Vancouver Whitecaps FC News Release - www.whitecapsfc.com
Thursday, March 29, 2012
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Danielle Johnson and striker Mele French have been added to the club’s 2012 United Soccer Leagues (USL) W-League roster – pending United States Soccer Federation (USSF) and USL approval.
“Danielle and Mele both bring a wealth of experience in WPS and the W-League,” said Jesse Symons, Whitecaps FC women’s head coach. “Danielle will be an excellent player on our back line and Mele is a dynamic striker who has played on several championship teams. The addition of these two players sets a great foundation for this coming season.”
Johnson, 24, comes to Vancouver after most recently playing for Melbourne Victory during the 2011-12 season of Australia’s Westfield W-League, starting all 10 of her appearances. Prior to her time in Australia, Johnson played for Sky Blue FC of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS). The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native was originally drafted 35th overall by Sky Blue in the 2010 WPS Draft and went on to start 11 of her 13 appearances from 2010 to 2011. In 2008 and 2009, Johnson suited up for USL W-League club Ottawa Fury, scoring one goal while starting 24 of her 26 appearances.
From 2006 to 2009, Johnson competed for the University of Mississippi in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where she became the first player in school history to earn All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and All-Region honours in each of her four years, while her 81 career starts rank fourth all-time in Ole Miss program history.
French, 27, most recently played with 2011 WPS champions Western New York Flash. In 2010, the Mililani, Hawaii, native played with Buffalo Flash – the predecessors of Western New York Flash – in the USL W-League. During the 2010 season, French scored three goals and registered three assists while starting 10 of her 12 appearances – including the winning assist against Whitecaps FC in the W-League championship final.
Prior to joining the Flash, French played the 2010 season with SC Freiburg in the second division of the women’s Bundesliga in Germany. In 2009, French was drafted 60th overall by Sky Blue FC in the WPS Draft, making one appearance for the eventual WPS champions. Before playing in WPS, she made 11 appearances for USL W-League expansion side Pali Blues in 2008, scoring two goals and registering two assists to help Pali earn their first W-League championship.
During her collegiate days, French played two seasons of NCAA soccer at the University of Oregon in 2002 and 2003, twice leading the team in scoring while totaling eight goals and three assists.