CPL Shield

Last updated

CPL Shield
CPL Shield.jpg
League Canadian Premier League
Awarded forFinishing the regular season with the best record
History
First award2023, 2019 (retroactively)
Most wins Cavalry FC, Forge FC
(2 shields each)
Most recentForge FC (2024, 2nd shield)

The Canadian Premier League Shield or CPL Shield is a trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Premier League (CPL) club with the best regular season finish. Although this award does not signify a league championship, as that is decided during the Canadian Premier League Finals, the winning team is awarded an equal monetary prize to the eventual playoff champions, and a berth in the next season’s CONCACAF Champions Cup. [1]

Contents

History

At the end of the 2022 Canadian Premier League season, the league announced that they would begin to recognize the regular season accomplishments of its member clubs to have more similarity with soccer competitions around the world, which put less emphasis on post-season results. [2] At the time, the Canadian Premier League did not recognize a regular season winner. The CPL Shield was first unveiled near the end of the 2023 Canadian Premier League regular season. [3] [4] Cavalry FC were the first team to hoist the trophy following their 2023 regular season championship. The CPL Shield was also awarded retroactively to the clubs with the best regular season records from all previous seasons, meaning that Cavalry FC were also the first de-facto winners of the trophy for their first place finish in the inaugural 2019 season. Due to the unconventional format used for a shortened season in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league did not retroactively award the trophy to any team for that year. [5]

Design

The trophy is a silver shield measuring about 46 centimetres (18 in) in diameter and weighing 9 kilograms (20 lb). The CPL Shield has 13 edges to represent each of the provinces and territories of Canada and features a gold CPL logo (which is a stylized maple leaf) in the centre. [3] The trophy sits on a removable wooden base.

Winners

† – Trophy awarded retroactively

SeasonTeamsWinnerRecordPlayoff resultCoach
PldWDLPtsΔPPG
2019 †7 Cavalry FC 2819546262.21Runner-up Flag of England.svg Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
2020 8Not awarded
2021 †8 Forge FC 2816210500 [a] 1.79Runner-up Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Bobby Smyrniotis
2022 †8 Atlético Ottawa 28131054921.75Runner-up Flag of Spain.svg Carlos González
2023 8 Cavalry FC (2)28167555131.96Runner-up Flag of England.svg Tommy Wheeldon Jr. (2)
2024 8 Forge FC (2)2815585021.79Runner-up Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Bobby Smyrniotis (2)
  1. ↑ 1st tiebreaker: total wins

Records

Shield wins by club

TeamWinnersRunners-upYear(s) wonYear(s) runners-up
Forge FC 23 2021, 2024 2019, 2022, 2023
Cavalry FC 22 2019, 2023 2021, 2024
Atlético Ottawa 10 2022

Shield wins by province

ProvinceWinnersRunners-up
Flag of Ontario.svg Ontario 33
Flag of Alberta.svg Alberta 22

Winner's records in the CONCACAF Champions Cup

Starting in 2023, the CPL Shield winner earned Canada's berth in the following year's CONCACAF Champions Cup. [4]

YearClubStarting roundResult
2022 Forge FC [a] Round of 16Round of 16
2024 Cavalry FC Round oneRound one
2025 Forge FC Round oneTBD

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supporters' Shield</span> Trophy for the MLS team with the best regular season record

The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1999, and has been recognized as a major trophy by the league. It echoes the practice of the top European leagues in which the team with the best record is the champion. Since 2006, the Supporters' Shield winner has earned a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Premier League</span> Professional soccer league in Canada

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.

The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a major trophy by the league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forge FC</span> Professional soccer team in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Forge FC, also known as Forge Football Club, Forge FC Hamilton, or Hamilton Forge FC, is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Hamilton, Ontario, that competes in the Canadian Premier League, the top tier of Canadian soccer. The club plays its home matches at Tim Hortons Field. Forge FC joined the CPL in 2019 as one of the league's seven inaugural teams.

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 2019 Canadian Premier League finals determined the winner of the Canadian Premier League's inaugural 2019 season. It featured Cavalry FC of Calgary, Alberta, and Forge FC of Hamilton, Ontario, and was the culmination of a rivalry that had developed between those teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessandro Hojabrpour</span> Canadian soccer player

Alessandro Feridun Hojabrpour is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a central midfielder for Canadian Premier League side Forge FC.

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 2020 Canadian Premier League final determined the winner of the 2020 Canadian Premier League season. It was played on September 19, 2020, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, between Forge FC, the defending league champion, and HFX Wanderers FC. Those teams qualified as the winner and runner-up of the group stage of The Island Games tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Premier League Finals</span> Annual championship game of the CPL

The Canadian Premier League final is the annual championship game of the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top level of Canadian soccer. It is played as a single match hosted by the winner of the first semifinal against the winner of the second semifinal at the conclusion of the league's annual playoff. The finals winner is awarded the North Star Cup trophy and earns a berth in round one of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Forge FC season</span> Forge FC 2023 soccer season

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Canadian Premier League final</span> Soccer match

The 2023 Canadian Premier League final was the soccer match to determine the winner of the 2023 Canadian Premier League season. It was played October 28, 2023, in Hamilton, Ontario, between Forge FC and Cavalry FC. The match was the fifth edition of the CPL Finals, the post-season championship of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Forge were the defending champions, having won the 2022 Canadian Premier League final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Forge FC season</span> Forge FC 2024 soccer season

The 2024 Forge FC season was the sixth season in the history of Forge FC and the club's sixth season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge was the defending CPL champions, having defeated Cavalry FC in the 2023 final for their fourth championship. The club was managed by Bobby Smyrniotis in his sixth season as head coach.

The 2024 Canadian Premier League season was the sixth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Forge FC were the defending champions, having beaten Cavalry FC, the CPL Shield winners, in the 2023 final.

The 2024 Canadian Premier League final was the sixth edition of the CPL Finals, the post-season championship of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer, which determined the winner of the 2024 Canadian Premier League season. It was played on November 9, 2024 at ATCO Field in Foothills County, Alberta between Cavalry FC and Forge FC. The 2024 final was a rematch of the 2023 final which was hosted and won by Forge FC.

The 2025 Forge FC season will be the seventh season in the history of Forge FC and the club's seventh season in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the top flight in Canadian soccer. Forge are the defending CPL Shield winners, having finished first in the 2024 Canadian Premier League season.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Although Forge was the regular season champion in 2021, they qualified to the Champions League due to their placement in the 2021 CONCACAF League, as the CPL Shield berth was only first awarded in 2023. [6]
Sources
  1. ↑ John Jacques (September 18, 2022). "Prize Pool: CPL Regular Season Champion To Get Money, Trophy". Northern Tribune. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ Charlie O’Connor-Clarke (September 18, 2022). "Canadian Premier League announces plans to recognize regular season champions". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Canadian Premier League revamps trophy case with new hardware up for grabs". CTV News. September 21, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Canadian Premier League announces new trophies". Canadian Premier League. September 21, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Canadian Premier League's Island Games: Everything you need to know". Sportsnet.ca. August 12, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  6. ↑ Benedict Rhodes (February 14, 2022). "Forge become first CPL team to play in the Concacaf Champions League: How did they get here?". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved October 22, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.