CF Montreal Secures Record Transfer for Canadian Goalkeeper Emil Gazdov from Pacific FC

CF Montreal has officially acquired the services of Emil Gazdov, a talented Canadian goalkeeper, from Pacific FC. This transfer sets a new record for the Canadian Premier League (CPL) with the fee reported to be close to $300,000. In addition to this amount, Pacific FC will retain a 20 percent portion of any potential transfer fees should Montreal sell Gazdov to another club in the future.

Gazdov joins a Montreal roster featuring fellow Canadian keepers Jonathan Sirois and Sebastian Breza. There's particular interest in Montreal's strong goalkeeper trio, especially with Sirois—fromer 2021 CPL goalkeeper of the year—having already started in Montreal's recent 3-2 defeat against Atlanta United in MLS competition.

Montreal president and CEO Gabriel Gervais expressed enthusiasm about Gazdov's arrival, highlighting him as a promising and well-developed young goalkeeper with vast potential. He emphasized the importance of building a competitive trio of Canadian goalkeepers within the club and is excited to see Gazdov continue to grow professionally in Montreal.

Gazdov initially joined Pacific FC in June 2020 at the age of 16, quickly establishing himself as a rising star. By November 2024, Gazdov had already secured the CPL's Golden Glove Award as the league's best goalkeeper. His outstanding performance last season also made him a finalist for CPL's Best Canadian Under-21 Player and earned him a spot on the league's Best XI.

Pacific FC head coach James Merriman praised Gazdov’s progress, maturity, and professional development, underscoring the club's commitment to nurturing young Canadian talent as part of its identity.

At 21 and standing 6-foot-3, Gazdov displayed impressive statistics last season with seven clean sheets across 21 appearances, tied second-best in the league. He allowed an average of just 0.94 goals per 90 minutes, ranking second among regular league goalkeepers. Over his entire tenure at Pacific FC, Gazdov accumulated a total of 15 clean sheets across 49 appearances.

Reflecting on his experience, Gazdov expressed gratitude to Pacific and the CPL. He noted that his development and growth from a relatively inexperienced teenager into a seasoned professional were crucially facilitated by his time at Pacific FC. Gazdov also had a loan stint at FC Nuremberg in Germany's second division back in 2020, contributing further to his professional growth overseas.

Following this transfer, Pacific FC now has only goalkeeper Sean Melvin remaining on its roster, signaling a likely move by the club to reinforce their goalkeeper position soon.