Top 5 Signings of Summer 2025

Tetsuaki Misawa with Tiffy Army (image property of the Khmer Times)

Leon Morimoto (Hunters FC Mongolia)

The defender joins Hunters FC from Loyola FC of the top-flight Philippines Football League where he made twelve appearances last season alongside Mongolian international Filip Chinzorig. Despite being only 23 years old, Morimoto has played in Guam, Argentina, and the United States, including a stint of almost two years with Argentina's Independiente. He has earned seven caps with the Guam national team, scoring against Macau in 2025 EAFF Championship qualification. Hunters FC will rely on Morimoto's pedigree to top last season's 7th-place performance. The Guamese international had an immediate effect, helping the club shut out Western FC to open the season, but tougher opponents are still to come.

Bayasgalangiin Garidmagnai (Central Stallions FC)

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Tuv Arzarganuud (now going by the English translation Central Stallions) completely rebuilt its squad in the offseason. In addition to bringing in some of the top domestic talent and Mongolian internationals, the club has signed the country's first and still only Pro-licensed coach, Bayasgalangii Garidmagnai, to pull it all together. His last MPL assignment was with Khovd in 2023. Since then he has been at the helm of the senior and youth national teams.

Ayvazov Riza (SP Falcons)

Despite its dominant league campaign last season which saw the club score more goals than any other team in the MPL, SP Falcons has brought in Uzbek attacking player Ayvazov Riza during the offseason. The 30-year-old adds experience to the squad which includes Uzbekistan Pro League matches with FC FarDu, FC Neftchi Fergana, and FC Istiqlol Fergana. He has immediately helped the club, scoring two goals against Taichung Futuro of Taiwan in the Preliminary Round of the AFC Challenge League. The 3-1 victory qualified the Mongolian club for the Group Stage of the competition.

Changhun Song (Hunters FC Mongolia)

Hunters FC have used their Korean connections again to bring in striker Changhun Song during the offseason. After a tenure with Sungkyunkwan University FC, Song joined NK Jadran Poreč of the Druga NL, the third tier of Croatian football, in February 2025. The now 23-year-old scored two goals in seven league matches (four starts) last season. He has already equaled that goal tally with Hunters, scoring both goals in the club's opening round 2-0 win over Western FC.

Tetsuaki Misawa (Central Stallions)

Easily the biggest signing of the offseason is the return of Japanese striker Tetsuaki Misawa to Mongolia. Misawa came out of nowhere to win the MPL Golden Boot award with 17 goals in 16 appearances in his first season with struggling BCH Lions in 2021. That award has since lead to opportunities in Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia for the now 26-year-old. His longest, and most recent, tenure has been with Tiffy Army in Cambodia where he has scored 20 goals in 51 league matches, scoring double digit goals both seasons. With Mongolia's best coach now with Central Stallions and an all-star supporting roster, Misawa will certainly be one of the biggest players to watch this season.

Honourable Mention

Bayarsaikhan Tsend-Ayush (FC Ulaanbaatar)

The young Mongolian midfielder has previously played for Khovd Western and Ulaangom City in the First League. FC Ulaanbaatar considers the player one of Mongolia's biggest rising stars and believes he will be a member of the national team in the future. Tsend-Ayush has been loaned to Khovd Western for the first half of the season to continue his development at the highest level. The Jargalant, Khovd native is also the tallest player in the league at over 1.92m (6 ft 3 in).