York9 Football Club signs Japanese midfielder Wataru Murofushi

23-year-old becomes York9's 2nd international signing, 9th signing overall in advance of inaugural season

YorkRegion.com
Jan 23, 2019
York9 FC

York9 Football Club has signed Japanese midfielder Wataru Murofushi to its inaugural roster, with the 23-year-old Japanese midfielder becoming the second international player acquired by the club for the 2019 CPL season.

"Wataru is technically gifted, incredibly exciting to watch, and he's got exactly the right frame of mind to come continue his professional career in Canada," said manager Jimmy Brennan. "He's explosive and exceptionally quick off the ball. He's going to be a great asset to our club."

Murofushi joins York9 FC coming off a season in which he captained Albirex Niigata Singapore FC to a domestic quadruple, winning the Singapore Premier League, Singapore Cup, Singapore League Cup and the Singapore Community Shield in an "invincible" league season (21 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses).

He also stocked his personal trophy cabinet with individual accolades, including claiming the 2018 Player of the Year in Singapore.

Murofushi, a sports science graduate who played for Juntendo University in Chiba, Japan before his pro debut, was looking for an opportunity to play football in North America, for both the standard of play and to work on his English.

Born in Aichi Prefecture, he has been described as supremely confident, fit, and patient during his time at Albirex.

He joins York9 FC ahead of the 2019 season, kicking off in April.

Murofushi is York9's ninth signing, joining Kyle Porter of Mississauga, Simon Adjei of Sweden, Austin Ricci and Joseph Di Chiara of Richmond Hill, Steven Furlano of Barrie, Roger Thompson of Brampton, and Manuel Aparicio and Cyrus Rollocks of Toronto.