Jayden Nelson had one thing on his mind when he scored in his outstanding Vancouver Whitecaps FC debut: “I’m here.”

The 22-year-old Canadian put in the week's top performance in Major League Soccer on Sunday, scoring a goal and three assists as the Whitecaps trounced their Cascadia Cup rivals, the 10-man Portland Timbers 4–1. 

In the process, Nelson became the first Canadian to bag a goal and three assists for the Whitecaps since now FC Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies did so on June 9, 2018, against Orlando City SC. 

“I’m happy for him and for us,” head coach Jesper Sørensen said, also having claimed his first MLS win as a manager. “[Nelson] has a good skill set, some things that he does really well, and then he has to have the work ethic to keep working to round off his play even more.”

After setting up goals for Ryan Gauld, Pedro Vite and Sam Adekugbe, Nelson dribbled past two defenders and added a marker of his own, stomping his feet and declaring his place in MLS before being subbed off at the hour mark. 

“I'm here. It's as simple as that,” Nelson said post-match. “I didn't want to give expectations to the fans, and I wanted the [soccer] to do the talking, right? So yeah, I’m here.”

Still in his early 20s, Nelson’s Whitecaps era is his second MLS stint. He returns to the league after failing to make an impact with Toronto FC’s first team, where he played from 2020 to 2022 after graduating from the TFC Academy. 

In 2022, he left TFC to test himself in the 2. Bundesliga and then moved to the Norwegian top-flight side Rosenborg before returning to North America this offseason. 

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Now, as he returns to MLS after experiencing the European game, he has a better idea of how his skillset can succeed with the Whitecaps, who, according to him, play a similar system to his former Norwegian club.

“When I went [to Europe], I realized that many things can change, and some things are out of your control,” he added. “I'm just trying to take the bull by the horns here and then really take it for what it is, and I'm grateful for this opportunity. I don't want to make less of it.”

While an 11th-minute red card to Portland center back Kamal Miller allowed more space for the Whitecaps' attack, Nelson stood out among the remaining players. 

A return to Canada’s men’s national team?

The strong start to his time with the Whitecaps could also kickstart a return to Jesse Marsch’s CanMNT, which has upcoming critical games against Mexico and possibly the USA or Panama in the Concacaf Nations League in March. 

“When you're a young player, and you break through the way he did at the beginning of his career, then everybody starts to build up hype about players, and suddenly it's difficult to live up to that,” Sørenseon added. “It's normal, and it's usual that there are difficulties in a [soccer] career.”

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Already having five CanMNT caps, Nelson played on the right wing and quickly proved that he could torment an MLS defense and get the better of struggling CanMNT goalkeeper, Maxime Crepeau.

Still, it’s just one game for the young Canadian and It’s up to him to keep things up. But if Alphonso Davies is comparable, things will probably go pretty well. 

Added Nelson: “It's just one match, and everyone knows it's [soccer], and there's no memory of [soccer], right? So that's my mentality, and just going to the next game, trying to do it again.”

Whitecaps FC pick up in new era

Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC got off to a strong start in MLs under their new head coach, Jesper Sørensen | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

As much as Nelson’s performance is the primary takeaway, the Whitecaps also gave a hint of the exciting and dynamic team they could be in 2025. While they dropped their opening Concacaf Champions Cup leg against Deportivo Saprissa 2–1, their dominance in a high-press and forcing mistakes from Portland was evident. 

“I was more happy and relieved... every time you win, you build belief in yourself, and that's a good thing. When you lose, you sometimes lack a little bit of trust, or you start doubting a little bit," said Sørensen, who was brought in to elevate the Whitecaps’ roster from its eighth-place finish in the 2024 MLS Western Conference. 

“I know we can all not always look like we did today, but the intentions we have to play with and how we would like to go forward and continue building a style of play as we started with look better and better," he finished.

All that success came after significant travel delays from Costa Rica to the Pacific Northwest. Yet, the early travel is behind them now, as they get set to return home for a midweek Champions Cup clash with Saprissa and their MLS home opener on Mar. 2 against the reigning MLS Cup champions, LA Galaxy. 

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Next MLS Star? Jayden Nelson Matches Alphonso Davies' Record in Vancouver Whitecaps Debut.