Canadian Premier League Scouting Database – Massimo Ferrin

I’ve been banging this drum the entire season – HFX Wanderers and Cavalry FC had the best off-season recruitment. They have been the two best teams this season, consistently playing some of the most attractive football along the way.

One of the HFX names that’s stood out since the start of the season has been Massimo Ferrin, coming out of Patrice Gheisar‘s League 1 Ontario winning team in Vaughan. He doesn’t necessarily have the high number of goals or assists to show for what he’s accomplished this season, but Massimo Ferrin should definitely be proud of a great first-season so far in the Canadian Premier League. Here is why the 24-year-old is one to keep an eye on in Canadian football.

POISE IN POSSESSION

When comparing Ferrin to his peers, few other wingers stand out when it comes to their ability to progress the play, make the right pass, and keep the ball in a possession-based side. These are normally traits I’d associate with an ‘Inverted Winger’. His creative numbers have been decent – 0.14 xA and 1.3 key passes per 90. But it’s the way he helps keep HFX in control through his smooth poise in possession, and the way he contributes to just about every attack in some way or another, assist or not, that have been some of the most impressive features.

His weight of passing generally translates over to his excellence in weighing up his crosses and meeting teammates at the back-post; or through those nice cut-backs HFX like to play into the penalty area. But in addition to crossing, he just likes to play nice give and go’s with his teammates in tight corridors, releasing that extra bit of space for himself to create a chance.

But despite that composure, we actually have Ferrin listed as a more ‘Direct Winger’ within our system, which lines up with his tendency for shots and goals over assists and chances created. As you can see from the scatter plot above, it’s incredibly rare to find a player so dominant with their ability to progress the play in possession, that also persistently drives at the opposition and takes players on.

PACE & POWER IN ATTACK

Playing with an ‘Inverted Fullback’ more reserved down his left-hand-side, Ferrin then has to be the one stretching the width. He likes to receive long switches of play from players like Dan Nimick or Lorenzo Callegari, before then driving inside at his opposition.

But being quite clever, Ferrin can then go either way as he dances around the opposition. The more common approach would be to come inside and strike from outside the eighteen. He loves to strike from distance and often goes for power, which we listed as one of the two major areas to his game that could take him to the next level when we analyzed Ferrin in comparison to forwards in the league.

RELATED: Comparing the Canadian Premier League’s next best centre-forwards

Without a trusted ‘9’ at the club, Ferrin spent much of his time playing as that sort of ‘False 9’ – what we call a ‘Creative Link’. His role became more about linking play with his back to goal, which again came less natural to him than his fantastic ability to drive at the opposition and play forward passes.

Since moving back over to the wing, we’ve seen that two-footed dynamism return. Because while he can cut inside and strike, he’ll also read the moment. If he sees more space to advance down the wing given the positioning of the opposition, he’ll quickly shift the ball over and cross from his left foot.

This is often where Ferrin thrives, and it’s one of the ideal reasons to play him on the wing rather than as a ’10’ or up front, where he has less space to drive. Ferrin throws himself into a ton of ‘offensive duels’ (14.8 per 90). If you’re a fan of the CPL, you won’t be surprised to hear the names of the three players ahead of him in that category – Pacifique Niyongabire, Ayman Sellouf, and Zachary Verhoven. Ferrin ranks fourth, constantly going to toe-to-toe with his opposite full-back before either a bit of skill to round the defender, or a forward pass toward his centre-forward or Callum Watson.

People will look at the pace and power of Niyongabire or the smooth dribbling of Sellouf and rightly go gaga-eyed. But the HFX man is right up there with the best of them. If he is to play in that wing position moving forward for the rest of the season, now it’s just about upping those goals and assist tallies, growing even more importance as one of the key figureheads in helping HFX toward their title charge to playoff contention.

For anyone looking for this type of dynamic wing wizard, we’ve profiled Massimo Ferrin, including his strengths, and similar player comparisons.

SIMILAR PLAYERS

Rank	Player	Team	Nation	Age	Contract	Analysis
1	Brandon Cambridge	Charlotte FC		19	2024-12-31
2	Kamron Habibullah	Whitecaps II		19	2023-12-31
3	Coleman Gannon	Columbus Crew II		20	2023-12-31
4	Jhon Jairo Solís	Orlando B		24	2023-12-31
5	Lucas Dias	Sporting CP U23		20
6	Mikaël Cantave	Vancouver FC		26	2023-12-31

But with his contract going for another year, we will likely only see Massimo Ferrin grow into his importance within this HFX team, as he continues his development as one of the league’s standout performers. Thanks for reading and see you soon!

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If you’re a pro club or Consultation Masterclass member wishing to see the video clips that accompanied the making of this article, please reach out.

Canadian Premier League – Player Power Rankings

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