8 CPL Thoughts: Amer Didic is back on the market, a surprise cap increase, Forge roster news and more

Conventional wisdom says it's best to avoid sex, money, politics and religion in polite conversation but CPL fans might as well add the salary cap to that list.

We're one month out from the start of what is shaping up to be the most exciting season in the league's short but bright history. It's been an off-season of exciting transfers, Champions Cup stories and optimism.

But supporters of every stripe — aside from those in the nation's capital — aren't exactly thrilled.

Almost every big name player has been linked to Atlético Ottawa at some point this off-season, causing accusations of cap circumvention to run rampant from Victoria to Halifax. The pitchforks are decidedly out. Working quietly in the background, the league released an update to its roster rules this week, clarifying and removing regulations around international roster spots and U Sports contracts. They also increased the salary cap, which we'll get into later.

But until the two operations manuals which govern the CPL's rules and regulations are made public (and I think they will at some point), there won't be peace in footy land; transparency starts with the league and should trickle down to the clubs. Judging from the reactions I've seen, fans are engaged and interested in having more information and doing away with the veil which has caused so much strife this off-season will only improve the discourse.

It's up to the league to decide if they want to share more information.

Oh, and welcome to 8 CPL Thoughts, the column where I round up the news I'm hearing across the league.

8 CPL Thoughts

1. Didic transfer woes

Let's start with a bit of a palate cleanser, eh?

It was reported in February by both TrueNorthFoot and OneSoccer's Josh Deming that former Pacific defender Amer Didic was headed to Norway's first division following an exceptional five-years in the CPL. At 29-years old, the time seemed right for the towering defender to make a move to Europe despite interest from several clubs in the CPL. TrueNorthFoot previously reported Forge, Atlético Ottawa and the Halifax Wanderers were vying for his services.

However, I'm told by sources Didic is back in Canada and on the hunt for a new club. Although the exact details weren't disclosed, I'm told there were complications at the Eliteserien club he had signed for and the deal fell apart. He still has aspirations of heading to Europe this year but with the transfer window closed throughout much of the continent, his options are limited. Norway could still be in the cards given their window remains open until April 3 but if he isn't able to secure a move abroad, both the CPL and MLS windows close on April 24 meaning Didic could — after a lot of heartache — still find himself back in North America.

The question is where will he land? Rumours are already flying around Atlético Ottawa have locked him up but I've been unable to confirm anything at this time.

2. The salary cap increases, sort of

To bring things back around, I checked in with the league a couple times this off-season to ask about the salary cap. Be it in October or as recently as March 3, when I published my piece on the league's cap regulations, I had been told to expect a flat cap.

As some background, the CPL announced an increase to its player salary cap ahead of the 2023 season. Under these regulations, the player total compensation budget — which is separate from the technical staff budget — rose from $950,000 to $1,125,000. The cap floor was set at $750,000.

Exactly 10 days later, the league announced they've decided to increase the cap by 8 per cent, sort of. The league said it will increase each club's player total compensation budget to $1,212,500 (a $87,500 increase) in 2024 while maintaining the minimum spend of $750,000 but there are stipulations. Looking at their website, clubs only get the extra cap space for players if the club implements the U-21 player incentive. This incentive allows clubs to essentially only have half of U-21 players' salaries count towards the cap to a maximum benefit of $100,000. There's some nuance here but the idea is, as I understand it, clubs are incentivized to invest in talented U-21 players so as to get a little extra wiggle room for the rest of their roster.

Overall, this is a good idea. It rewards clubs for investing in Canadian talent and frees up cash for older players looking to make a living from the sport they love. The only issue I have is that this all seemed to happen rather quickly; were clubs given the chance to plan with these new rules in place? I certainly hope so.

A more detailed dive into the cap and how it is monitored is available here.

3. More roster news

The same release also provided some clarity on how clubs can construct their developmental roster.

Clubs can now feature a maximum of two Exceptional Young Talent players, three U Sports players and four developmental players, effectively giving them 32 roster spots to play with. Each club must continue to include a minimum of two goalkeepers on their primary roster but through these changes, clubs like the Halifax Wanderers are already exploring the chance to have three keepers on their roster. In a nutshell, it provides more opportunities for young footballers to train and get some matches with professional clubs.

The league also announced there won't be any age limits on international roster spots. Each club is allowed to include seven internationals on their squad.

4. Forge weighing their keeper options

I had previously been told that Forge had a new keeper at their training camp leading up to their CONCACAF Champions Cup matches. There's obviously a lot of factors at play here given star goalkeeper Triston Henry's refusal to report to camp but Forge ultimately opted to start 22-year old Christopher Kalongo in both matches. Youngster Dino Bontis and Czech keeper Jassem Koleitat were also included on the club's Champions Cup roster, both signed on short term contracts.

I'm told the club was impressed with Kalongo's performances against Chivas but the club is keeping their options open. At this time, Kalongo only has five matches under his belt in the CPL and the club is still trying to navigate the dispute with Henry; having another quality keeper to push or split time with Kalongo would be ideal.

Forge announced they're back at training this week following a break. All players on their CONCACAF roster are in the training camp roster — including Bontis and Koleitat — but not necessarily signed. It'll be interesting to see if Forge decides to give the reigns to Kalongo or brings in a veteran keeper to take the number one shirt.

5. A change in mentality for the North Star Cup winners

Just a small note but it's been an unusual off-season for Forge.

In addition to the Henry dispute, the club also sold star centre-back Manjrekar James to Costa Rican club L.D. Alajuelense and said goodbye to solid players in Aboubacar Sissoko and Rezart Rama. For the first time in the league's existence, it's easy to imagine Forge in a real fight just to make the playoffs given key additions to clubs like Cavalry, Atlético Ottawa and the Wanderers.

Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson was almost on the list of departing Forge players but after some reflection, opted to return on a multi-year deal. Speaking on the Forge Audio Network this week, the former CPL Defender of the Year highlighted how the club needs to change their mentality ahead of this season.

"The last two years, even though we had a good 2022 season, we felt a bit entitled which I do not like at all. We are not owed anything because we've won as many championships as we have. We still got to have the hunger," he said.

"Everyone wants to beat us. We won four out of five years so nobody wants to see us lift another trophy and sometimes I feel like we assume we're good enough to win so we don't have to put in 100 per cent effort and are left standing there wondering why isn't this working."

Forge may have won the North Star Cup last year but it sounds like this off-season has been one of reflection for Achinioti-Jönsson and his teammates. Time will tell if the champions have it in them to battle for another title.

6. De Rosario headed South?

Journalist Jeremiah Oshan, the editor of Sounder At Heart, reported this week that the Tacoma Defiance are close to signing striker Osaze De Rosario. The Defiance are affiliated with the Seattle Sounders.

De Rosario, who has tallied 18 goals and six assists over two seasons with York United, is currently under contract with the Nine Stripes and could be the first player sold under the ownership of Game Plan Sports, who bought the club this off-season. De Rosario originally broke into the CPL with an impressive 12 goals in his first campaign, earning him a CPL U-21 Player of the Year nomination in 2022 but struggled through last year.

If the transfer goes through, York United are expected to pick up a transfer fee.

7. Come Home Year for B.C. boys

I don't think this is necessarily a thing in the rest of Canada but in Newfoundland and Labrador, the province picks a year for their diaspora to return to the rocky shores of their birth. This is always celebrated as a Come Home Year.

Well, its certainly felt like a Come Home Year for Vancouver FC as they announced the signing of Zach Verhoven to a one-year contract (plus an option), making him the latest B.C. boy in a long list to make his way home. Verhoven is the 10th metro Vancouver born player to join the roster. Paris Gee, David Norman Jr. and Ben Fisk are just some of the other names to sign for their hometown club this off-season.

It's hard not to admire Vancouver FC's recruitment and their prioritization of local players. Although they avoided the dreaded Wooden Spoon, last year was a miss overall in the squad building department but things look a lot more promising going into 2024. A full year of a healthy Kadin Chung should help a lot.

8. Halifax Wanderers kit launch

As many of you know, I'm based in Nova Scotia and mainly cover the Wanderers beat throughout the regular season. Last week, the club held their annual kit launch event on a dreary and rain-spattered Tuesday night. Over 500 supporters turned up, clad in Wanderers blue and grey, for the chance to socialize and cast an eyeball on the club's new threads. To say it was a success is an understatement.

Overall, I think the event is emblematic of the culture the Wanderers have been able to build in their community; people turn up regardless of the weather or if they have a crappy day at work. The club has become more than the players on the pitch: they're part of Nova Scotia. It's been a cool phenomenon to watch happen in real time.

Cover Photo Credit: Canadian Premier League