Welcome to CPL Headlines; each Monday during the off-season, CanPL.ca will round up the biggest stories from the past week to keep fans up to date on all the news they may have missed during the league’s busy transfer period.
It was another week of international action as several players who played in the CPL last season made waves with their respective national teams.
Plus, two more teams made headlines with their off-season moves as both Valour and Atlético Ottawa kickstarted respective rebuilds that they hope will end in a place above the playoff line in 2024.
Ahead, the biggest stories from the Canadian Premier League this past week:
Osaze De Rosario scores first international goal for Guyana
It took Osaze De Rosario just 67 minutes in his international debut to find the back of the net, as the York United striker scored the fourth goal of what was a decisive 6-0 victory for the Guyana men’s national team against Antigua and Barbuda this past Tuesday.
De Rosario’s York teammate this past season, Johnny Grant, played 55 minutes in the match while former Vancouver FC midfielder Marcus Simmons made an appearance off the bench.
Guyana have now clinched their spot at the top of Concacaf Nations League B Group D with a perfect 5-0-0 record. As a result, they have been promoted to League A and will now get a chance to match up against some of the region’s heavyweights. Should it happen, De Rosario vs. Canada is going to be a little bit bizarre.
Rampersad and Shaw to face Canada in Copa América play-in
Like the Canadian men’s national team, Halifax Wanderers captain Andre Rampersad, Atlético Ottawa’s Malcolm Shaw and the Trinidad and Tobago national team came up short during their 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League quarter-final match this past weekend.
However, the Soca Warriors did finish the window in much better spirits after they stunned the United States 2-1 at home in the second leg (USMNT advanced 4-2 on aggregate). Rampersad played the full 90 in midfield, while Shaw came on in the 77th minute.
Both Shaw and Rampersad will come into big focus again come March 23, 2024 because Trinidad and Tobago will now face Canada in a Copa América play-in match to be played in Frisco, Texas.
Ingham, Zapater return as Atlético release roster update
It was a busy week in the nation’s capital as Atlético Ottawa announced multiple roster decisions as they look to rebound from a disappointing 2023 campaign.
The biggest news was the fact that ‘Allstate Nate’ Ingham, Ottawa’s star goalkeeper, will be returning after signing a two-year deal. The club also announced that they had signed key veteran Alberto Zapater and standout young defender Tyr Walker for the 2024 campaign.
Four players, defender Miguel Acosta and Zachary Roy, as well as attackers Zachary Verhoven and Malcolm Shaw, can be brought back under club options, with the club having until December 31, 2023 to trigger those for 2024.
The club officially bid farewell to goalkeeper Sean Melvin and defender MacDonald Niba, while attacker Carl Haworth retired following the 2023 campaign. Fullback Max Tissot, meanwhile, remains out of contract.
Valour begin rebuild as they announce departures
After finishing at the bottom of the table in 2023, Valour FC made the first few moves in what is expected to be an extensive retooling this off-season under returning head coach Phil Dos Santos.
The club confirmed the departure of seven players: Defenders Eskander Mzoughi and Matthew Chandler, midfielder Kevin Rendon and attackers Anthony Novak, Jared Ulloa, Ahinga Selemani and Jaime Siaj.
Meanwhile, defenders Guillaume Pianelli, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, midfielder Diego Gutiérrez, and attackers Matteo de Brienne and Walter Ponce are all out of contract for 2024.
One way that Valour might be able to quickly augment their roster is through the 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft, where they have the first overall pick, as well as the first pick of the second round.
CPL-U SPORTS 2024 Draft Announcement
The Canadian Premier League announced this past week that the sixth edition of the CPL-U SPORTS Draft will be held on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
The 2024 draft will feature two rounds, with eight picks per round. Here is the draft order for both rounds, based on combined regular season results and playoff performance.
- Valour FC
- Vancouver FC
- Atlético Ottawa
- York United FC
- Halifax Wanderers FC
- Pacific FC
- Cavalry FC
- Forge FC
The draft is open to any U SPORTS player who is still eligible to play collegiate football, and are in good standing with their program and educational institute. Players signed to U SPORTS contracts by CPL clubs can maintain their eligibility.
Broadcast details for the 2024 draft will be announced in December.
VW Canada bids goodbye to the 2023 CPL season with a hilarious video
Well that’s one way to wrap up the 2023 @CPLsoccer season! Congratulations to all of the Canadian Premier League players and staff on another incredible year. We can’t wait to see everyone dance back on the pitch in 2024 😉 #IllBeMissingYou https://t.co/i0Py31U43F pic.twitter.com/JFa2WUjDFO
— Volkswagen Canada (@VWcanada) November 23, 2023
Apologies in advance to Ollie Bassett, who has been doing his best to make sure this video gets scrubbed from the internet. But there has been no video more talked about in CPL circles than this hilarious end-of-season dance (if we can call it that) routine from VW Canada.
The video features Pacific FC’s Adonijah Reid, Vancouver FC’s Rocco Romeo, Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci, Forge’s Triston Henry, Atleti’s Bassett, as well as Halifax Wanderers pair Massimo Ferrin and Zachary Fernandez.
CPL Dancing with the Stars when? Fernandez is the early favourite.