York United FC has officially added 17-year-old striker Marsel Bibishkov to its roster, signing the former Juventus under-17 player to a two-year contract with club options for 2027 and 2028.
Bibishkov had trained with the Canadian Premier League side last season.
“We’re very happy to officially announce Marsel, as he’s been part of the squad for a while now," York president Ricardo Pasquel said in a statement. “As soon as he arrived here, we loved his enthusiasm, his work ethic and his ability."
Born in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, Bibishkov moved to the Toronto area at the age of nine, eventually joining the Toronto FC academy.
He made his pro debut at 15 for Bulgarian club Pirin in November 2022 in a domestic cup game and made his league debut several months later. Bibishkov, who made one more appearance off the bench, featured in Pirin’s matchday squad on eight occasions in all.
Bibishkov scored six goals in 17 appearances for the Juventus under-27 side in 2024.
As a domestic under-21 player, any minutes Bibishkov logs for York this season will contribute to the 2,000 U-21 domestic player minutes count that each CPL club must accumulate over the course of the regular season.
In other CPL news, Pacific FC has signed Brazilian defensive midfielder Daniel de Pauli to a contract for the 2025 season with a club option for 2026.
The 25-year-old from Goiania arrives from the Bulgarian top flight, where he played for FC Krumovgrad.
"Daniel is an experienced central midfielder with a high pedigree," Pacific coach James Merriman said in a statement. “He’s played in the top division of Brazilian football and brings a different dynamic to our midfield than what we’ve had.”
De Pauli rose through the youth ranks with his hometown club Goias, making his senior debut in 2019 and was promoted to the first team full time for the 2020 season. He made 33 appearances for the club before going out on loan to Brazilian clubs Associaçao Atletica Aparecidense and Athletic Club.
He went on to play in Brazil for Cerrado in 2023 and Goiania Esporte Clube in 2024.
De Pauli played in 12 league and two cup matches last season for Krumovgrad.
Cavalry FC has signed goalkeeper Neven Fewster and midfielders Josh Belbin and James McGlinchey to development contracts. Players signed to a development contract, who must be a domestic under-18 player, are eligible to make four appearances for their CPL club while maintaining their amateur status.
Fewster, Belbin and McGlinchey play for Cavalry FC U21 in League1 Alberta. All three previously signed development contracts with Cavalry in September 2024.
Cavalry has terminated the contract of forward Lowell Wright, who joined the team last July from York
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.
The Canadian Press
