OneSoccer caught up with Tristan Borges last week as the former Forge FC attacker brought viewers up to speed on his career since making the move to Belgium. Borges signed with OH Leuven this off-season after a spectacular 2019 CPL campaign that saw him help Forge hoist the North Star Shield, as well as take home the Golden Boot, Player of the Year, and Best Under-21 of the Year awards. On Monday's OneSoccer Hangout, hosts Kurt Larson, Oliver Platt, and Adam Jenkins debated who might be "the next Tristan Borges" – who'll be the next breakout star in the CPL to make the jump to another league. It got us thinking about the same thing: Who'll be the next CPLer to follow in Borges' footsteps? CanPL.ca's John Molinaro, Marty Thompson, and Charlie O'Connor-Clarke offer their thoughts. RELATED READING: OneSoccer Hangout: All-Canadian CPL lineups, 5-player substitutes rule & more
RYAN TELFER, YORK9 FC
He's back! Ryan Telfer's decision to return home to York9 FC could turn out to be the most impactful move of the 2020 CPL off-season. The 26-year-old was among the league's best players in 2019, banking 10 goals across all competitions. He's fast, he can take on almost anybody one-on-one, and he showed on several occasions that he has a cannon of a strike. With York9's retooled squad, Telfer could find himself in an even better spot this time around. Part of the club's issue in 2019 was an inability to finish, with Telfer and Rodrigo Gattas — often deployed as wingers — the most frequent scoring threats. Now, with Adrián Ugarriza in the mix to offer better hold-up play from the middle, and Gabriel Vasconcelos perhaps providing better through balls for him to run onto, Telfer could have more opportunities to shoot. The Nine Stripes should be a significantly improved team in 2020, and it stands to reason that arguably their best player could be a candidate for some awards attention. If Telfer improves on his 2019, and his club is in title contention, expect other teams to come sniffing around. – By Charlie O'Connor-Clarke
MARCO BUSTOS, PACIFIC FC
The centre of the CPL’s recent first free-agent frenzy, Marco Bustos has moved to a team in Pacific FC that will support his MLS-bound career. Don’t get me wrong – Bustos is an MLS-quality player right now. He’s one of few CPLers I could see making the jump tomorrow and be successful. A lot is made about the goals he scored with Valour FC in 2019; audacious chips, silky touches, and double-take finishes – they’re more impressive than any other CPLer goal-scorer’s collection. Most of those goals were, let's be honest, individual efforts. With a better attacking core around him, a 24-year-old Bustos is my pick for golden boot and player of the year in 2020. Comfortable at the level and surprisingly consistent, the Winnipeg native has everything he needs to have a proper breakout season in 2020. Bustos also fits the short, technically-gifted CPLer mold that outside clubs have loved – just look at ADO Den Haag’s purchase of Emilio Estevez. This should offer some excellent motivation for the former Vancouver Whitecaps man, as clubs are watching him. He’s one good season away from a dream European move. – by Marty Thompson
EASTON ONGARO, FC EDMONTON
There’s a reason why FC Edmonton’s Easton Ongaro was one of only a handful of CPL players named to the Canadian U-23 provisional roster for the 2020 Concacaf Olympic qualifiers that ended up being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongaro, a 22-year-old native of Edmonton, only signed with his hometown club last May before making his league debut the following month. Despite missing most of the Spring season, Ongaro made up for lost time by finishing the 2019 campaign with a team-high 10 goals in 21 league appearances, good enough for a fourth-place finish in the Golden Boot race. The way he stormed out of the gate following his debut made you wonder how many goals he could have scored had he played from the start of the season. Beyond his goal-scoring prowess, Ongaro was noted for using his six-foot-six frame to great effect, and was thought of as the soccer version of former Edmonton Oilers great Ryan Smyth on account of his ability to get in front of the net and score from close range. "He’s a unique individual because he possesses great height, but he’s got great feet and exceptional pace. He is a rare talent," FCE coach Jeff Paulus said of Ongaro. Ongaro’s lethal combination of size and ability to find the back of the net make him one to watch when the 2020 season kicks off, and based on his breakout 2019 campaign you can bet teams outside of the CPL have him on their radar. – by John Molinaro
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RYAN TELFER, YORK9 FC
He's back! Ryan Telfer's decision to return home to York9 FC could turn out to be the most impactful move of the 2020 CPL off-season. The 26-year-old was among the league's best players in 2019, banking 10 goals across all competitions. He's fast, he can take on almost anybody one-on-one, and he showed on several occasions that he has a cannon of a strike. With York9's retooled squad, Telfer could find himself in an even better spot this time around. Part of the club's issue in 2019 was an inability to finish, with Telfer and Rodrigo Gattas — often deployed as wingers — the most frequent scoring threats. Now, with Adrián Ugarriza in the mix to offer better hold-up play from the middle, and Gabriel Vasconcelos perhaps providing better through balls for him to run onto, Telfer could have more opportunities to shoot. The Nine Stripes should be a significantly improved team in 2020, and it stands to reason that arguably their best player could be a candidate for some awards attention. If Telfer improves on his 2019, and his club is in title contention, expect other teams to come sniffing around. – By Charlie O'Connor-Clarke
MARCO BUSTOS, PACIFIC FC
The centre of the CPL’s recent first free-agent frenzy, Marco Bustos has moved to a team in Pacific FC that will support his MLS-bound career. Don’t get me wrong – Bustos is an MLS-quality player right now. He’s one of few CPLers I could see making the jump tomorrow and be successful. A lot is made about the goals he scored with Valour FC in 2019; audacious chips, silky touches, and double-take finishes – they’re more impressive than any other CPLer goal-scorer’s collection. Most of those goals were, let's be honest, individual efforts. With a better attacking core around him, a 24-year-old Bustos is my pick for golden boot and player of the year in 2020. Comfortable at the level and surprisingly consistent, the Winnipeg native has everything he needs to have a proper breakout season in 2020. Bustos also fits the short, technically-gifted CPLer mold that outside clubs have loved – just look at ADO Den Haag’s purchase of Emilio Estevez. This should offer some excellent motivation for the former Vancouver Whitecaps man, as clubs are watching him. He’s one good season away from a dream European move. – by Marty Thompson
EASTON ONGARO, FC EDMONTON
There’s a reason why FC Edmonton’s Easton Ongaro was one of only a handful of CPL players named to the Canadian U-23 provisional roster for the 2020 Concacaf Olympic qualifiers that ended up being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongaro, a 22-year-old native of Edmonton, only signed with his hometown club last May before making his league debut the following month. Despite missing most of the Spring season, Ongaro made up for lost time by finishing the 2019 campaign with a team-high 10 goals in 21 league appearances, good enough for a fourth-place finish in the Golden Boot race. The way he stormed out of the gate following his debut made you wonder how many goals he could have scored had he played from the start of the season. Beyond his goal-scoring prowess, Ongaro was noted for using his six-foot-six frame to great effect, and was thought of as the soccer version of former Edmonton Oilers great Ryan Smyth on account of his ability to get in front of the net and score from close range. "He’s a unique individual because he possesses great height, but he’s got great feet and exceptional pace. He is a rare talent," FCE coach Jeff Paulus said of Ongaro. Ongaro’s lethal combination of size and ability to find the back of the net make him one to watch when the 2020 season kicks off, and based on his breakout 2019 campaign you can bet teams outside of the CPL have him on their radar. – by John Molinaro
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