Happy New Year!
An incredibly exciting year for the sport in this country begins, and Canadian Premier League clubs spent the holidays busy constructing their respective squads for the year ahead.
We sincerely hope that you all had time to disconnect over the break, and are happy to fill you in on everything you may have missed of late.
Here is a quick recap of all the biggest stories across the league over the past few weeks:
Goalkeeping carousel continues as Cavalry FC add CPL champion Nathan Ingham
Lose a CPL champion, two-time Golden Glove winner and your club captain? Why not replace him with the goalkeeper who just defeated you in the CPL Final.
That's exactly what Cavalry FC did when they announced the signing of Nathan Ingham on New Year's Day, in the process signaling that they will once again be a contender in 2026.
Ingham, 32, departs Atlético Ottawa as a club legend, a CPL champion, and the all-time appearance leader with 109 in all competitions. He was nominated for the league's Golden Glove this past season. Cavalry is his third CPL club, playing three seasons for Inter Toronto before spending four in the nation's capital.
Cavalry had previously announced the departure of a club legend of their own, Calgary native Marco Carducci, earlier in December. Carducci has since signed with the Halifax Wanderers, making for an intriguing carousel of the league's top goalkeepers heading into the 2026 season.
With Forge FC goalkeeper, and 2025 CPL Golden Glove winner, Jassem Koleilat, currently a free agent, there is a possibility that all three players nominated for the top goalkeeper award this past season could be playing for different clubs in 2026.
Vancouver FC announce return of Nicolás Mezquida, Kunle Dada-Luke's departure
With just under a month until their initial foray into continental competition, Vancouver FC took care of some crucial business as they announced the return of 33-year-old Uruguayan talisman Nicolás Mezquida.
He finished his debut CPL season with eight goals and two assists in all competitions. His importance to the Eagles is made clear in the fact that in 1,405 minutes without him on the pitch, they scored just 0.96 goals per 90. With him in the lineup? That number rises to 1.6 goals per 90.
Watch just a few minutes of Mezquida on the pitch with the Eagles and the reason for that is quickly evident. He is like an on-field general, constantly communicating and organizing the team from his position in the heart of midfield. Vitally, he is also a player with Concacaf Champions Cup experience, having appeared in seven matches in the competition between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Colorado Rapids.
The Eagles also confirmed they had picked up an option on midfielder Abdoulaye Ouattara and signed Thomas Powell to his first professional contract. Meanwhile, contract options were declined on starting full-back Kunle Dada-Luke, as well as midfielder Juan Batista and forward José Navarro.
Forge FC bring back Daniel Krutzen
We already know that Forge will be without one of their originals this coming season as David Choinière departs to join FC Supra du Québec. But another perhaps unexpected member of the 2019 team has returned.
On December 23, the Hamilton club handed its fans an early Christmas gift when they announced the signing of central defender Daniel Krutzen. The 29-year-old spent four seasons with Forge between 2019 and 2022, and is a three-time CPL champion. He comes out of retirement to sign this deal, having last played in 2023 when he won a USL Championship title with Phoenix Rising.
The day prior, Forge confirmed the return of Nana Ampomah to a multi-year agreement. One of the league's most dynamic attackers, the 29-year-old finished third in Players' Player of the Year voting.
Atlético Ottawa re-sign Manny Aparicio, announce departure of Didić, Sissoko, Verhoeven
The CPL champs secured an important part of their core, announcing on Christmas Eve that 30-year-old midfielder Manuel Aparicio has signed a new two-year contract.
In two seasons since joining Atleti from Pacific, Aparicio made 67 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and adding 10 assists. A two-time CPL champion, he will be a key piece in Atlético Ottawa's first Concacaf Champions Cup matches next month and their CPL title defence.
While Aparicio's signing locks down a key part of the core, the changes continue in the nation's capital. The club announced three departures: defender Amer Didić, and midfielders Aboubacar Sissoko and Noah Verhoeven.
Former CPL Golden Glove winner Emil Gazdov signs loan deal with Bundesliga club FC St. Pauli
One fun bit of international news involving the CPL this week comes out of Germany, where former CPL Golden Glove winner Emil Gazdov signed a loan deal with Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli through the end of the season.
The German club hold an option to buy at the end of loan on June 30. Gazdov signed with CF Montréal ahead of this past season, spending the latter part of it back in the CPL with Valour FC on loan. He previously spent time on loan in Germany with 1. FC Nürnberg from Pacific FC.
St. Pauli currently sit 16th in the Bundesliga, one point above the relegation spots. All their matches, along with all action from the German top flight, can be watched on OneSoccer.
