It's safe to say last week was a monumental one for the Canadian Premier League.
The league unveiled a bold new identity while looking to further align the Canadian soccer pathway.
FC Supra du Québec, meanwhile, unveiled their inaugural kit, which also happened to be the first in the new partnership between the CPL and hummel. Forge, Vancouver FC and Atlético Ottawa have since followed suit, with more coming very soon.
Amid all of that, it may have been easy to miss one of the many significant signings that were made this past week across the league, particularly on the East Coast, where both Forge and Halifax continue to reshape their squads.
Here are the biggest stories from around the CPL this past week:
Forge add international experience ahead of Concacaf run
Kicking off the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup on Tuesday, it was a busy weekend of signings for Forge FC, who made some big additions ahead of the continental competition.
First and foremost, the club answered one of its biggest off-season question marks, bringing in DR Congo men's national team goalkeeper Dimitry Bertaud. The 27-year-old joins the club having played his entire pro career with his hometown club, Montpellier, in France's Ligue1 making 49 appearances in all competitions. He also has 15 caps for the Congolese national team, and was in their squad for the recent African Cup of Nations.
With 2025 CPL Golden Glove winner Jassem Koleilat still a free agent, Bertaud provides a strong option between the sticks ahead of Forge's clash with Tigres.
Forge further strengthened their backline with the signing of 30-year-old central defender Antoine Batisse. The Frenchman, who can also play as a holding midfielder, has over 100 games of experience in France's Ligue 2 between Chamois Niortais, Quevilly-Rouen and Pau FC. He most recently played for FK IMT in the Serbian top flight.
One more bit of domestic business done by Forge FC this week is also worth noting. They signed 19-year-old attacker Kevaughn Tavernier to his first professional contract on Friday. A Canadian youth international, Tavernier scored against Chivas Guadalajara in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup while on a Development Contract with Forge.
Halifax say goodbye to Coimbra, as Sartini's Whitecaps connections come in handy
The Canadian Premier League's reigning Best Canadian U-21 Player is off on his next adventure.
The Halifax Wanderers announced on Saturday the transfer of 22-year-old striker Tiago Coimbra to Swedish top-flight club IFK Göteborg for a club-record fee.
Following a season in which he scored 13 goals in all competitions and recently earned his first call-up for the senior Canadian men's national team, Coimbra is the latest CPL star to head to the Allsvenskan.
While his move will be bittersweet for Wanderers' supporters, it was still an exciting week for the club on the signing front. On Wednesday, the Wanderers signed 28-year-old Canadian international full-back Marcus Godinho.
From Toronto, Godinho broke through professionally in the Scottish Premiership with Hearts, and most recently played in the Polish top division with Korona Kielce. He also previously played under Vanni Sartini with the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he won a Canadian Championship in 2022. He has five appearances for CanMNT.
Sartini's Caps connections also led to the signing of 18-year-old defender Franceso Troisi. The young full-back spent this past season with Simon Fraser University in NCAA following multiple years in the Whitecaps academy.
Vancouver FC add local talents Proctor, de Souza before Champions Cup
The Eagles shored up their Concacaf squad this week by adding a pair of local youngsters to their roster.
Goalkeeper Matheus de Souza, 20, has been signed to a CPL-U SPORTS contract after being selected fifth overall in this year's draft.
Kian Proctor, meanwhile, is a 20-year-old attacker who spent the past few seasons with Simon Fraser University in the NCAA, while also playing for TSS Rovers in League1 BC and in last year's Canadian Championship.
Pacific re-sign homegrown midfielder Mattias Vales
The Tridents locked up another local talent this week, with the signing of 17-year-old Mattias Vales to an Exceptional Young Talent contract.
Vales, a native of Vitoria, signed a development contract for the Tridents last season, having worked his way through the club's Pacific FC academy system. He made six appearances during the 2025 campaign.
CPL champ Brett Levis announces his retirement
After a professional career that spanned over a decade, 32-year-old full-back Brett Levis is hanging up his boots as a Canadian Premier League champion.
Levis, from Regina, Sask., appeared just sparingly in his final season in the nation's capital, largely due to injury. But he had an impressive career that included four seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS, three with Valour FC, and a further two in the USL Championship.