The 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup gets underway in February, and two Canadian Premier League teams will be going toe-to-toe with some of the top clubs in the region. CanPL.ca will be covering the tournament extensively, with in-depth guides on the CPL teams and their opponents, plus more on the whole tournament. For more of CanPL.ca’s coverage of the Concacaf Champions Cup, click here.

Apart from having two teams in the competition, the Canadian Premier League also has four alumni playing in this year’s competition.

Spread across four different teams in the competition, none of the players share a common CPL club on their resume.

Some with Canadian silverware, some with trophies won elsewhere in North America, here are four former CPL players that you may see in this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup.

RELATED: 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Guide: Who’s playing, how does it work and what’s on the line?

Manjrekar James — CD Alajuelense

Manjrekar James left Forge FC on quite the high note, playing a big role in the side’s fourth CPL Championship after joining in March 2023. 

From champion to champion, James moved from Hamilton to Costa Rica this past January, joining the most recent Concacaf Central American Cup winners CD Alajuelense. 

Since signing with the Costa Rican club, he is still waiting to make his debut.

James was one of three nominees for the CPL’s Defender of the Year award in his single season with Forge. He led the league champions in duels won (159), aerial duels won (59), and recoveries (184), while only being dribbled past seven times. He also finished second in interceptions (24) and tackles won (25). 

Now, he’s joined an Alajuelense side who are one of five sides that earned automatic qualification to the Champions Cup round of 16. They await the winner of New England Revolution and Independiente (Panama). 

While it is a longshot, Forge and Alajuelense are placed in the same corner of the bracket as each other and could collide as soon as the quarter-finals. 

Lukas MacNaughton — Nashville SC

Another strong CPL success story, former Pacific FC defender Lukas MacNaughton. 

Similarly to James, MacNaughton played a significant role in Pacific’s 2021 title run. The Canadian international partnered Thomas Meilleur-Giguere in the 2021 CPL final, before moving to Toronto FC the following January. 

MacNaughton would become a mainstay in the Toronto squad, making 25 appearances in the 2022 MLS season. His efforts, albeit on a losing side, caught the attention of Nashville SC who signed him in April 2023 for an undisclosed fee. 

MacNaughton was integral to Nashville’s Concacaf Champions Cup qualification, making seven appearances in the Leagues Cup, including playing all 120 minutes of the cup final. 

Inter Miami would come out winners of the Leagues Cup final, winning in a penalty shootout that saw each team use eleven shooters (MacNaughton scored Nashville’s eighth). However, the second place team in the tournament also qualifies for the Concacaf competition. 

Nashville faces Dominican side Moca FC in the first round. If MacNaughton and his side can get past Moca, they earn a chance at redemption against Inter Miami in the next round.

Mo Farsi — Columbus Crew

The 2020 CPL U21 Player of the Year award winner, Mo Farsi is next on our list of familiar faces. 

Initially signing after a two-week trial in 2020, the fullback/winger excelled on both ends of the pitch during his time with Cavalry FC. 

Farsi would depart from Calgary in March 2022, taking on a new adventure south of the border with MLS’ Columbus Crew.

After a breakout 2022 season in MLS Next Pro with Columbus Crew 2, Farsi earned a spot on the first team for 2023. 

At the age of 23, the Quebec native made 31 MLS appearances for the Crew, assisting four times on their way to the playoffs. 

While being the first player on this list without a CPL title to his name, Farsi became the first CPL export to hoist the MLS Cup this past season. 

In the playoffs, Farsi would play five of a possible six matches, including 86 minutes in Columbus’ MLS Cup final victory over LAFC. 

As MLS champions, Columbus clinched an automatic berth into the Champions Cup round of 16 where they await the winner of Houston Dynamo FC and St. Louis City. 

Nicholas Hamilton — Cavalier FC

Cavalier FC’s Nicholas Hamilton closes out the list of CPL’s familiar faces in this year’s Concacaf Champions Cup. 

The least CPL-capped player of these four, Hamilton only made 16 professional appearances in Canada between 2020 and 2021. 

Unable to find success in Canadian football, the forward moved on to the Jamaican Premier League in 2022 with Harbour View FC. After scoring six goals in 16 matches for Harbour View, Hamilton would then move to Cavalier FC in August 2023. 

In four Concacaf Caribbean Cup matches with Cavalier, the Kingston, Jamaica native would assist twice, both in the same match against Moca FC. 

Hamilton’s side qualified for the Champions Cup as runners-up in the Caribbean Cup, losing a two leg final to SV Robinhood. Now, they prepare for a first round clash with MLS side FC Cincinnati.

The 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup begins Feb. 6, 2024. Forge FC will take on C.D. Guadalajara (beginning Feb. 7), and Cavalry FC will play Orlando City SC (beginning Feb. 21). The matches will be available to watch in Canada on OneSoccer.