Massunda shortlisted for CPL U-21 award again
The 21-year-old Forge forward led all under-21 players in several attacking metrics during the 2026 regular season.
· by Colin Radek · awards · hoce massunda · youth development
Forge FC forward Hoce Massunda is a finalist for the 2026 CPL U-21 Canadian Player of the Year award, the second year in a row he has been nominated.
Massunda, 21, finished his second season with Forge with four goals and two assists in the regular season. Those six goal contributions were tied for the most among all under-21 players in the league, and he topped the age group in several other categories: touches in the opposition penalty area (102), an average of 5.14 of those per 90 minutes, goals per 90 (0.20) and combined goals and assists per 90 (0.30). He also ranked second among under-21 players in chances created with 28 and in expected goals at 3.76.
That profile speaks to the role he has grown into at Forge, a forward who gets into dangerous areas repeatedly rather than one who lives off a handful of chances. The penalty-area touch numbers in particular stand out in a squad that has spent the season near the top of the table.
The winner is decided by votes from technical staff at all eight CPL clubs along with selected local and national media members who covered the 2026 regular season. The award will be handed out at the CPL Awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 19, part of the build-up to the 2026 CPL Final.
The prize itself is a piece of Inuit soapstone art, a polar bear statue conceived by artist Taqialuk Nuna and carved by Ruben Komangapik. The league presents it to the U-21 Canadian of the Year on the idea that a young player, like the animal, grows from a playful cub into one of the most formidable creatures in Canada's North.