It is a recurring nightmare for defenders in the CPL this season.
A ball gets played into the box, and in a flash of green, Julian Altobelli is on the end of it. Left foot, right foot, on his head, it doesn't matter, it's going in the back of the net. A moment later, he is peeling away in celebration, his forefinger and thumb spread across his face.
Through his first seven matches with York United in all competitions this year, the 22-year-old Altobelli has scored six times and added an assist. In doing so, he has quickly established himself as one of the Canadian Premier League's most dangerous attackers, and an early contender for the league's Golden Boot.
"I think it all comes down to confidence," Altobelli told CanPL.ca. "When a player is confident, the sky's the limit, and they can score goals whenever it is."
Following an off-season where 2024 CPL Players' Player of the Year, and club leading goalscorer, Brian Wright left the club along with captain Mo Babouli, Altobelli has quickly announced himself as the new centre-piece of York's attack. Now, he is looking to build on his outstanding start to the season and help his York United team reach their potential as well.
For Altobelli, this is his second go-round with the club, having signed as a 17-year-old ahead of the league's 2020 COVID-19 shortened season, played entirely in PEI. He came into the club as a highly touted teenager out of the Toronto FC academy, who was a Canadian Youth International. It was his first professional experience, and it was eye-opening.
"I was playing with some very experienced players that are still in the league, the likes of Manu Aparicio, Nate Ingham, so I learned a lot from them, right?" said Altobelli. "It was my first professional stint with York, and I didn't really know what to expect, or kind of what was going on, and I took everything with a grain of salt, and learned a lot from that experience."
He never did see the pitch during that first stint with York United, before returning to Toronto FC following that season to join their second team. That experience allowed him to develop significantly, both as a player and a leader. In his final season with TFCII, he wore the captain's armband.
"It was a great honour to wear the captain's armband, I grew up playing in that Academy and learned a lot," said Altobelli. "I brought a lot that I learned that last year with Toronto FC's second team, being a captain and bringing that leadership over here with York United. I try every day to still learn from our more experienced players, such as Elijah [Adekugbe] and Oswaldo [León]. But I like to mentor the younger guys, such as Shola [Jimoh], et cetera."
Another thing Altobelli learned while at Toronto FC II: how to score goals. His current hot run of form in front of goal dates back to last season in MLS Next Pro, where he scored a club record 11 times for the Toronto FC second team.
This off-season he returned to Nine Stripes, a more mature and experienced player. When he finally made his CPL debut for York United, six years in the making, on April 6 against Vancouver FC, Altobelli wasted no time demonstrating that scoring ability. Just a minute after coming into the match as a substitute, he scored his first CPL goal, before adding a second in the 84th minute.
After scoring, he debuted a celebration that has now become his signature following his six goals this year, creating a mask of sorts with his hand. It is an ode to Roma and Argentina attacker Paulo Dybala -- a player that Altobelli admires so much that he has forgiven the fact that Dybala popularized the celebration while playing for Juventus and Roma, fierce rivals of Altobelli's beloved Inter Milan.
He hasn't stopped scoring since and feels this York team is the perfect environment for him to take his next step as a player. In particular, he is enjoying his time under new York United head coach Mauro Eustáquio, the league's youngest coach who has implemented a lot of positive attacking ideas.
"For all the forwards, he always encourages us to shoot," said Altobelli. "Even if you're not in the best position to score a goal, to shoot, maybe you get a corner. You score off that corner. So that gives the forward players the freedom to just feel free in front of goal and do what you think is best to score a goal or create a chance. So that's something I really, really enjoy."
Tactically, as well, he has learned plenty. York play a very fluid attacking system this year, and whether Altobelli is deployed as a central striker, or on the wing, there is a lot freedom for him to drift into dangerous spaces.
"I think it causes teams troubles to kind of wonder where I'm going or where Gabi [Bitar]'s coming, or whoever's playing in those winger roles," said Altobelli. "I think that creates a lot of space for us to either get it in the pockets to get it in behind."
This suits Altobelli's game perfectly, as a big reason he has been as prolific as he has been this season is his ability to get into threatening areas -- particularly in the central areas of the box. A quick look at the area where he has scored his goals this season, displayed in the chart below (red dots) shows just how good he has been at creating and finishing chances from in and around the six-yard box. In fact, the penalty he scored against Forge FC was the furthest he was away from the net of any of the goals he scored this season.
Now, his aim is to continue to build on this strong start, even as other clubs identify him as a key threat in this York attack. But he also wants to play a key role in helping the club reach its potential in terms of results as well.
"Individually, my goal is to keep scoring goals," said Altobelli. "But I think the most important thing is collectively and carrying out those first 60 minutes into a full 90-minute performance. And I think that this team will be in a great place, because we really do believe in our system and our coaching staff a lot."
York's continued belief in their process under Eustáquio comes despite some difficult recent results. The Nine Stripes have shown a lot of potential this season, scoring first in four of their six CPL matches and generally putting together dominant stretches in each of those matches. Unfortunately, since Altobelli's dream debut in the club's opening game of the season, they haven't won in their following five matches, dropping 11 points from winning positions.
But the group is already looking forward, with some important games coming up in the next few weeks, including at the end of this month. On May 31 (7 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. AT / 4 p.m. PT), York United take on the Halifax Wanderers in the second edition of the league's CPL on Tour series in Québec City. The match will be played at Laval University Sports and Physical Education Complex.
"It's very exciting to have a game down in Québec, and I'm sure that there will be a lot of people there and a lot of eyes on it," said Altobelli. "Hopefully, this match can bring more fans to tune into the Canadian Premier League, even though they don't have a team, hopefully they will in the future. I think it's going to be a great experience."
It will be a great showcase for the league and its players, and through his first month with York United, Julian Altobelli has already shown a penchant for taking centre stage.