Despite only being founded in 2017, and starting up a couple of years later, the Canadian Premier League already looks to be doing the job that it was created to achieve.
Teams in the league are raising the profile of the sport in Canada, competing well in inter-nation competitions, and have produced players worthy of youth national team call-ups.
Whether you want to become a fan or just fancy placing a bet on a game, here’re the basics of what you need to know about the Canadian Premier League.
How does the Canadian Premier League work?
Since the 2020 season, the Canadian Premier League has been comprised of eight teams from across the country. They play 14 home and 14 away games between April and October to decide league standings.
After all of the teams have played 28 games, the top four clubs of the single-table format gain passage to the decisive playoffs. In 2021 and 2022, the playoffs have taken the form of immediate knockout rounds.
The team that finishes first in the CPL standings faces fourth place, while second and third faceoff on the other side of the Semi-Finals bracket. As is often the case, the all-or-nothing playoffs that draw the most betting.
Each stage of the CPL Playoffs only involves one game, with extra time and penalties implemented if necessary to find a winner. The host of the CPL Final is the finalist with the highest seeding.
Along with becoming the CPL champions, the winning side in the Final also makes it into the CONCACAF League – the second-tier of the North American inter-nation competition.
CPL clubs also participate in the Canadian Championship each season, which has, so far, been dominated by the Canadian clubs of the MLS. Winning the Canadian Championship would get a CPL team into the CONCACAF Champions League.
Establishing the CPL to promote Canadian soccer talents
In 1992, the Canadian Soccer League coming to an end ushered in an era devoid of a professional soccer league in Canada, with only the Canadian MLS, NASL, and USL representatives providing such competition.
While reports of a new Canadian league emerged in the years prior, it wasn’t until the Canadian Soccer Association unanimously approved the CPL on May 6, 2017, that the gears started turning.
The core concept of the CPL was to promote soccer in Canada and improve the quality of its young players.
To help with this, teams have to adhere to the primary roster rules of at least three under-21s domestic players and a maximum of seven international players.
For the first season – which would commence on April 27, 2019 – seven teams were announced. Six new teams made up the bulk of the competition, with FC Edmonton announcing its return to professional soccer.
These are some of the major firsts of the CPL seen in the 2019 season:
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First Goalscorer: Ryan Telfer (York9 FC)
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First CPL Player of the Year: Tristan Borges (Forge FC)
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First Regular Season Table Leaders: Cavalry
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First CPL Finals Champions: Forge FC
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First CPL Team to Qualify for CONCACAF League: Forge FC
In 2020, the CPL welcomed its first expansion team, Atlético Ottawa, and adjusted its format. In 2021, the 28-match regular season, single-game knockout playoffs format came into force and was used again in 2022.
While the league is still young, Forge FC has become the team to beat and is very popular among live betting enthusiasts. As two-time champions and 2021 runners-up, they’ve been the CPL’s main representative in the CONCACAF League.
Showing assured progress, Forge FC made it to the Round of 16, Quarter-Finals, and then the Semi-Finals in successive years. Maybe they could have gone on to win if Pacific FC didn’t beat them in the 2021 CFL Finals.
Success for the CPL so far
Along with advertising the competition admirably in the CONCACAF League, CPL clubs are already helping to achieve the core goal of the league.
Earlier in 2022, six CPL players were called up to Canada’s under-20s national team for the upcoming CONCACAF Championship.
Along with loanees to the league – Keesean Ferdinand and Matteo Campagna – Lowell Wright (York United), Kwasi Poku (Forge FC), Matthew Catavolo (Valour FC), Jean-Aniel Assi (Cavalry FC), Kamron Habibullah (Pacific FC), and Dino Bontis (Forge FC) all made the cut.
Soon, the CPL will evolve further. In 2023, a Langley, British Columbia team will join the CPL. One year later, the CONCACAF Champions League will expand, granting two CPL teams places in its first round.
In the coming years, CPL fans can expect to see further expansion and even more young talents making their way into the youth ranks of Les Rouges.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 8th August 2022
