Marcus Caldeira, a forward from Mississauga, is turning professional in Major League Soccer.
Minnesota United announced on Wednesday, Jan. 28, that it has signed Caldeira to a one-year contract through 2026, with club options covering the 2027 Sprint Season and the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons. The club said he will join the team once he receives his P-1 visa, a U.S. work visa for athletes.
I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to join this ambitious club and take the next step in fulfilling my lifelong dream of playing professionally.
— Marcus Caldeira
A long road from draft day
Minnesota picked Caldeira 20th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, held in December 2023, when he was a 19-year-old sophomore at West Virginia University. Instead of moving straight to the pros, he played two more college seasons with the Mountaineers before signing.
The extra time paid off on the stat sheet. Over four seasons at West Virginia, Caldeira made 84 appearances, 77 of them starts, and scored 42 goals with 15 assists, according to the club. As a senior in 2025 he led the Sun Belt Conference with 14 goals and seven assists, ranked fourth in the country with six game-winning goals and was named the conference's player of the year and offensive player of the year.
His earlier seasons were strong as well. In 2023 he led the Sun Belt and ranked 16th nationally with 12 goals, earning All-American honours from College Soccer News and United Soccer Coaches. He added 11 goals in 2024.
We're excited to welcome Marcus to our club and look forward to seeing him continue his development while adding depth and competition to our team this season.
— Khaled El-Ahmad, chief soccer officer and sporting director, Minnesota United
Local roots
Caldeira came up through the GTA soccer system. He played for Sigma FC, a GTA academy, until he was 16, then joined Forge FC of the Canadian Premier League in Hamilton. He has also played for Sigma's team in League1 Ontario.
Another Sigma FC academy product from Peel, Brampton's Olu Oyegunle, was taken by the Chicago Fire in the second round of the same draft.
Caldeira said he was thankful for the support of the club's staff since draft day and is ready to get to work. Minnesota United plays its home games at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn.
