黑料不打烊

At the age of four years old, Tristan Blackmon 鈥�17 laced up his cleats and kicked around a soccer ball for the first time鈥揳 moment that sparked a lifelong passion for the sport.

Fast forward to today, Blackmon, who graduated with a degree in health and exercise science from 黑料不打烊, was named a 2025 Major League Soccer All-Star for the Vancouver Whitecaps as a defender.

鈥淚鈥檝e been competing with some of the best in my position and to be in that realm with some of the best out here is a credit to not just my work but the team鈥檚 total work,鈥� Blackmon said. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy to be amongst those players.鈥�

Before becoming a pro, the Las Vegas native appeared in 70 matches for the Tigers, tallying 16 goals and nine assists in over 5,700 minutes on the pitch during his collegiate career. Blackmon was awarded the West Coast Conference Defender of the Year honor and was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team in 2017, as well as named to the conference All-Freshman team in 2014.

鈥淚 grew up a lot as a person and as a player at Pacific,鈥� Blackmon said. 鈥淚 had a good year during my freshman year. I had a great junior and senior year. I learned a lot about myself with the help of my coaches and teammates who I鈥檓 still in contact with today. They are life-long friends of mine. I walked into school as a teenager and left as a man.鈥�

Blackmon appreciates Pacific Head Coach Ryan Jorden for believing in his potential after observing Blackmon at a regional camp in Nevada the summer after high school.

鈥淗e kept his eyes on me,鈥� Blackmon said. 鈥淎fter building a good relationship with Ryan, I went to a college ID camp at Pacific. I had a conversation with him and with my parents. He had a lot of confidence with me in giving me the time to play Division I soccer. I鈥檇 say my relationship with Ryan ultimately sold me on going to Pacific.鈥�

Since graduating from Pacific, Blackmon has advanced rapidly in professional soccer, competing against players he idolized as a child. Most recently, Blackmon competed against international icon Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF, giving the Whitecaps a shot at the Concacaf Champions Cup Final earlier this summer.

鈥淢essi is one of the greatest to have ever played,鈥� Blackmon said. 鈥淟eading up to the game, I was talking to my parents and friends from Pacific and said to them that I never thought we would be on the same field together. It was an amazing experience and even better that we beat him. It鈥檚 right up there with one of the most important games I鈥檝e been a part of.鈥�

During the 2025 season, the Whitecaps have been a consistent team at the top of the Western Conference standings. Vancouver conceded the least number of goals in their conference, which serves as a testament to Blackmon and his team鈥檚 strong defensive focus and strategy.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great year for us so far in the league,鈥� Blackmon said. "It couldn鈥檛 be going better for us. Our new coach has solidified the core group that we鈥檝e had over the last few years. We鈥檝e added some new ideas to the group that really helps highlight each player鈥檚 best attributes. I couldn鈥檛 be happier with the start.鈥�

When looking back at his time at Pacific, Blackmon acknowledges the hard work and sacrifices he made to get to where he is today, passing along this advice to present and future Pacific soccer players.

鈥淵ou have to work hard and ask yourself, 鈥榟ow bad do you want it?鈥欌�� Blackmon said. 鈥淵ou have to be willing to sacrifice things that other people are not willing to. If you do that and dedicate yourself to your craft in getting better on the field, you can make that jump to being a professional soccer player. The biggest thing is keeping your head down and mastering your skills to get to the next level.鈥�