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. 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.
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. 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 Team Location Stadium Capacity Cavalry FC Foothills County, Alberta ATCO Field5,288 FC Edmonton Edmonton, Alberta Clarke Stadium5,100 Forge FC Hamilton, Ontario Tim Hortons Field10,016 Halifax, Nova Scotia Wanderers Grounds6,200 Pacific FC Langford, British Columbia Westhills Stadium6,200 Valour FC Winnipeg, Manitoba IG Field10,000 York9 FC Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium8,000
Personnel and sponsorship Note: All teams use the same kit manufacturer: Macron.
Team Head coach Captain(s) Shirt sponsorCavalry FC WestJetFC Edmonton OneSoccerForge FC Tim HortonsHFX Wanderers VolkswagenPacific FC VolkswagenValour FC OneSoccerYork9 FC Macron
Coaching changes TeamOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming coachDate of appointment Pacific FC Michael Silberbauer Fired 6th in Fall, 6th overall James Merriman (interim)
Format The Canadian Premier League season ran from late April to October. 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.
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. In subsequent years, CONCACAF League qualification is awarded to the previous year's CPL champion.
Results
Fall season
Table
Results
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.
Attendance
Statistical leaders Statistics include regular season and Finals.
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals 1 Tristan Borges Forge FC 13 2 Terran Campbell Pacific FC 11 Dominique Malonga Cavalry FC 4 Easton Ongaro FC Edmonton 10 5 Rodrigo Gattas York9 9 6 Ryan Telfer York9 8 7 Simon Adjei York9 7 Marco Bustos Valour FC Akeem Garcia HFX Wanderers Oliver Cavalry FC
Top assists
RankPlayerClubAssists 1 Kwame Awuah Forge FC 5 Kyle Bekker Forge FC Tristan Borges Forge FC Ben Fisk Pacific FC Michael Petrasso Valour FC Blake Smith Pacific FC 7 6 players tied 4
Clean sheets
RankPlayerClubCleansheets 1 Marco Carducci Cavalry FC 9 Triston Henry Forge FC 3 Connor James FC Edmonton 7 4 Nathan Ingham York9 6 Christian Oxner HFX Wanderers 6 Mathias Janssens Valour FC 4 Quillan Roberts Forge FC Mark Village Pacific FC 9 Niko Giantsopoulos Cavalry FC 3 10 Tyson Farago Valour FC 2 Jan-Michael Williams HFX Wanderers
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Ref York9 HFX Wanderers 6–2 (H) July 27
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.
+ 2019 Premier Performer top 5 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
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. 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 Finalists 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.
+ 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
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.
+ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Player 6Player 7Cavalry FC Jordan Brown Julian Büscher José Escalante Dominique Malonga Nathan Mavila OliverFC Edmonton Oumar Diouck Jeannot Esua James Marcelin Kareem Moses Son Yong-chan Ramón Soria Tony TchaniForge 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 WilliamsPacific FC Alexander González Hendrik Starostzik Valour FC Martín Arguiñarena José Galán Josip Golubar Mathias Janssens Adam Mitter Michele PaolucciYork9 FC Simon Adjei Wataru Murofushi Rodrigo Gattas
References