3 new signings to watch at each CPL club in 2024
The start of the Canadian Premier League season is just around the corner, and with it have come several new characters, who are all looking to light up the league’s sixth season .
From fresh-faced youngsters making their first steps in the professional game to savvy veterans looking to bring experience to this young league, there are a lot of intriguing names to keep an eye on, too.
And that’s expected to push the league forward once again this year. While day-one CPL players like Marco Carducci, Kyle Bekker, Amer Didić, Manny Aparicio and more all remain key pieces in the league, they’ve been joined by some important figures along the way, helping further push the quality forward.
NEW 🚨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 11, 2024
Looking to jump into your 1st @CPLsoccer season, or trying to catch up on the latest changes during the off-season? 👀@AlexGangueRuzic has you covered with our 2024 #CanPL TIER LIST, ft. Projected XI, 1 big question & predicted finish 🇨🇦
READ 👇https://t.co/74t1hkNPOw pic.twitter.com/3lQUXDzdun
Once again, it’s hoped that the 2024 crop of signings can provide similar improvement for a sixth straight year. From those who already have experience within the league, to those who are making their first steps in the CPL, each team has brought in players who can easily be difference-makers this season, which is exciting to see.
So with that in mind, here’s a look at each team’s three most important signings, as they look to hit the ground running with their new clubs in 2024, helping them push towards their dreams of silverware and more.
Cavalry FC
It’s been a season of little turnover for the 2024 CPL Shield winners and North Star Cup runner-ups, as they look to build on a strong 2023 season thanks to the return of some of their key pieces from last year.
Despite that, they’ve done well to supplement those names with some quality additions, namely in the midfield and the attack.
First, the big one is a name that is quite familiar with the CPL, and that’s Diego Gutiérrez, who brings over 80 games of experience from his time with Valour. An all-action midfielder among one of the best at his position in the CPL last year, his skill on the ball should be a big addition to a Cavalry side that can wear teams down in possession. 
Then, up front, Tobias Warschewski is an intriguing name, as he returns to the CPL after a year away in 2023. After two great seasons with Edmonton in 2021 and 2022, where he scored 12 goals and added 14 assists despite playing on a struggling attack, he’s expected to thrive in this Cavalry system, one that has no shortage of offensive weapons to give him the support he didn’t always get to help him show off his scoring and creative abilities in Edmonton.
Lastly, Lucas Dias could be a great addition, as the former Canadian U23 international was brought in on loan from Sporting CP to further his development in the CPL, and will hope to make his professional breakout in Calgary. A creative attacking midfielder who can pick out a dangerous pass, he could fit in nicely with Ali Musse and Sergio Camargo in the Cavalry attack, giving them another outlet to help feed their forwards.
Forge FC
After a quiet offseason heading into 2023, Forge have been busier this time around, bringing in five new pieces to help them chase a fifth playoff title in six seasons, as well as a second regular season crown.
They did lose a few key pieces, so some of the new arrivals will have big shoes to fill, but they’ll be confident in their ability to do that.
To start, Daniel Parra is an intriguing name at the back, as the Mexican left back arrives with 38 games of experience for Liga MX giants Monterrey. Still just 24, he’s struggled to find a home the last few years, but he should fit in nicely on Forge, helping bring some experience to a pretty young backline after the departure of Manjrekar James.
Then, in midfield, a familiar face returned to Hamilton, and that’s Elimane Cissé, as the two-time CPL champion is back at Forge after departing following the 2021 campaign. Having had stints in Morocco and his home country of Senegal since, Cissé is expected to fit right back in where he did before he left, and that’s to be an all-action piece for Forge, one who can play anywhere in midfield and at full back, putting in a shift on both sides of the ball no matter where he’s deployed. 
Lastly, Nana Ampomah is an intriguing addition, as the 28-year-old winger comes to the CPL with over 75 games of Belgian top-flight experience, along with stints in Germany in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga. As a result, it’s expected that Ampomah should immediately fit in with a stacked Forge attack, having generated 22 goals and 13 assists in those stops.
Halifax Wanderers
The Halifax Wanderers were the big surprise in the CPL in 2023, as despite undergoing a big rebuild, they pushed for a top-two spot at the end of the season, only missing out on that by a tiebreaker.
A young team, they’ve done well to add to their group this year, too, giving fans hope that big things could be on the way for the Wanderers this year.
And leading the way at the back is Julian Dunn, as the former Toronto FC returns to the league after a stint on loan with Valour in 2020. Since then, he’s been on a bit of an odyssey, one that saw him head to Norway, but he returns in chase of a fresh start after not playing competitively since 2022 due to a knee injury. Still just 23, he’ll look to tap into the upside that has been there since he was a CPL U21 Player of the Year finalist in that 2020 season, something that he could be set up to do on this Wanderers side.
Then, in midfield, Vitor Dias is one to watch, as he could be a standout piece in the attack for this Wanderers team. A Brazilian attacking midfielder, it’s hoped he can be a potential João Morelli replacement, and he’s certainly got the profile to do so, as he showed when he scored six goals and added three assists for St.Louis City in MLS Next Pro in 2022. Last year didn’t go as well for him as he didn’t make the jump with St.Louis to MLS, leading him to sign with Kansas City’s Next Pro side where he scored just once in 13 games, but he’ll look to re-find his St.Louis form with the Wanderers.
Lastly, Christian Volesky is a big addition up front, as he looks to fill a key hole at striker, where the Wanderers struggled with consistency last year. There, Volesky has a big role to play - the 31-year-old forward has scored 62 goals and added 17 assists in 209 appearances in the USL Championship, which should translate nicely to the CPL, as the Wanderers are hoping for it to.
Pacific FC
It’s been a tough offseason for Pacific, at least in terms of departures, but they’ve done well to bring in some new names to try and fill the holes left behind.
As they push for a fifth straight top-four finish, this isn’t the first time they’ve had to deal with losing key players, so they’ll look to keep their heads down and stay on course in that quest.
If they do that, Aly Ndom is expected to be a key piece for this team, as the 27-year-old can play at both centre back and midfield, with the former being a key area of need. Because of that, don’t be surprised to see Ndom play a big role defensively for this team, as he looks to bring his 92 games of Ligue 2 and 20 games of Ligue 1 experience to the table early on. 
Further up the field, Andrei Tîrcoveanu will look to take the league by storm, as the Romanian attacking midfielder comes with an impressive resume from his time in his home country, where he has over 100 games of professional experience. A creative midfielder, he didn’t get many goal contributions in his time there, sitting with just eight goals and six assists, but he’ll look to play a key role in orchestrating Pacific’s attack from the midfield, allowing their talented forwards to do the rest.
Speaking of the forwards, Reon Moore is hoping to hit the ground running on Vancouver Island, as the Trinidad & Tobago international is looking to bring consistent scoring to a team that had lots of goals last year, but from various sources. Having scored eight times in 25 appearances for T&T, along with experience professionally in T&T and Guatemala, he should fit nicely into this Pacific attack, bringing a reliable threat from the #9 position.
York United
It was a turbulent 2023 season for York, but it finished off on a high note, as they snuck into the playoffs with a spirited late push, before losing to Pacific FC in the first round.
Despite that, there’s optimism that they can build on that, as new owners and key signings have brought some new life to this side.
That starts in goal, where they’ve brought in 30-year-old French goalkeeper Thomas Vincensini, who brings a lot of experience to this York side, having spent time with French clubs like Bastia, Lens and Valenciennes, as well as in Belgium with RE Virton. Across those stints, he’s made a solid 100 appearances, too, including 5 in Ligue 1 and 21 in Ligue 2, showing why he’s expected to be a key leader for York in 2024.
Then, in front of him, there’s a pair of intriguing Canadian internationals to watch, as York have done well to revamp their backline.
First, there’s centre back Frank Sturing, who made two appearances for the CanMNT in 2021. Having spent time in the Netherlands and in Austria, where he’s made most of his 161 appearances in their respective second divisions (although he did have a taste of the Eredivisie in 2016-2017), he brings good experience to York despite being just 26. 
Secondly, there’s right back Juan Cordóva, who much like Sturing, also has two CanMNT caps, but those both came in 2017. He comes with a strong resume from his time in South America, though, where he played 99 games in the Chilean top flight, as well as 15 combined games across the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana, the region’s two premier continental competitions, which will also be seen as valuable experience for York to lean on in their backline.
Atlético Ottawa
If there’s a team that won the CPL offseason, Atlético Ottawa is probably the frontrunner for such an award, as they made some big splashes after missing the playoffs last year. Eager to return to the heights they hit in 2022, where they won the league’s regular season title and made the playoff final, they’ve made some big moves, bringing in several players with key experience.
Because of that, it’s hard just to pick three signings, as there is at least a handful that Ottawa will expect to play big roles.
But if we are to pick three, the perfect place to start is at the back with Amer Didić, who arrives at his third CPL club following strong stints with FC Edmonton and then Pacific FC, where he’s been one of the top centre backs in CPL since year one. Because of that, he’s expected to be a rock at the back for Ottawa, one who can help them in the attack with his passing and heading ability (he scored four goals last year for Pacific), but more importantly he’ll be a huge leader at the back defensively, helping Ottawa return to their usually stingy ways at the back.
In front of him, a familiar face has joined him in Ottawa in Manny Aparicio, who also comes from Pacific, having been a day-one CPLer who also spent time with York United. After three successful years in Pacific, where he won a playoff crown in 2021 and was among the best midfielders in the league each year, he’s expected to be a big piece in Ottawa’s midfield. Known for his excellent work rate on both sides of the ball, he’ll look to shine offensively, having scored 14 goals and added 16 assists in his stints with York and Pacific, but as many saw at Pacific, he can do so much more all over the pitch, be it off the ball with his running or on it with his passing.
Lastly, another big name to watch is a familiar face for Ottawa fans - Matteo de Brienne, who returns to his hometown after a stint with Valour. Fresh off a big 2023 season, where he was named the CPL’s U21 Player of the Year after a three-goal and three-assist showing on last-place Valour, he’s expected to take another big step forward in this stacked Ottawa side. Able to play seemingly everywhere on the pitch, it’ll be intriguing where he fits in this team, but no matter where that is, look for him to bring his relentless work-rate and skilled offensive game to the table.
Vancouver FC
Following a solid expansion season, one where they surpassed expectations with a seventh-placed finish, Vancouver FC’s had a big offseason, as they look to take a big step forward in 2024.
And, interestingly, they’ve gone for a lot of BC talent in that recruitment, which they’ll hope can have huge benefits on and off the field as they push for bigger and better things this season.
One of those BC signings? 2023 CPL standout with York United, Paris Gee, who headlines a rebuilt Vancouver backline, as they look to be a much more solid unit at the back after shipping a league-high 50 goals last year. And the 29-year-old Gee is a perfect piece to help them with that, as he played everywhere across the backline for York in 2023 - right back, left back and centre back, thriving in each role, ending the year as one of the top defenders in the league. Because of that, look for the Vancouver native to thrive in his first professional stint in his home province, bringing his experience to the table there.
Then, sticking at the back, another BC native to keep an eye on is David Norman, who returns to the CPL after stints in England and Ireland in 2023. Having done well in those stints, helping EFL League 2 side Northampton earn promotion at the start of 2023, before winning the Irish Cup with St.Patricks at the end of 2023, he’ll be a key piece at centre back for this Vancouver side. After stints with Pacific FC and Cavalry, he knows this league well and will be pleased to return to his hometown of Vancouver for the first time since 2019. 
Lastly, up front, Moses Dyer is a big addition, as he’ll look to bring some juice to this Vancouver offence. And given his credentials, he’s expected to slot in seamlessly, as he had four goals and six assists in 2023 in the USL Championship with FC Tulsa, after generating 19 goals and seven assists across three years with Valour from 2020 to 2021. Someone who can both score and create for others, he’ll be expected to offer important support to Alejandro Díaz up front, while linking up nicely with the likes of Mikaël Cantave and Gabriel Bitar underneath, which should be some fun partnerships to keep an eye on.
Valour FC
2023 was a year to forget for Valour, as they had their worst finish in club history, earning the Wooden Spoon with a last-place showing.
Because of that, they’re looking to turn things around in 2024. Yet to make the playoffs in their history, despite coming close in 2021 and 2022, they’ll want to show that last year was more of an anomaly, instead of a sign of what could happen again in 2024.
If they’re to prove that, they’ll put a lot of stock in their backline, where they’ve added a lot of CPL experience.
One of those names? Tass Mourdoukoutas, who comes to Winnipeg after spending parts of two seasons with York United, where he made 38 appearances. Also having played 44 games with A-League side Western Sydney beforehand, the 24-year-old Australian will look to bring leadership and experience to the backline, as his fearless defending will lend nicely to what head coach Phil Dos Santos will want out of his defenders.
Then, sticking with the backline, Roberto Alárcon is another one to watch, as he also comes with CPL experience from his time with Cavalry, where he spent two seasons, winning a regular season title last year. Having played 29 games with Cavalry, where he impressed with his smooth ball-playing ability at full back, Alárcon will bring some quality on both sides of the ball out wide for this team, which will be a key need after some of their departures.
Lastly, Shaan Hundal is arguably the team’s most important signing, as he looks to inject life into an offence that scored a league-low 25 goals last year, the only team in the CPL to score less than a goal per game. Given that he scored six goals on a struggling Vancouver offence last year, he’ll be up for the challenge that awaits him in Valour, who did decently well to generate service for their strikers, but didn’t have a consistent finisher to put them away. Seeing that Hundal has scored over 40 goals in stints across USL League 1, USL Championship, MLS Next Pro and the CPL, he’ll look to be a much-needed source of offence for this Valour side, helping them turn things around in 2024. 
