Aussie Defender Tass Mourdoukoutas Departs York United

After spending two seasons on Canadian soil with York United, Australian defender Tass Mourdoukoutas has confirmed his departure following the expiry of his contract.

The 24-year-old centre-back arrived to the CPL from the Western Sydney Wanderers last year, procuring 38 appearances for the Nine Stripes throughout the next two seasons. He was a mainstay in the club ever since his midseason arrival in 2022, helping the side reach playoffs this year.

“I’ve heard that moving doesn’t change who you are, but the view outside your window. Upon moving to Toronto from Sydney, my goal was to enjoy my football again, develop and grow, and create lifelong memories. It’s true I’m still the same person, however, since achieving these goals, hopefully I’m just a more improved version,” said Tass online.

“Thank you to my teammates over the last 18 months, all the best for your future and I truly wish you all well. What a blessing it is to do what we do, and to live this life.”

The defender’s professional career started with the first Western Sydney Wanderers in 2017 after developing at the youth level with Football New South Wales Institute and Sydney Olympic, and carved his way up to a senior debut the following year. It was a recommendation from from WSW head coach Carl Robinson that put Tass on CPL radars, with subsequent scouting proving fruitful.

Mourdoukoutas has also earned nine caps for Australia at the U-23 level, where he helped the side reach the AFC U-23 Championship semi-final stage in 2019. It remains to be seen where he’ll land next.

York United’s new ownership will have a lot of roster restructuring to do as 2024 approaches: with fans hungry for sustained success and the Pasquel brothers promising a team that will ‘fight for championships year-in and year-out’, there’ll be a bright spotlight on how the club performs next season.

Header Image Photo Credit: John Jacques