FC Edmonton confirmed they have acquired German attackers Julian Ulbricht and Tobias Warschewski on loan along with young Nine Stripes’ defender Felix N’sa from York United FC (CPL) today. (Read here)

“Having the opportunity to tap into additional loaned players from each of our member CPL clubs is a valuable asset this season,” said FC Edmonton President, Jeff Harrop. “Adding seasoned players to our young roster to bring some experience and leadership from other clubs will help boost our squad’s calibre and continues to create more pathway opportunities for players overall.”

Ulbricht spent the 2021 campaign with York United, making 18 appearances in the Canadian Premier League and finding the net three times. The 22-year-old also added two more goals in the Canadian Championship. An early injury impacted his contributions, but he was frequently involved in the latter half of the season.

Previously, Ulbricht was part of the highly-regarded youth setup at famous German side Hamburg SV and spent three seasons featuring for their second team in Regionalliga Nord – the fourth tier of German football – and competing against the likes of Werder Bremen II, Wolfsburg II, FC St Pauli II and Hannover 96 II. He also enjoyed a successful loan spell with FC Phönix Lübeck, also of Germany’s fourth tier, in late-2020 where – coincidentally – he formed an excellent partnership with Warschewski.

“Julian is a player that we were aware of before he came to the CPL. With more minutes we think he is capable of more and we will work with him to get that out of him in our environment,” said Alan Koch, Head Coach, FC Edmonton. “We look forward to seeing him integrate into our new-look team, but also building on his already existing relationship with Tobi.”

The 24-year-old Warschewski, a native of Dortmund, spent his early career with SC Preußen Münster and impressed in Germany’s third tier before signing with Phönix Lübeck. From there he was snapped up by the CPL and joined FC Edmonton for the 2021 campaign. 

He enjoyed a superb season, managing four goals while also contributing a league-leading seven assists from his 26 appearances. His performances with the Eddies ensured he was voted 29th in the CPL50 list unveiled by the league at the end of last year.  

“Tobi was a player who had been removed from high levels of football for some time before he joined us last year,” said Koch. “We worked incredibly hard with him to get him fit and back to confidence levels where he could perform. He was one of the top players in the league last year, and we want to push him to be right at the top in 2022.”

18-year-old N’sa, the younger brother of York United defender Chrisnovic, endured a difficult debut campaign for the club. A back injury sustained in pre-season ensured he was ruled out for the remainder of the year, and he was unable to contribute on the field. A move to Edmonton will now give him the chance to pick up meaningful minutes and continue his development. 

“We are looking forward to working with Felix competing to get the minutes he missed out on last year due to injury,” said Head Coach Alan Koch. “He is a welcome addition to our squad of young players who are up for this season’s challenge.”

FC Edmonton will kick the season off at home on Sunday April 10 against Valour FC at 2pm MT at Clarke Field.