2019 Canadian Premier League season explained

Competition:Canadian Premier League
Season:2019
Dates:April 27 – October 19 (regular season)
Winners:Forge FC
Shield:Cavalry FC
Shieldtitle:Regular season winners
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:Forge FC
Continentalcup2 Qualifiers:Forge FC
Matches:100
Total Goals:250
League Topscorer:Tristan Borges
(13 goals)
Best Goalkeeper:Marco Carducci
Triston Henry
(9 clean sheets each)
Biggest Home Win:


Biggest Away Win:
Highest Scoring:


Longest Wins:7 matches
Cavalry FC
Longest Unbeaten:14 matches
Forge FC
Longest Winless:10 matches
FC Edmonton

HFX Wanderers
Longest Losses:5 matches
HFX Wanderers
Highest Attendance:17,611

Lowest Attendance:1,729

Attendance:419,314
Average Attendance:4,279
Nextseason:2020

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 CPL's inaugural match took place between Forge FC and York9 at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[2]

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

Background

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

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

TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Cavalry FCFoothills County, AlbertaATCO Field5,288
FC EdmontonEdmonton, AlbertaClarke Stadium5,100
Forge FCHamilton, OntarioTim Hortons Field10,016
Halifax, Nova ScotiaWanderers Grounds6,200
Pacific FCLangford, British ColumbiaWesthills Stadium6,200
Valour FCWinnipeg, ManitobaIG Field10,000
York9 FCToronto, OntarioYork Lions Stadium8,000

Personnel and sponsorship

Note: All teams use the same kit manufacturer: Macron.[4]

TeamHead coachCaptain(s)Shirt sponsor
Cavalry FC WestJet
FC Edmonton OneSoccer
Forge FC Tim Hortons
HFX WanderersVolkswagen
Pacific FC Volkswagen
Valour FC OneSoccer
York9 FC Macron

Coaching changes

Format

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

Table

2019 CONCACAF League qualification

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.

Results

Fall season

Table

Results

Finals

See 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

Results

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

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Statistical leaders

Statistics include regular season and Finals.

Top scorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Tristan BorgesForge FC13
2 Terran CampbellPacific FC11
Dominique MalongaCavalry FC
4 Easton OngaroFC Edmonton10
5 Rodrigo GattasYork99
6 Ryan TelferYork98
7 Simon AdjeiYork97
Marco BustosValour FC
Akeem GarciaHFX Wanderers
OliverCavalry FC
11 Tyler AttardoValour FC6
Víctor BlascoPacific FC
Sergio CamargoCavalry FC
Oumar DiouckFC Edmonton
Ben FiskPacific FC
Anthony NovakForge FC
Michael PetrassoValour FC
18 Julian BüscherCavalry FC5
Nico PasquottiCavalry FC
20 Tomi AmeobiFC Edmonton4
Kyle BekkerForge FC
Jordan BrownCavalry FC
José EscalanteCavalry FC
Chris NancoForge FC
25 Marcus HaberPacific FC3
Nik LedgerwoodCavalry FC
Wataru MurofushiYork9
Michele PaolucciValour FC
Luis PereaHFX Wanderers
Kadell ThomasForge FC
Emery WelshmanForge FC
32 Manny AparicioYork92
Matthew ArnoneHFX Wanderers
Dylan CarreiroValour FC
Elimane CisséForge FC
Joseph Di ChiaraYork9
Juan GutiérrezHFX Wanderers
Jace KotsopoulosForge FC
Lukas MacNaughtonPacific FC
Ali MusseValour FC
Kyle PorterYork9
Mélé TemguiaFC Edmonton
Zach VerhovenPacific FC
44 Diyaeddine AbziYork91
Elijah AdekugbeCavalry FC
Ahmed AlghamdiPacific FC
Prince AmandaFC Edmonton
Louis Béland-GoyetteValour FC
Klaidi CelaForge FC
David ChoinièreForge FC
Kadin ChungPacific FC
Morey DonerYork9
David EdgarForge FC
Emilio EstevezYork9
Calum FergusonValour FC
Giuliano FranoForge FC
Luca GasparottoYork9
Jonathan GrantForge FC
José HernándezPacific FC
Stephen HoyleValour FC
Kodai IidaHFX Wanderers
Mohamed KouroumaHFX Wanderers
Daniel KrutzenForge FC
Monti MohsenForge FC
Issey Nakajima-FarranPacific FC
Andre RampersadHFX Wanderers
Dylan SacramentoValour FC
Peter SchaaleHFX Wanderers
Tomasz SkublakHFX Wanderers
Ramón SoriaFC Edmonton
Hendrik StarostzikPacific FC
Marcus Velado-TsegayeFC Edmonton
Joel WatermanCavalry FC
Marcel ZajacForge FC
Dominick ZatorCavalry FC
Bruno ZebieFC Edmonton-->

Top assists

RankPlayerClubAssists
1 Kwame AwuahForge FC5
Kyle BekkerForge FC
Tristan BorgesForge FC
Ben FiskPacific FC
Michael PetrassoValour FC
Blake SmithPacific FC
76 players tied4
6 Diyaeddine AbziYork94
Elijah AdekugbeCavalry FC
Julian BüscherCavalry FC
Morey DonerYork9
José EscalanteCavalry FC
Kyle PorterYork9
13 Louis Béland-GoyetteValour FC3
Víctor BlascoPacific FC
Marco BustosValour FC
Sergio CamargoCavalry FC
Amer ĐidićFC Edmonton
Mohamed KouroumaHFX Wanderers
Anthony NovakForge FC
Nico PasquottiCavalry FC
Kyle PorterYork9
Marcel ZajacForge FC
Dominick ZatorCavalry FC
24 Alexander Achinioti-JönssonForge FC2
Simon AdjeiYork9
Manny AparicioYork9
Terran CampbellPacific FC
Dylan CarreiroValour FC
David ChoinièreForge FC
Kadin ChungPacific FC
Oumar DiouckFC Edmonton
Jeannot EsuaFC Edmonton
Steven FurlanoYork9
Raphaël GarciaValour FC
Alexander GonzálezPacific FC
Malyk HamiltonCavalry FC
José HernándezPacific FC
Kodai IidaHFX Wanderers
Daniel KrutzenForge FC
Edem MortotsiFC Edmonton
Ali MusseValour FC
Easton OngaroFC Edmonton
Michele PaolucciValour FC
Zach VerhovenPacific FC
Joel WatermanCavalry FC
Emery WelshmanForge FC
47 Prince AmandaFC Edmonton1
Martín ArguiñarenaValour FC
Jordan BrownCavalry FC
Klaidi CelaForge FC
Elimane CisséForge FC
Joseph Di ChiaraYork9
Randy Edwini-BonsuFC Edmonton
Emilio EstevezYork9
Jonathan GrantForge FC
Diego GutiérrezValour FC
Elton JohnHFX Wanderers
Stefan LamannaYork9
Philippe Lincourt-JosephFC Edmonton
Dominique MalongaCavalry FC
Nathan MavilaCavalry FC
Chris NancoForge FC
OliverCavalry FC
Carlos PatiñoCavalry FC
Luis PereaHFX Wanderers
Andre RampersadHFX Wanderers
Austin RicciYork9
Dylan SacramentoValour FC
Dominic SamuelForge FC
Ajeej SarkariaFC Edmonton
Peter SchaaleHFX Wanderers
Tomasz SkublakHFX Wanderers
Son Yong-chanFC Edmonton
Ryan TelferYork9
Kadell ThomasForge FC
Skylar ThomasValour FC
Noah VerhoevenPacific FC
Emmanuel ZambazisYork9-->

Clean sheets

RankPlayerClubClean
sheets
1 Marco CarducciCavalry FC9
Triston HenryForge FC
3 Connor JamesFC Edmonton7
4 Nathan InghamYork96
Christian OxnerHFX Wanderers
6 Mathias JanssensValour FC4
Quillan RobertsForge FC
Mark VillagePacific FC
9 Niko GiantsopoulosCavalry FC3
10 Tyson FaragoValour FC2
Jan-Michael WilliamsHFX Wanderers
12 Dylon PowleyFC Edmonton1
Nolan WirthPacific FC-->

Hat-tricks

Awards

Premier Performer

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.[10]

2019 Premier Performer top 5[11]
RankPlayerPoints
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

See 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.[12] 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
AwardRecipient[13] Finalists[14]
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

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.[15]

Goal of the Year
PlayerOpponentDateTime
Kadell Thomas (Forge FC) Valour FC July 20 90+4'
Save of the Year (Allstate Good Hands Award)
PlayerOpponentDateTime
Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) Forge FC October 26 39'
Team of the Year
PlayerPosition
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

See main article: List of Canadian Premier League transfers 2019.

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

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.[16]

Club! style="width:11%"
Player 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Player 6Player 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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Clanachan: CanPL is "zeroed in" on seven teams for 2019. Notenboom. Rob. October 16, 2018. the11.ca. October 16, 2018.
  2. Web site: Forge FC 1–1 York9 FC - Canadian Premier League - Saturday, April 27, 2019 11:00 AM . CanPL.ca . Canadian Premier League . April 27, 2019 . April 28, 2019.
  3. News: Canada is getting its own professional league as Canadian Premier League gets green light. Rosenblatt. Ryan. May 6, 2017. Fox Sports. February 9, 2018.
  4. Web site: Macron to become kit provider for the Canadian Premier League . CanPL.ca . Canadian Premier League . September 28, 2018.
  5. News: CPL commissioner on league's goals, growing Canadian soccer, and more. Molinaro. John. January 24, 2019. Sportsnet. February 9, 2018.
  6. News: Canadian Premier League commissioner offers a look at new league ahead of kickoff. Davidson. Neil. January 15, 2019. Toronto Star. February 9, 2018. The Canadian Press.
  7. Web site: FAQ: A primer on the CPL’s format and season rules. February 26, 2019. CanPL.ca. February 26, 2019.
  8. Web site: Canada Soccer continues to provide expanded international opportunities with two spots on the path to Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League . Canada Soccer . February 13, 2019 . April 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190427011139/https://canadasoccer.com/canada-soccer-continues-to-provide-expanded-international-opportunities-with-two-spots-on-the-path-to-scotiabank-concacaf-champions-league-p162045 . dead .
  9. Web site: York9 vs. HFX Wanderers - 27 July 2019 . Soccerway . July 27, 2019.
  10. Web site: CPL announces ‘Premier Performer’ presented by Volkswagen Canada. April 9, 2019. Canadian Premier League. January 1, 2019.
  11. Web site: PREMIER PERFORMER PRESENTED BY VOLKSWAGEN. Canadian Premier League. January 1, 2020.
  12. Web site: Thompson . Marty . Canadian Premier League officially unveils 2019 individual awards . Canadian Premier League . November 1, 2019 . November 1, 2019.
  13. Web site: Jacques . John . The 2019 Canadian Premier League Awards Roundup . Northern Tribune . November 26, 2019 . November 26, 2019.
  14. Web site: Borges, Malonga, Bekker up for CPL Player of the Year award. Molinaro. John. November 12, 2019. Canadian Premier League. November 12, 2019.
  15. Web site: Canadian Premier League Announces Fan Awards Winners. December 16, 2019. Canadian Premier League. January 1, 2020.
  16. Web site: Rosters: A team-by-team breakdown. canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. March 5, 2019. April 30, 2019.