# 2019 Canadian Premier League season

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 Field | 5,288 |
| FC Edmonton | Edmonton, Alberta | Clarke Stadium | 5,100 |
| Forge FC | Hamilton, Ontario | Tim Hortons Field | 10,016 |
| HFX Wanderers | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Wanderers Grounds | 6,200 |
| Pacific FC | Langford, British Columbia | Westhills Stadium | 6,200 |
| Valour FC | Winnipeg, Manitoba | IG Field | 10,000 |
| York9 FC | Toronto, Ontario | York Lions Stadium | 8,000 |

#### Personnel and sponsorship

    Note: All teams use the same kit manufacturer: Macron.
| Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Shirt sponsor |
| Cavalry FC | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | Nik Ledgerwood | WestJet |
| FC Edmonton | Jeff Paulus | Tomi Ameobi | OneSoccer |
| Forge FC | Bobby Smyrniotis | Kyle Bekker | Tim Hortons |
| HFX Wanderers | Stephen Hart | Jan-Michael Williams | Volkswagen |
| Pacific FC | James Merriman | Marcus Haber | Volkswagen |
| Valour FC | Rob Gale | Louis Béland-Goyette | OneSoccer |
| York9 FC | Jimmy Brennan | Manny Aparicio | Macron |
* ↑ Merriman was named interim head coach on October 18 following Pacific's announcement that the club had relieved Michael Silberbauer of his duties as head coach.

#### Coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
| Pacific FC | Michael Silberbauer | Fired | October 18, 2019 | 6th in Fall, 6th overall | James Merriman (interim) | October 18, 2019 |

### 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

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cavalry | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 24 | 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals |
| 2 | Forge | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 19 | 2019 CONCACAF League preliminary round |
| 3 | FC Edmonton | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 14 | |
| 4 | HFX Wanderers | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 11 | |
| 5 | Pacific | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 11 | |
| 6 | York9 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 11 | |
| 7 | Valour | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 9 | |
* ↑ As winner of home and away matches between FC Edmonton, Forge FC, and Valour FC

### 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.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FOR | FCE | VAL |
| 1 | Forge FC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 9 | 2019 CONCACAF League | — | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| 2 | FC Edmonton | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 6 | | 1–0 | — | 0–1 |
| 3 | Valour FC | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 | | 0–2 | 1–2 | — |

### Results

| Home \ Away | CAV | FCE | FOR | HFX | PAC | VAL | YOR |
| Cavalry FC | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| FC Edmonton | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — |
| Forge FC | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| HFX Wanderers | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Pacific FC | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 1–0 | — | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Valour FC | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 1–3 |
| York9 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | — |

## Fall season
### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cavalry | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 12 | +23 | 38 | 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals |
| 2 | Forge | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 37 | |
| 3 | York9 | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 23 | |
| 4 | Pacific | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 31 | −7 | 20 | |
| 5 | Valour | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 37 | −15 | 19 | |
| 6 | FC Edmonton | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 18 | |
| 7 | HFX Wanderers | 18 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 24 | −11 | 17 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | CAV | FCE | FOR | HFX | PAC | VAL | YOR | CAV | FCE | FOR | HFX | PAC | VAL | YOR |
| Cavalry FC | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–1 | — | — | 4–1 | — | 3–1 |
| FC Edmonton | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 3–1 | — | 1–3 |
| Forge FC | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | 1–0 |
| HFX Wanderers | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 0–0 | — |
| Pacific FC | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | — |
| Valour FC | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–2 | — | 0–4 | 0–8 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | — | — | — |
| York9 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 6–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–4 | — |

## 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

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Cavalry (S) | 28 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 51 | 19 | +32 | 62 | 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals |
| 2 | Forge (C) | 28 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 45 | 26 | +19 | 56 | 2019 Canadian Premier League Finals |
| 3 | York9 | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 39 | 37 | +2 | 34 | |
| 4 | FC Edmonton | 28 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 27 | 33 | −6 | 32 | |
| 5 | Pacific | 28 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 31 | |
| 6 | Valour | 28 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 30 | 52 | −22 | 28 | |
| 7 | HFX Wanderers | 28 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 35 | −14 | 28 | |
* ↑ As winner of the 2019 Spring and Fall seasons
* ↑ As second place in overall table

### Results

The first leg was held on October 26, and the second leg on November 2, 2019.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Forge FC | 2–0 | Cavalry FC | 1–0 | 1–0 |

## Attendance

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Forge FC | 92,228 | 17,611 | 3,864 | 6,588 | n/a$^†$ |
| 2 | HFX Wanderers | 84,860 | 6,244 | 5,387 | 6,061 | n/a$^†$ |
| 3 | Valour FC | 74,694 | 9,699 | 3,173 | 5,335 | n/a$^†$ |
| 4 | Cavalry FC | 46,091 | 4,697 | 1,938 | 3,292 | n/a$^†$ |
| 5 | Pacific FC | 43,426 | 5,103 | 2,017 | 3,102 | n/a$^†$ |
| 6 | FC Edmonton | 40,663 | 4,238 | 2,021 | 2,905 | n/a$^†$ |
| 7 | York9 | 37,352 | 4,260 | 1,729 | 2,668 | n/a$^†$ |
| | League total | 419,314 | 17,611 | 1,729 | 4,279 | n/a$^†$ |
Source:

## Statistical leaders

Statistics include regular season and Finals.

## 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 | Position | Position |
| Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| Morey Doner (York9 FC) | Right back | Right back | Right back |
| Daniel Krutzen (Forge FC) | Left centre back | Left centre back | Left centre back |
| Dominick Zator (Cavalry FC) | Right centre back | Right centre back | Right centre back |
| Kwame Awuah (Forge FC) | Left back | Left back | Left back |
| Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC) | Defensive midfielder | Defensive midfielder | Defensive midfielder |
| Tristan Borges (Forge FC) | Right centre midfielder | Right centre midfielder | Right centre midfielder |
| Kyle Bekker (Forge FC) | Left centre midfielder | Left centre midfielder | Left centre midfielder |
| Nico Pasquotti (Cavalry FC) | Right wing | Right wing | Right wing |
| Marco Bustos (Valour FC) | Left wing | Left wing | Left wing |
| Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC) | Striker | Striker | 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.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Player 7 |
| Cavalry FC | Jordan Brown | Julian Büscher | José Escalante | Dominique Malonga | Nathan Mavila | Oliver | |
| FC Edmonton | Oumar Diouck | Jeannot Esua | James Marcelin | Kareem Moses | Son Yong-chan | Ramón Soria | Tony Tchani |
| Forge 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 Williams |
| Pacific FC | Alexander González | Hendrik Starostzik | | | | | |
| Valour FC | Martín Arguiñarena | José Galán | Josip Golubar | Mathias Janssens | Adam Mitter | Michele Paolucci | |
| York9 FC | Simon Adjei | Wataru Murofushi | Rodrigo Gattas | | | | |