FROM the paradise vacation destination of Phuket in Thailand via the Academy set-up of top Brazilian club Cruzeiro to Canada’s U SPORTS National Champions.

By IAIN KING

FROM the paradise vacation destination of Phuket in Thailand via the Academy set-up of top Brazilian club Cruzeiro to Canada's U SPORTS National Champions.

Merlin Devine's journey to becoming a part of the CAPERS Men's Soccer Program has taken a uniquely plotted route. The gifted central defender makes the short trip from Prince Edward Island to study engineering and join Head Coach Deano Morley's new-look squad in August. Born and raised in Thailand, 18-year-old Merlin was steeped in soccer in his formative years as a player.

 "With CAPERS I'm excited to get back into the kind of competitive environment I grew up in," reveals Merlin. "In Thailand, I played in an Academy franchise of leading Brazilian club Cruzeiro. "We were training five times a week, in the gym twice, then we played games on a Saturday. I was deep in my soccer, eight times a week so when we moved to PEI and I was down to twice a week training it was a big change. I had to get used to not having the warm weather all year and not playing on grass so there has been adaptation for me to stay at the level I want to be at."

Merlin was tutored by experienced, educated coaches from the Cruzeiro Academy and he flourished learning the Beautiful Game. He thrives under the mentorship of those who drive his desire to improve.

From his first meeting with Coach Morley at the 2022 FTF Combine in Halifax, Merlin was fuelled by the dream of playing Varsity soccer at CBU. That was heightened by a campus visit to work out with the squad last winter.

"After I first met Coach Deano, CBU was the first destination in my mind from that day forward," recalls Merlin. "Even before I came on my campus visit, my goal was to be a CAPER. I don't feel you can get a soccer environment like the one provided there anywhere else in Atlantic Canada.

"The first practice with the squad showed me how much more I needed to step up if I want to play for a team like this. That challenge to improve sealed the deal for me. That's my personality, I enjoy pushing myself, I will have to get fitter to live in that company, but I loved how fast the ball was moving, the intensity of it all."

CAPERS coach Morley loves working with central defenders with the confidence and class to step out from the backline and provoke play. With the right dedication to his craft and the required focus on his development, Devine has the attributes to justify Deano's faith in him. Morley's attention to detail in recruitment means he carefully plots his attendance at Combines and Showcases across Canada.

"The first time I saw Merlin play against all the best players in Atlantic Canada at a combine it was clear to me that he had the highest football IQ of any player there," reveals Deano. "To be honest the first words out of my mouth to another coach were: 'He has not been developed here!' 

"He played the game quicker than any other player in his head, his positioning, his calmness on the ball, his decision-making and his passing ability were all superior. More importantly he had class and professionalism about him, no entitlement and no attitude - that shone out to me." 

The CAPERS coach spent the rest of the event closely studying Devine's every move as he asked himself if the PEI-based player had the necessary "high ceiling" to develop in the intense soccer environment that has been created at CBU. "Merlin in four years' time will be a very high-level centre-back," he asserts.

As Devine prepares for his move to Cape Breton, he is playing for Charlottetown-Winsloe on PEI with their Development Team and that saw him come up against a Halifax Wanderers U-23 side that included two faces very familiar to CAPERS fans. U SPORTS National Championship MVP Owen Sheppard scored twice in a 4-1 win for HFX and Cameron Kilbride shone in midfield. Merlin got a chance to see two of his new team-mates up close. One uncomfortably close!

"Playing against Owen made me realise I had to put on more mass and get quicker," smiles Merlin ruefully. "He's an athletic freak and very difficult to play against. I felt his presence and he was a physical threat every second of that game, the 1 v 1 duels were very tough."

"I watched the National Championships when CBU won it and I sensed a real togetherness between the fans and the team and the island. That's special.

"I looked at all the nationalities on the team and it reminded me of when I was growing up in Phuket. I had guys from Scotland, England, Brazil, Malaysia, players from the Philippines National team. I had influences from all around the world."

"I looked at how much I could learn from the players CBU has, add to that the fact you are coming to the number 1 team in Canada, it makes it an easy decision."

Every rookie signing knows they are coming into a stellar squad and an environment that will test them to the limit in pre-season. Minutes in a CAPERS jersey are earned not gifted, that's the Morley Way. Merlin knows he will have big questions asked of him now in the classroom and on the field but he's ready to provide the right answers.

"I have a big task to be fit mentally and physically to thrive," he confesses. "When I was in the sessions, I loved the fact that everyone held each other accountable. They have demanding standards, I liked that. I'm conscious that I have to learn to manage my time as a student-athlete over the season. I have a big journey ahead, but I can't wait."