The 2021 Canadian Premier League season is about to begin, with The Kickoff presented by Volkswagen set to get underway this weekend in Winnipeg, and each club is finalizing its roster. Crucial to each of the eight CPL squads will, of course, be youth contingents -- with the league increasing its quota for U-21 minutes to 1,500 this year, young Canadians will be called upon to play significant roles for their teams. With squads pretty much set, we have a good picture of which CPL sides might lean on their youth more heavily than others. York United FC leads the way with eight eligible U-21 players, while Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa boast just three apiece. Last year, Valour FC led the way by offering 1,532 minutes to U-21 Canadians in just seven games played; Pacific FC blew the competition away in 2019 with a staggering 13,532 U-21 minutes. Which side might win that particular title this time around? Here are all 36 CPL players eligible to count toward U-21 minutes in 2021.
HFX Wanderers FC
GK - Kieran Baskett DF - Jake Ruby DF - Kareem Sow MF - Scott Firth FW - Samuel Salter
Atlético Ottawa
GK - Teodor Obadal DF - Keesean Ferdinand (ON LOAN) MF - Antoine Coupland
York United FC
DF - Ryan Lindsay DF - Felix N'sa DF - Terique Mohammed (ON LOAN) MF - Cedric Toussaint MF - Isaiah Johnston MF - Ijah Halley MF - Max Ferrari MF - Jordan Faria
Forge FC
GK - Baj Maan DF - Monti Mohsen MF - Johnny Son
Valour FC
GK - Jonathan Sirois (ON LOAN) DF - Tony Mikhael FW - Sean Rea (ON LOAN) FW - Jared Ulloa (ON LOAN)
Cavalry FC
DF - Karifa Yao (ON LOAN) DF - Daniel Kaiser MF - Victor Loturi FW - José Hernández
FC Edmonton
GK - Darlington Murasiranwa DF - T-Boy Fayia MF - Antony Caceres MF - Tomas Giraldo FW - Marcus Velado-Tsegaye
Pacific FC
DF - Kunle Dada-Luke DF - Chris Lee MF - Sean Young MF - Alessandro Hojabrpour
Continue reading...