Halifax Tides sign South Korean soccer star ahead of 2026 season

The Tides FC have expanded their roster yet again by signing a top-tier South Korean soccer star.

Halifax’s professional women’s soccer team has spent much of the off-season signing a flurry of new players, and the latest acquisition is Cho So-Hyun, a highly skilled and experienced international midfielder who will join Tides FC for the upcoming 2026 season.

An elite-level athlete with experience playing in several FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, including as a team captain, she will give the mostly younger Tides roster group a disciplined work ethic, intelligence and veteran leadership.

“Just the way she plays, I think that will make everybody around her better,” says Amit Batra, Halifax Tides sporting director. “If you watch her films, she is often giving direction, so she’s definitely someone who not only herself brings some additional qualities but makes everyone a little bit more organized and a little bit better.”

Having arrived from playing last season in South Korea’s WK League with Suwon FC Women, So-Hyun also boasts a stellar background, including in England’s top tiers, with stints in both the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Super League 2 at West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Birmingham City.

After signing at least ten new players since their inaugural season ended, Batra says the organization may not be finished adding to the roster quite yet.

One day after announcing So-Hyun’s acquisition on Wednesday, the Tides also disclosed the signing of another key player, Jamaican-Canadian defender Naya Cardoza.

The Ajax, Ont. native is a rising star on Jamaica’s women’s national team who will join the Tides FC after a successful collegiate career at Brown University, where she helped lead the team to two Ivy League championships and captained the program in her final two seasons.

“This will be her first year as a professional,” says Batra about the tenacious defending centre back. “She scored seven goals as a centre back for Brown in her past year (and) we are looking for that versatility and how can we employ (players) in certain situations in the game, so could she go up and be dangerous in set pieces, absolutely.”