It has been an incredibly entertaining off-season of signings, transfers and rumours around the Canadian Premier League over the past few months, but the real fun is just about to start — seeing how paper translates to pitch.
While a big story has been the number of marquee CPL talents who have made moves to other clubs within the league, as always the winter months saw several exciting new players sign.
Joining the league at different ages, from various leagues, stages in their careers and with diverse profiles, it will be intriguing as always to see how their skillsets translate to the CPL. From Canadian internationals, players with experience in Ligue 1, Liga MX and Copa Libertadores, to the youngest signing in league history, there are plenty of intriguing names joining the league in 2024.
Here are eight players new to the Canadian Premier League who are worth keeping an eye on during the 2024 season.
FB – Themi Antonoglou (Valour FC)
Valour FC have a number of new faces this upcoming season, but few are more exciting than 22-year-old fullback Themi Antonoglou. The Toronto native has made 13 appearances over the past two seasons with his hometown Toronto FC in MLS, and has been a fixture with the club’s MLS NEXT Pro side.
Excellent from set-piece situations, with a lovely left foot and sensational technical ability, he has all the potential to quickly become a fan favourite for Valour supporters in 2024.
“We get a young man who has played 13 games with the MLS side and has grown in a very good academy context, so he’s extremely cultured tactically,” Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos told Ed Tait earlier this off-season. “He’s good on the ball, he’s a natural left-footed player. These kinds of players don’t become available often.”
ANTONOGLOU OH MY 😱😱😱@TorontoFCII take the lead off of a spectacular half-field chip from Themi Antonoglou! pic.twitter.com/hHfjVvnEwI
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) October 2, 2022
The club has a strong history of deploying and developing talented young players, with Sean Rea and Matteo de Brienne bringing back-to-back Best Canadian U-21 Player awards to Winnipeg. While Antonoglou is a year too old to qualify for U-21 minutes, he is still at a great age to develop. This clip, in particular, sure looks a lot like something Rea would pull out of his bag of tricks.
FB – Juan Córdova (York United)
Córdova is among the marquee signings for a new-look York United side this season, bringing with him an outstanding resumé, including over 100 matches played in the Chilean top division between Huachipato and Ñublense.
He has also represented Canada twice at the senior level, played in the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and against some of the biggest clubs in the Americas. He comes to York looking for a new challenge, excited by the team that the new ownership group is assembling.
The 28-year-old comes into the season incredibly motivated, looking to work his way back into the Canadian national team setup with this summer’s Copa América on the horizon, and a home World Cup in 2026.
He will instantly become perhaps the most technically gifted fullback in the league, and brings with him speed, versatility and quality defensively as well. Able to play both fullback positions, his signing could prove invaluable for the Nine Stripes this season.
MF – Lucas Dias (Cavalry FC)
After winning the league by 13 points last season, Cavalry have only added further depth and quality to their squad. Among the talented additions came the acquisition of 21-year-old attacking midfielder Lucas Dias on loan from Sporting CP B.
Dias has been with the Sporting Lisbon academy, which is one of the top clubs in Portugal, since 2014. During that time he represented Portugal at the youth level, before making the switch to join Canada at the 2020 Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship. He was a standout performer at the competition, where he played with now Cavalry teammate Callum Montgomery.
In 2021, he made the step up to the Sporting Lisbon B team, where he spent time playing in the Liga 3. An attacking midfielder who is outstanding on the dribble and creative between the lines, he has the potential to add a new dimension to the Cavalry attack in 2024.
MF – Vitor Dias (Halifax Wanderers)
The Halifax Wanderers found great success in recruiting players with NCAA experience last year, and are looking to do so again in 2024 with the signing of 25-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder Vitor Dias.
Coming through the academy of storied Brazilian side São Paulo, Dias had an outstanding collegiate career with Marshall University, where he won a national championship in 2020. He has spent the past two seasons in MLS NEXT Pro.
“Vitor is a very well-known player in the U.S. after his incredible college career at Marshall and offers us a technical, left-footer in the midfield,” said Gheisar after Dias signed this off-season.
A left-footed attacking midfielder who is comfortable with both feet, Dias has the quality to play between the lines, using creativity and flair to beat players and pick out passes in the attacking half.
By all accounts that has been on full display during the preseason for Halifax where his dazzling technical ability has turned heads. If Dias can bring that consistently to an already exciting Wanderers frontline, he could be a standout performer out east this season.
MF – Grady McDonnell (Vancouver FC)
Any time a 15-year-old signs a professional contract it is sure to make waves, and that is exactly what Vancouver FC did when they made Grady McDonnell the youngest signing in CPL history.
McDonnell is already a well-rounded midfielder, hardworking and reads the game at an exceptional level. He has represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels, including during U-17 European Championship qualifiers.
Word out of Vancouver FC’s pre-season camp is that McDonnell is already impressing and adapting with incredible speed to the professional game. If he keeps up his trajectory, he could be just the latest teenager to make a name for himself with Vancouver FC.
Having turned 16 on Feb. 17, the length between McDonnell’s signing, his birthday and the start of the CPL season means that he cannot break teammate TJ Tahid’s record as the youngest player to appear in a match in the league — he did so at 16 years and 17 days. Nor will he have the chance to best Tahid’s record as the league’s youngest goalscorer.
But he’s already made CPL history before even stepping on the pitch, and has the potential to quickly become a player to watch within the league.
DF – Aly Ndom (Pacific FC)
There has been a lot of chatter about all the quality Pacific FC lost this off-season, but they gained a lot of talent as well.
One of the most exciting players the Tridents added this off-season is 27-year-old defender Aly Ndom. Experienced as both a holding midfielder and most recently a centralback, he is expected to start the season as the replacement for the departed Amer Didić as a left-sided central defender.
The French native spent multiple seasons with Stade Reims in France between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, and a further three seasons with Auxerre in Ligue 2 — playing most recently with IFK Mariehamn in Finland.
While he may replace Didić positionally, he will look different stylistically. Ndom is an outstanding ball-moving centre-back who will help Pacific move the ball out of the back in possession and will be an excellent partner for the established Thomas Meilleur-Giguère.
“He’s played top league in France, he comes from a great football school, academy, his youth,” James Merriman told CanPL.ca this off-season. “He has had his own journey through football, some struggles as well, a little bit of adversity. He had a great season last year in Finland.”
FB – Daniel Parra (Forge FC)
Another player with experience at an incredibly high level, the 24-year-old left fullback joins Forge on loan with 39 appearances with Liga MX side CF Monterrey, in all competitions under his belt. He even won the Concacaf Champions Cup with the club in 2021.
He has also played 70 matches for clubs between the top two divisions in Mexican second division and scored four times for Atlético Morelia last season. Other CPL clubs were also interested in bringing him in, so this could be a bit of a coup for Forge.
GOAL! Daniel Parra ties the game at two#ArribaElMonterrey | #Rayados pic.twitter.com/36vKqFatog
— Rayados90 (@rayadosninety) August 9, 2020
Parra will critically bring that quality and know-how to a Forge backline that could look very different this season with Manjrekar James and Rezart Rama both departing the club this off-season. A tenacious defender, Parra has a knack for getting into good positions in the box and providing the occasional goal as well.
FW – Kris Twardek (Atlético Ottawa)
More than any other club this off-season, Ottawa centred their recruitment around established players from within the Canadian Premier League. But one of their most exciting signings is a Canadian international returning home to play in Canada for the first time.
Twardek joins Ottawa after nine seasons playing in Europe, including in the EFL Championship with Millwall, in Poland, Slovakia, and most recently in Ireland — winning the Leinster Senior Cup with Bohemians this past season. The 27-year-old has also represented Canada across multiple youth levels, including one senior cap against El Salvador in 2017 — a year in which he was also named Canada’s U-20 Player of the Year.
In signing a two-year deal in the nation’s capital, Twardek will bring not only experience but his tenacious playing style. His strong work ethic and positional awareness make him an excellent fit for Atléti head coach Carlos González.