific FC
Pacific FC – current squad | |
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