Welcome to CPL50, a series where we’ll reveal the top 50 players from the 2021 Canadian Premier League regular season, as voted on by a panel of coaches from all eight teams and media from OneSoccer and CanPL.ca. For more information on the voting process and method, click here.
Forge FC's Tristan Borges was best player in the inaugural Canadian Premier League season in 2019, winning the Player of the Year, U21 Canadian Player of the Year and Golden Boot awards. He returned to The Hammers this year, on loan from Belgian club OH Leuven, and had another strong campaign, and slots in at number 24 on the CPL50. While he didn't recapture the 2019 form that saw him score 13 goals in league action, he was still a vital part of an impressive Forge attack, especially in the second half of the season. After starting the season playing out wide, Bobby Smyrniotis shuffled his team around to get Borges playing in a more central attacking role, sitting behind the striker to create opportunities for his teammates. He made 26 appearances in the regular season, scoring three goals and leading his club with six assists. His eye for a pass is among the league's best, and that was on full display in 2021. He is also very strong from set pieces, with this free kick against York United a prime example of how dangerous he can be. The 23-year-old has one cap for the Canadian men's national team, earned after his strong 2019 campaign, and has also previously spent time at SC Heerenveen, Toronto FC and Sigma FC. His loan came to an end at the conclusion of the 2021 season, and he'll return to OH Leuven, where he is under contract until the summer of 2022.
The rest of the CPL50 countdown is available here. Five more players will be revealed per day until December 22.
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