2020 Canadian Premier League season

Canadian Premier League

Season	2020
Dates	August 13 – September 6, 2020 (first stage) September 9–15, 2020 (group stage) September 19, 2020 (final)
Champions	Forge FC
Regular season winners	Not awarded
CONCACAF League	Forge FC
Matches played	35
Goals scored	92 (2.63 per match)
Top goalscorer	Akeem Garcia (6 goals)
Best goalkeeper	Triston Henry (5 shutouts)
Biggest home win	HFX Wanderers 0–5 Pacific FC (September 15)
Highest scoring	5 goals York9 FC 3–2 Forge FC (August 26) HFX Wanderers 0–5 Pacific FC (September 15)
Longest winning run	3 matches Cavalry FC (August 16–23) Forge FC (September 12–19)
Longest unbeaten run	6 matches York9 FC (August 15 – September 1) HFX Wanderers FC (August 26 – September 12) Forge FC (August 30 – September 19)
Longest winless run	7 matches FC Edmonton (August 16 – September 6)
Longest losing run	4 matches FC Edmonton (August 26 – September 6)
← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 Canadian Premier League season was the second season of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top level of Canadian soccer.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPL announced a 14-day hold on all pre-season training on March 13, 2020. ^[1] On March 20, the league announced that it would be postponing the start of the season from the previously scheduled date of April 11. ^[2]

A shortened 2020 season tournament, branded as The Island Games, was played at the University of Prince Edward Island from August 13 to September 19. All players were required to self-isolate for 14 days before travelling, self-isolate for five more days upon arrival, and receive two negative COVID-19 tests before being allowed to play. As of July 29, PEI had the lowest number of COVID-19 cases among provinces, at 36. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Initially, all matches were held behind closed doors. On August 8, the league announced a partnership with the province and PEI Soccer to allow 50 minor soccer players per game to attend matches. ^[6]

Atlético Ottawa joined the league as its first expansion team, bringing the total number of teams to eight. Hamilton's Forge FC defended their inaugural CPL title, blanking HFX Wanderers FC 2–0 in the final.

Overview

Teams

UPEI

Atlético Ottawa

Forge

Cavalry

Pacific

HFX Wanderers

York9

Valour

Edmonton

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Location of the 2020 Canadian Premier League season (green) and the homes of the eight teams (red)

The seven teams that participated in the inaugural 2019 Canadian Premier League season were set to compete in this season. They were joined by Atlético Ottawa, an expansion team who were created after USL Championship side Ottawa Fury FC suspended operations after being unable to secure approval from USSF and CONCACAF. ^{[7] [8] [9]}

Personnel and sponsorship

Team	Head coach	Captain(s)	Shirt sponsor	Kit manufacturer
Atlético Ottawa	Mista	Ben Fisk	OneSoccer	Macron
Cavalry	Tommy Wheeldon Jr.	Nik Ledgerwood	WestJet
FC Edmonton	Jeff Paulus	Tomi Ameobi	Swoop
Forge	Bobby Smyrniotis	Kyle Bekker	Tim Hortons
HFX Wanderers	Stephen Hart	Andre Rampersad	Volkswagen
Pacific	Pa-Modou Kah	Marcel de Jong	Volkswagen
Valour	Rob Gale	Dylan Carreiro	OneSoccer
York9	Jimmy Brennan	Manny Aparicio	Macron

Coaching changes

Team	Outgoing coach	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming coach	Date of appointment
Pacific	James Merriman	end of interim period	January 14, 2020	pre-season	Pa-Modou Kah	January 14, 2020
Atlético Ottawa	N/A (inaugural season)		January 29, 2020		Mista	February 11, 2020

Original format

Before being postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the regular season was intended to be played from April 11 to October 4. The split-season format of the inaugural season was to be replaced by a single table and full double round-robin. The eight teams would have met their rivals twice at home and twice away for a total of 28 games, the same number as in 2019. ^[10] The top ranked team in the regular season would have qualified for a spot in the championship final and would have been joined by the winner of a playoff between the second and third ranked teams. ^[11]

First stage

The eight teams played against each other once each for a total of seven matches. The top four teams advanced to the group stage.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Cavalry	7	4	1	2	10	7	+3	13	Advance to group stage
2	HFX Wanderers	7	3	3	1	12	7	+5	12 [lower-alpha 1]
3	Forge	7	3	3	1	13	9	+4	12 [lower-alpha 1]
4	Pacific	7	3	2	2	10	8	+2	11
5	York9	7	2	4	1	8	7	+1	10
6	Valour	7	2	2	3	8	9	−1	8 [lower-alpha 2]
7	Atlético Ottawa	7	2	2	3	7	12	−5	8 [lower-alpha 2]
8	FC Edmonton	7	0	1	6	5	14	−9	1

Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) total wins; 6) U-21 minutes; 7) coin toss or drawing of lots. ^[12]
Notes:

1. Head-to-head points: HFX Wanderers 1, Forge 1. Goal differential: HFX Wanderers +5, Forge +4
2. Head-to-head points: Valour 3, Atlético Ottawa 0.

Results Teams ATO CAV FCE FOR HFX PAC VAL YOR Atlético Ottawa — — — — — — — — Cavalry 0–2 — — — — — — — FC Edmonton 2–2 0–2 — — — — — — Forge 2–0 2–2 2–0 — — — — — HFX Wanderers 2–0 1–2 3–1 1–1 — — — — Pacific 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–2 2–2 — — — Valour 4–0 0–2 2–1 2–2 0–2 0–2 — — York9 2–2 0–1 1–0 3–2 1–1 1–1 0–0 — Source: CanPL.ca Legend: Blue = left column team win; Yellow = draw; Red = top row team win.

Results by round Team ╲ Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Atlético Ottawa 3 7 7 6 7 5 7 Cavalry 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 FC Edmonton 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 Forge 1 2 2 2 1 1 3 HFX Wanderers 3 4 5 4 6 4 2 Pacific 3 4 5 5 3 6 4 Valour 7 3 3 7 5 7 6 York9 3 4 4 3 4 3 5 1st and advance to group stage Advance to group stage Source: CanPL.ca Notes: Cavalry and Forge played two matches in round 1 but did not play in round 6.

Group stage

The four group stage teams met their opponents once each. The top two teams advanced to the final.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Forge	3	2	1	0	4	1	+3	7	Advance to final
2	HFX Wanderers	3	1	1	1	3	7	−4	4
3	Cavalry	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3 [lower-alpha 1]
4	Pacific	3	1	0	2	6	5	+1	3 [lower-alpha 1]

Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) total wins; 6) U-21 minutes; 7) coin toss or drawing of lots. ^[13]
Notes:

1. Head-to-head points: Cavalry 3, Pacific 0.

Results Teams CAV FOR HFX PAC Cavalry — — — — Forge 1–0 — — — HFX Wanderers 2–1 1–1 — — Pacific 1–3 0–2 5–0 — Source: CanPL.ca Legend: Blue = left column team win; Yellow = draw; Red = top row team win.

Results by round Team ╲ Round 1 2 3 Cavalry 1 3 3 Forge 2 1 1 HFX Wanderers 2 2 2 Pacific 4 4 4 1st and advance to Final Advance to Final Source: CanPL.ca

Final

Main article: 2020 Canadian Premier League Final

September 19

3:00 pm ADT (UTC−03:00)

Forge FC	2–0	HFX Wanderers FC
Achinioti-Jönsson 60' Tissot 90'	Report

Alumni Field, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Attendance: 50

Referee: Juan Márquez

Statistical leaders

See also: Canadian Premier League records and statistics § Player records — career

Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals 1 Akeem Garcia HFX Wanderers 6 2 Marco Bustos Pacific FC 5 3 João Morelli HFX Wanderers 4 4 Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson Forge FC 3 Kyle Bekker Forge FC Jordan Brown Cavalry FC Alejandro Díaz Pacific FC Joseph Di Chiara York9 Nathan Mavila Cavalry FC Easton Ongaro FC Edmonton Source: [14]

Top assists Rank Player Club Assists 1 Marco Bustos Pacific FC 3 2 Francisco Acuña Atlético Ottawa 2 Molham Babouli Forge FC Víctor Blasco Pacific FC Alejandro Díaz Pacific FC Shaan Hundal Valour FC Brett Levis Valour FC Alex Marshall HFX Wanderers Andre Rampersad HFX Wanderers Paolo Sabak Forge FC Maxim Tissot Forge FC Source: [14]

Shutouts

Rank	Player	Club	Shutouts
1	Triston Henry	Forge FC	5
2	Marco Carducci	Cavalry FC	3
3	Nathan Ingham	York9	2
	Christian Oxner	HFX Wanderers
	James Pantemis	Valour FC
	Nacho Zabal	Atlético Ottawa
7	Callum Irving	Pacific FC	1
	Nolan Wirth	Pacific FC

Source: ^[14]

Player transfers

Main article: Canadian Premier League transfers 2020

U Sports Draft

Further information: 2019 CPL–U Sports Draft

The 2019 CPL–U Sports Draft was held on November 11 in Montreal, Quebec. Draftees were invited to team preseason camps, with an opportunity to earn a developmental contract and retain their U Sports men's soccer eligibility. HFX Wanderers selected Cory Bent with the first overall pick. Two players were selected by each returning CPL team, with a total of 14 players being drafted including 10 Canadians. ^[15] Ottawa had not yet joined the league and did not participate in the draft.

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 2020 season. This list does not include Canadian citizens who represent other countries at the international level. ^[16]

Club	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Player 4	Player 5	Player 6	Player 7
Atlético Ottawa	Vashon Neufville	Tevin Shaw	Francisco Acuña	Bernardinho	Nacho Zabal	Viti Martínez
Cavalry	Jordan Brown	José Escalante	Nathan Mavila	Oliver	Jair Córdova	Richard Luca
FC Edmonton	Jeannot Esua	Kareem Moses	Ramón Soria	Son Yong-chan	Erik Zetterberg
Forge	Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson	Elimane Cissé	Daniel Krutzen	Paolo Sabak
HFX Wanderers	Akeem Garcia	Andre Rampersad	Peter Schaale	Alex Marshall	João Morelli	Eriks Santos	Cory Bent
Pacific	Alejandro Díaz
Valour	José Galán	Solomon Kojo Antwi	Andrew Jean-Baptiste	Moses Dyer	Arnold Bouka Moutou
York9	Wataru Murofushi	Gabriel Vasconcelos	Fugo Segawa	Álvaro Rivero

Players in italic denote players new to their respective clubs for the 2020 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement.

Awards

Canadian Premier League Awards

The nominees for the four CPL awards were announced on September 18, one day before the league final. ^[17] The awards take into account all matches from The Island Games and are voted on by reporters across Canada. The winners were announced at a ceremony on November 26, 2020. ^[18]

2020 Canadian Premier League Awards

Award	Recipient	Finalists
Golden Boot	Akeem Garcia (HFX Wanderers)	N/A
Golden Glove	Triston Henry (Forge)	Christian Oxner (HFX Wanderers) Callum Irving (Pacific)
Coach of the Year	Stephen Hart (HFX Wanderers)	Bobby Smyrniotis (Forge) Mista (Atlético Ottawa)
Player of the Year	Kyle Bekker (Forge)	Marco Bustos (Pacific) Akeem Garcia (HFX Wanderers)
Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year	Mohamed Farsi (Cavalry)	Chrisnovic N'sa (HFX Wanderers) Julian Dunn (Valour)

Team of the Week

The Gatorade Team of the Week is selected by OneSoccer staff. ^[19]

Dates	Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards	Ref
August 13–16	Henry (Forge)	Awuah (Forge) Krutzen (Forge) Zator (Cavalry) Northover (Cavalry)	Acuña (Ottawa) Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge) Bekker (Forge)	Bustos (Pacific) Haber (Cavalry) Farsi (Cavalry)	[19]
August 18–23	Pantemis (Valour)	Mavila (Cavalry) Boskovic (Cavalry) Dunn (Valour) Chung (Pacific)	Sissoko (HFX) Acuña (Ottawa) Bekker (Forge)	Boakai (Edmonton) Brown (Cavalry) Garcia (HFX)	[20]
August 25–30	Oxner (HFX)	Haynes (Pacific) Krutzen (Forge) Schaale (HFX) Chung (Pacific)	Di Chiara (York) Rampersad (HFX) Dixon (Pacific)	Blasco (Pacific) Díaz (Pacific) Bustos (Pacific)	[21]
September 1–6	Oxner (HFX)	Levis (Valour) Geffrard (HFX) Zator (Cavalry) Chung (Pacific)	Aparicio (York) Dyer (Valour) Martinez (Ottawa)	Riggi (HFX) Garcia (HFX) Bustos (Pacific)	[22]
September 7–13	Henry (Forge)	N'sa (HFX) Krutzen (Forge) Zator (Cavalry) Restrepo (HFX)	Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge) Sabak (Forge) Simmons (Cavalry)	Morelli (HFX) Garcia (HFX) Farsi (Cavalry)	[23]
September 14–20	Henry (Forge)	Awuah (Forge) Krutzen (Forge) Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific) Samuel (Forge)	Baldisimo (Pacific) Bekker (Forge) Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge)	Riggi (HFX) Babouli (Forge) Bustos (Pacific)	[24]

Media

OneSoccer broadcast all matches of the tournament. CBC Television televised nine matches on Saturdays, and CHCH-TV in Hamilton broadcast Sunday matches. ^[25] To visually enhance the venue for broadcast as it is only a pitch, an augmented reality "virtual stadium" was employed by host broadcaster Mediapro, rendering CGI grandstands with virtual sponsor placements. An AI-based automated camera system was used for 19 matches, using similar technology to what was used for the CEBL Summer Series. ^[26]

See also

• 2020 Canadian Championship

References

1. "Canadian Premier League Statement: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Protocol for Pre-Season Training". Canadian Premier League. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
2. "Canadian Premier League Commissioner Statement: Start of season postponed". Canadian Premier League. March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
3. "Canadian Premier League's Island Games: Everything you need to know". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
4. "CPL players, coaches, staff in P.E.I. bubble all test negative for COVID-19". CBC News. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
5. "P.E.I. to host Canadian pro soccer league season starting Aug. 13". CBC News. July 29, 2020.
6. Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (August 29, 2020). "With approval from the Province of PEI and in partnership with @peisoccerassoc, the CPL hosted the 1st fan zone for minor soccer players. Starting today, groups of up to 50 people will begin to share in the excitement of The Island Games while following public health measures. https://t.co/lA8xPxRPpK" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023– via Twitter.
7. "Canadian Premier League awards 1st Expansion Team to Ottawa". Canadian Premier League. January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
8. "Ottawa's Soccer Team Was Just Cancelled But Fans Want Them To Switch Leagues". www.narcity.com. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
9. Jacques, John (January 15, 2020). "Rumour: Ottawa On Fast-Track To CPL Expansion". Northern Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
10. "Canadian Premier League announces 2020 home dates; Ottawa's home opener set for May 16". Global News. February 20, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
11. Bedakian, Armen (February 21, 2020). "CPL announces balanced schedule, new league and playoff format for 2020". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
12. Thompson, Marty [@martythompson_] (August 12, 2020). "Confirmed: #CanPL tiebreakers for The Island Games... 1. Head-to-head 2. Goal diff. 3. Goals for 4. Total # of wins 5. *Most U-21 minutes* in round 6. Coin toss or drawing of lots" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
13. Thompson, Marty [@martythompson_] (August 12, 2020). "Confirmed: #CanPL tiebreakers for The Island Games... 1. Head-to-head 2. Goal diff. 3. Goals for 4. Total # of wins 5. *Most U-21 minutes* in round 6. Coin toss or drawing of lots" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. "2020 CPL statistics" . Retrieved August 13, 2020.
15. "TRACKER: All 14 picks from the 2019 CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. November 11, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
16. "CPL 2020 roster tracker: How all eight teams are shaping up". Canadian Premier League. March 11, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
17. Molinaro, John (September 18, 2020). "Bustos, Bekker and Garcia finalists for CPL Player of the Year award". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
18. Jaques, John (November 26, 2020). "2020 Canadian Premier League Awards Roundup". Northern Tribune. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
19. "Gatorade Team of the Week: Forge, Cavalry dominate Week 1". Canadian Premier League. August 17, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
20. "Gatorade Team of the Week: Bekker and Acuña return in Week 2". Canadian Premier League. August 25, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
21. "Gatorade Team of the Week: Pacific FC dominates CPL's top selections". Canadian Premier League. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
22. "Gatorade Team of the Week: HFX Wanderers take over CPL best XI". Canadian Premier League. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
23. "Gatorade Team of the Week: Wanderers, Forge dominate Week 5". Canadian Premier League. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
24. Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (September 22, 2020). "Presenting...our final @GatoradeCanada Team of the Week for the 2020 CPL Season. 👏 #CanPL https://t.co/BY7JMiiBwn" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2023– via Twitter.
25. "CPL/Island Games Sunday matches to be broadcast on CHCH TV". Canadian Premier League. August 13, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
26. Kerschbaumer, Ken (August 19, 2020). "Canadian Premier League Returns: Mediapro Canada Odyssey 4K Truck Onsite; WT Vision Builds Virtual Stadium". Sports Video Group. Retrieved October 8, 2020.