I have followed Hennadiy Synchuk since his games for Metalist Kharkiv in the Ukrainian second tier. The left-footed attacker, born in the town of Manchenky in the Kharkiv region, made his Ukrainian Premier League debut in May 2023 at 16 and joined MLS side CF Montréal in January 2025. He scored twice in two games at the 2025 U-20 World Cup and won his first senior cap against Poland on 31 May 2026. The club picture is harder: Montréal finished bottom of the league in 2026 and Synchuk ended with 2 goals and 1 assist in 24 games. This file assesses the 20-year-old’s two seasons in North America using public data. It contains no transfer recommendation.
GP SCOREA 20-year-old left-footed Ukrainian winger with 38 league games in two MLS seasons, goals at the U-20 World Cup and a senior cap at 19.
In the signing announcement, CF Montréal president Gabriel Gervais described Synchuk as a dynamic offensive player with the skills and technique to be a difference maker in the final third, able to play the final pass, score and run at defenders. Gradient Sports classifies him as a right winger who creates one against one, a profile that shoots, crosses and takes corners. His first MLS goal fits the description: a left-footed strike from outside the box in the 9th minute against Austin FC on 23 August 2025. The numbers, though, point to an efficiency problem. According to FotMob he took 58 shots in the 2026 MLS season and scored 2 goals from 5.16 expected goals, with 1 assist from 2.17 expected assists. Gradient’s match notes include examples of low crossing accuracy: 2 of 9 against Inter Miami and 1 of 5 against Vancouver.
The club and MLS list him as a midfielder and the signing announcement placed him behind the striker, while data sites mostly show him on the right wing. On the pitch he sets up on the right and cuts inside onto his left foot, looking for the shot or the final pass. Ukraine head coach Andrea Maldera said at his first call-up in May 2026 that he is very talented and had earned his place, and raised the idea that he could become a new Yarmolenko. Metalist executive Yevhen Krasnikov says he has stood out since the age of six for his game intelligence, ball control and work ethic. There is one note on discipline: at the U-20 World Cup he received an additional one-match ban from FIFA for being in the technical area while suspended, and missed the round-of-16 game against Spain.
He stands 1.82 m and weighs around 80 kg according to the club, a solid build for a winger. In 2026 he started 18 of his 24 league games and played 1,488 minutes, a clear increase on the 797 minutes of the previous season. Injuries were what limited that increase. In 2025 he was out for a month in March and April and then for two months from early May to early July with lower-body injuries. In 2026 he was sidelined again from mid-April to mid-May and had another short problem in late August. The diagnoses were not made public. In January 2026 the player himself acknowledged that he had missed many games through injury.
Metalist Kharkiv: 4 games and 1 assist in the 2022-23 Ukrainian Premier League (debut 3 May 2023 against Dnipro-1); 32 games, more than 2,000 minutes and 1 goal in the second tier according to club figures. CF Montréal 2025: MLS 14 games, 10 starts, 797 minutes, 1 goal; Canadian Championship 2 games; Leagues Cup 3 games. CF Montréal 2026: MLS 24 games, 18 starts, 1,488 minutes, 2 goals, 1 assist (goals on 24 May in a 4-4 with D.C. United and on 18 October in a 1-1 at Seattle); Canadian Championship 4 games, 164 minutes, losing the final to Forge FC on penalties. The team finished bottom of the Eastern Conference and of the league in 2026 with 26 points from 34 games. National teams: a goal against Italy and a semi-final at the 2024 U-19 European Championship; winner of the 2024 Maurice Revello Tournament; 2 games and 2 goals at the 2025 U-20 World Cup (South Korea and Panama); 1 senior cap (31 May 2026, Poland 0-2 Ukraine). Market value: Transfermarkt 3 million euros (May 2026, as reported by the Ukrainian press); FotMob estimate 4.7 million euros (1 November 2026).
Strengths
The first is his left foot and willingness to shoot; strikes from outside the box and a high shot volume. The second is his one-against-one play; a winger who runs at his defender and cuts inside. The third is his progress through the national teams; caps at every level from U-17 to the senior side and two goals at the U-20 World Cup. The fourth is early experience abroad; he changed continents at 18 and has played 38 MLS games in two seasons. The fifth is his growing workload; his starts and minutes almost doubled in 2026.
Weaknesses and Development Areas
The first development area is finishing; in 2026 he converted less than half of his expected goals. The second is crossing and final-pass accuracy; his assist output has been limited over two seasons. The third is availability; four separate spells out in two years. The fourth is discipline; the additional ban at the U-20 World Cup and late bookings in the 2026 Canadian Championship. The fifth is context; playing for a team that finished bottom of the league makes his output harder to judge.
Career Projection and Contract Status
Synchuk holds a U22 Initiative slot in MLS; his contract runs to the end of the 2028 season with a club option for 2029. The club did not disclose the fee, and sources give figures between 3.4 and 4.8 million euros. In January 2026 the player said that Bologna, which shares an owner with Montréal, was following him and wanted him to complete a full MLS season first. In early November 2026 it was reported that owner Joey Saputo had put CF Montréal up for sale; the effect on the player’s future is unclear. Synchuk has been called up to the senior squad for the Nations League games on 14 and 17 November.
GP VERDICTKEEP WATCHING
A 20-year-old left-footed winger who has climbed the national team ladder quickly and shows shooting and one-against-one quality, but has not yet reached the expected level of output and continuity in MLS.
An injury-free 2027 season and a better conversion of his shot volume into goals and assists.
Musa Özcan, scout in charge of Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Russia. This report is built on public sources and contains no transfer recommendation.
