Tristan Blackmon

Tristan Blackmon
Personal information
Full name Tristan Michael Blackmon[1]
Date of birth (1996-08-12) August 12, 1996 (age 29)
Place of birth Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2]
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Number 33
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Pacific Tigers 70 (16)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Orange County SC U23 7 (0)
2017 Burlingame Dragons FC 3 (0)
2018–2021 Los Angeles FC 64 (2)
2018–2019Phoenix Rising FC (loan) 10 (0)
2022– Vancouver Whitecaps FC 108 (5)
International career‡
2025– United States 2 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of September 13, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of September 9, 2025

Tristan Michael Blackmon (born August 12, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the United States national team.

Early life

[edit]

He attended Bishop Gorman High School in Summerlin, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas.

College career

[edit]

Blackmon played his college career at University of the Pacific where he played mainly as a defender after starting as a forward. Blackmon played 70 matches for the Tigers, starting 68. He scored 16 goals and had nine assists.[3] Blackmon finished his collegiate soccer career as the Tigers' all-time goal scoring leader, until Camden Riley broke his record one year later.

Club career

[edit]

Blackmon played for Premier Development League sides Orange County SC U-23 and Burlingame Dragons in 2016 and 2017, respectively.[4][5]

On January 19, 2018, Los Angeles FC selected Blackmon with the third overall pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.[6] He signed with the club on February 22, 2018.[7] Blackmon made his professional debut on March 4, 2018, as an 80th-minute substitute during a 1–0 win over Seattle Sounders FC.[8] On May 24, 2019, at Banc of California Stadium, in a 4–2 win over the Montreal Impact, Blackmon scored his first professional goal on a header in the fifty-fifth minute.[9]

On December 14, 2021, Blackmon was selected by Charlotte FC in the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft, before being immediately traded to Vancouver Whitecaps FC in exchange for $475,000 of General Allocation Money.[10][11] On July 26, 2022, Blackmon scored the winning penalty kick for Vancouver against Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship Final.[citation needed] On April 9, 2025, Blackmon scored a dramatic late equalizer against UNAM sending the Vancouver Whitecaps to the semi final of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. On October 28, Blackmon was named 2025 MLS Defender of the Year. Blackmon contributed two goals and one assist and was an integral part of the second-best defense in the league, which helped Vancouver Whitecaps to their best season, during which they recorded their best points total, most total league wins, their best goal differential, and total goals scored.[12]

International career

[edit]

In January 2021, Blackmon was called up to the United States national team for the first time for a training camp.[13]

In May 2025, it was reported that Blackmon was contacted by Canada national team coach Jesse Marsch about potentially representing Canada at international level. Blackmon did not have Canadian citizenship, but would potentially be eligible through meeting residency requirements through his time playing with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.[14]

Later in May 2025, he was named to the preliminary roster for the United States national team for the 2025 Gold Cup (although he was not ultimately named to the final roster).[15] In September 2025, he was called up to a United States matchday squad for the first time, ahead of a pair of friendlies.[16] On September 6, 2025, he made his international debut in a friendly against South Korea.[17]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played December 6, 2025[18] Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Orange County SC U23 2016[4] Premier Development League 7 0 7 0
Burlingame Dragons FC 2017[5] Premier Development League 3 0 2 0 5 0
Los Angeles FC 2018 Major League Soccer 10 0 2 0 12 0
2019 18 1 2 0 3 0 23 1
2020 14[b] 0 1 0 5[c] 0 2[d] 0 22 0
2021 22 1 22 1
Total 64 2 5 0 3 0 5 0 2 0 79 2
Phoenix Rising (loan) 2018 USL Championship 5 0 3 0 8 0
2019 5 0 5 0
Total 10 0 3 0 13 0
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2022 Major League Soccer 28 1 1 0 29 1
2023 30 2 2 0 3 0 4[c] 1 3[e] 0 42 3
2024 25 0 4 0 1 0 2[c] 0 0 0 32 0
2025 25 2 2 0 3 2 8[c] 1 38 5
Total 108 5 8 0 8 2 14 2 3 0 141 9
Career total 192 7 16 0 13 2 19 2 5 0 245 11
  1. ^ Includes U.S. Open Cup, Canadian Championship
  2. ^ Includes three appearances in MLS is Back Tournament group stage
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League/Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage
  5. ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup

International

[edit]
As of match played September 9, 2025 Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2025 2 0
Total 2 0

Honors

[edit]

Los Angeles FC

Vancouver Whitecaps

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup – Club roster: Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Canada)" (PDF). CONCACAF. January 30, 2024. p. 27. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "Tristan Blackmon". Major League Soccer. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Tristan Blackmon Profile". pacifictigers.com. University of the Pacific. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Tristan Blackmon 2016 PDL Stats". USL League Two.
  5. ^ a b "Tristan Blackmon 2017 PDL Stats". USL League Two.
  6. ^ "LAFC sign 2018 MLS Draft pick Tristan Blackmon". angelsonparade.com. Vox Media. February 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "LAFC, third overall SuperDraft pick Tristan Blackmon agree to terms". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. February 22, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  8. ^ "Boxscore: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Los Angeles Football Club". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. March 4, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  9. ^ "GOAL: Tristan Blackmon header opens his MLS account". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  10. ^ Club, Charlotte Football. "Charlotte FC selects Tristan Blackmon, Defender | 2021 MLS Expansion Draft | Charlotte FC". Charlotte Football Club.
  11. ^ "Whitecaps FC acquire defender Tristan Blackmon in trade with Charlotte FC | Vancouver Whitecaps". whitecapsfc.
  12. ^ a b "Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Tristan Blackmon named 2025 MLS Defender of the Year". Major League Soccer. October 28, 2025. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  13. ^ "LAFC Defender Tristan Blackmon Selected For 2021 USMNT January Camp". Los Angeles FC. January 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Carlisle, Jeff (May 16, 2025). "Sources: Marsch contacts Blackmon on possible Canada switch". ESPN.
  15. ^ "2025 USMNT Gold Cup Preliminary Roster". Fox Sports. May 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "Tristan Blackmon, Sebastian Berhalter, and Brian White called up to United States' men's national team for September international window". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. August 26, 2025.
  17. ^ McIntyre, Doug (September 8, 2025). "U.S. In Search of Silver Linings After Sloppy Loss: 'We need to be sharper'". Fox Sports.
  18. ^ Tristan Blackmon at Soccerway. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  19. ^ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2022 Canadian Championship Final". Canada Soccer. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC win the 2023 Canadian Championship". Canada Soccer. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  21. ^ "Vancouver Whitecaps FC capture 2024 Voyageurs Cup". Canada Soccer. September 25, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  22. ^ "FOUR-PEAT: Vancouver Whitecaps retain Canadian Championship title". Major League Soccer. October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  23. ^ "2025 MLS Best XI". Major League Soccer. November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.

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