On Friday, FC Supra du Québec made the first two picks in the 2026 CPL-U SPORTS Draft presented by Degree, and the historic first two selections in club history.
The league's newest club selected Université de Montréal midfielder Calin Calaidjoglu first overall, before taking attacker Alexandre Marcoux of the UQTR Patriotes second overall.
The duo don’t necessarily constitute the first signings for the Québec club, although both will get the opportunity to make the team out of preseason camp. However, they are the first of many talented local players that will be afforded the opportunity to turn pro through the creation of FC Supra.
In their inaugural foray into the draft, Supra were looking to find the players that they thought were the most pro-ready, and believe Calaidjoglu and Marcoux fit that profile.
“It was important for our coaching staff, and Mateo [Cabanettes], our sporting director, to strategically choose players that we felt can make an impact out of the gates,” said Supra president and co-founder Rocco Placentino. "There were several names that caught our attention… but with these two, we felt very comfortable and we’ll see what they give us when we start preseason.”
Calaidjoglu, 24, is one of the most experienced players available in this year's draft. The central midfielder, born in Moldova but raised in LaSalle, came through the CF Montréal academy and has played professionally in both Moldova and France.
He is the first Québecois player, and the first player from an RSEQ school, to be taken first overall in the CPL-U SPORTS Draft.
“I think he stands out because of his technical ability,” said Placentino. “He’s so good on the ball, and I think if he’s around good players, it will make him a lot better. [I'm] very curious to see how he pans out with everyone else in preseason, and see how he levels up his game.”
Moments after selecting Calaidjoglu, Supra picked Marcoux second overall. A 21-year-old attacker with Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Marcoux was named RSEQ's Most Outstanding Player this season, scoring six goals and four assists this season for UQTR.
Crucially, he also spent this summer playing with Placentino and FC Supra coach Nick Razzaghi with Ligue1 Québec club CS Saint-Laurent, where he scored four goals.
“He’s a player that has been under our eye for the last seven, eight months,” said Placentino. “Hard worker, dangerous in the box, pressures the defenders properly. He never stops. He works very, very hard. And we think that Alex could be something special in the CPL.”
With two more names added to their preseason camp, the work continues for Placentino and FC Supra as they build the club from the ground up.
“Busy,” said Placentino with a smile on how the past few months have been since September's launch. "On the business side, a lot of work each and every day, meetings after meetings after meetings. But we’re grateful, honestly, we’re energetic for the opportunity. We love the project. It’s a passion project built for the community, by the community. So we’re excited. We just put our heads down, and we work, and we’ll see what it brings us in the month of April.”
Friday was another step in that process toward putting together a squad that will look to compete from its first kick. Now, it's up to Calaidjoglu and Marcoux to prove they are ready to be part of that group.
