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Pre-season projections: The best at every position (right now)

Over the course of the previous two weeks, CPL Editorial has compiled lists of the top five projected talents in each position across the league.

Relax. It’s early. We know. 

But head of the inaugural match on April 27 between Forge FC and York9 FC at Tim Hortons Field, these early preseason projections serve only to highlight pedigree and previous experience. As the season kicks off and carries along, CanPL.ca will revisit this list upon the conclusion of the Spring campaign, to see whose stock has skyrocketed … and whose plummeted, too.

Each position has been mapped out – a full summary is available below, with links to each individual story – and the results are in: Forge FC leads the pack, with 11 out of 35 total players coming out of the Hamilton-based outfit; tied for second? Valour FC, with nine players making the cut; York9 FC clocks in with seven, while Cavalry FC, Pacific FC and the HFX Wanderers each make the top five rundowns six times apiece; finally, FC Edmonton offers five players of its own to round it all off.

So, without further ado … here are CPL Editorial’s picks for the top five players in each position signed (so far).


CanPL Editorial's Top 5 players in each position.
CanPL Editorial’s Top 5 players in each position.

Goalkeepers

  • Quillan Roberts (Forge FC)
  • Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC)
  • Jan-Michael Williams (HFX Wanderers FC)
  • Tyson Farago (Valour FC)
  • Mark Village (Pacific FC)

Right-back

  • Jonathan Grant (Forge FC)
  • Diego Gutierrez (Valour FC)
  • Kadin Chung (Pacific FC)
  • Zachary Sukunda (HFX Wanderers FC)
  • Kareem Moses (FC Edmonton)

Centre-back

  • Mason Trafford (Cavalry FC)
  • Skylar Thomas (Valour FC)
  • Bertrand Owundi (Forge FC)
  • Jordan Murrell (Valour FC)
  • Luca Gasparotto (York9 FC)
Luca Gasparotto (Canada Soccer).
Luca Gasparotto (Canada Soccer)

Left full-back

  • Ramon Soria (FC Edmonton)
  • Roger Thompson (York9 FC)
  • Daniel Krutzen (Forge FC)
  • Martin Arguinarena (Valour FC)
  • Marcel de Jong (Pacific FC)

Defensive midfield

  • James Marcelin (FC Edmonton)
  • Nik Ledgerwood (Cavalry FC)
  • Kwame Awuah (Forge FC)
  • Joseph Di Chiara (York9 FC)
  • Elimane Cisse (Forge FC)

Central midfield

  • Julian Buscher (Cavalry FC)
  • Michael Petrasso (Valour FC)
  • Kodai Iida (HFX Wanderers FC)
  • Dylan Carreiro (Valour FC)
  • Manny Aparicio (York9 FC)
Manny Aparicio with York9 during a training session in Vaughan. (Photo courtesy York9/Chant.ca).
Manny Aparicio with York9 during a training session in Vaughan. (Photo courtesy York9/Chant.ca).

Attacking midfield

  • Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)
  • Josip Golubar (Valour FC)
  • Dylan Sacramento (Valour FC)
  • Sergio Camargo (Cavalry FC)
  • Tristan Borges (Forge FC)

Right-wing

  • Issey Nakajima-Farran (Pacific FC)
  • Randy Edwini-Bonsu (FC Edmonton)
  • Akeem Garcia (HFX Wanderers FC)
  • Kyle Porter (York9 FC)
  • Chris Nanco (Forge FC)

Left-wing

  • Ryan Telfer (York9 FC)
  • Juan Diego Gutierrez (HFX Wanderers FC)
  • David Choiniere (Forge FC)
  • Ben Fisk (Pacific FC)
  • Emery Welshman (Forge FC)

Strikers

  • Marcus Haber (Pacific FC)
  • Tomi Ameobi (FC Edmonton)
  • Michael Cox (York9 FC)
  • Jordan Brown (Cavalry FC)
  • Luis Alberto Perea (HFX Wanderers FC)