Wikipedia

2019 Canadian Premier League season

The 2019 Canadian Premier League season was the inaugural season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian professional soccer. The regular season began on April 27 and ended on October 19, with seven teams competing.[1] The inaugural match of the Canadian Premier League took place between Forge FC and York9 at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[2]

Canadian Premier League
Season2019
DatesApril 27 – October 19 (regular season)
ChampionsForge FC
Regular season winnersCavalry FC
2019 CONCACAF LeagueForge FC[a]
2020 CONCACAF LeagueForge FC[b]
Matches played100
Goals scored250 (2.5 per match)
Top goalscorerTristan Borges
(13 goals)
Best goalkeeperMarco Carducci
Triston Henry
(9 clean sheets each)
Biggest home winYork9 6–2 HFX Wanderers
(July 27)
York9 4–0 Forge FC
(October 12)
Biggest away winValour FC 0–8 Cavalry FC
(September 2)
Highest scoringYork9 6–2 HFX Wanderers
(July 27)
Valour FC 0–8 Cavalry FC
(September 2)
Longest winning run7 matches
Cavalry FC
(May 4 – June 19)
Longest unbeaten run14 matches
Forge FC
(July 13 – October 6)
Longest winless run10 matches
FC Edmonton
(August 16 – October 5)
HFX Wanderers
(August 10 – October 9)
Longest losing run5 matches
HFX Wanderers
(July 13 – 31)
Highest attendance17,611
Forge FC 1–1 York9
(April 27)
Lowest attendance1,729
York9 0–0 FC Edmonton
(June 19)
Total attendance419,314
Average attendance4,279
2020 →
  1. ^ As winners of the CONCACAF League qualification series
  2. ^ As 2019 CPL champions

The CPL Finals were contested between the Spring and Fall season champions, Cavalry FC, and the Spring and Fall season runners-up, Forge FC, in October and November. Forge FC won 2–0 over two legs to win the inaugural Canadian Premier League title.

Overview edit

Background edit

On May 6, 2017, the Canadian Premier League was unanimously approved and sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association.[3] Seven teams competed in the first Canadian Premier League season, leaving four professional Canadian teams playing in United States-based leagues (Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer and Ottawa Fury FC in the USL Championship). The CPL teams competed in the 2019 Canadian Championship with the Canadian MLS and USL teams, and the champions of the Ontario and Quebec tier three leagues.

Teams edit

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2019 Canadian Premier League teams

Seven teams competed during this season – six newly-formed teams and one existing team which joined the CPL. The six new teams were Cavalry FC, Forge FC, HFX Wanderers FC, Pacific FC, Valour FC, and York9 FC. FC Edmonton announced their move to the CPL having previously ceased professional operations following their 2017 season in the North American Soccer League.

Stadiums and locations edit

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Cavalry FC Foothills County, Alberta ATCO Field 5,288
FC Edmonton Edmonton, Alberta Clarke Stadium 5,100
Forge FC Hamilton, Ontario Tim Hortons Field 10,016
HFX Wanderers Halifax, Nova Scotia Wanderers Grounds 6,200
Pacific FC Langford, British Columbia Westhills Stadium 6,200
Valour FC Winnipeg, Manitoba IG Field 10,000
York9 FC Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium 8,000

Personnel and sponsorship edit

Note: All teams use the same kit manufacturer: Macron.[4]
Team Head coach Captain(s) Shirt sponsor
Cavalry FC   Tommy Wheeldon Jr.   Nik Ledgerwood WestJet
FC Edmonton   Jeff Paulus   Tomi Ameobi OneSoccer
Forge FC   Bobby Smyrniotis   Kyle Bekker Tim Hortons
HFX Wanderers   Stephen Hart   Jan-Michael Williams Volkswagen
Pacific FC   James Merriman[a]   Marcus Haber Volkswagen
Valour FC   Rob Gale   Louis Béland-Goyette OneSoccer
York9 FC   Jimmy Brennan   Manny Aparicio Macron
  1. ^ Merriman was named interim head coach on October 18 following Pacific's announcement that the club had relieved Michael Silberbauer of his duties as head coach.

Coaching changes edit

Team Outgoing coach Manner of
departure 		Date of
vacancy 		Position in table Incoming coach Date of
appointment
Pacific FC   Michael Silberbauer Fired October 18, 2019 6th in Fall, 6th overall   James Merriman (interim) October 18, 2019

Format edit

The Canadian Premier League season ran from late April to October.[5][6] Each team played 28 games, split between a spring and fall season. The 10-game spring season began on April 27 and ended on Canada Day, July 1. The 18-game fall season began on July 6 and ended on October 19. The winner of each season gained a berth into the 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals.[7]

Spring season edit

Table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Cavalry 10 8 0 2 16 7 +9 24 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals
2 Forge 10 6 1 3 15 7 +8 19 2019 CONCACAF League preliminary round[a]
3 FC Edmonton 10 4 2 4 8 9 −1 14
4 HFX Wanderers 10 3 2 5 8 11 −3 11
5 Pacific 10 3 2 5 11 15 −4 11
6 York9 10 2 5 3 9 11 −2 11
7 Valour 10 3 0 7 8 15 −7 9
Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals for; 7) home goal differential; 8) home goals for; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots.
Notes:
  1. ^ As winner of home and away matches between FC Edmonton, Forge FC, and Valour FC

2019 CONCACAF League qualification edit

One Canadian Premier League team qualifies annually for the CONCACAF League tournament. For the 2019 edition only, this slot was granted to one of the league's 'inaugural teams' (FC Edmonton, Forge FC, or Valour FC) based on their home and away matches in the 2019 spring season.[8] In subsequent years, CONCACAF League qualification is awarded to the previous year's CPL champion.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FOR FCE VAL
1 Forge FC 4 3 0 1 6 2 +4 9 2019 CONCACAF League — 2–0 2–1
2 FC Edmonton 4 2 0 2 3 4 −1 6 1–0 — 0–1
3 Valour FC 4 1 0 3 3 6 −3 3 0–2 1–2 —
Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals for; 7) home goal differential; 8) home goals for; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots.

Results edit

Home \ Away CAV FCE FOR HFX PAC VAL YOR
Cavalry FC — 1–0 0–1 2–0 — 1–0 2–1
FC Edmonton 0–3 — 1–0 2–0 0–0 0–1 —
Forge FC 1–2 2–0 — — 3–0 2–1 1–1
HFX Wanderers 1–2 — 2–1 — 2–1 2–0 1–1
Pacific FC 3–1 1–3 — 1–0 — 1–2 2–2
Valour FC — 1–2 0–2 1–0 1–2 — 1–3
York9 0–2 0–0 0–2 0–0 1–0 — —
Source: CanPL.ca
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Fall season edit

Table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Cavalry 18 11 5 2 35 12 +23 38 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals
2 Forge 18 11 4 3 30 19 +11 37
3 York9 18 7 2 9 30 26 +4 23
4 Pacific 18 5 5 8 24 31 −7 20
5 Valour 18 5 4 9 22 37 −15 19
6 FC Edmonton 18 4 6 8 19 24 −5 18
7 HFX Wanderers 18 3 8 7 13 24 −11 17
Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals for; 7) home goal differential; 8) home goals for; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots.

Results edit

Home \ Away CAV FCE FOR HFX PAC VAL YOR CAV FCE FOR HFX PAC VAL YOR
Cavalry FC — 0–0 2–1 2–0 1–1 4–1 1–0 — 3–1 — — 4–1 — 3–1
FC Edmonton 0–1 — 1–1 2–0 3–1 0–0 2–2 — — 0–1 — 3–1 — 1–3
Forge FC 1–0 1–2 — 2–0 3–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 — — 2–2 — — 1–0
HFX Wanderers 0–1 0–0 1–1 — 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 — — — 0–0 —
Pacific FC 2–3 1–0 2–3 3–1 — 2–1 0–2 — — 1–1 1–1 — 2–0 —
Valour FC 1–1 3–1 1–3 2–0 2–2 — 0–4 0–8 3–1 1–3 — — — —
York9 1–1 2–1 4–0 6–2 2–1 0–2 — — — — 0–2 0–2 2–4 —
Source: CanPL.ca
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Finals edit

Main article: 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals

The winners of the spring and fall seasons gained berths to the two-legged CPL Finals. As a contingency implemented this year because a single team won both halves of the season, the second berth was given to the team with the second-best overall record. The two games were played on October 26, 2019 and November 2, 2019, with the winner of the Fall season choosing which leg to host.

Overall table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Cavalry (S) 28 19 5 4 51 19 +32 62 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals[a]
2 Forge (C) 28 17 5 6 45 26 +19 56 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals[b]
3 York9 28 9 7 12 39 37 +2 34
4 FC Edmonton 28 8 8 12 27 33 −6 32
5 Pacific 28 8 7 13 35 46 −11 31
6 Valour 28 8 4 16 30 52 −22 28
7 HFX Wanderers 28 6 10 12 21 35 −14 28
Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) away goal differential; 6) away goals for; 7) home goal differential; 8) home goals for; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots.
(C) Champions; (S) Regular season winner
Notes:
  1. ^ As winner of the 2019 Spring and Fall seasons
  2. ^ As second place in overall table

Results edit

The first leg was held on October 26, and the second leg on November 2, 2019.

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Forge FC 2–0 Cavalry FC 1–0 1–0

Attendance edit

Pos Team Total High Low Average Change
1 Forge FC 92,228 17,611 3,864 6,588 n/a†
2 HFX Wanderers 84,860 6,244 5,387 6,061 n/a†
3 Valour FC 74,694 9,699 3,173 5,335 n/a†
4 Cavalry FC 46,091 4,697 1,938 3,292 n/a†
5 Pacific FC 43,426 5,103 2,017 3,102 n/a†
6 FC Edmonton 40,663 4,238 2,021 2,905 n/a†
7 York9 37,352 4,260 1,729 2,668 n/a†
League total 419,314 17,611 1,729 4,279 n/a†

Source: [1][2][3]

Statistical leaders edit

Statistics include regular season and Finals.

Awards edit

Premier Performer edit

The Premier Performer presented by Volkswagen Canada is presented to the CPL's top player based on an algorithm developed by the league and its data analysis provider. The winner receives a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, handed out at the Canadian Premier League Awards ceremony.[11]

2019 Premier Performer top 5[12]
Rank Player Points
1   Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) 77.36
2   Nathan Ingham (York9 FC) 76.47
3   Ryan Telfer (York9 FC) 76.46
4   Tristan Borges (Forge FC) 75.79
5   Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC) 75.43

Canadian Premier League Awards edit

Main article: Canadian Premier League Awards

On November 1, 2019, the Canadian Premier League revealed the five individual awards to be given based on performance over the whole season including Finals.[13] The awards are Inuit soapstone sculptures designed by artists from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. The recipients of the awards were announced at a ceremony in Toronto on November 26.

2019 Canadian Premier League Awards
Award Recipient[14] Finalists[15]
Golden Boot (Hunter)   Tristan Borges (Forge FC) N/A
Golden Glove (Qimmiq or Canadian Inuit Dog)   Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC)   Nathan Ingham (York9 FC)
  Connor James (FC Edmonton)
Coach of the Year (Owl)   Tommy Wheeldon Jr. (Cavalry FC)   Jim Brennan (York9 FC)
  Bobby Smyrniotis (Forge FC)
Player of the Year (Nikisuittuq)   Tristan Borges (Forge FC)   Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)
  Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC)
Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year (Polar Bear)   Tristan Borges (Forge FC)   Diyaeddine Abzi (York9 FC)
  Terran Campbell (Pacific FC)

Fan Awards edit

The Canadian Premier League allowed fans to vote for a series of Fan Awards for a chance to win various prizes. The winners were announced on December 16.[16]

2019 CPL Fan Awards
Goal of the Year
Player Opponent Date Time
  Kadell Thomas (Forge FC) Valour FC July 20 90+4'
Save of the Year (Allstate Good Hands Award)
Player Opponent Date Time
  Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) Forge FC October 26 39'
Team of the Year
Player Position
  Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) Goalkeeper
  Morey Doner (York9 FC) Right back
  Daniel Krutzen (Forge FC) Left centre back
  Dominick Zator (Cavalry FC) Right centre back
  Kwame Awuah (Forge FC) Left back
  Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC) Defensive midfielder
  Tristan Borges (Forge FC) Right centre midfielder
  Kyle Bekker (Forge FC) Left centre midfielder
  Nico Pasquotti (Cavalry FC) Right wing
  Marco Bustos (Valour FC) Left wing
  Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC) Striker

Player transfers edit

Main article: List of Canadian Premier League transfers 2019

U Sports Draft edit

Further information: 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft

The 2018 CPL–U Sports Draft was held on November 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Draftees were invited to team preseason camps, with an opportunity to earn a developmental contract and retain their U Sports men's soccer eligibility. Cavalry FC selected Gabriel Bitar with the first overall pick. Three players were selected by each team, with a total of twenty-one players being drafted including fifteen Canadians.

Foreign players edit

Canadian Premier League teams may sign a maximum of seven international players, out of which only five can be in the starting line-up for each match. The following players are considered foreign players for the 2019 season. This list does not include Canadian citizens who represent other countries at international level.[17]

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7
Cavalry FC   Jordan Brown   Julian Büscher   José Escalante   Dominique Malonga   Nathan Mavila   Oliver
FC Edmonton   Oumar Diouck   Jeannot Esua   James Marcelin   Kareem Moses   Son Yong-chan   Ramón Soria   Tony Tchani
Forge FC   Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson   Elimane Cissé   Daniel Krutzen   Bertrand Owundi
HFX Wanderers   Akeem Garcia   Juan Gutiérrez   Kodai Iida   Elton John   Luis Perea   Andre Rampersad   Jan-Michael Williams
Pacific FC   Alexander González   Hendrik Starostzik
Valour FC   Martín Arguiñarena   José Galán   Josip Golubar   Mathias Janssens   Adam Mitter   Michele Paolucci
York9 FC   Simon Adjei   Wataru Murofushi   Rodrigo Gattas

References edit

  1. ^ Notenboom, Rob (October 16, 2018). "Clanachan: CanPL is "zeroed in" on seven teams for 2019". the11.ca. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  2. ^ "Forge FC 1–1 York9 FC - Canadian Premier League - Saturday, April 27, 2019 11:00 AM". CanPL.ca. Canadian Premier League. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  3. ^ Rosenblatt, Ryan (May 6, 2017). "Canada is getting its own professional league as Canadian Premier League gets green light". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  4. ^ "Macron to become kit provider for the Canadian Premier League". CanPL.ca. Canadian Premier League. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  5. ^ Molinaro, John (January 24, 2019). "CPL commissioner on league's goals, growing Canadian soccer, and more". Sportsnet. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  6. ^ Davidson, Neil (January 15, 2019). "Canadian Premier League commissioner offers a look at new league ahead of kickoff". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  7. ^ "FAQ: A primer on the CPL's format and season rules". CanPL.ca. February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Canada Soccer continues to provide expanded international opportunities with two spots on the path to Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League". Canada Soccer. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "2019 CPL statistics". Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  10. ^ "York9 vs. HFX Wanderers - 27 July 2019". Soccerway. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "CPL announces 'Premier Performer' presented by Volkswagen Canada". Canadian Premier League. April 9, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "PREMIER PERFORMER PRESENTED BY VOLKSWAGEN". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Thompson, Marty (November 1, 2019). "Canadian Premier League officially unveils 2019 individual awards". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  14. ^ Jacques, John (November 26, 2019). "The 2019 Canadian Premier League Awards Roundup". Northern Tribune. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  15. ^ Molinaro, John (November 12, 2019). "Borges, Malonga, Bekker up for CPL Player of the Year award". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  16. ^ "Canadian Premier League Announces Fan Awards Winners". Canadian Premier League. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "Rosters: A team-by-team breakdown". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. March 5, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
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