Whitecaps D Tristan Blackmon receives extension through 2027

Vancouver Whitecaps standout defender Tristan Blackmon agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season, the club announced Monday.

Blackmon, 27, has started 51 of 58 MLS regular-season matches in his two seasons with Vancouver. He has scored three goals.

The Whitecaps obtained Blackmon in a trade with Charlotte FC during the 2022 expansion draft. Charlotte selected him from Los Angeles FC and dealt Blackmon to the Whitecaps.

"When we acquired Tristan two seasons ago, we knew the quality and type of player he was on the pitch," Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster said in a news release. "Since then, we have grown to learn the special person he is off the pitch. We are very pleased to know that Tristan will continue to (be) a member of our club for years to come."

Blackmon's contract with Vancouver ran out after the 2023 season. But it contained club options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons and the Whitecaps exercised both options after the end of the 2023 campaign.

Blackmon, who plays in the center of the defense, is pleased to have a long-term future in Vancouver.

"I couldn't be happier to extend my stay with the club and with this amazing group of players we have here in Vancouver," Blackmon said. "Over the past two years, we have seen this organization take big steps in the right direction, and I am so humbled and grateful to be a part of all the things we are trying to accomplish."

Blackmon played for Los Angeles FC from 2018-21. He has five goals and five assists in 122 career MLS matches (97 starts).