{"id":609230,"date":"2026-04-17T01:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/609230\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T01:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:35:12","slug":"jaiden-santo-gets-sudbury-cyclones-started-off-on-right-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/609230\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaiden Santo gets Sudbury Cyclones started off on right foot"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This section was produced by the editorial department. The client was not given the opportunity to put restrictions on the content or review it prior to publication.<\/p>\n

by Auto Depot <\/a> \"\" <\/a><\/p>\n

Breadcrumb Trail Links<\/p>\n

Sports<\/a>Local Sports<\/a>Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n

Third-year striker not just an offensive threat, but now a team leader heading into first season of OPL 1 soccer<\/p>\n

Published Apr 16, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n

\"SudburySudbury Cyclones striker Jaiden Santo, right, battles for a ball against Whitby FC defender Russell Robertson during League1 Ontario action at James Jerome Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont. on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Photo by Ben Leeson \/The Sudbury StarArticle content<\/p>\n

One of the very youngest players on the Sudbury Cyclones<\/a>\u2019 inaugural roster in 2024, Jaiden Santo has grown right along with the semi-pro soccer squad, emerging as a consistent goal-scoring and playmaking threat and then an all-star striker as the locals earned back-to-back promotions.<\/p>\n

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While still far from the most senior player in the lineup at 21 years of age, the speedy, skilled Brampton, Ont. product has also become one of the Cyclones\u2019 leaders, both on the pitch and in the locker room, and a player head coach Giuseppe Politi can trust to keep his teammates grounded amid their pre-season training challenges.<\/p>\n

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Left without a local facility<\/a> following the collapse of the Lancer Dome in last month\u2019s major snowstorm, the Cyclones came together for just a single training session in North Bay while preparing for their Ontario Premier League Cup game in Hamilton last weekend. But with a solid defensive outing and a beautiful volley goal by Santo<\/a> in the 45th minute, Sudbury secured a 1-0 victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cComing in without having early sessions going into the season and having proper preparation, myself and the guys who have been here previous years, our job as leaders is not just to orchestrate team chemistry, because that happens naturally, but to show everyone the way things go,\u201d Santo explained. \u201cThat includes warmups, our schedule, getting things done on the administrative side of things, pretty much everything on a day-to-day basis \u2014 everything it means to be a Cyclone, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

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One of 16 returnees<\/a> from the 2025 team that posted a record of 12-7-8 and finished second in the League1 Ontario<\/a> Championship division, now called OPL 2, Santo will play his first regular-season game in OPL 1, the league\u2019s top tier, in a visit to International FC in Vaughan on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does feel good to get a win, especially our first Cup win,\u201d said Santo, a Laurentian University sports administration student and standout member of the Voyageurs varsity soccer team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going on my third season with the organization and in the past, we haven\u2019t got past the first round, whether it was conditions or the right fit or just coming in late to training, things like that, just jelling together. Although we came in with the same conditions this year, we think we have a really good squad and the future is looking really bright, specifically in OPL 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members include the Cyclones\u2019 two all-stars from last season. Santo made the second team after scoring a team-high eight goals and Connor Vande Weghe was named to the first team and earned Goalkeeper of the Year<\/a> honours, as well as a nomination for MVP.<\/p>\n

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With the dome still undergoing repairs and the outdoor turf at James Jerome Sports Complex still covered in ice, the Cyclones\u2019 southern Ontario-based players have yet to relocate to the Nickel City for the season. Only eight, including Santo, took the bus to Hamilton.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a little bit different, because usually we have all the guys on the bus, we travel down and we build some team chemistry that way,\u201d Santo said. \u201cWe just had to adjust on the pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the eight or nine new guys, we just passed along the message and showed them how things work coming into the season, because it is very different from playing down south, which I am very aware of and a lot of the other guys are aware of, too. It\u2019s just about bringing that start-of-the season leadership role until everyone meshes well \u2014 that\u2019s how we went about it last year, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Politi praised his players for a \u201cvery mature performance\u201d in Hamilton and for keeping things simple to kick off the campaign.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne of our very defined team objectives this year was to advance at least one round in the League Cup, after two years of falling short,\u201d Politi said. \u201cWe did it, deservedly. Hopefully, the next Cup round in June will be a home game and we can have our fans push us on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether at home or away, he has little doubt a player such as Santo will once again play a key role in any victory.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe scored a fantastic goal to give us the win versus Hamilton,\u201d Politi said. \u201cHe has been here since the start of this project and we will rely on him for goals and overall attacking presence \u2014 even if it is setting up someone else or taking defenders out of the play. He is quick, athletic and dangerous in transition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Already well-known to local soccer fans, Santo has also become a familiar face at Sudbury Five basketball games since joining Sudbury Wolves Sports and Entertainment as a game-day host. But he always enjoys the opportunity to play down south in front of his friends and family.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll do that a little more often in the early part of the season, the Five having switched some of their home games to the road while waiting for their home pitches at James Jerome and Cambrian College to open.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything, I would prefer this to happen, because we don\u2019t have guys moved up to Sudbury yet, so coming up to Sudbury it wouldn\u2019t be ideal,\u201d Santo said. \u201cBut I will say it does allow me the opportunity to have my family and friends coming out, especially in the cooler months. It\u2019s much better to watch a soccer match when it\u2019s not 30, 35 degrees in the summertime.\u201d<\/p>\n

bleeson@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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