Julian Altobelli’s sensational York United debut has been several years in the making. In 2020, he signed a multi-year contract with the Nine Stripes ahead of the CPL’s Island Games. At the time, he was the youngest signing in club history and came in highly touted as a top prospect in the Toronto FC system, and after representing Canada at the U-17 World Cup in Brazil the year prior. But the timing wasn’t quite right. Altobelli never ended up making an appearance with York during his initial stint with the team, and left the club following just one season. He spent the past four years with Toronto FC II, but after a 2024 campaign in which he scored a TFC II club-record 11 goals, he decided to return to the CPL, signing once again with York United in January. “When I first came [to York] I was very young, I was 17 years old, and I didn’t really have very much experience or know anything about the professional environment,” Altobelli told the media over the weekend. “So I ended up taking a chance and going back to Toronto FC II and gained a lot of experience played a lot of games there, and felt like it was the right time for me to come back here and start playing some first-team football. I felt like I was ready for this opportunity.” He finally got that opportunity in the 65th minute of Sunday’s York United season opener against Vancouver FC, and proved just how ready he was for it astoundingly quickly. Just a minute and two seconds after stepping onto the pitch, Altobelli smashed a deflected Shola Jimoh cross past Vancouver FC’s Callum Irving to open the scoring with his first touch of the match, his first touch with York United and in the Canadian Premier League. With his sixth touch of the match, just 18 minutes later, he cut down the left flank and curled a lovely right-footed shot past Irving for his second of the match to secure a 2-0 victory for the Nine Stripes. In doing so, Altobelli became the first player in CPL history to score multiple goals on opening day. On Tuesday, that performance earned him the league’s Player of the Week award for week one. “For me, my goal was to come on and change the game, and I did so with the two goals,” Altobelli told OneSoccer’s Alex Gangué-Ruzic after the match. “Everyone always wants to start the game, but for someone like me who doesn’t really know the league and it’s my first time playing in a CPL match, I think this was a perfect ice-breaker for me and I’m pleased with everything,” he added later in the post-match press conference. “But whether it’s starting the game or coming off the bench, I’m still gonna give my 100 per cent.”
For new York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio, it is part and parcel of what he calls a “good kind of headache” to start the season where he has so many players pushing for a starting role. Altobelli will now undoubtedly feature heavily in that conversation. “He’s a player that we know we can count on,” said Eustáquio of Altobelli after the match. “He’s a good presser, he’s a good finisher, and he showed that today. He gives us the ability not only to play as a nine but to play as a winger, which most of the time in pre-season I’ve been using him in. I know I can count on him. He wants to play, he’s hungry and he’s a kid full of talent. “He’s not at his prime yet, he still needs to grow, but as you can see, he already has the right tools and the right mindset. So excited to see what he can bring for the rest of the season.” Despite his stunning debut, Altobelli knows he still has a lot of work to do in order to earn the starting role he covets on this team. Massimo Ferrin, Adonijah Reid and Gabriel Bitar all looked lively in their first appearances with the Nine Stripes, as did attacker Shola Jimoh off the bench. Other talented young local attackers like Marki Voytsekhovskyy and Marsel Bibishkov are waiting in the wings for their opportunity as well. “The competition with the squad is amazing, there’s so much depth to this team that anyone can kind of break into the eleven at any point,” Altobelli told OneSoccer after the match. “So continue to work hard and continue to impress the coach and hopefully break into the eleven in the upcoming weeks.” Next up for the Nine Stripes and Altobelli will be a special homecoming, as they take on the Halifax Wanderers in their 2025 home opener at York Lions Stadium on Sunday, April 13. As a member of Toronto FC II, Altobelli is more than familiar with the grounds, where the MLS Next Pro club also plays its home matches. As such, Altobelli has scored a lot of goals at the stadium, something he will be eager to continue, starting this coming Sunday. “The whole team is very excited, of course it’s the home opener and we get to play at home in front of our fans,” said Altobelli. “With a lot of local boys on the club, there’s going to be a lot of friends and family at the match so I think we’re all super excited for that.” Those local boys will also be eager to make a strong first impression in their home debut, but Altobelli has certainly set the bar incredibly high for what that looks like.
All match highlights courtesy of OneSoccer