Former Wolves midfielder Jonny Steele has signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps with a view to playing MLS soccer in 2011. Vancouver makes the leap to North America's premier loop in 2011.

"They've been there whenever I've been there -- in the playoffs, in the finals -- so it shows they're a successful club," Steele, a native of Northern Ireland, said Wednesday after he and defender Greg Janicki of Michigan signed one-year deals with the club.

"Going to MLS next year, they have a bright future and I want to be a part of it."

Real Salt Lake did own his MLS rights and he held talks with Philadelphia Union before negotiations broke down.

"I've got to be happy to play good football," he told The Province. "That [Philadelphia] never worked out, and the way I see it, I can go to Vancouver and build a relationship with the fans and the owners and the players for a year before they make the move."