Joel Waterman

Joel Waterman
Waterman with Canada in 2026
Personal information
Full name Joel Robert Waterman[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-24) January 24, 1996
Place of birth Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Positions
Team information
Current team
 Chicago Fire
Number 16
Youth career
Aldergrove Youth SC
Langley United
Surrey United SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2019 Trinity Western Spartans 56 (9)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Kitsap Pumas 11 (0)
2017 TSS FC Rovers 11 (0)
2018 Calgary Foothills 14 (0)
2019 Cavalry FC 21 (1)
2020–2025 CF Montréal[a] 130 (4)
2025– Chicago Fire 21 (2)
International career‡
2022– Canada 17 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of August 22, 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of March 31, 2026

Joel Robert Waterman (born January 24, 1996) is a Canadian soccer player who plays as a centre-back, right-back or defensive midfielder for Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer and the Canada national team.

Early life

Waterman began playing soccer at age five with Aldergrove Youth SC.[3][4][5] At age 12, he joined Langley United.[6] Afterwards, he played with Surrey United SC.[7]

When he was 13, he made the British Columbia provincial team.[6] In 2013, he represented British Columbia at the 2013 Canada Summer Games[6] and also had a brief trial with the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy, but did not make the squad.[8]

University career

In 2014, he began attending Trinity Western University, where he played for the men's soccer team,[9][10] committing to them when he was in Grade 11.[11] Ahead of his fifth season, he was named the team captain,[12] and helped them win a Canada West silver medal and finished fourth at the National Championship.[13][14] He was also named a Canada West First Team All Star that season.[15][16]

Club career

Early career

In 2016, Waterman played in the US-based Premier Development League side Kitsap Pumas and made eleven league appearances,[17] while also appearing in two US Open Cup matches.[18] In 2017, Waterman played with Vancouver-based TSS FC Rovers in the PDL, where he made eleven appearances.[19] In 2018, Waterman played for Calgary Foothills in the PDL, making fourteen league appearances and another three in the playoffs as Foothills won the PDL Championship.[20][21]

Cavalry FC

At the 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft, Waterman was drafted in the second round by Cavalry FC on November 13, 2018.[22] Initially, he had not planned on declaring for the draft, instead looking at potentially going to Europe or the United States, however, two days before the registration deadline, he decided to register.[23] He officially signed with Cavalry on February 6, 2019.[24][25]

Waterman made his professional debut for Cavalry in their inaugural game against York9 FC on May 4.[26] He scored his first goal for Cavalry on October 5 against HFX Wanderers FC.[27] He helped Cavalry win the Spring and Fall championships[28] and helped them reach the CPL finals, where they finished second,[29] where he was unable to play in the second leg after being sent off in the first leg for a hand ball.[30] In December 2019, Cavalry announced Waterman would return to the club for the 2020 season.[31]

CF Montréal

On January 14, 2020, Waterman transferred to Major League Soccer club Montreal Impact.[32][33] With this transfer, Waterman made history as the first ever player from the Canadian Premier League to be sold to an MLS club.[34][35] He made his debut for the Impact on February 19 against Saprissa in a CONCACAF Champions League match.[36] He made his MLS debut for the Impact in their season opener against the New England Revolution on February 29.[37] Upon completion of the 2021 MLS season, CF Montréal announced that they would be exercising the option on Waterman's contract for 2022.[38]

In 2022, he became a regular starter for the club.[39] During the 2022 season, he scored his first goal for Montreal against Orlando City on May 7, netting the opener in an eventual 4-1 victory.[40] On August 4, he scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew.[41] In March 2023 Waterman signed a new contract with Montreal through 2024, with an option for 2025.[42][43] In November 2024, Waterman would sign a contract extension through the 2027 season, with an option for 2028.[44]

Chicago Fire

Waterman with the Chicago Fire in 2025.

In August 2025, Waterman was traded to Chicago Fire FC in exchange for $500,000 in General Allocation Money and $100,000 in performance-based money.[45] He made his debut for his new club on September 13 against New York City FC in a 3-1 defeat.[46] Waterman scored his first goal for the Fire on September 20 against Minnesota United, netting the opening goal in an eventual 3-0 victory.[47]

International career

He was called up to the Canadian senior national team for the first time for a national team camp in January 2021.[48] He earned several more call-ups to the squad during 2021 and 2022.[49][50][51] On November 11, 2022, he made his debut for Canada in a friendly against Bahrain.[52] On November 13, Waterman was named to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[53]

In June 2024, Waterman was named to Canada's squad for the 2024 Copa América, as an injury replacement for Junior Hoilett.[54] In July 2025, he was called up to Canada's team for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[55] In May 2026, Waterman was named to Canada's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[56]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played August 22, 2026[57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Kitsap Pumas 2016[17] PDL 110—20——130
TSS FC Rovers 2017[19] PDL 110————110
Calgary Foothills FC 2018[20] PDL 14030———170
Cavalry FC 2019 Canadian Premier League 2111030——251
CF Montréal 2020 Major League Soccer 7000—30—100
2021 220—30——250
2022 303201030—363
2023 2810030—20331
2024 2501010—30300
2025 1800031—30241
Total 13043011160801585
Chicago Fire 2025 Major League Soccer 6130———91
2026 1510020—10181
Total 21230200010282
Career total 206710018160902498

International

As of match played March 31, 2026[58]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Canada 202220
202300
202440
202590
202620
Total170

Honours

Club

Calgary Foothills

Cavalry FC

CF Montreal

Notes

  1. ↑ Montreal Impact changed its name to CF Montréal in 2021

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Canada (CAN)" (PDF). FIFA. November 15, 2022. p. 6. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Joel Waterman". Canada Soccer. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ Joel Waterman at Canada Soccer. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Former AYSC Player Joel Waterman Playing Against Vancouver Whitecaps July 24". Aldergrove YSC. July 4, 2019.
  5. ↑ Grochowski, Sarah (July 31, 2019). "Aldergrove entourage swarms BC Place for local player gone pro". Aldergrove Star. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 Janzen, Mark (July 7, 2017). "Being Joel". Trinity Western Spartans. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  7. ↑ McColl, Michael (April 18, 2017). "Get To Know Your TSS Rovers: Joel Waterman". Away from the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  8. ↑ Landry, Nicolas (October 22, 2022). "Joel Waterman ou la constance d'un grand négligé" [Joel Waterman or the constancy of a great underdog]. RDS (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  9. ↑ "TWU soccer: Spartan men aim for return to post-season". Langley Advance Times. September 5, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Joel Waterman TWU profile". Trinity Western Spartans. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  11. ↑ Grochowski, Sarah (April 1, 2020). "Aldergrove pro athlete now plays as himself in favourite childhood video game". Aldergrove Star. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ Dobson, Casey (October 28, 2020). "Trinity to History: Joel Waterman is paving a path for U SPORTS grads". 49-sport. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Alum Waterman named to Canada's national team camp squad". Trinity Western Spartans. December 23, 2020.
  14. ↑ "TWU Spartans alum Joel Waterman named to Canada's national team camp squad". Trinity Western University. January 20, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Waterman named Canada West First Team All-Star". Trinity Western Spartans. October 31, 2018.
  16. ↑ Ferguson, Dan (December 28, 2020). "Aldergrove's Joel Waterman gets an invitation to the national soccer team training camp". Aldergrove Star. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Joel Waterman 2016 PDL Stats". Premier Development League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  18. ↑ "L'Impact acquiert le défenseur central Joel Waterman" [The Impact acquires central defender Joel Waterman]. La Presse (in French). January 14, 2020.
  19. 1 2 "Joel Waterman 2017 PDL Stats". Premier Development League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Joel Waterman 2018 PDL Stats". Premier Development League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  21. ↑ Noseworthy, Jacob (December 12, 2018). "PDL pedigree with a CPL destiny: Newly drafted Joel Waterman looks to bring leadership to Cavalry FC". NSXI Network. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Waterman selected by Cavalry FC in 2nd round of CPL draft". Trinity Western Spartans. November 13, 2018. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019.
  23. ↑ Tierney, Mitchell (December 19, 2022). "Beyond the Pitch: Joel Waterman on the CPL-U SPORTS Draft, Europe and what's next for his career". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Cavalry FC adds CPL-U SPORTS Draft pick Joel Waterman". February 6, 2019.
  25. ↑ Grochowski, Sarah (February 11, 2019). "Aldergrove's golden boy poised to go pro". Aldergrove Star. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  26. ↑ Strasser, Scott (May 4, 2022). "Cavalry FC's inaugural starting 11 – where are they now?". Away from the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  27. ↑ Strasser, Scott (October 5, 2019). "Goals from unlikely sources as Cavalry FC shuts out HFX Wanderers". Away from the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  28. ↑ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (January 13, 2020). "Sources: Cavalry FC's Joel Waterman moving to Montreal Impact in a historic move for CPL". BTS Vancouver. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  29. ↑ Levesque, Dave (November 19, 2021). "CF Montréal: une deuxième chance pour Joel Waterman" [CF Montreal: a second chance for Joel Waterman]. Le Journal de Québec (in French). Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  30. ↑ Strasser, Scott (January 14, 2020). "Au Revoir et Bonne Chance, Joel – Cavalry center back Waterman heads to Montreal Impact, in history-setting transfer". Away from the Numbers. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  31. ↑ Jacques, John (December 19, 2019). "Cavalry FC Re-Signs Waterman And Adekugbe". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  32. ↑ Bedakian, Armen (January 14, 2020). "'Words can't describe it': Waterman revels in historic move to Montreal Impact". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  33. ↑ Davidson, Neil (January 16, 2022). "Joel Waterman makes history, 1st CPL player to be sold to another league in move to Impact". CBC Sports. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  34. ↑ Thompson, Marty (January 14, 2020). "Joel Waterman becomes 1st CPLer sold to MLS in Montreal Impact deal". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  35. ↑ Thompson, Marty (January 14, 2020). "4 reasons why Joel Waterman is the 1st CPLer moving to MLS". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  36. ↑ Adams, J.J. (January 19, 2021). "Ballistic ascent of Aldergrove's Joel Waterman continues with CANMNT invite". The Province. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  37. ↑ Lamarche, Michel (March 6, 2020). "Joel Waterman veut profiter de l'occasion qui s'offre à lui avec l'Impact" [Joel Waterman wants to take advantage of the opportunity offered to him with the Impact]. Le Devoir (in French).
  38. ↑ "CF Montréal exercises options for 12 players". CF Montreal. November 30, 2021.
  39. ↑ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (October 8, 2022). "'He's done enough': CanMNT legend believes Joel Waterman is ready for Canada nod". OneSoccer. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  40. ↑ D'Amours, Tristan (May 7, 2022). "Recap: CF Montréal 4, Orlando City SC 1". Major League Soccer. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Waterman nets pivotal goal as Montreal defeats Crew 2-1". The Globe & Mail. August 3, 2022.
  42. ↑ Loris, Benito (August 3, 2022). "jalalive". Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  43. ↑ "New contract for defender Joel Waterman". March 23, 2023.
  44. ↑ "Contract extension for Defender Joel Waterman". CF Montreal. November 20, 2024.
  45. ↑ "CF Montreal trades defender Joel Waterman to Chicago Fire FC for GAM". Sportsnet. August 20, 2025.
  46. ↑ "Match Recap: Chicago Fire FC Falls to New York City FC at Soldier Field". September 14, 2025.
  47. ↑ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexander (September 22, 2025). "Joel Waterman scores 1st goal for the Chicago Fire in huge win vs. Minnesota - ICYMI".
  48. ↑ Code, Jillian (December 24, 2020). "Former Cavalry FC player gets national team call-up". CTV News. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Uncapped Waterman, Koleosho head to CanMNT". TSN. September 20, 2022.
  50. ↑ "Joel Waterman obtient son rappel du Canada" [Joel Waterman gets his recall from Canada]. La Presse (in French). September 16, 2022.
  51. ↑ Jacques, John (September 16, 2022). "Former Cavalry Defender Joel Waterman Cracks World Cup Test Roster". Northern Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  52. ↑ Tierney, Mitchell (November 11, 2022). "Former CPLers Waterman, MacNaughton make CanMNT debuts in draw vs. Bahrain". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  53. ↑ Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (October 14, 2022). "'You have to keep believing': How a CPL draft pick booked a CanMNT spot at the World Cup". OneSoccer. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Waterman to replace injured Hoilett on Canada's Copa America roster". TSN. June 16, 2024.
  55. ↑ Tierney, Mitchell (July 5, 2025). "CanMNT name full-strength squad for 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup".
  56. ↑ Jacques, John (May 29, 2026). "Here's The Canada World Cup Roster". Northern Tribune.
  57. ↑ Joel Waterman at Soccerway
  58. ↑ Joel Waterman at Canada Soccer
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