HALIFAX – HFX Wanderers FC added two more up-and-coming Canadian defenders on Tuesday with 20-year-olds Ndzemdzela Langwa and Chrisnovic N’sa.

“I thought Langwa would bring a very dynamic sort of element to our squad considering his athleticism and his speed,” explained Wanderers coach Stephen Hart. “When I watched N’sa he had a good sense of his positional play and he read the game quite well.”

Left fullback Langwa, from Ottawa, is coming back to kick-start his career in his home country after spells in Italy and Spain.

“I think this league can showcase our talent because so many people around the world don’t know we have it in Canada,” Langwa said. “We’re going to make Canadian history this year.”

Centreback N’sa, from Montreal, is signing his first professional contract after playing at the under-19 level with the Montreal Impact academy.

“I feel great and I feel blessed because I’ve worked hard all my life to get this contract and Halifax is giving me the chance in the CPL,” N’sa said.

With his parents and four sisters in Ontario, Langwa jumped at the opportunity to play in Canada after initially leaving home at the age of 17 to chase his soccer dream in Europe.

“My family loves it and Halifax for me is great. It’s a new team and a new league and I want to meet people and be a big part of the community,” Langwa added.

The left fullback was one of only two players to win a contract at Italian club Triestina after the team held open tryouts in 2016. He eventually won a place in the team before being loaned to Palmese.

After helping his new team stave off relegation, Langwa went to Spain to play for UD Socuéllamos.

Being unveiled alongside Langwa, Chrisnovic N’sa is hoping to force his way into the Wanderers defence, following a breakthrough year with the Montreal Impact’s under-19 team.

“I’m going to give everything I’ve got,” N’sa said about his first professional contract in Halifax.

Making the transition a little easier, N’sa will reunite with the already signed Wanderers striker Vincent Lamy, one of his former teammates in Montreal.

“I like to play on the ground and move the ball and keep the ball and not give it away,” N’sa added.

He’s another aspiring young player who Wanderers coach Stephen Hart thinks can do well in a league that’s focussed on developing Canadian talent.

“It’s going to be a big step up against some of the strikers in this league but I think his intelligence and physical ability will allow him to do that,” said Hart.