Nogueira Nearing Nine Stripes Deal

Former CS Maritimo goalkeeper Matthew Nogueira is trialing with the Nine Stripes, with sources indicating that the goalkeeper has impressed at camp.

The 23-year-old free agent recently went on trial with CF Montreal, with the Toronto-born goalkeeper aiming to help boost his profile in the North American market after starting his career abroad in Portugal. Nogueira rose through the Portuguese lower divisions to land a three-year deal with CS Maritimo before an ill-fated venture to Serbia convinced him to take his next steps in Canada.

See Also: Nogueira Seeks Opportunity Closer To Home

The six-foot-three goalkeeper entered a lot of radars in North America after accepting a Canada U-23 call up alongside Lucas Dias in 2021, with Nogueira hopeful that high-level gametime in the CPL will help launch him towards a senior team nod.

The Portuguese-Canadian had interest from multiple CPL and USL clubs since his arrival, previously undergoing discussions with Atletico Ottawa before trialing with CF Montreal and York United. With Ottawa bringing in Sean Melvin whilst Valour and FC Edmonton look set elsewhere, York United is likely the only CPL destination still available for the six-foot-three shotstopper.

Nogueira – who has spent his entire professional career abroad – returned back to his hometown of Toronto in the fall, hoping to remain close to his family while showcasing himself in the North American market. He’d provide stiff competition for Nikolas Giantsopoulos, who was previously contesting with Nathan Ingham.

Born in Canada, Nogueira’s youth career saw him develop for Benfica, Toronto FC, and Gil Vicente after catching the eye of Nuno Santos, who now works alongside Jose Mourinho as a goalkeeper coach at Roma. Matthew’s first senior minutes came in the Portuguese lower divisions with Fornos de Algodres and RRD Agueda before he signed with CS Maritimo in 2018.

He got good minutes with the top flight team’s U-23 and B squads after signing, and even made his senior debut for CS Maritimo in a cup match. An injury in his second season curtailed this momentum, with Nogueira’s time in Madeira ultimately concluding at the end of his three-year deal.

York United has already begun its preseason, edging a closed-door friendly against Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field. The club will be joining Pacific and Valour out in Victoria ahead of the 2022 CPL season, where the Nine Stripes are expecting big things: with several sharp-looking international reinforcements, a new head coach, and a lot of expectation, this should be an interesting one to watch for Nine Stripes fans.

While it’s not final yet, it’s looking like Matthew Nogueira is likely to play a big part of it.