The Vancouver Whitecaps have been busy this transfer window.
Sporting director and CEO Axel Schuster stated that the club wasn’t done last week. Thursday was the final day of the MLS secondary window, and Vancouver announced that they had brought in a couple of additions for their backline.
One of them is centre-back and left-back Joedrick Pupe, and the other is centre-back Sebastian Schonlau. The German signed a contract through the end of the 2026 season with an option for 2027. The Whitecaps paid a reported fee of 150,000 Euros for Schonlau, according to BILD.
Schonlau brings leadership and experience to the Whitecaps
The 31-year-old has spent his entire career in Germany. He spent his youth career in the academies of SC Warburg 08 and SC Paderborn. Schonlau made his debut for Paderborn in 2014 in the Bundesliga 2, two years after signing a professional contract with them. In the 2014-15 season, he was loaned out to fellow German side SC Verl, who were in the German fourth tier. From 2015 to 2021, Schonlau established himself as a first-team player with Paderborn. In 2019, Schonlau helped Paderborn get promoted to the Bundesliga, but they were relegated back to the Bundesliga 2 the following season.
In May of 2021, he joined Hamburger SV and was named team captain about a month later. Last season, he helped HSV earn promotion to the Bundesliga after seven years.
The man nicknamed “Bascho” has played 327 games in Germany and has scored 19 goals and tallied 18 assists. With HSV, he played over 100 matches.
“Sebastian is a great addition to our centre back group, both as a defender and in possession,” said Schuster on Schonlau in the press release. “He brings tremendous leadership and experience to our club with more than 300 professional appearances, and he has dealt with pressure situations as long-time captain of Hamburger SV. We believe that he will have a positive impact on our team as we head into the final stretch of the season.”
Schonlau, of course, is very familiar with Thomas Müller. The two of them have faced each other several times in Germany.Sch
What can Schonlau bring to the pitch?
Schonlau seems to have a very similar profile to Ranko Veselinovic.
Tyler Green of the Soccer Talk Vancouver podcast spoke with a contact in Hamburg about Schonlau.
“Experienced player, solid defender, and for many years captain in Hamburg with great leadership, but not the fastest,” said Green’s contact.
A user on the Whitecaps subreddit by the name of Difficult_dig24 messaged popular soccer YouTuber Fiago on his Instagram account to get his thoughts on Schonlau. Fiago is also a huge HSV fan, and he said: “He’s very slow now, but still a decent centre-back.”
While a defender, he can also play a defensive midfielder if needed. The lack of speed can be a concern, and there are questions about whether he can keep up with the pace of MLS. However, Schonlau seems to be a reliable defender who is good in the air and is solid at clearances and tackles. He is a very calm, composed, and reliable defender.
What is interesting about Schonlau is that he is also a decent passer. He led the Bundesliga 2 in accurate passes per 90 minutes last season.
With Veselinovic out for the season, this is a savvy signing. The Whitecaps got someone similar to Veselinovic: A reliable centre-back who has good defensive instincts.
How soon can Schonlau play for the Whitecaps?
Schonlau is already training with the Whitecaps. It also looks like he will wear 15. That was last worn by Bjorn Inge Utvik, who is heading back to Sarpsborg 08 in his native Norway.
“It felt good,” said Schonlau after training to the media. “I’m happy to be here. It was a long day yesterday, a long flight. I didn’t sleep that much but it was good to get out on the pitch.”
“He looked good, a little bit tired also,” said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen on his new German defender after training. “I think that’s normal because everything happened very fast for him.”
Sørensen was asked if Schonlau could get some minutes on Saturday as the Whitecaps host St. Louis City SC at BC Place.
“I think he will be in the squad for the game on Saturday,” said Sørensen.
