Estonian footballer (born 1997)
Andreas Raido Karuks Vaikla (born 19 February 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scrosoppi FC in League1 Ontario. Born in Canada, he represented Estonia at international level.
Early life
Vaikla began playing football in Canada. In 2013, he received a call-up to the Estonia under-16 team, being eligible due to his Estonian parents. He was scouted by West Bromwich Albion in a match against the Republic of Ireland, which led to him later joining the English club's academy the same year.
Club career
In July 2015, Vaikla signed a year-and-a-half contract with Swedish club IFK Norrköping.[2][3] He was a part of the IFK Norrköping squad that won both the 2015 Allsvenskan and the 2015 Svenska Supercupen, however only appearing as an unused substitute. Vaikla made his debut for the club on 20 February 2016, a day after his 19th birthday, keeping a clean sheet in a 4–0 victory over Östersunds FK in the 2015–16 Svenska Cupen.[4] On April 22, Vaikla made his debut in the Allsvenskan, replacing the injured David Mitov Nilsson in the 19th minute of a 1–2 loss to Falkenbergs FF.[5] He made 13 league appearances in the 2016 season.
In February 2017, Vaikla signed a three-year contract with Finnish champions IFK Mariehamn.[6][7] He made his debut in the Veikkausliiga on 8 April 2017, in a 5–2 home victory over JJK.
In December 2017, Vaikla signed a two-year contract with Norwegian club Kristiansund.[8]
In August 2019, he returned to Swedish club IFK Norrköping.[9]
In February 2020, he joined Estonian club JK Narva Trans of the top division Meistriliiga, after declining some offers from teams in Scandiavian countries who were only offering backup roles.[10] He dealt with various injuries over the course of the season, eventually having his contract terminated in October, due to continuing injuries.[11]
In May 2021, he signed with Toronto FC II of USL League One.[12][13] He made his debut on May 29 against North Texas SC in a 1–1 draw.[14] In July, he earned USL League One Save of the Week honours for Week 15 for a save against North Carolina FC.[15] He was named to the USL League One Team of the Week for Weeks 20 and 21.[16][17]
In March 2022, Vaikla went on loan with Canadian Premier League side FC Edmonton.[18] He made his debut for Edmonton on April 10, in the season-opener against Valour FC.[19]
For the 2023 season, he joined Scrosoppi FC in League1 Ontario.[20] He was named a league Second Team All-Star at the end of the season.[21]
International career
Born in Canada to Estonian parents, Vaikla has represented Estonia at under-16, under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels.
On 14 March 2016, Vaikla was called up by manager Magnus Pehrsson to the Estonia squad to face Norway and Serbia in friendly matches, but remained an unused substitute.[22] He made his debut for the senior national team on 1 June 2016, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 friendly home win over Andorra.[23]
