Canadian Premier League

The March FIFA men's international window is upon us, and as usual a handful of Canadian Premier League players are headed around the world to play for a variety of countries. Five current CPLers have earned call-ups to senior or youth national teams, and will represent four different countries.

Vancouver FC added some major firepower to their attack on Monday, as the club announced they've signed French striker Lys Mousset. The 30-year-old centre-forward arrives in Canada with a tremendous resumé, having played five seasons in the English Premier League with Bournemouth and Sheffield United. With 99 appearances in the competition between 2016 and 2021, Mousset has more experience at the world's highest level than any other player in the CPL.

Cavalry FC's backline makeover continued on Monday with the signing of defender Adam Pearlman on loan from Toronto FC. The 20-year-old is naturally a central defender, but can also play as a right full-back. The latter position is where he played much of last season on loan with the Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League.

It's the penultimate week of the CPL off-season, and thus the penultimate week of CPL Headlines. This week was a particularly busy one on the East Coast, where both the Halifax Wanderers and FC Supra du Québec made big additions to their respective squads.

At times, the Canadian Premier League off-season feels incredibly long. For Pacific FC, that suited them just fine. Following a disappointing 2025 season, where they missed the playoffs for the first time since the league's inaugural year, it was a chance to reflect, in some cases heal, and return refreshed for this year's pre-season.

The Halifax Wanderers have signed Canadian U-21 goalkeeper Sinclair Astridge to a contract for the 2026 Canadian Premier League season with club options for 2027 and 2028. Astridge, 20, joins the Wanderers from Halifax-based Dalhousie University, backstopping the Tigers to an AUS Championship in 2025. He’s earned back-to-back AUS First-Team All-Star selections in 2024 and 2025 and led all goalkeepers in save percentage in 2024. He signed a CPL-U SPORTS contract with Halifax in the 2025 CPL season.

Another CPL alumnus is headed for the international stage. Jesse Marsch has unveiled his Canadian men's national team squad for a pair of upcoming friendlies in Toronto, and this time the group includes former Cavalry FC striker Aribim Pepple. Pepple, 23, has been enjoying a remarkable run of form in England with League One side Plymouth Argyle, scoring 11 goals in 17 games since the beginning of 2026. It was in the Canadian Premier League, however, where Pepple's professional journey began.

It was a truly unforgettable night. The 2025 CPL final, contested on the snow-covered pitch at TD Place, went viral around the world. On July 4, for the first time since that epic night, Atlético Ottawa and Cavalry FC face off again in the nation's capital. Adding to the drama, the match marks the return of former Atlético Ottawa captain Nathan Ingham to TD Place for the first time since he hoisted the trophy.

For Inter Toronto, their new identity comes with new expectations. In 2025, with a rookie head coach and 14 new players — many of whom had returned home to play in Toronto — the club (then known as York United FC) established a strong foundation. They made the playoffs for a second consecutive season and won a road playoff game for the first time in club history.

Everybody on Forge FC's current roster is older than he is, but Zayne Bruno doesn’t pay much attention to that. "Yeah, I’m young, but you can only be young for so long," the 19-year-old Forge midfielder says bluntly. As the Hammers press down a little harder every day as they approach their April 4 CPL season opener against reigning champion Atlético Ottawa, Bruno is fully aware that 2026 can be absolutely pivotal to his soccer career. “I think it’s going to be a big year for me,” he says.