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League1 Alumni Represent Nearly One In Four Players Signed To CPL

By Cormac Rea, 03/25/19, 9:30AM EDT

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Three-time League1 All-Star, Sigma's Marcel Zajac, was signed to Hamilton's Forge FC (Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)

With League1 Ontario's competition structure centred squarely in the pro-am environment, the purpose has always been simple: showcase the multitude of primarily U23 elite players in the province as they pursue their dreams of professional and international tier selection.

In short, players that leave League1 for professional environments represent a successful model at this level of play. 

By any metric, 2019 has already been a milestone year; there are currently 126 players signed to Canadian Premier League (CPL) rosters ahead of the full-professional Canadian league's debut season, and an impressive 30 of them are former League1 Ontario players. 

League1 Ontario graduates now account for just under a one in four count of CPL signings. Imagine the Canadian player production belt if we had a League1 model in every province!? 

In addition, with an average over the last three years of 40 former League1 players per year also being selected at international level for Canada - the future is very bright indeed. 

You can keep an eye on the running list (below), featuring story links that will tell you all about each signing as further players are added:

CPL Signings - League1 Alumni

Player New CPL Club Former League1 Club Signing Date
Colm Vance York9 Vaughan Azzurri March 8
Emery Welshman Forge FC Sigma FC March 8
Lukas MacNaughton Pacific FC Alliance United FC March 7
Ryan Telfer York9 Vaughan Azzurri March 6
Malyk Hamilton Cavalry FC Toronto FC III March 6
Kadell Thomas Forge FC Sigma FC March 2
Monti Mohsen Forge FC Sigma FC March 2
Quillan Roberts Forge FC Woodbridge Strikers March 2
Jonathan Grant Forge FC Sigma FC February 26
Triston Henry Forge FC Sigma FC February 25
Dominic Samuel Forge FC Sigma FC February 25
Emilio Estevez York9 North Mississauga SC February 8
Morey Doner York9 Aurora FC February 8
Justin Springer York9 Vaughan Azzurri February 8
Giuliano Frano Forge FC Sigma FC February 7
Ndzemdzela Langwa Halifax Wanderers Kingston Clippers February 5
Daniel Gogarty York9 Vaughan Azzurri February 4
Kwame Awuah Forge FC Sigma FC January 29
Dylan Carriero Valour FC Vaughan Azzurri/ Woodbridge Strikers January 28
Cyrus Rollocks York9 Woodbridge Strikers/ Masters FA January 17
Tristan Borges Forge FC Sigma FC/ Toronto FC III January 10
Marcel Zajac Forge FC Sigma FC January 8
Glenn Muenkat Valour FC Toronto FC III January 8
Joseph Di Chiara York9 Vaughan Azzurri January 7
Steven Furlano York9 Alliance United FC/ Toronto FC III December 20
Austin Ricci York9 Vaughan Azzurri December 14
Dylan Sacramento Valour FC Vaughan Azzurri/ Toronto FC III December 14
Simon Adjei York9 Aurora FC December 3
Sergio Camargo Cavalry FC Unionville Milliken SC November 29
Chris Nanco Forge FC Sigma FC November 29

Two-time League1 Defender of the Year and two-time All-Star, Sigma's Dominic Samuel, was signed to Forge FC

The current list of former League1 standouts signed to CPL is indeed a glittering array of talent, including several League1 top-of-the-chart individual award winners:

Dominic Samuel (two-time Defender of the Year 2015/ 2018); Dylan Sacramento (2018 Men's Division MVP); Quillan Roberts (2017 League1 Ontario Goalkeeper of the Year); Dylan Carriero (2017 Men's Division MVP); Cyrus Rollocks (2017 Men's Player of the Year); Johnny Grant (2017 Defender of the Year).  

Further, 19 end-of-season All-Star winners are now in the CPL shopping cart.

Three-time All-Star winners: 

Giuliano Frano - 2018, 2017, 2014; Joseph Di Chiara - 2017, 2016, 2014; Marcel Zajac - 2018, 2015, 2014

Two-time All-Star winners: 

Dominic Samuel - 2018, 2015; Dylan Sacramento - 2018, 2014; Kadell Thomas - 2018, 2017; Steven Furlano - 2018, 2015; Dylan Carriero - 2017, 2016; Johnny Grant - 2017, 2014; Triston Henry - 2018, 2017

Single All-Star winners:

2018 All-Stars - Austin Ricci; 2nd team: Justin Springer; Morey Doner

2017 All-Stars - Quillan Roberts; 2nd team: Cyrus Rollocks

2016 All-Stars - 2nd team: Simon Adjei

2015 All-Stars - Kwame Awuah

2014 All-Stars - Emery Welshman; Next XI: Young Stars - Daniel Gogarty


2017 League1 Men's MVP and two-time All-Star, Vaughan/ Woodbridge's Dylan Carriero, was signed to Winnipeg's Valour FC (Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)

Credit where the real credit is due - you can see that the initial list of 30 CPL signings from League1 have emerged from ten organizations:


Bobby Smyrniotis (Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)


Carmine Isacco (Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)


Jimmy Brennan (Photo: Courtesy of York9)

Last, but not least, several former League1 coaches have also been snapped up by CPL clubs:

Jimmy Brennan (2017 Aurora FC head coach) and Carmine Isacco (2015 and 2016 League1 Coach of the Year, Vaughan SC head coach) were appointed as respective head and assistant coaches of York 9. 

Bobby Smyrniotis (Sigma FC head coach 2014-2018) was appointed head coach at Hamilton's Forge FC. 


2018 League1 Men's MVP, Vaughan's Dylan Sacramento (centre), was signed to Valour FC (Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)