Thursday’s OneSoccer Player & Pundit Hangout session featured York9 FC teammates Joseph Di Chiara and Michael Petrasso.

In talking to OneSoccer hosts Asa Rehman and Oliver Platt, Di Chiara and Petrasso discussed the slew of off-season moves made by Y9 (both on and off the pitch), and whether they think the Nine Stripes can compete for the North Star Shield in 2020.

Y9 has been very busy this winner, having added former Canadian international Paul Stalteri as an assistant coach on Jim Brennan’s staff, while Angus McNab was hired as the club’s managing consultant.

The roster has also been overhauled – of the 22 players currently signed for 2020, only 11 were holdovers from last year.

With Ryan Telfer and Rodrigo Gattas both gone, Y9 signed international forwards Gabriel Vasconcelos and Jacó (Brazil), Adrián Ugarriza (Peru) and Nicholas Hamilton (Jamaica) to provide the goals this season.

Canadians Chris Mannella and Petrasso, as well as Argentine Brian López, were signed to bolster its midfield, while Max Ferrari and Ijah Halley add some young legs to the team.

“If we can build off of a lot of the positive things we did last year, it would be huge. The acquisitions that we’ve brought in with Mike (Petrasso) and Chris (Manella), some of the exciting international players we have, the knowledge from Paul (Stalteri) and the experience he brings along is huge, so those pieces (are important),” Di Chiara explained.

“We are headed in the right direction and we do have a chance.”

Other topics discussed on OneSoccer’s Player & Pundit Hangout with Di Chiara and Petrasso included how they’re dealing with this period of self-isolation, what they expect the CPL to look like once it returns to action, and much more.

To watch Thursday’s OneSoccer Player & Pundit Hangout with Joseph Di Chiara and Michael Petrasso in full, click here.

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