8 CPL Thoughts: Christmas comes early for Atlético Ottawa, Woobens Pacius departs Forge and York United announces first moves under new ownership

Although Christmas morning is still a day away, a number of CPL clubs are already gleefully unwrapping the presents under their tree.

But not all clubs are alike this time of year.

Some are certainly in the giving spirit and, be it Valour FC or Atlético Ottawa, are slinging out roster news like an overserved Father Christmas. It might not be exactly what you wanted (apologies, Valour fans) but you still got to open something new in the form of Shaan Hundaal, Jordan Faria, Roberto Alarcón and Zachary Sukunda.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the more reserved clubs. If they were parents, they'd be the ones who believe in delayed gratification and space out your gifts weeks at a time. Responsible? Sure.

But not as much fun.

They have news, and signings, too, but you'll not open them this year. In fact, the Halifax Wanderers have announced that they won't start handing out their gifts until Jan. 31, 2024. You can include Forge FC, Pacific and Vancouver into this group of cottonheaded ninnymuggings who are keeping their business quiet. And yes, I watched Elf recently.

All joking aside, it's been an exciting few weeks for CPL fans with news aplenty. There's been a lot to keep track of and still more to come. So, without further ado, here's what I'm hearing across the league as we count down the final days of 2023 and head into the New Year.

8 CPL Thoughts

1. It felt inevitable. Valour made their roster announcement at 2:07 p.m. Atlantic time, letting the world know CPL U-21 Player of the Year and rising star Matteo de Brienne had declined to sign another contract. By evening, Atlético Ottawa had put out a note that they had a special signing to announce; the rest, as they say, is history. But how did Valour get to this position? We know de Brienne grew into himself over two seasons with the Winnipeg-based club; we know head coach Phillip Dos Santos wanted him back; we know the club made a "substantial" offer. Going as far back as Nov. 22, a Valour roster update stated de Brienne was one of the players still negotiating with the club. In the meantime, Valour made several moves which had started to change the narrative following their dismal finish to the season. Somehow, all of that feels undone with the stroke of a pen. The truth is, despite all the positive moves coming out of Winnipeg, de Brienne believed more in Atlético Ottawa's project. I do think de Brienne and his agent gave Valour time to make their pitch in terms of both a contract and their vision for the future but opted for a return to his hometown. I don't know when he told Valour of his decision but again, I think he gave them notice — enough, certainly, for Atléti to put together a comprehensive marketing package.  Understandably, his departure has hurt Valour; their good work in recent weeks has been muddied by the dual departures of de Brienne and Diego Gutierrez. In the aftermath of the negotiations, Valour has been quiet. I sent multiple requests asking for more details from the club but have yet to hear back. Atlético Ottawa politely declined to comment on the process. I can only hope Valour stays true to Dos Santos' comments following the news: "In any team nobody is irreplaceable. Nobody. We have put ourselves in a good spot with our latest additions and we believe we’re going to be a team that is extremely competitive." The league needs Valour to be competitive.
2. Enter José Escalante. As first reported by True North Foot, Escalante and his camp are in talks to sign with Valour following the conclusion of his loan at Honduran side FC Motagua. The only wrinkle is Escalante will still technically be under contract with Cavalry until the end of the 2024 season. Given the confusion around Escalante's original loan to Motagua back in the summer, the news has left some surprised he'd return to Canada given it was widely reported he requested the move to be closer to family. Having said that, the move makes sense for Valour as Escalante can play as a wing-back, left-back or winger — filling the void left by de Brienne. At this time, we don't know if it would be a permanent move to Valour or a loan deal. One thing I do know for sure is that Cavalry was not impressed by how things played out publicly last time; I expect we won't hear anything on this file until the ink is dry.
3. I've mentioned it before on the Healey & Bailey Notebook (my new podcast with friend and colleague Mitchell Bailey) but Forge isn't built like most clubs. Led by the unshakeable Bobby Smyrniotis and moving down, every move the club makes has an exactness to it. That's why I was so surprised when Canadian footy icon Patrice Bernier broke the news Woobens Pacius was headed to MLS. Now, I wasn't surprised Pacius had offers — he's been excellent through two CPL campaigns and is only 22-years old — but expected to hear something from the club first. As his contract had expired, Pacius was free to negotiate with any club he wanted but Forge only made his departure official this Friday with their roster update which will see them retain a whopping 15 players for next year. I've been told if Pacius' deal to Nashville SC isn't already done, it will be soon. I'd expect an announcement early in the new year.
4. Speaking about surprises, York United's first roster announcement under new ownership saw the departure of seasoned midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé. It was first reported by John Jacques of Northern Tribune that Gagnon-Laparé and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract and I have also since confirmed this. As per sources, this wasn't something that was sprung on the club but rather the culmination of discussions throughout the off-season. This was a cordial split, as far as divorces go. Sources have also confirmed Gagnon-Laparé has already signed another deal in the CPL, keeping him in Canada for at least one more season. I haven't been told where he's signed but I'm sure we'll know before long.
5. I previously reported multiple CPL clubs are interested in signing midfielder Manny Aparicio. Since my report on Dec. 15, which noted interest from MLS clubs and contract offers which would make him the highest paid player in the CPL, more news has broken. In addition to the Halifax Wanderers, True North Foot learned through sources that Cavalry and Atlético Ottawa were also interested in signing the 28-year old midfielder. I've previously mentioned Aparicio's preference would be to move to an MLS side to prove his mettle; if he gets a contract offer, he's going to take it. Having said that, if he does return to the CPL, he'll have the ability to pick where he wants to play. I know there are a few more clubs interested and although I don't have this perfectly pinned down, I wouldn't be surprised if York United was also in the mix to bring Aparicio back for a second stint. I do think the Wanderers are near the top of Aparicio's list should he come back to the CPL but there's still a lot of variables to sort out before that happens.
6. The Halifax Wanderers released their final roster update this week, triggering options for midfielder Aidan Daniels, full-back Riley Ferrazzo and centre-back Cale Loughrey. They opted to release seven players, including former CanMNT defender Doneil Henry. All in all, I don't think anyone who follows the club was surprised by the announcements; in fact, it had been known for a long time that players like Théo Collomb weren't going to be back. What I will say is the losses of Mo Omar, Fumpa Mwandwe and Cristian Campagna from the roster feel like a final turning of the page from the club's disastrous 2022 campaign. Only Andre Rampersad, Aidan Daniels and Zachary Fernandez (who is still garnering interest, by the way) remain from before head coach Patrice Gheisar's time.
7. This is just a little thing but I managed to catch most of the CPL U-Sports Draft. As was predicted, most clubs drafted from local schools and players they knew through their football networks. Having said that, this was the third time in six years that a Cape Breton Caper went first overall, the honour going to Newfoundland and Labrador's Owen Sheppard. The Wanderers ended up drafting two players from Atlantic University Sports (AUS) programs in Daniel Clarke and Max Bodurtha. Although the format needs some work (I personally thought Adam Jenkins did a fantastic job) I was really touched by a video the Wanderers released of Clarke watching the draft with his family that would warm even the Grinch's heart. It did a good job of showing how much these opportunities mean to players who might not have access to a professional pathway otherwise.
8. Last one for 2024: I saw some discourse online about the league raising the salary cap. I checked in and confirmed that the salary cap has not been raised; it remains at the same level approved by the CPL's Board of Governor's last November. The minimum spend is $750,000 and the maximum $1,125,000.

Happy holidays.

-JH

Photo Credit: Atlético Ottawa