8 CPL Thoughts: Atlético Ottawa's rebuild, Vanni Sartini's choice and more

I can't speak for the rest of Canada but winter — and therefore the off-season — is certainly well underway in Nova Scotia. The lobster boats, visible from my front porch, shine with ice as they putter into port. The sidewalks are slick in the mornings, posing a particular challenge as I, like Sir David Beckham before me, have broken my fifth metatarsal and scurry like Bambi on crutches between my front door and car each morning. It's -3° in Lunenburg but feels like -9° with wind chill and I'm unironically wearing cable knit sweaters on a near daily basis.

But the most obvious sign we're in the off-season is that most of the Canadian Premier League's eight clubs (please take a moment to remember our dear friends from Valour FC here) have issued vapid roster updates, telling supporters what they already know without telling them anything new. It's better than a few years ago. Inter Toronto (see: York United FC, see also: York9 FC) deserves praise, in particular, for actually having made some moves leading up to their announcement. But hardcore fans will feel cheated by empty-signifiers like: "The club is currently in negotiations regarding both contract extensions and new additions."

Or, another classic bit of public relations: "The club is actively identifying and pursuing a few key additions, players who bring not only quality on the pitch, but also strong character, leadership, and experience."

Why only a few key additions?

Neither of the above statements tell readers much about which players clubs are pursuing or negotiating with. And time is precious for some clubs as Forge FC, Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver FC are only weeks away from opening training camps, their Concacaf Champions Cup ties booked for early February. The off-season, and by extension transfer news, is well underway.

So, without further ado, welcome to 8 CPL Thoughts, the column where I round up the news and tidbits I'm hearing across the league as we count down the end of 2025. Thank you for reading.

Veteran Atlético Ottawa players departing, weighing options

It felt like a storybook ending for Atlético Ottawa and their supporters as they hoisted the North Star Cup following a match that was seen by a billion people around the world. It still feels surreal.

The consequences of that success is that Atlético Ottawa's players are in demand or, for veteran players like goalkeeper Nathan Ingham or defender Amer Didić, taking time to consider their career options having proven their worth on a championship squad. The club confirmed the departures of Sam Salter, Kévin dos Santos, Monty Patterson, Antonio Álvarez, Kevin Ortega, David Rodríguez and Alberto Zapater.

As I reported last week, Ingham is exploring his options. I'm told the 32-year old 'keeper is well into discussions with Cavalry FC following the news that long-time captain Marco Carducci is leaving the Calgary-based club. Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, explained Ingham has personal reasons for seeking a move west. Interestingly, Atlético Ottawa didn't include him on their list of departing players and there's no doubt if things don't work out with Cavalry, he'd be welcomed back with open arms. Sources said the club wanted to re-sign Ingham but understood his wishes to explore his options.

There are other question marks. Manny Aparicio is on a club option and I'm told to expect him back in Ottawa. Didić, on the other hand, is out of contract. The towering defender considered retirement when his contract ran out at Pacific FC but proved in his ensuing deal with Atlético Ottawa that he remains an excellent defender and leader. A fractured right leg stole his 2025 season but that hasn't stopped nearly every club in the league, sources noted, from putting offers on the table.

It's important to also highlight the loss of experience with Zapater hanging up his boots. As I wrote for OneSoccer in November, the Spaniard had a career worthy of film and brought a resumé unlike any we've seen in the CPL. Add in the departures of Salter and Rodríguez and you begin to understand the scale of rebuild on Atlético Ottawa CEO Manuel Vega's hands. It'll be a very different squad that takes to Hamilton Stadium in February (Atlético Ottawa had to move their fixture against Nashville FC to Hamilton as a result of renovations at TD Place).

One of my biggest questions: where will the goals come from?

But wait, it gets worse (or better?), ATO supporters!

You thought I was done waxing poetic on everything Atléti? Think again.

As noted earlier, and reported for OneSoccer in November, several of Atlético Ottawa's young players are drawing interest from around the world.

"Sources tell OneSoccer that Abatneh’s season, which included nominations for Defender of the Year and Best Canadian U-21 Player, has earned interest from MLS sides Atlanta United FC and CF Montréal. Overseas, League Two’s Salford City FC are also eyeing the young centre-back. (Gabriel) Antinoro’s also impressed as one of Mejía’s wing-backs, earning an expression of interest from Toronto FC. And sources noted Kozlovskiy, who played 1,556 minutes as a 17-year old, has admirers in MLS and Europe as he represents Canada for the U-17 World Cup," reads the piece.

It's one thing for clubs to be interested but it's another for them to pony up the cash to actually make a deal happen. Given the huge amount of change to the squad already, I don't expect Atlético Ottawa to sell the farm this off-season. They need some stability.

However, of the several young players of interest, Abatneh remains the most likely to move. There's an acknowledgement of the player's desire to explore a higher level, similar to Matteo de Brienne a year earlier, and he continues to garner serious interest from MLS and U.K.-based clubs. The next few weeks will prove pivotal in Abatneh's future.

The good news for Atlético Ottawa is they have control as they announced they've exercised Abatneh's contract option earlier this week, ensuring any move would net them a transfer fee.

One last note on the young guns: you can add Loïc Cloutier to the list of players with admirers in Europe. His first professional season opened a lot of eyes so it'll be interesting to see how he performs in a much changed squad. At the CPL level, buying clubs are looking for players to prove consistency over the course of multiple seasons.

Fledgling Vancouver FC lands Mexico's Cruz Azul

The story just keeps getting better for Vancouver FC as they drew 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup winners Cruz Azul in this week's tournament draw. Not only will the Eagles face one of the biggest teams in Mexico but they'll also have the honour of hosting at Willoughby Stadium in front of their fans.

There are, of course, worries about Vancouver FC being embarrassed given they finished last in the CPL last year. They won four meagre matches in league play. But they seemed to use their Canadian Championship magic, as I reported for The Athletic this week, to finally create some momentum going into 2026.

And like Atlético Ottawa, there's plenty of young talent that's attracting interest from abroad.

"(Rob Friend) explains that Vancouver FC aims to foster, develop and sell on the best Canadian talent. They sold 16-year old Grady McDonnell to Club Brugge last year for the second-highest transfer fee (€350,000) in CPL history. And some of the Eagles’ brightest players from this season are currently garnering transfer interest, including (Matteo) Campagna, (Thierno) Bah and 17-year old Emrick Fotsing, all of whom impressed this season, Friend said. Sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly, confirmed to The Athletic that all three players had interest, mostly from Europe," reads the piece.

The Eagles are in a similar situation as Atlético Ottawa in that they want to be competitive in Champions Cup. Good performances in the tournament, as witnessed during their brave 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps, could go a long way in helping the club to gain more traction in a competitive sports market.

Friend has long been bullish on Fotsing, telling HFX Football Post in April that the 18-year old would be the club's next big sale.

The question is: when is the right time to sell talent? If they decide to sell Fotsing, I don't expect it to be until after the second leg of their tie against Cruz Azul, scheduled for February 12.

On recruiting young players and parsing returning Eagles

Vancouver FC has made it clear they're all about developing and selling young players. After recruiting an all-B.C. boys squad in 2024, similar to what FC Supra du Québec is proposing (more on that later), they've pivoted and are advertising themselves as a platform for young players to make the professional jump.

This is perhaps best exemplified by McDonnell, who was lured from the Whitecaps academy with the promise of professional minutes. Given he's now in Europe, the strategy obviously worked for both sides. CPL clubs as a whole have done a decent job of marketing themselves to young players; it's that exact same sort of promise which lured Kozlovskiy from CF Montréal and caused a bidding war between the Eagles and Atlético Ottawa (we know who won). There are several other examples of this across the league.

Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs are starting to smarten up. Sources said several CPL clubs were interested in a number of players representing Canada for the U-17 World Cup. Defender Josh Duc-Nteziryayo was one player who was mentioned to me several times. CF Montréal, however, got wind of the swooning and interjected for the save.

But it's important to recognize Vancouver FC will need more than youngsters to compete in three competitions this year. They have only nine players currently signed, meaning they have a minimum of 14 they need to ink over the next few weeks. Signing veteran talent will be crucial to insulating their younger players.

As I reported for HFX Football Post this week, defender Paris Gee is set to ink a new two-year deal. The club also has options on José Navarro, Abdoulaye Ouattara, Juan Batista, Okunle Dada-Luke, Tyler Crawford and Nicolás Mezquida. I expect at least some of these players will return but believe Mezquida to be the most important given his leadership and technical ability on the pitch. Finding a few more players like the Uruguayan would go a long way in helping leaders like Callum Irving and Gee in building a winning culture for a club that's mostly only known losing.

Sartini talks pasta alla norma, lessons and Whitecaps

The Halifax Wanderers got their man in Vanni Sartini; he's arguably the most high profile recruitment in CPL history.

The club held a press conference at their Sackville Street offices in Halifax on Wednesday, ushering in a new era with former Whitecaps head coach Sartini choosing the Wanderers over potential Canada Soccer, MLS and European opportunities. The fact that the appointment had been reported by OneSoccer's Jordan Wilson a day earlier only added to the interest as a dozen reporters — including CBC, CTV, Global, Radio-Canada and several print and radio outlets— gathered to hear from the 49-year old Italian.

As I wrote for HFX Football Post this week, Sartini's signing was a statement of intention by the club and particularly club founder and president Derek Martin.

"Obviously, when I started this process, I had an ambition to get a coach in here that would take us to another level. We've had some great people leading the club to this point but to bring in someone like Vanni that has professional experience in a league higher than ours, who has a winning record during that time in the professional ranks and plays a very aggressive, attractive style to watch, he really checked off all the boxes we were looking for," Martin told reporters.

"Now the hard work begins to put a club together and a team together that can go and win."

Expectations are high as Sartini looks to transform a club which has a lot going for it but nothing in its trophy cabinet. Silverware is the goal, be it the North Star Cup, CPL Shield or Voyageurs Cup.

I had the chance to sit down with Sartini shortly after the press conference to discuss how — after a year without a club — he's changed his coaching views and will look to avoid the mistakes he made with the Whitecaps.

“In 2025, it doesn’t make sense if someone comes to you and says: ‘This is my football, this is my style.’ It doesn’t make sense. I think you need to be able to play a different style, have a different methodology sometimes, mix it up, in order not to become stale. Every team needs to change a little bit,” said Sartini of his new philosophy.

Sartini and the Wanderers agreed to a three-year deal, giving both sides a long runway to achieve their goals. You can read the full story here.

Roster clarity and playing catch up, East Coast-style

The Wanderers did a good job keeping their plans (mostly) under wraps. It's part of the reason Sartini's recruitment has gotten so much coverage; he's a household name in the Canadian football sphere, not to mention in the United States and parts of Europe. He got two calls from Italian media during our interview alone requesting comments. He's a big fish.

The downside, of course, of waiting so long to announce a new head coach is that the club is weeks, if not months, behind in recruitment and decision making. As I reported following the Wanderers' playoff exit to York United FC (er, Inter Toronto), all of the players under options left Halifax uncertain about their futures. Patrice Gheisar's dismissal came 48 hours after the loss and didn't allow for the traditional exit interviews that come at the end of each season between player and coach. This makes sense given Gheisar was out but the fact that it took until December 10 to hire a replacement means they've spent a lot of time.

Martin noted the club's leadership had been in talks with some free agents they deemed "any coach would want." However, that's not the same as knowing a coach's style and how they wish to build their squad.

Sartini noted decisions will be made on the Wanderers' players on options in the next few weeks, which includes Julian Dunn, Jefferson Alphonse, Nassim Mekidèche, Rayane Yesli, Reshaun Walkes, Luka Juricic, Camilo Vasconcelos and Kareem Sow. He did note that players like Sow and Alphonse were the types of young players who could fit what he's trying to build. I expect both of them to have their options picked up.

Although Sartini said it's too early to commit to running a back three or back four, his comments, not to mention his history with the Whitecaps, indicate he's likely to opt for three at the back. That means he'll be looking for centre-back depth (currently only stalwart Thomas Meilleur-Giguère is under contract) and pace along the wings. Unless they sell reigning Best Canadian U-21 Player Tiago Coimbra, they're likely set at striker with Ryan Telfer and Tavio Ciccarelli on the books. Sartini noted in an appearance on Down the Pub Podcast that Coimbra continues to draw interest.

One of the obvious places to look for recruitment is at the Whitecaps. The Vancouver-based club recently announced that promising players like defender Mark O'Neill (an American recruited after Sartini was fired but who he would be familiar with) and striker Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (a Canadian signed to a first-team contract under Sartini's watch) had their options declined. Could they be a fit with the Wanderers? It'll be interesting to see what the next few weeks bring.

FC Supra commit to local recruitment through trials

FC Supra announced their first official signings in club history on Wednesday as they unveiled David Choinière, Loïc Kwemi and Sean Rea. All three have quality and are a promising start from which to build a squad. Their recruitment was well reported by Québec-based journalists Nilton Jorge and Maxime Truman ahead of the announcement.

"David, Sean, and Loïc embody the ambition, creativity, and competitive spirit that will define our club," said club president and co-founder Rocco Placentino of the signings. "Bringing in this caliber of homegrown players strengthens FC Supra’s identity and represents an important moment for the club and for soccer in our province.”

Sources said FC Supra continue to have conversation with professional Québec-born players that've played in the CPL or find themselves overseas. The club remains committed and is well underway to providing a platform for the province's players, bridging the gap in the pyramid between Ligue1 Québec and CF Montréal.

One of the ways they intend to emulate the Athletic Bilbao model is through trials. FC Supra staff have already visited eight different local clubs as part of a tour meant to profile Ligue1 Québec talent. They've scouted 380 players through club visits and are set to have at least two more during and after the holiday season. From there, they'll take between 80 to 90 players for a second trial and whittle it down to players worthy of contracts.

It was stressed to me that a big advantage, aside from providing a pathway, in recruiting local is the fact that most will be able to live at home or with family and friends. This cuts costs as things like housing count towards the salary cap and allows clubs to allocate that money towards salaries versus accommodations. Inter Toronto's ownership also identified this when they joined the club.

One note about Rea: joining FC Supra was a surprise to many. As recently as October, during an interview for OneSoccer, he told me he was interested in a high level. He's certainly got the talent. My guess is the market isn't what he expected so he opted for a guaranteed contract.

The CPL goalie carousel is going to be fun to watch

The Northern Tribune published a fantastic piece on Friday highlighting the fact that only Pacific FC (Sean Melvin) and Vancouver FC (Irving) have starting 'keepers signed.

Every other club is in the market for someone between the sticks.

As noted above, the jury is still out on Ingham's future. I've heard several rumours as to Carducci's intentions but nothing concrete enough to comment on at this time. Forge confirmed both Jassem Koleilat and Chris Kalongo, who some feel has untapped potential, are out of contract. Inter Toronto brought in Diego Urtiaga on loan last year. The Wanderers, of course, still need to decide on Yesli, with the possibility of the lighthouse-sized 'keeper heading to FC Supra should he become available. I reported for HFX Football Post on Friday that former Valour FC goalkeeper Eleias Himaras has received interest from Forge, Atlético Ottawa and Inter Toronto.

Simply put: every club is talking to multiple 'keepers, some (see Champions Cup participants) with greater urgency than others.

Martin said Christmas came early for the Wanderers in the form of Sartini. It's safe to say most clubs will be happy to get their rosters figured out, including who'll tend goal, before the New Year. As one of my favourite journalists like to say, we're very much in silly season.

Editor's Note: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone whose taken the time to have a conversation, like a post or read one of my articles this year. It's been a fun adventure translating what started out as a small side project into real work, with bylines across The Ahtletic, OneSoccer and CanPL.ca in the last few months. I hope there's more to come but until then, happy holidays to you and yours.

-JH

Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League