York United FC are excited to announce the return of left-back Orlando Botello on loan from Liga MX giants C.F. Monterrey for the forthcoming 2025 Canadian Premier League (CPL) season.

The 23-year-old is back for a second stint with The Nine Stripes after an impressive debut campaign.

Botello featured in 27 games across all competitions, as the team made it through to the CPL playoffs for a second successive time and made history by registering their very first postseason victory. Though York were pipped in their subsequent quarter-final clash against Atletico Ottawa, Botello stepped up and expertly found the net during a tense penalty shootout at TD Place.

Having started out with Atletico Morelia's Under-20 side, Botello made his senior debut for the club in a 2019 CopaMX clash with Puebla before moving to Mazatlán FC, featuring 40 times and scoring three more goals across two years. Next, he made the step up to Mexico's second tier and signed for Cancun FC and impressed once again, making 25 appearances. His performances attracted the attention of Monterrey and he joined the iconic club in 2022, racking up 20 appearances across the reserves, U23s and U20s before arriving on loan at York ahead of the 2024 season.

"I'm very excited to be back and we're all ready to continue the good work from last season," Botello says.

"We enjoyed some nice moments but we're hungry to get even higher and push for a championship. It's fantastic that Mauro [Eustáquio] will lead us and that we get to keep that consistency and there's a really great balance to the roster with returning players and also some fantastic talent coming back to Toronto from elsewhere in the league. I can't wait to get started now and deliver a special season for the fans."

An incisive, smart and technical player, Botello ranked as one of the best defenders in the league for interceptions and recoveries in 2024 and brought a consistency to the left side of York United's defence. Providing tons of energy, Botello joins a number of players returning to the team for the upcoming campaign, particularly at the back.

Max Ferrari, Oswaldo León, Nyal Higgins and Frank Sturing are all confirmed, with Riley Ferrazzo, Cameron DaSilva and Luke Singh the new defensive recruits.

"Orlando contributed heavily last season and he was an immensely consistent presence," says club president Ricardo Pasquel.

"His profile is a great fit for us and he's exactly what we like in a full-back: quick, resolute and a bundle of energy. Getting him - and our other players - back for another campaign is a testament to the environment we created in 2024. These guys are motivated to deliver for this club. A genuine connection has been created. The roster is in a really strong place right now and it's only going to get better in the next couple of weeks. We're extremely excited to reveal some more signings as the new season inches closer."