Toronto, ON (November 18, 2020) – York9 FC is thrilled to announce the signing of Argentine forward Lisandro Cabrera on a multi-year deal.

The 22-year-old has agreed to a contract through 2021 with further options for 2022 and 2023.

As a teenager in Quitilipi, a city nestled deep in northern Argentina, Cabrera impressed so much at local underage outfit Juventud Cooperativista that Boca Juniors invested in him and he subsequently spent several years in their esteemed academy. Then, after cutting his teeth at one of the biggest clubs in the world, Cabrera was signed by another heavyweight: Lionel Messi’s boyhood side, Newell’s Old Boys.

A physical presence who can operate as a target man but who’s also equally-adept at dropping deeper when required, he made his first-team debut for Newell’s in September 2018 in front of 18,000 fans in an away clash with Belgrano and featured a handful more times before a loan move to Colombian top-tier outfit Cucuta Deportivo followed in January 2019. While there, Cabrera grabbed his first senior goal: a superb header against Deportivo Pasto. Another one followed in the domestic cup, this time a thunderous low strike to the bottom corner.

After returning to Newell’s, Cabrera was in demand once more and joined Gimnasia in the Primera Nacional, Argentina’s second division in August 2019.

In what’s been a busy off-season so far, Cabrera becomes the latest attacking addition following German striker Julian Ulbricht’s acquisition in early October, while he won’t be the only South American in the York9 dressing room either. Compatriot Mateo Hernandez was announced last month while Brazilian William Wallace has also been signed.

Managing Consultant, Angus McNab, was drawn to Cabrera’s overall package and feels he offers the club added flexibility in the final third.

“It is exciting as yet another player with the potential to be a star in this league has joined our club”, McNab says.

“Lisandro is hungry and has had a football education at two giants of the game in Boca Juniors and Newell’s Old Boys. He brings top-tier experience from both the Argentine Superliga and the Colombian Primera A/Liga Dimayor that will be invaluable. Lisandro is very strong in the air and his hold-up/linking play with his back to goal is excellent. I think that with Lisandro, Julian (Ulbricht), Lowell (Wright) and Alvaro (Rivero), we have a talented and exciting group of forwards that offers us a number of different ways to play and should give Jimmy more options for 2021 and beyond”.