Alessandro Hojabrpour

Alessandro Feridun Hojabrpour (Persian: آلساندرو فریدون هژبرپور; born January 10, 2000) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a central midfielder for Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.

Alessandro Hojabrpour
Alessandro Hojabrpour
Hojabrpour with Pacific FC in 2021
Personal information
Full name Alessandro Feridun Hojabrpour
Date of birth (2000-01-10) January 10, 2000
Place of birth Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Forge FC
Youth career
Italian Canadian SF
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC
2012–2017 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
2017–2018 Lokomotiv Plovdiv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Pacific FC 56 (1)
2022– Forge FC 48 (2)
International career‡
2017 Canada U17 3 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 7, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of May 12, 2019

Early life

Hojabrpour began playing soccer at age three with the Italian Canadian Sports Federation.[1] In 2007-08, he participated in the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospects program, before joining Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC.[2][3] In 2012, he joined the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy Residency.[4] In 2017, after playing in a youth tournament in Bulgaria, he was recruited and joined Lokomotiv Plovdiv's U19 team.[4]

Club career

Pacific FC

Hojabrpour signed with a professional contract with Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League on January 15, 2019;[5] making his club debut on May 12, 2019 against FC Edmonton.[6] He was given his first start for the club in the next game during a Canadian Championship match against Cavalry FC on May 15, 2019.[7] Hojabrpour re-signed with Pacific in December 2019 for the 2020 season[8] and in December 2020 for the 2021 season.[9][10]

During the 2021 Canadian Premier League season, Hojabrpour earned his first assist for the club on July 17 on a goal by Josh Heard against Forge FC.[11] He scored his first goal for Pacific on October 6 against FC Edmonton at Clarke Stadium.[12] Hojabrpour helped Pacific reach their first CPL final on November 20, 2021, after a 2–1 extra time win over Cavalry FC at ATCO Field.[13] On December 5, 2021, Hojabrpour scored the winning goal to win Pacific the 2021 Canadian Premier League Final against two-time defending champions Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field.[14][15][16] At the end of the season, he was given the 2021 under-21 player of the year award.[17][18] After the season, he departed the club,[19] having made 63 appearances for the club across all competitions over his three seasons, scoring two goals and adding two assists.[20][21]

Forge FC

In January 2022, Hojabrpour signed with fellow Canadian Premier League side Forge FC ahead of the 2022 Canadian Premier League season.[22][23][24] Hojabrpour made his club debut on February 16, 2022, in a CONCACAF Champions League match against Liga MX side Cruz Azul.[25] He scored his first goal for Forge on April 16, 2022, in their 2022 home opener against Cavalry FC.[26] On October 23, 2022, Hojabrpour provided an assist in the semifinal to help Forge reach the 2022 Canadian Premier League Final.[27] On October 30, 2022, Hojabrpour scored in the final for his second consecutive championship-winning goal of the Canadian Premier League Finals, helping Forge win the 2022 championship over Atlético Ottawa.[28][29] On April 22, 2023, Hojabrpour made his 100th professional appearance in a 1–1 league draw against HFX Wanderers: in the process, he became the third player (behind Dominick Zator and Terran Campbell) to ever hit the 100-game milestone in all competitions for multiple CPL clubs.[30] On October 14, 2023, Hojabrpour scored a goal in the semifinal to help lead Forge to the 2023 Canadian Premier League final.[31]

International career

Hojabrpour was born in Burnaby, Canada to an Italian mother and Iranian father, and holds an Italian passport.[4][32]

In October 2014, he made his debut in the Canadian national program, attending a camp with the Canada U15 team.[1] He represented the Canada men's national under-17 soccer team in the 2017 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, scoring a goal against Cuba on April 25, 2017.[33][34]

Style of play

Hojabrpour can operate as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder.[6] He has been praised for his defensive abilities and reliability in midfield.[35]

Career statistics
As of October 14, 2023[36]
Club Division Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup Continental Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Pacific FC Canadian Premier League 2019 220—20—240
2020 100———100
2021 2412130—292
Total 561215000632
Forge FC Canadian Premier League 2022 262313[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 2]0343
2023 220113000161
Total 482426020604
Career total 104363110201236
  1. Includes appearance(s) in both the 2020 Canadian Championship, which was held in 2022, and the 2022 Canadian Championship
  2. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League

Honours

Club

Pacific FC

Forge FC

Individual

References
  1. Alessandro Hojabrpour at the Canadian Soccer Association
  2. "Alessandro Hojabrpour Whitecaps profile". Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021.
  3. Pandher, Steve (June 28, 2017). "AFTN's Vancouver Whitecaps Residency 'Ones To Watch' 2017 (Part One – the U16s)". Away from the Numbers.
  4. Bauman, Martin (September 17, 2019). "'Always a ball within reach': For Pacific's Hojabrpour, soccer a family affair (Part 1)". Canadian Premier League.
  5. Laufer, Jesse (January 15, 2019). "Three Burnaby natives join Langford-based Pacific FC". Victoria News.
  6. Bauman, Martin (September 21, 2019). "Pacific FC's Hojabrpour emerging as key contributor in Fall push (Part 2)". Canadian Premier League.
  7. @Pacificfccpl (May 16, 2019). "Here's our Starting XI for tonight's #canChamp game! 🍁Watch live on!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre (December 12, 2019). "Trust the Kids: Looking at what to expect from Pacific FC's re-signed youngsters". The Third Sub.
  9. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (December 3, 2020). "Pacific FC brings back Hojabrpour, Wirth for 2021 CPL season". Canadian Premier League.
  10. Jacques, John (December 3, 2020). "Pacific FC Re-Signs Wirth And Hojabrpour". Northern Tribune.
  11. "Match Analysis: Pacific FC 1-2 Forge FC". July 18, 2021.
  12. Dheensaw, Cleve (October 6, 2021). "Strong start propels FC Edmonton to victory over Pacific FC". Times Colonist.
  13. "HIGHLIGHTS: Pacific FC earn spot in final with 2-1 extra time win over Cavalry FC". Canadian Premier League. November 20, 2021.
  14. Bashir, Raheem (December 6, 2021). "Alessandro Hojabrpour goal gives Pacific FC the North Star Shield". Last Word on Sports.
  15. Jacques, John (December 7, 2021). "Right Place, Right Time: Hojabrpour's Path To CPL History". Northern Tribune.
  16. Tierney, Mitchell (October 27, 2022). "Last year's CPL Final hero, Forge FC's Hojabrpour to play a big role again in 2022". OneSoccer.
  17. Dheensaw, Cleve (December 15, 2021). "Pacific FC's Kah, Hojabrpour win CPL awards". Times Colonist.
  18. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (December 14, 2021). "Pacific FC's Alessandro Hojabrpour wins 2021 U-21 Canadian Player of the Year Award". Canadian Premier League.
  19. Thompson, Marty (January 25, 2022). "Terran Campbell & Alessandro Hojabrpour depart Pacific FC ahead of 2022 CPL season". OneSoccer.
  20. "Forge FC Signs 2021 CPL Canadian U21 Player of the Year Hojabrpour". Forge FC. January 12, 2022.
  21. Jacques, John (January 7, 2022). "Pacific Originals Hojabrpour, Campbell Set For Forge". Northern Tribune.
  22. Jacques, John (January 12, 2022). "Forge Announces Arrival Of Alessandro Hojabrpour". Northern Tribune.
  23. Urciuoli, Anthony (January 12, 2022). "Hamilton's Forge FC sparks rivalry with Pacific FC with signing of Alessandro Hojabrpour". In The Hammer.
  24. Jacques, John (January 13, 2022). "Hojabrpour Details Forge Move: 'Best For My Career'". Northern Tribune.
  25. Palermo, Adam (February 18, 2022). "Forge FC lose 1-0 to Cruz Azul in historic CONCACAF Champions League debut". Waking the Red.
  26. Steiner, Ben (April 16, 2022). "Golazos Galore: Forge grabs late point against Cavalry in home opener". The Third Sub.
  27. "Hamilton's Forge FC beat Cavalry, advance to CPL final - Hamilton | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022.
  28. Jacques, John (October 31, 2022). "Hojabrpour Proves A Title-Winner, Twice". Northern Tribune.
  29. Molinaro, John (October 30, 2022). "Forge FC shuts out Atlético Ottawa to win CPL Final". TFC Republic.
  30. "CPL Centurions: Forge's Alessandro Hojabrpour hits 100 games for CPL clubs in all competitions". Canadian Premier League. April 25, 2023.
  31. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/forge-fc-beats-cavalry-fc-235910978.html
  32. Longo, Jack (January 7, 2021). "Thank you, Terran Campbell and Alessandro Hojabrpour!". Pacific FC.
  33. "Canadians exit u17 tourney on winning note". Burnaby Now. May 4, 2017.
  34. "Pacific Football Club bolsters lineup with trio of Canadian youth internationals". Pacific FC. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019.
  35. Thompson, Marty (December 13, 2021). "CPL Awards 2021 set for Tuesday: View nominees here". Canadian Premier League.
  36. Alessandro Hojabrpour at Soccerway
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