One month removed from the 2022-23 European season, all the attention continues to be on the transfer market. Transfers are the talk of the town across the globe at the moment, with each European club preparing to enjoy happier times next season, and handle all their ins and outs as efficiently as possible.
After being crowned the best defensive midfielder in the league in our CANPL Scouting Series last year, Diego Gutiérrez has transformed elements of his game to become one of the league's top box-to-box roamers. The Chilean midfielder has not only captained Valour through the start of the 2023 season, but has been pivotal to directing play and controlling much of the team's better moments throughout the season so far. Here is why Diego Gutiérrez is one of the best midfielders in the division.
Vancouver FC haven't enjoyed the perfect start to life in the 2023 Canadian Premier League, but they have been one of the league's strongest promoters of young talent - epitomizing one of the key goals of the league. One of their most consistent performers at the heart of everything good has been 19-year-old Tyler Crawford, after just a single-season playing college soccer as a freshman for Michigan State. We break down the talent that is Tyler Crawford, and discuss whether he has the chops to continue progressing his career into future MLS stardom or beyond.
Matteo de Brienne arrived onto the scene of the Canadian Premier League just last year, coming to life toward the end of the campaign to score one of the most outrageous hits. The young Canadian would have expected to have more of a role to play this season, but I don't think anyone expected such a drastic transformation in that role. The 22-year-old has not missed a minute of action so far this campaign, playing every single match as the team's left-back, a role he never played in 2021. Here is our analysis of Matteo de Brienne's wonderful left-back transformation.
One of the most impressive players this season has been Dutchman Ayman Sellouf, entering the B.C. scene from Jong FC Utrecht, as the dynamic dribbling equivalent to Marco Bustos. Sellouf has completely lived up to his promise so far in 2023, already scoring more than Bustos managed in 2022, and acting as arguably the best player in the league to start the campaign. We analyze Ayman Sellouf's potential for greatness this season and beyond, making the case for why this could be a short-lived stint inside Canada's top flight.
Valour only picked Klaidi Cela up in early April as a result of injuries to two of their centre-backs, but this appears to be a great signing, and one that has given the young Canadian all the confidence he needs to perform on the big stage. Here is our analysis of Klaidi Cela.
Scouting seems to be one of those professions that just about anyone thinks they can get into. And to an extent - with good reason! With a knowledge and passion for your sport of choice, it's not incredibly difficult to take the necessary courses and begin the path toward being a scout. But talent identification goes far beyond just the ability to watch matches and identify talent. Most of the time, it's not difficult to identify talent. What's difficult is to identify talent that will transfer over to a new environment, under new circumstances, repeatedly over time.
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