Season | 2021 |
---|---|
Dates | June 26 – November 16 (regular season) |
Champions | Pacific FC (1st title) |
Regular season winners | Forge FC (1st title) |
CONCACAF Champions League | Forge FC [lower-alpha 1] |
CONCACAF League | Pacific FC |
Matches played | 112 |
Goals scored | 282 (2.52 per match) |
Top goalscorer | João Morelli (14 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Jonathan Sirois (9 clean sheets) |
Biggest home win | Forge FC 4–0 Atlético Ottawa (August 25) Pacific FC 5–1 FC Edmonton (October 26) |
Biggest away win | Valour FC 0–3 FC Edmonton (September 7) Atlético Ottawa 0–3 Forge FC (October 3) |
Highest scoring | 7 goals FC Edmonton 3–4 Atlético Ottawa (October 12) |
Longest winning run | 3 matches Valour FC (June 27 – July 3, July 11–18) Pacific FC (July 21 – August 4, August 29 – September 9) Forge FC (September 25 – October 6, October 30 – November 9) |
Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches HFX Wanderers (August 22 – October 3) |
Longest winless run | 8 matches Atlético Ottawa (August 18 – September 19) Valour FC (August 29 – October 5) |
Longest losing run | 4 matches Valour FC (July 24 – August 12) |
Highest attendance | 12,064 Atlético Ottawa 2–1 HFX Wanderers (August 14) |
← 2020 2022 →
|
The 2021 Canadian Premier League season was the third season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Forge FC were defending champions, after defeating HFX Wanderers FC in the 2020 final. [1]
The season was planned to commence on May 22, the Victoria Day weekend, pending the approval of government authorities and the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. [2] However, on May 14, it was announced that the start was to be pushed back to mid-June or early July. [3]
On June 5, the league committed to a full 28-match season, but that the season would begin in a single-site bubble at IG Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba, promoted as "The Kickoff", with each team playing eight matches between June 26 and July 24. All matches were played behind closed doors and in compliance with Manitoba public health orders. [4] On July 30, the CPL began to play matches at home venues. [5]
Pacific FC defeated two-time champions and title holders Forge FC in the final to win their first title.
The same eight clubs that participated in the 2020 Canadian Premier League season competed in 2021. York United FC participated under their new name for the first time, having previously been known as York9 FC.
Teams were required to play Canadian players aged 21 years or younger for a minimum of 1,500 minutes this season, increased from 1,000 minutes. [6] The maximum team compensation for this season was $1.2 million split between players and coaching staff. The required spend on player compensation was $650,000 to $850,000. [7]
Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Atlético Ottawa | Ottawa | TD Place Stadium | 24,000 |
Cavalry | Foothills County | ATCO Field | 6,000 |
FC Edmonton | Edmonton | Clarke Stadium | 5,100 |
Forge | Hamilton | Tim Hortons Field | 23,218 |
HFX Wanderers | Halifax | Wanderers Grounds | 6,500 |
Pacific | Langford | Starlight Stadium | 6,000 |
Valour | Winnipeg | IG Field | 33,000 |
York United | Toronto | York Lions Stadium | 4,000 |
Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Shirt sponsor | Kit manufacturer |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlético Ottawa | Mista | Milovan Kapor | ComeOn! | Macron |
Cavalry | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | Nik Ledgerwood | WestJet | |
FC Edmonton | Alan Koch | Swoop | ||
Forge | Bobby Smyrniotis | Kyle Bekker | Tim Hortons | |
HFX Wanderers | Stephen Hart | Andre Rampersad | Volkswagen | |
Pacific | Pa-Modou Kah | Jamar Dixon | ||
Valour | Phillip Dos Santos | Daryl Fordyce | OneSoccer | |
York United | Jimmy Brennan | Roger Thompson | Macron |
Rank | Province or territory | Number | Teams |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ontario | 3 | Atlético Ottawa Forge York United |
2 | Alberta | 2 | Cavalry FC Edmonton |
3 | British Columbia | 1 | Pacific |
Manitoba | Valour | ||
Nova Scotia | HFX Wanderers |
Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FC Edmonton | Jeff Paulus | Resigned [8] | September 21, 2020 | Pre-season | Alan Koch | November 24, 2020 [9] |
Valour FC | Rob Gale | Sacked [10] | September 23, 2021 | 5th | Phillip Dos Santos | September 23, 2021 |
Between June 26 and July 24, teams played their first eight games at IG Field in Winnipeg. Teams from Eastern Canada and Western Canada played two matches against each of the four teams in the opposite region to reduce travel when teams return to home stadiums. [11] For the remainder of the season, teams played 16 games against opponents from their own region and 4 against opponents from the opposite region. [12]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Forge (S) | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 39 | 24 | +15 | 50 | Advance to playoffs |
2 | Cavalry | 28 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 50 | |
3 | Pacific (C) | 28 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 45 | |
4 | York United | 28 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 35 | 39 | −4 | 36 | |
5 | Valour | 28 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 35 | |
6 | HFX Wanderers | 28 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 28 | 34 | −6 | 35 | |
7 | FC Edmonton | 28 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 34 | 41 | −7 | 28 | |
8 | Atlético Ottawa | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 26 |
West | East |
The top-four teams in the regular season qualified for the league playoffs. The first-place team hosted the fourth, and the second-place team hosted the third in a single match round. The winners advanced to the CPL Final, a single match hosted by the higher-seeded team. [12]
If a match was level at the end of normal playing time, extra time would be played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner. If a match reached extra time, each team was allowed to make an additional substitution. [14]
Semi-finals November 20–21 | Final December 5 | ||||||||
1 | Forge FC | 3 | |||||||
4 | York United | 1 | |||||||
1 | Forge FC | 0 | |||||||
3 | Pacific FC | 1 | |||||||
2 | Cavalry FC | 1 | |||||||
3 | Pacific FC (a.e.t.) | 2 |
November 20, 2021 | Cavalry FC | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Pacific FC | Foothills County, Alberta |
1:00 pm MST (UTC−07:00) | Yao 47' | Report | Stadium: ATCO Field Attendance: 2,927 Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauzière |
December 5, 2021 | Forge FC | 0–1 | Pacific FC | Hamilton, Ontario |
4:30pm EST (UTC−05:00) | Report | Hojabrpour 59' | Stadium: Tim Hortons Field Attendance: 7,488 Referee: Yusri Rudolf |
On December 4, 2021, the Canadian Premier League revealed the nominees for the four individual awards that would be voted on by the media. These four awards plus the Golden Boot award are given based on performance over the whole season including Finals. The awards are Inuit soapstone sculptures designed by artists from Cape Dorset, Nunavut. [15] The winners were announced at a ceremony on December 14. [16]
Award | Recipient | Finalists [15] |
---|---|---|
Golden Boot (Hunter) | João Morelli (HFX Wanderers) | N/A |
Golden Glove (Qimmiq or Canadian Inuit Dog) | Jonathan Sirois (Valour FC) | Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) Triston Henry (Forge FC) |
Coach of the Year (Owl) | Pa-Modou Kah (Pacific FC) | Bobby Smyrniotis (Forge FC) Tommy Wheeldon Jr. (Cavalry FC) |
Player of the Year (Nikisuittuq) | João Morelli (HFX Wanderers FC) | Kyle Bekker (Forge FC) Terran Campbell (Pacific FC) |
Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year (Polar Bear) | Alessandro Hojabrpour (Pacific FC) | Max Ferrari (York United FC) Victor Loturi (Cavalry FC) |
The Gatorade Team of the Week is selected by OneSoccer staff.
Team of the Week | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dates | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref |
June 26–28 | Powley (Ottawa) | Peña (Valour) Beckie (Ottawa) Jean-Baptiste (Valour) Chung (Pacific) | Martínez (Ottawa) Escalante (Cavalry) | Bassett (Pacific) Díaz (Pacific) Ricci (Valour) Bustos (Pacific) | [17] |
June 28 – July 5 | Sirois (Valour) | Abzi (York) Yao (Cavalry) Jean-Baptiste (Valour) Farsi (Cavalry) | Simmons (Cavalry) Bekker (Forge) Ohin (Valour) | Alemán (Valour) Selemani (Cavalry) Jeannot Esua (Edmonton) | [18] |
July 5–12 | Irving (Pacific) | Peña (Valour) MacNaughton (Pacific) Beckie (Ottawa) Chung (Pacific) | Bekker (Forge) McKendry (Ottawa) Rampersad (HFX) | Bassett (Pacific) Morelli (HFX) Bustos (Pacific) | [19] |
July 12–19 | Sirois (Valour) | Awuah (Forge) Restrepo (HFX) Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge) Baquero (Valour) | Bekker (Forge) Sabak (Forge) Cissé (Forge) | Rea (Valour) Ricci (Valour) Musse (Cavalry) | [20] |
July 20–26 | Sirois (Valour) | Restrepo (HFX) Yao (Cavalry) Klomp (Cavalry) Doner (HFX) | Johnston (York) Rampersad (HFX) | Bustos (Pacific) Díaz (Pacific) Shaw (Ottawa) Riggi (HFX) | [21] |
July 26 – August 2 | Irving (Pacific) | Awuah (Forge) Samake (Pacific) Đidić (Edmonton) Doner (HFX) | Morelli (HFX) Gorskie (Edmonton) Cissé (Forge) | Bent (HFX) Warschewski (Edmonton) Bustos (Pacific) | [22] |
August 2–9 | Giantsopoulos (York) | Ruby (HFX) Zator (York) Klomp (Cavalry) Farsi (Cavalry) | Ferrari (York) Norman Jr. (Cavalry) Johnston (York) | Camargo (Cavalry) Ongaro (Edmonton) Morelli (HFX) | [23] |
August 9–16 | Silva (Valour) | Yao (Cavalry) Đidić (Edmonton) Beckie (Ottawa) | Chung (Pacific) Soto (Ottawa) McKendry (Ottawa) Farsi (Cavalry) | Wright (Ottawa) Shaw (Ottawa) Hernández (Cavalry) | [24] |
August 16–23 | Giantsopoulos (York) | Gagnon-Laparé (HFX) Yao (Cavalry) Geffrard (HFX) Doner (HFX) | Aparicio (Pacific) Galhardo (Valour) Polisi (Pacific) Petrasso (York) | Ricci (Valour) Mason (Cavalry) | [25] |
August 23–30 | James (Edmonton) | Awuah (Forge) Krutzen (Forge) Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge) Farsi (Cavalry) | Aparicio (Pacific) Ohin (Valour) Hojabrpour (Pacific) | Borges (Forge) Pacius (Forge) Campbell (Pacific) | [26] |
August 30– September 7 | Carducci (Cavalry) | Abzi (York) Schaale (HFX) Klomp (Cavalry) Chung (Pacific) | Ferrari (York) Simmons (Cavalry) Farsi (Cavalry) | Heard (Pacific) Petrasso (York) Morelli (HFX) | [27] |
September 7–13 | Henry (Forge) | Zator (York) Đidić (Edmonton) N'sa (York) | Gonzalez (Edmonton) Aparicio (Pacific) Cissé (Forge) Ferrari (York) | Shaw (Ottawa) Warschewski (Edmonton) Morelli (HFX) | [28] |
September 13–20 | Silva (Valour) | Abzi (York) Reyes (Valour) MacNaughton (Pacific) Verhoven (Ottawa) | Lamothe (HFX) Ledgerwood (Cavalry) Loturi (Cavalry) | Ongaro (Edmonton) Soto (Ottawa) Gutiérrez (York) | [29] |
September 20–27 | Powley (Ottawa) | Abzi (York) Krutzen (Forge) Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge) Beckie (Ottawa) | Bekker (Forge) Hojabrpour (Pacific) Rampersad (HFX) | Karajovanovic (HFX) L. Wright (York) B. Wright (Ottawa) | [30] |
September 27 – October 4 | Henry (Forge) | Awuah (Forge) Krutzen (Forge) Klomp (Cavalry) Aird (Edmonton) | Gagnon-Laparé (HFX) Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge) Dyer (Valour) | Bent (HFX) Díaz (Pacific) Morelli (HFX) | [31] |
October 4–12 | James (Edmonton) | Escalante (Cavalry) Wilson (York) Schaale (HFX) Fayia (Edmonton) | Fisk (Cavalry) Gagnon-Laparé (HFX) Ohin (Valour) Telfer (Ottawa) | Dyer (Valour) Akio (Valour) | [32] |
October 12–18 | Baskett (HFX) | Yao (Cavalry) Schaale (HFX) Klomp (Cavalry) | Browne (Forge) Bekker (Forge) Toussaint (York) Cissé (Forge) | Heard (Pacific) Díaz (Pacific) Campbell (Pacific) | [33] |
October 19–25 | Ingham (York) | Santos (HFX) Acosta (Ottawa) Yao (Cavalry) Klomp (Cavalry) Verhoven (Ottawa) | Fisk (Cavalry) Verhoeven (York) Soto (Ottawa) Coupland (Ottawa) | Mason (Cavalry) | [34] |
October 25 – November 1 | Sirois (Valour) | Awuah (Forge) Krutzen (Forge) Baquero (Valour) | Navarro (Forge) Bekker (Forge) Galán (Valour) Akio (Valour) | Galhardo (Valour) Wright (York) Bustos (Pacific) | [35] |
November 2–8 | Henry (Forge) | Metusala (Forge) Yao (Cavalry) Klomp (Cavalry) | Abzi (York) Najem (Edmonton) Cissé (Forge) Farsi (Cavalry) | Johnston (York) Mason (Cavalry) Dyer (Valour) | [36] |
Top scorers
| Top assists
|
Clean sheets
| Hat-tricks
|
The 2021 CPL–U Sports Draft was held virtually on January 29. Draftees are invited to team preseason camps, with an opportunity to earn a developmental contract and retain their U Sports men's soccer eligibility. FC Edmonton selected Thomas Gardner with the first overall pick. Two players were selected by each CPL team, with a total of 16 players being drafted including 12 Canadians. [40]
Canadian Premier League teams could sign a maximum of seven international players, out of which only five could be in the starting line-up for each match. Starting this season, teams were required to carry a minimum of four international players, either signed through or approved by the league's scouting partner, 21st Club. [41] The following players were considered foreign players for the 2021 season. This list does not include Canadian citizens who represent other countries at the international level. [42]
Players in italic denote players new to their respective clubs for the 2021 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement.
The Canadian Premier League is a professional men's soccer league in Canada. At the top of the Canadian soccer league system, it is the country's primary national soccer league competition. The league consists of eight teams, from five of Canada's ten provinces. Each team plays 28 games in the regular season which is followed by playoffs culminating in the CPL Finals.
Terran Campbell is a Canadian professional soccer player who currently plays for Forge FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Halifax Wanderers FC, also written as HFX Wanderers FC, is a Canadian professional soccer club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The club competes in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) at the top of the Canadian soccer league system, and play their home matches at Wanderers Grounds.
The 2019 HFX Wanderers FC season was the first season in the club's history having been founded on 5 May 2018, as well as the first season in Canadian Premier League (CPL) history. Stephen Hart was the club's first manager, with the team playing at Wanderers Grounds. The season covers the period from 1 November 2018 through to 31 October 2019. Hart, like his peers in the CPL, built a squad from the ground up, and made use of all available mechanisms for player recruitment: the CPL Open Trials, the U-Sports Draft, and benefiting from his domestic and international connections, particularly from his native Trinidad & Tobago.
The 2020 FC Edmonton season was the club's ninth competitive season as well as their second in the Canadian Premier League. In their previous season, FC Edmonton finished 3rd in the Spring season and 6th in the Fall season, failing to qualify for the finals.
The 2020 Canadian Premier League season was the second season of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top level of Canadian soccer.
The 2020 Forge FC season was the second season in the history of Forge FC. Forge were the defending league champions, having defeated Cavalry FC in the 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals. In addition to the domestic league, the club competed in the CONCACAF League, advancing to the quarter-finals for the first time.
The following is a compilation of notable Canadian Premier League records and statistics for teams and players. The Canadian Premier League includes statistics from the CPL Finals in their season totals.
The 2021 Pacific FC season was the third season in the history of Pacific FC, as well as third in the Canadian Premier League. In addition to the domestic league, the club competed in the Canadian Championship.
The 2021 Cavalry FC season was the third season in the history of Cavalry FC.
The 2021 Atlético Ottawa season was the second season in the history of Atlético Ottawa. In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club competed in the Canadian Championship.
The 2021 Forge FC season was the third season in the history of Forge FC. Forge were the defending league champions, having defeated HFX Wanderers FC in the 2020 Canadian Premier League Final. In addition to the domestic league, the club competed in the Canadian Championship and the CONCACAF League.
The 2021 Canadian Premier League Final was a soccer match which determined the winner of the 2021 Canadian Premier League season. It was played on December 5, 2021, in Hamilton, Ontario, between Forge FC and Pacific FC. Those teams qualified as the winners of their first round playoff matches. Forge FC were the defending champions.
The 2022 Canadian Premier League season is the fourth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Pacific FC are the defending champions, having beaten Forge FC in the 2021 final.
Cale Loughrey is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for the HFX Wanderers of the Canadian Premier League.
The 2023 Canadian Premier League season was the fifth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. The CPL Shield was won by Cavalry FC who finished first in the regular season by a 13 point margin. In the CPL final, Forge FC defeated Cavalry FC 2–1 in Hamilton to capture the North Star Cup. In doing so, Forge became league champions for the fourth time in five seasons. Both title winning clubs qualified for the newly expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The 2023 Forge FC season was the fifth season in the history of Forge FC and the club's fifth season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge were the defending CPL champions, having defeated Atlético Ottawa in the 2022 Canadian Premier League final. The club was managed by Bobby Smyrniotis in his fifth season as head coach and first season as sporting director. This was Forge FC's first season without any matches in international competitions after having failed to qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.
The 2023 Vancouver FC season was the first season in the history of Vancouver FC. In addition to the Canadian Premier League, the club competed in the Canadian Championship.
The 2024 Canadian Premier League season is the sixth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Forge FC are the defending champions, having beaten Cavalry FC in the 2023 final.
With the CPL tiebreaker defaulting to the number of wins