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Wanderers select Matthew Paiva and Joven Mann in CPL – U SPORTS Draft Presented by Degree
December 5, 2024

The Halifax Wanderers selected defender Matthew Paiva from McMaster University with the third overall pick (first round) and midfielder/forward Joven Mann with the 11th overall pick (second round) at the CPL – U SPORTS Draft presented by Degree held on Thursday night.

Paiva, 20, is coming off a solid first season in U SPORTS where the centre-back was one of the top defenders in Ontario. He was named an OUA First-Team All-Star and selected to the U SPORTS All-Rookie Team. 

“Matthew is a young defender with all the tools to play in the Wanderers system,” Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar said. “He made an immediate impact at McMaster this season with his strong technical and athletic abilities. He also had a great summer in League1 Ontario, contributing to a championship-winning season at Scrosoppi FC.” 

From Georgetown, Ontario, Paiva started 12 matches for McMaster, scoring twice. Both of his goals were game-winners. He was a top defender in League1 Ontario during the 2024 season, making 20 appearances for Scrosoppi FC and was named a finalist for the U-20 Player of the Year.

Mann, 20, also had a strong first season of university soccer, recently being named the Most Valuable Player at the 2024 U SPORTS Men’s Soccer Championship. He scored the winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time to give the UBC Thunderbirds a 1-0 win over the Montréal Carabins in the championship game.

“Joven is a goal-scoring midfielder who is developing well at a school with a winning culture and history of being a top team nationally,” Gheisar said. “He was highly regarded during his time in the Whitecaps system and is also capable of playing up front.” 

The attacking midfielder from Surrey, BC racked up six goals and three assists across 21 appearances for UBC and was named to the Canada West All-Rookie team. Mann also played for Burnaby FC in League1 BC during the summer of 2024. 

Both Wanderers draft picks will be invited to preseason training camp, where they can compete for a roster spot for the 2025 CPL season. Of the Wanderers’ previous 13 draft picks, 10 earned first-team contracts and have played a combined 305 games with the club to date. 

In addition to today’s draft selections, the Wanderers are continuing the support of U SPORTS players in Atlantic Canada by inviting a select group of U21-aged players from AUS programs to a free ID camp in the new year. Players from this camp will be under consideration for Wanderers’ first-team training camp and eligible to earn one of the club’s three CPL – SPORTS contracts. 

Plans are also underway to expand the Wanderers’ U21 Development Team program in 2025, with over 20 games planned against regional, national and international opponents between March and August. This follows a successful 2024 season where the Wanderers U21 squad played over a dozen matches, including the International Summer Series against Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough FC’s U21 sides.

“The Wanderers U21 program has evolved into a strong platform for our technical staff to work with the top AUS players throughout the season,” sporting director Matt Fegan said. “The priority of the draft remains to secure the top available talent for the first team’s positional needs, which won’t always be available in Atlantic Canada based on the selection order. The AUS ID camp allows us to cast the net wider and create other avenues to integrate the region’s top talent beyond the draft within a program that aligns with our technical plan, retaining top future prospects here to compete in our daily environment. As we’ve seen with a player like Aiden Rushenas and Kareem Sow, there is a pathway there that facilitates their ongoing development and can lead to first-team opportunities.”

In 2024, the Wanderers Development Team included over 40 of the region’s players, with more than half of those players gaining further development opportunities by training with the first-team. Eight Development Team players earned AUS All-Star selections in 2024, and two won end-of-season individual awards (Colby Mercer, MVP; Mohammed Tolba, Rookie of the Year).

“We were delighted to see so many players involved in our program this summer go on to earn recognition after excellent AUS seasons,” Fegan said. “We believe this is a testament to their commitment to our program and we want to keep evolving that to help raise the level of play in Atlantic Canada.”