At half-time of Vancouver FC's 2025 season opener against York United, a hooded figure approached the centre of the pitch, striding through the rainy conditions at the Langley Events Centre.
Taking a seat on a chair set up at the centre circle, he removed the hood, revealing a face incredibly familiar to soccer fans in Vancouver, Nicolas Mezquida -- officially announced as Vancouver FC's newest signing.
The 33-year-old Uruguayan midfielder spent five seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps between 2014 and 2018, making 121 appearances in all competitions for the Caps, and scoring 17 times. Now, he returns to what he calls his "second home", looking to be a foundational piece of the province's newest men's professional team in the Canadian Premier League.
“People here have a good memory of me, and that helped me a lot to get back and feel all the welcome they gave me,” Mezquida told CanPL.ca. “So excited for Vancouver FC, a new club with a good project. So when we started to talk, they showed me the project. I really like it. So I was excited to be part of it.”
The opportunity to return to Vancouver is special for Mezquida, bringing with it a lot of good memories, and some chances to reconnect with many people he became close with during his first stint in the city.
“When I got to the Whitecaps, I didn’t speak English,” said Mezquida. “So my first season, I was learning English inside the field, the locker room, but with my friends outside of football, then I started to really practice writing English, to share things, hang out and then become really close friends. So I’m excited to get back and spend more time with them.”
Two weeks after his unveiling in that York United match, Mezquida announced himself to the league by opening the scoring in a 1-1 draw with defending Champions Cavalry FC at ATCO Field in just his second CPL start.
The goal, which came from tremendous work rate from Mezquida along with fellow attackers Alejandro Díaz, who initially won the ball, and Terran Campbell, who assisted on the goal, exemplified the way Vancouver want to play this season.
“For me, and for players who play in the midfield and attack, scoring is important for confidence,” said Mezquida. “But happy, because we were working on that. If you see the replay, we were working in the week on the way we had to press on transition. So that was a perfect example.
“We show the process, how we work, we could show on the field. We’re in a good way.”
This style of play suits Mezquida’s game perfectly, and is a reason why he is so excited about what he sees at Vancouver FC right now.
“If you remember me, I really like to put the defence under pressure and try to get the ball in attack so we can transition and score," he said.
Another exciting aspect of this Vancouver project for Mezquida is how many talented young players are in the squad. The Eagles has already given a league-leading 968 minutes to domestic U-21 players in 2025 -- making Mezquida's role as a mentor critical. Aside from playing in MLS with Vancouver Whitecaps and then the Colorado Rapids, Mezquida's resumé includes time spent in Norway, Greece, Cyprus, and his native Uruguay.
“We have many young players and good players,” said Mezquida. “I now play maybe a different role than I did in other clubs. So I’m the older player now here, so I’m happy to help the young players, to keep them focused in training and also share my experiences.”
This past weekend, for example, Mezquida shared a midfield with 17-year-old Emrick Fotsing, who was making just his second-ever professional start.
He is no stranger to exceptional talent. When he was with the Whitecaps, he got the chance to play alongside a 15-year-old named Alphonso Davies. In fact, it was Mezquida whom Phonzie replaced when he made his MLS debut against Orlando City SC on July 16, 2016.
Mezquida was reunited with another young player from his time with the Whitecaps this past week when he took on Cavalry FC goalkeeper Marco Carducci. Between 2014 and 2016 they were teammates with the Whitecaps first team, with Mezquida playing in both of Carducci's Whitecaps appearances in the semi-final of the 2014 Canadian Champions against Toronto FC.
“When I was with the Whitecaps, he was a kid, I think 17, so he was there and we spent [three] years together," said Mezquida.
"I saw him grow up, and now I scored on him,” he added with a grin. “But also to see how good he is there, because now he’s a legendary keeper in the league, and his personality is showing, I’m proud of him.”
Mezquida caught up with Carducci, as well as former Caps teammate Fraser Aird, after the match. This might happen on a few occasions across the league this season, as Mezquida crossed paths with several current CPLers during his time with the Whitecaps, including Pacific FC’s Marco Bustos and Atlético Ottawa’s Brett Levis.
Those reunions are likely to be incredibly friendly, because during his time with the Whitecaps, Mezquida's positive outlook and attitude made him one of the most beloved members of that team. He hopes to bring that same mentality to this young Vancouver FC team, and inject that joy into the locker room.
“I really enjoy what I do, and that is very important,” said Mezquida. “And in any profession, when you enjoy what you do, you do better. That’s also why I try to show the guys how to be happy here. I know sometimes you’re tired, sometimes there's not good results. But we are lucky. We do what we love, so you have to show this passion with a smile and be positive.”
This year, he will get to do what he loves across Canada, something he is very much looking forward to in 2025 after mostly getting to travel across the United States during his time in MLS.
“I’ve lived in Vancouver, and just been in Montréal, Toronto, I went to Edmonton one time,” said Mezquida. “And now I can go to the other different cities…so excited for that.”
But there is one previously uncharted territory, in particular, that Mezquida is hoping to visit with Vancouver FC this season, the Canadian Premier League playoffs.
“It’s not going to be easy, it never is easy, but gonna be final by final every game,” said Mezquida. "So I believe in the guys, and we're gonna make it."
The next "final" for Vancouver is a big one. On Saturday evening, they host Pacific FC in the first Salish Sea Derby of 2025 (5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET).