# Sean Rea

Sean Rea (born May 15, 2002) is a Canadian professional soccer player for HFX Wanderers FC in the Canadian Premier League.

## Early life

Rea began playing soccer at age four with Saint-Léonard. In 2014, he joined the Montreal Impact Academy. In January 2020, he traveled to Italy to train with Pescara, and Germany where he spent almost two weeks with Schalke.

## Club career
### CF Montréal

In December 2020, he signed his first professional contract with the Montreal Impact (later re-named CF Montreal) of Major League Soccer. He served as an unused substitute in their CONCACAF Champions League match against C.D. Olimpia on December 15, 2020.

#### Loans to Valour FC

In April 2021, he went on loan with Valour FC of the Canadian Premier League, after turning down an opportunity to join an Italian Serie C club on loan. On June 27, 2021, Rea made his professional debut for Valour as a starter in the opening match of the season against Forge FC. He scored his first professional goal on August 21, 2021 in a Canadian Championship match against Atlético Ottawa. After the 2021 season, CF Montreal picked up his club option for 2022.
In March 2022, he returned to Valour FC on a new loan. He was named the CPL Player of the Month for August 2022 and was named to the CPL Team of the Week six times, over the course of the season. In his second season with the club, he led the team in minutes played, doubling his amount from the previous season, and set a CPL record with 9 assists. He also led the league in chances created (71) and in completed crosses and corners (62). After the season, he was named the 2022 CPL U21 Player of the Year and was nominated for the league Player of the Year and the Players' Player Award.

#### Return from loan

Rea made his competitive debut for Montreal in their 2023 season-opener against Inter Miami on February 25, entering as a substitute in an eventual 2-0 defeat. He scored his first goal for Montreal on April 18, 2023, in a 2-0 victory over Vaughan Azzurri in the first round of the 2023 Canadian Championship. Upon completion of the 2023 Season, CF Montréal would announce that they would not pick up Rea's contract for 2024, ending his time with the club.

### Castellón B

Ahead of the 2024 season, he went on trial with the Portland Timbers. In March 2024, he began training with Spanish club CD Castellón of the Primera Federación, arranging a pre-contract coniditonal upon the club's promotion to the second tier for the next season. He then signed with the second team CD Castellón B in the Tercera Federación for the remainder of the season. He made his debut for the second team on March 8 against CF Gandía.

### HFX Wanderers

On July 31, 2024, Rea returned to the Canadian Premier League, signing a contract through 2025 with HFX Wanderers. There were reports he had a deal in principle with fellow CPL club Atlético Ottawa, however, salary cap constraints prevented the deal from being finalized. He made his debut on August 5 against Vancouver FC.

## International career

At international level, Rea is eligible to represent both the Canadian and Italian national teams.
In November 2016, he debuted in the Canadian national program, attending a national U14 camp. In 2017, he was named to the Canada U15 team for the 2017 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship. He scored his first international goal on August 14 against Costa Rica U15. In 2017, Rea was named to the Canada U17 team for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
In May 2023, Rea was listed on the Canada preliminary rosters for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.

## Personal life

Rea has Italian heritage and is a fan of Serie A club Napoli.
He holds an Italian passport through his grandfather, who emigrated from Italy to Canada.

## Career statistics

    As of match played March 29, 2024
| Club | Season | League | League | League | Playoffs | Playoffs | Domestic Cup | Domestic Cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| CF Montréal | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 |
| Valour FC (loan) | 2021 | Canadian Premier League | 23 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | 25 | 2 |
| Valour FC (loan) | 2022 | Canadian Premier League | 27 | 5 | – | – | 1 | 0 | – | – | 28 | 5 |
| Valour FC (loan) | Total | Total | 50 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 7 |
| CF Montréal U23 (loan) | 2023 | Ligue1 Québec | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| CD Castellón B | 2023–24 | Tercera Federación | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| HFX Wanderers | 2024 | Canadian Premier League | 14 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 84 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 9 |

## Honours

Individual
* Canadian Premier League Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year: 2022