TOM LOWNDES: "I remember watching Jehmrode when he was in Grade 10, playing club for Fraser Valley FC. I can't remember exactly who they were playing, or where. But he's picked the ball up on the halfway line, beat six guys, gone around the keeper and slotted it in, and made it look easy. He's in Grade 10, and he's just dancing around them. He's always had that talent from a young age."

JEHMRODE KAHLON: "I don't recall that goal specifically – when it was or where it was – but I feel like I've had a couple goals like that in my youth career playing in the BCSPL. I often had three or four guys on me. 
 

"I feel like I always had good games against Surrey United, and Tom's a club coach for Surrey United, so I think he might have been watching one of those games after his team finished up.

"I loved it. I felt like every single game was like a professional game for me. Most of the games were recorded, so anytime I could score a goal like that,  I'd re-watch the goal over and over to get that feeling back."

TL: "We started talking to him in Grade 11. He committed, I want to say, in May before his Grade 12 year, but we'd been talking for three or four months before that.

"He was a big signing for us, because he was known throughout the Lower Mainland – everyone's known who Jehmrode was. The Whitecaps had wanted him to go to their residency program every year since he was 12 years old. He had his pick of Canada West schools, but he wanted to stay close to home and have an opportunity to play early on. I think for us to be able to sign a player of that calibre, it was a pretty big statement for us."

JK: "Because I'm a pre-med student, I like the fact that the classes are small at UFV. I need a high GPA, so that was obviously appealing to me. And it's also only five minutes away from home, which was big. 

"I also really like the guys on the team. Guys like Gurmaan (Jhaj), Parman (Minhas), I really looked up to them when I was growing up. We're from the same town – we have similar experiences, we've been through the same things. Getting the chance to play with them is huge for me."

TL: "For him to make the Canada West and U SPORTS all-rookie teams in Year 1 is huge, but I also think he has a lot more potential. Consistency is the big thing at this level – it's not easy going from dominating games in youth soccer to dominating against 23-, 24-year-old men. He had a solid year, but he's critical of himself, and he'll say that there's more to come from him. And I think there is."

JK: "100 per cent, I agree with that. I think there's a lot more to come. Even though I had a decent year, I feel like I should be getting on the stat sheet every single game. This year, I think I was a little bit timid for a couple games. I had a few where I was just nervous and played bad for a bit. But Tom and some of the older guys on the team, the captains like Gurmaan and Ryan (Donald), they talked to me and encouraged me. I picked it up towards the end – started getting more comfortable and producing more. Hopefully next year I start it off with a bang, like how I ended this year.

"The biggest difference from youth soccer is the physicality. Everyone in U SPORTS is really fit – the players are faster, bigger, stronger. That's the biggest adjustment. Skill level-wise, it's also higher . . . but it's not the hardest thing to adjust to. Physically, though, I need to get bigger, stronger, faster. 

"Right now, working out at home (during COVID-19 physical distancing) is what I've been doing pretty much every single day. I think I'm going to come out stronger than I've ever been before. I haven't worked out this much in my life. It's given me more time to work on specific things in my body. I think it's going to be good."

TL: "The talent's there – if he wants to beat four guys and score, he can do that on a dime."
 

View this post on Instagram

???? | Jehmrode Kahlon is our Male Rookie of the Year! The dynamic forward made an instant impact on the Cascades MSOC squad, earning Canada West and U SPORTS all-rookie honours this season! Check the link in our bio for interviews with Jehmrode and head coach Tom Lowndes! #CascadesAwards #WeClimbWeConquer

A post shared by UFV Cascades Athletics (@ufvcascades) on Apr 9, 2020 at 9:24am PDT