David Testo, a former Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder, is making international sports headlines with the Nov. 10 announcement that he is gay.
"I'm gay, I'm gay. I have no choice. It's just part of who I am. And it has nothing to do with the talent of a soccer player. You can be both an excellent soccer player and being gay," Testo told CBC Radio-Canada Thursday.
Testo, who played parts of two seasons with the then-USL Whitecaps team when it played its home games at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, had six goals in 34 appearances with the squad.
"I really regret not having said publicly earlier. I fought with it all my life, my whole career," he said. "Living the life of a professional athlete and being gay is incredibly difficult. It is like wearing a secret in his bags but never yourself. It saps all your energy to you, in addition to having to perform, having to play."
In 2006, Testo was named newcomer of the year for the Whitecaps and was second in team scoring, with seven goals and seven assists.
Testo assisted on both Whitecaps goals in their semifinal match against Montreal that propelled the squad to the USL Final, where they defeated the Rochester Rhinos 3-0. Testo assisted on one of the three goals in the championship final.
After starting the season in Vancouver in 2007, Testo was traded to the Montreal Impact, along with Joey Gjertsen, for Alen Marcina and Z Roberto.
He has played since then with the Impact, but was released by the squad on Oct. 12 this year. The Impact are scheduled to enter MLS in 2012.
