Here’s How EAFC 24 Rates Former CPL Players

The newly-rebranded EAFC arrives this month and it’s got more former Canadian Premier League talent than ever before.

Since the game’s Vancouver-based developer still hasn’t put its own domestic pro league in, we like to keep comparative tabs on how players who cut their teeth in Canada’s top flight are doing.

Without further ado, here’s the EAFC player ratings for athletes who once played for Canadian Premier League clubs:

Cavalry / Pacific – David Norman Jr (58)

Former Cavalry man David Norman Jr is still enjoying football in Europe after ending his Cavalry career with a red card, inking a summertime move to Irish side St Patrick’s Athletic after having finishing the 22-23 season with League Two side Northampton Town.

His late inclusion in a FIFA 23 update saw him awarded a 55 overall back then, with the former Cavalry and Pacific man climbing three points as he journeys throughout Europe. As a former Whitecaps and Inter Miami product, he’s obviously got some potential – though only time will see if he’ll truly unlock it.

Cavalry FC – Joel Waterman (67)

There’s no change in rating for former Cavalry defender Joel Waterman, who made history as the first-ever CPL-to-MLS transfer.

The Langley-born defender has been a go-to for the club in both the Wilfried Nancy and Hernan Losada eras, so we thought we might see a ratings bump after he helped the team to playoffs last year and earned passage into the Canadian national team. Still, a 67 reflects the quality we’ve seen him consistently put out ever since he got past some initial growing pains in the MLS level – but that was quite a while ago now, eh?

Given that he inked a brand new deal with CF Montreal this year, we look forward to seeing how the Canadian international does in EAFC for years to come.

Cavalry – Karifa Yao (58)*

Yao enjoyed two stellar loans with Cavalry before parent club CF Montreal unexpectedly declined its option on the young centre-back, with the Vancouver Whitecaps quickly scooping him up. It’s been an odd journey since, with Karifa making his ‘Caps debut in the Champions Cup, but then only featuring for eight minutes in the Canadian Championship and fifty-five in the Leagues Cup with no appearances in MLS.

Bizarrely, he’s also only featured seven times in MLS Next Pro, so he can’t seem to find a consistent spot anywhere with Vancouver thus far. Despite that, his 58 rating remains unchanged from what it was in FIFA 23.

Cavalry FC – Mohamed Farsi (64)

After a strong introduction to Major League Soccer, Farsi has become a certified regular in the Columbus Crew’s starting eleven. We expected a nice boost for the former Cavalry full-back, and were a bit surprised to see he’s only been given a one point increase this year.

With Farsi helping a team looking destined for playoffs, we can only imagine his stock will continue to rise as those take notice. For now, he flies under the radar – and on that note, his speed ratings are sure to catch EAFC players by surprise: an 80 pace rating backed by strong dribbling stats make him a great MLS pickup for manager mode runs.

Cavalry FC – Victor Loturi (64)

The 22-year-old midfielder got a massive upgrade from his introductory rating of 50 in FIFA 23, proof in the pudding that the Calgarian has turned heads at Ross County.

While he was eased in to the setup in Europe, mid-season saw Loturi establish himself as a reliable and regular face for Ross County, and 2023 has only seen that progress with the Calgarian featuring in all but one possible match thus far. Loturi’s got it locked down.

The developers have given him the finesse shot and technical traits, making the former Cavalry whiz kid an intriguing prospect in the the digital realm of Scottish football. Peep that four-star skill move rating, too.

Pacific FC – Isaac Boehmer (56)*

You know Pacific FC legend Isaac Boehmer? Won a league title with the club in 2021?

Okay, I digress – Boehmer came in as a mid-season replacement for PFC number two Nolan Wirth, who left the pro game behind during a championship run. The Whitecaps loanee got one match in between the sticks en route to a title win and then returned to the ‘Caps, where he’s been a backup on a first team deal ever since.

This season has seen Boehmer feature several times at the MLS Next Pro level, with his only first team outing coming in a 2-1 Leagues Cup win over the LA Galaxy. As we see more from Isaac, expect that rating to grow.

Pacific FC – Kamron Habibullah (56)*

The Vancouver Whitecaps loaned Kamron Habibullah to Pacific last season, with the 19-year-old contributing two assists in sixteen appearances for the Tridents.

This season has seen him ride the first team bench with VWFC a handful of times, but mostly he’s been an MLS Next Pro guy: he bagged three goals in his opening four matches, but that hot form gave way to a prolonged dry spell. The left winger has now made sixteen appearances for the Whitecaps 2 this year, tallying four goals and one assist.

All-in-all, 56 isn’t bad for a guy without a first team MLS appearance in 2023.

Pacific FC – Lukas MacNaughton (62)

Former CPL Champion Lukas MacNaughton has taken to Nashville well following his trade from TFC, so we’re surprised to see his overall rating drop by one despite his consistency on the pitch and a Canadian national team shout.

Like, the guy can keep Messi out of the net, no biggie.

Still, his physicality (he never skips arm day – trust us) was noted by the developers, so strength ended up being his best stat – and we’re pleased to see a strong header skill rating reflect what we’ve seen him do for Pacific, too.

Pacific FC / Valour FC – Marco Bustos (65)

The fast-footed Canadian Premier League icon finally got his move to Europe after trialing with Toronto FC, and he’s starting to find his feet: he’s bagged three goals and one assist for his new Allsvenskan side IFK Varnamo, and we know he’s got plenty more to give.

His 65 overall reflects what EA Sports gave him in a FIFA 23 roster update, for which his stats appear unchanged: he’s still got a stellar 84 agility, 90 balance, and 71 acceleration. Those are the kind of stats that get you 23 goals and 20 assists in the CPL.

Valour FC – Jonathan Sirois (68)*

The mantle of highest-rated former CPL athlete shifts from Joel Waterman to teammate Jonathan Sirois, who has been absolutely lights-out for CF Montreal and even broke the club record for clean sheets in a single season. The 22-year-old has shown cat-like reflexes, good positioning, and a capability for big saves.

CF Montreal boss Hernan Losado was perplexed as to how Jonathan Sirois wasn’t called up for national team duty, and evidently so are the EAFC producers – they clearly believe he’s right up there with Dayne St Clair (71) and Maxime Crepeau (73).

Valour FC – James Pantemis (65)*

Pantemis was expected to be the club’s started this season but only featured in the Opening MLS Weekend before an injury saw him sidelined for two months, with Jonathan Sirois taking the lead in that time. That lack of game time saw James’s rating drop from the 66 he had last year.

Still, a 65 is a very solid rating in MLS circles. It’s tough to get any kind of bump with a lack of gametime, and that unfortunately leads Pantemis to his current rating.

Valour FC – Sean Rea (60)*

Honestly, a 60 overall probably does the Canadian Premier League’s Best U-21 Canadian Player of 2022 pretty dirty: he’s capable of consistency and absolutely worldies, and had told us that he was keen to prove himself at Stade Saputo this season.

The 21-year-old featured in the first 12 league matches for CF Montreal, but seems to have fallen out with head coach Hernan Losada after – in fact, he hasn’t even been on the team sheet the last seven games. If you’re not cracking the matchday squad, you aren’t going to crack a big number in EAFC, either.

Valour FC – Julian Dunn (61)*

HamKam centre-back Julian Dunn had spent the shortened Island Games season with Valour and, in a tale as old as time (or the CPL), saw them just barely miss out on playoffs. 2022 saw him start a fresh chapter in Europe with HamKam, where his rating remains unchanged at 61.

The digital Dunn might be the only one we see on the pitch this season, however: he hasn’t played since he dislocated his kneecap during a match in May, and we can only hope the youngster recovers well.

York United – Adrian Ugarriza (67)

This one stings a little, eh? The Peruvian striker nets a sterling silver card and now plies his trade for Sporting Cristal. If you’re scratching your head trying to remember him, forgive yourself: Adrian Ugarriza was a pandemic-era signing who never stepped foot in Canada, and was released by York United so he could play in his native Peru after loan opportunities proved untenable. It was an extremely nice gesture for the Nine Stripes, though they’ve evidently lost out on a real catch.

According to EAFC, one of the best CPL exports is officially someone who wasn’t able to step foot in Canada.

York United FC – Diyaeddine Abzi (64)

Former York United star Diyaeddine Abzi got himself a lovely six point bump up in his overall rating, making him a neat 64-rated left wingback. That followed proof in the pudding that he could continue his growth in France’s Ligue 2 with Pau FC. Last year saw him carve out an initial 58 rating in FIFA 23, who gave him a potential of 65. Given that he’s now 64 a year little, it looks like there was a little recalculating on that front.

‘I Took A Big Leap In Level’ – Abzi Reflects On Pau Transfer

This could be a big year for the Canadian-Moroccan left-back: he’s now on loan with CD Leganes, who have an option to buy him should he impress throughout the 2023-2024 Segunda Division season. What’s more, York United has a percentage fee on him, and that cold prove to be an astute move from Angus McNab.

Abzi has always been an absolute engine, so we love to see his EAFC attacking and defensive workrates listed as high and medium, making him a great player pick for a lower tier team playthrough.

York United FC / Cavalry FC – Dominick Zator (63)

This year was a big gamble for former York United and Cavalry centre-back Dominick Zator: he made a high-stakes move to Polish top flight relegation battlers Korona Kielce, and put in some amazing shifts to help the club achieve the feat. That earned him not only an introduction to the Canadian national team, but now a two-point rating boost in EAFC.

Zator, who could probably crush a watermelon with his bicep (see above), also manages to crack an incredible 86 strength rating – absolute rock, that man.

York United FC – Matteo Campagna (51)*

Rounding out the list is former Nine Stripes loanee Matteo Campagna, who made five appearances for the club when he was just 17 years old. Two years on and the 19-year-old is breaking through with Whitecaps FC 2 while riding the bench of the first team on multiple occasions.

We’re still seeing the early stages of this teenager’s career, hence the safe 51 rating for a relative unknown.

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It looks like we’ll need to wait to see what EA Sports thinks of Goteh Ntignee, who’s record-breaking CPL transfer saw him land with Ligue 2 side FC Annecy just last month.

He isn’t the only one unfortunate not to make the list of current EAFC inclusions: despite technically being rostered to English Premier League side Luton Town, former CPL record breaker Aribim Pepple misses out on an EAFC inclusion after being loaned to non-league side Bromley FC.

We similarly see CF Montreal’s Jean-Anniel Assi and Ilias Iliadis not included given their current spots in CPL, with former Eddies man Beto Avila (now with the Houston Dynamo) missing a chance to represent the defunct club due to being loaned to a team outside the game.

What do you make of EAFC‘s overall ratings for former Canadian Premier League players? Who’s overrated and underrated?