York United FC can confirm the signing of York University and League1 Ontario alum Christian Zeppieri to a U SPORTS contract on the eve of the 2024 Canadian Premier League season.

The Nine Stripes selected the 20-year-old native of Maple, Ont. with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 CPL-U SPORTS Draft last December, out of York University. Zeppieri is a self-described “technical and aggressive box-to-box midfielder.”

“A prevalent part of our club philosophy is to give young players a chance, and we’re thrilled to provide such an opportunity to Christian this season,” says Martin Nash, Head Coach, York United FC. “Christian’s attitude has been top-class since he’s come in. He’s hungry, determined and has a lot of spirit to complement a great skillset. We can’t wait to see what he does for the club moving forward as great local product. It’s a pleasure to see him put on our jersey and mark the beginning of an exciting time for him as he takes this next step in his career.”

The midfielder is no stranger to delivering at York Lions stadium. He started 12 games in his rookie year with the U SPORTS side, scoring four times. In the Ontario University Athletics semifinal against Ontario Tech University, he stepped up to curl home a superb free kick in the 110th minute. He was named OUA West MVP, OUA First-Team All-Star and U SPORTS First-Team All-Canadian following his freshman season.

Zeppieri is a product of League1 Ontario, where he accumulated 1,500 minutes of action over 20 appearances for powerhouse Vaughan Azzurri in 2023, including 33 minutes in the club’s Canadian Championship match against Major League Soccer side CF Montreal. He spent four years in the Toronto FC academy before joining York Lions.