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2024 Canadian Premier League season

Professional soccer league season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2024 Canadian Premier League season was the sixth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top men's professional level of the Canadian Soccer Association's league system. Forge FC were the defending champions, having beaten Cavalry FC, the CPL Shield winners, in the 2023 final.[1]

Season2024
Dates
  • April 13 – October 19
    (regular season)
  • October 23 – November 9
    (playoffs)
ChampionsCavalry FC (1st title)
CPL ShieldForge FC (2nd shield)
Quick facts Season, Dates ...
Canadian Premier League
Season2024
Dates
  • April 13 – October 19
    (regular season)
  • October 23 – November 9
    (playoffs)
ChampionsCavalry FC (1st title)
CPL ShieldForge FC (2nd shield)
CONCACAF Champions CupCavalry FC
Forge FC
Matches112
Goals285 (2.54 per match)
Best playerTristan Borges
Top goalscorerTobias Warschewski
(12 goals)
Biggest home winVancouver 4–1 Valour
(April 14)
York United 3–0 Vancouver
(April 26)
Atlético Ottawa 3–0 Forge
(May 25)
Forge 3–0 York United
(June 1)
York United 4–1 Atlético Ottawa
(July 26)
Forge 3–0 HFX Wanderers
(July 27)
Forge 3–0 Atlético Ottawa
(August 10)
Pacific 3–0 HFX Wanderers
(September 7)
HFX Wanderers 3–0 Forge
(September 14)
Pacific 3–0 Vancouver
(September 14)
Biggest away winVancouver 0–4 HFX Wanderers
(June 23)
Highest scoringAtlético Ottawa 4–3 Forge
(June 28)
Longest winning run5 matches
Cavalry
(July 26 – August 24)
Longest unbeaten run10 matches
Cavalry
(April 20 – June 21)
Longest winless run9 matches
HFX Wanderers
(April 13 – June 15)
Longest losing run5 matches
Valour
(April 14 – May 10)
Highest attendance7,395
Forge 2–1 Cavalry
(April 13)
Lowest attendance843
York United 3–0 Vancouver
(April 26)
Total attendance445,891
Average attendance3,981
← 2023
2025 →
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Forge won the CPL Shield as regular season champions, their second CPL shield and sixth league trophy. In the 2024 CPL final, Cavalry won their first league title by defeating Forge 2–1 to claim the North Star Cup, their third league trophy.

Team and rule changes

The same eight teams that competed in the 2023 season also competed in the 2024 season.[2] The CPL's total player compensation budget was increased by $87,500 to a total of $1,112,500 (or $1,212,500 for teams maximizing the U21 salary incentive).[3]

York United was bought by a new ownership group from Mexico, Game Plan Sports Group.[4]

Teams

Location of the 2024 Canadian Premier League teams
More information Club, Results ...
Club Results Location Stadium Capacity
Atlético Ottawa details Ottawa, Ontario TD Place Stadium 24,000
Cavalry FC details Foothills County, Alberta ATCO Field 6,000
Forge FC details Hamilton, Ontario Tim Hortons Field 23,218
HFX Wanderers FC details Halifax, Nova Scotia Wanderers Grounds 6,500
Pacific FC details Langford, British Columbia Starlight Stadium 6,000
Valour FC details Winnipeg, Manitoba Princess Auto Stadium 32,343
Vancouver FC details Langley, British Columbia Willoughby Community Park 6,560
York United FC details Toronto, Ontario York Lions Stadium 4,000
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Personnel and sponsorship

More information Team, Head coach ...
Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (chest) Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Atlético Ottawa Spain Carlos González Canada Maxim Tissot Macron Maple Lodge Farms[5] CIBC[6]
Cavalry England Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Canada Marco Carducci WestJet
Forge Canada Bobby Smyrniotis Canada Kyle Bekker Tim Hortons
HFX Wanderers Canada Patrice Gheisar Trinidad and Tobago Andre Rampersad Volkswagen
Pacific Canada James Merriman Wales Josh Heard Telus[7]
Valour Canada Phillip Dos Santos Ghana Raphael Ohin OneSoccer
Vancouver Iran Afshin Ghotbi Canada Callum Irving CIBC[6] Carlsberg 0.0%[8]
York United Mexico Benjamín Mora Syria Mo Babouli Carlsberg 0.0%[9] CIBC[6]
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Number of teams by province or territory

More information Rank, Province or territory ...
Rank Province or territory Number Teams
1 Ontario Ontario 3 Atlético Ottawa
Forge
York United
2 British Columbia British Columbia 2 Pacific
Vancouver FC
3 Alberta Alberta 1 Cavalry
Manitoba Manitoba 1 Valour
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia 1 HFX Wanderers
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Coaching changes

More information Team, Outgoing coach ...
Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment
York United Canada Martin Nash Fired May 21, 2024[10] 5th Mexico Benjamín Mora June 4, 2024[11]
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Regular season

Format

The regular season was played as a quadruple round-robin, with each team playing the other seven teams twice at home and twice away between April and October. The regular season winner (the team ranked first after all 28 games) qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup and the top five teams qualified for the playoffs; the top two got byes to the semifinals.[12]

Standings

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Playoff qualification
1 Forge (S) 28 15 5 8 45 31 +14 50 First semifinal
2 Cavalry (C) 28 12 12 4 39 27 +12 48
3 Atlético Ottawa 28 11 11 6 42 31 +11 44 Quarterfinal
4 York United 28 11 6 11 35 36 −1 39 Play-in round
5 Pacific 28 9 7 12 27 32 −5 34
6 HFX Wanderers 28 7 9 12 37 43 −6 30[a]
7 Vancouver 28 7 9 12 29 43 −14 30[a]
8 Valour 28 7 7 14 31 42 −11 28
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Source: CanPL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Total number of wins; 3) Head-to-head; 4) Goal differential; 5) Goals for; 6) Away goals differential; 7) Away goals for; 8) Home goals differential; 9) Home goals for; 10) Fewest disciplinary points; 11) Most under-21 domestic player minutes; 12) Drawing of lots.[2]
(C) Champion (qualified to Champions Cup Round one); (S) CPL Shield winner (qualified to Champions Cup Round one)
Notes:
  1. [a]
    Head-to-head points: HFX Wanderers 7, Vancouver 4

Notes

Results

More information Home \ Away, ATO ...
Home \ Away ATO CAV FOR HFX PAC VAL VFC YRK
Atlético Ottawa 1–1 3–0 2–2 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–1
1–2 4–3 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–0 1–2
Cavalry 1–1 1–0 3–2 0–0 1–1 3–1 2–2
2–2 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 1–2
Forge 3–0 2–1 3–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 3–0
0–2 2–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 3–3 2–0
HFX Wanderers 1–3 1–1 2–2 0–0 1–2 3–2 2–1
1–1 1–0 3–0 2–2 3–1 1–1 2–1
Pacific 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–2 2–0
0–3 1–4 1–0 3–0 0–3 3–0 1–1
Valour 0–2 0–1 2–1 2–1 2–3 2–0 1–0
1–1 1–2 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–2 0–1
Vancouver 1–1 0–0 1–2 2–0 2–1 4–1 1–1
0–3 0–1 1–3 0–4 1–0 1–1 0–1
York United 4–1 1–2 0–3 2–1 2–0 3–1 3–0
1–0 0–2 0–0 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–2
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Source: CanPL.ca
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Positions by matchweek

More information Team ╲ Week, Atlético Ottawa ...
Team ╲ Week12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
Atlético Ottawa3421111111111111122222222333
Cavalry5565666656666664444334433222
Forge2213344334235533331111111111
HFX Wanderers7677788888888878888888878886
Pacific4332223442454456667776655655
Valour8888877777777787776667787778
Vancouver1144432223523345555555566567
York United6756555565342222213443344444
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Source: CanPL As It Stands articles, CanPL standings
  = Playoffs first semifinal;   = Quarterfinal;   = Play-in round

Playoffs

The 2024 season used the Page playoff system. The team who finished first in the regular-season table played the team who finished second, with the winner hosting the final. The fourth- and fifth-placed teams played in a play-in round, and the winner then played the third-placed team in a quarterfinal. The quarterfinal winner then played the loser of the game between the first and second-placed teams for the other spot in the final.[2]

In playoffs, if the scores were equal when normal playing time expires, extra time would be played for two periods of 15 minutes each. This would then be followed, if required, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.[2]

Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa were the first teams to qualify for the playoffs, doing so on September 21 and 22 respectively.[13] After some initial confusion over Cavalry FC's qualification status and a "review of the league's playoff clinch scenarios,"[14] Cavalry officially qualified on September 28.[15] York United FC became the fourth qualifier on October 1.[16] With two matchweeks left in the season, all remaining teams were still able to qualify for the fifth playoff spot.[17] This changed on October 12 when HFX Wanderers FC became the first team eliminated from playoff contention following a loss in the club's penultimate match.[18] Pacific FC clinched the fifth and final playoff spot on the final day of the season.[19]

On October 6, Forge clinched the CPL regular season title, winning the CPL Shield and securing the top playoff seed.[20]

Bracket

Play-in roundFirst semifinalSecond semifinalFinal
October 27 – HamiltonNovember 9 – Foothills County
1Forge FC02Cavalry FC2
2Cavalry FC1November 2 – Hamilton1Forge FC1
1Forge FC1
Quarterfinal3Atlético Ottawa0
October 27 – Ottawa
October 23 – Toronto3Atlético Ottawa (p)2 (5)
4York United24York United2 (4)
5Pacific FC0

Matches

Play-in round

More information York United, 2–0 ...
York United2–0Pacific FC
 Report
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Attendance: 2,203
Referee: Mathieu Souaré

Quarterfinal

More information Atlético Ottawa, 2–2 (a.e.t.) ...
Atlético Ottawa2–2 (a.e.t.)York United
 Report
Penalties
 5–4
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Attendance: 4,630

First semifinal

See also: Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry
More information Forge FC, 0–1 ...
Forge FC0–1Cavalry FC
Report
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Attendance: 6,521
Referee: Yusri Rudolf

Second semifinal

More information Forge FC, 1–0 ...
Forge FC1–0Atlético Ottawa
 Report
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Attendance: 6,315
Referee: Michael Venne

Final

Main article: 2024 Canadian Premier League final
See also: Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry
More information Cavalry FC, 2–1 ...
Cavalry FC2–1Forge FC
 Report
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Attendance: 7,052
Referee: Renzo Villanueva

Statistical leaders

See also: Canadian Premier League records and statistics § Career player records

Top scorers

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Goals[21]
1 Germany Tobias Warschewski Cavalry 14
2 Switzerland Rubén del Campo Atlético Ottawa 12
3 Mexico Alejandro Díaz Vancouver 10
4 Canada Brian Wright York United 9
5 Canada Tristan Borges Forge 8
New Zealand Moses Dyer Vancouver / Pacific
Canada Daniel Nimick HFX Wanderers
Canada Kwasi Poku Forge
9 Syria Mo Babouli York United 7
Canada Shaan Hundal Valour
Australia Jordan Swibel Valour
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Top assists

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Assists[22]
1 Canada Themi Antonoglou Valour 7
Canada Kyle Bekker Forge
3 Canada Tristan Borges Forge 6
Spain Dani Morer Atlético Ottawa
Canada Brian Wright York United
6 Canada David Choinière Forge 5
Canada Jordan Faria Valour
Mexico Jorge Guzmán York United
9 Canada Fraser Aird Cavalry 4
Northern Ireland Ollie Bassett Atlético Ottawa
Canada Clément Bayiha York United / HFX Wanderers
Canada Sergio Camargo Cavalry
Canada Paris Gee Vancouver
Somalia Ali Musse Cavalry
Canada Ballou Tabla Atlético Ottawa
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Clean sheets

More information Rank, Player ...
Rank Player Club Clean sheets[23]
1 Canada Marco Carducci Cavalry 9
2 Czech Republic Jassem Koleilat Forge 8
3 Canada Emil Gazdov Pacific 7
Canada Nathan Ingham Atlético Ottawa
France Thomas Vincensini York United
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Attendance

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Total High Low Average Change
1 HFX Wanderers 84,812 6,500 5,384 6,058 +3.5%†
2 Atlético Ottawa 76,764 7,091 3,886 5,483 +10.6%†
3 Forge FC 73,899 7,395 3,051 5,279 −0.7%†
4 Cavalry FC 59,120 5,043 2,876 4,223 +3.3%†
5 Vancouver FC 44,255 6,281 2,109 3,161 +13.4%†
6 Valour FC 43,481 4,750 2,242 3,106 −3.5%†
7 Pacific FC 42,574 4,367 2,161 3,041 −6.2%†
8 York United 20,986 2,654 843 1,499 +20.7%†
League total 445,891 7,395 843 3,981 +3.7%†
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Source: CanPL, LeonardFC

Awards

Canadian Premier League Awards

The 2024 Canadian Premier League Awards were held in Calgary, Alberta, on November 7, 2024.[24]

More information Award, Recipient ...
Award Recipient Finalists Ref.
Golden Boot

Germany Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC)

 N/A [25]
Golden Glove Canada Emil Gazdov (Pacific FC)

Canada Callum Irving (Vancouver FC)
France Thomas Vincensini (York United FC)

 [26]
Coach of the Year Canada Bobby Smyrniotis (Forge FC)

Mexico Benjamín Mora (York United FC)
Canada Tommy Wheeldon Jr. (Cavalry FC)

 [27]
Player of the Year Canada Tristan Borges (Forge FC)

Canada Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)
Canada Alessandro Hojabrpour (Forge FC)
Germany Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC)
Canada Brian Wright (York United FC)

 [28]
Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year Canada Kwasi Poku (Forge FC)

Canada Emil Gazdov (Pacific FC)
Canada Noah Abatneh (York United FC)

 [29]
Defender of the Year Netherlands Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)

Sweden Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge FC)
Canada Themi Antonoglou (Valour FC)

 [30]
Players' Player of the Year Canada Brian Wright (York United FC)

N/A

 [31]
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Canadian Premier League Best XI

More information Goalkeeper, Defenders ...
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards Ref
[32]
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Team of the Week

The Gatorade Team of the Week was selected by the CPL's Kristian Jack and OneSoccer's Oliver Platt.

More information Team of the Week, Week ...
Team of the Week
Week Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards Ref
1
[33]
2
[34]
3
[35]
4
[36]
5
[37]
6
[38]
7
[39]
8
[40]
9
[41]
10
[42]
11
[43]
12
[44]
13
[45]
14
[46]
15
[47]
16
[48]
17
[49]
18
[50]
19
[51]
20
[52]
21
[53]
22
[54]
23
[55]
24
[56]
25
[57]
26
[58]
27
[59]
28
[60]
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Monthly Awards

More information Month, Manager of the Month ...
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Goalkeeper of the Month References
Manager Club Player Club Goalkeeper Club
April Canada Bobby Smyrniotis Forge FC Canada Tristan Borges Forge FC Canada Christopher Kalongo Forge FC [61][62][63]
May Spain Carlos González Atlético Ottawa Switzerland Rubén del Campo Atlético Ottawa Canada Callum Irving Vancouver FC [64][65][66]
June Canada Patrice Gheisar HFX Wanderers FC Canada Kwasi Poku Forge FC France Thomas Vincensini York United FC [67][68][69]
July Mexico Benjamín Mora York United FC Syria Mo Babouli York United FC Canada Marco Carducci Cavalry FC [70][71][72]
August England Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Cavalry FC Netherlands Daan Klomp Cavalry FC France Thomas Vincensini York United FC [73][74][75]
September Canada Bobby Smyrniotis Forge FC New Zealand Moses Dyer Pacific FC Canada Jonathan Viscosi Valour FC [76][77][78]
October England Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Cavalry FC Germany Tobias Warschewski Cavalry FC Canada Nathan Ingham Atlético Ottawa [79][80][81]
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Player transfers

Main article: List of Canadian Premier League transfers 2024

According to FIFA's worldwide registration periods calendar, the Canadian Soccer Association's (CSA's) 2024 pre-season transfer window opened on January 31 and closed on April 23; the mid-season transfer window would open on July 18 and close on August 14.[82] However, the CPL later announced that its mid-season transfer window would instead open on July 5 and close on August 2, contradicting FIFA's published dates.[2] This discrepancy was resolved on July 11 when the CSA announced that the mid-season transfer window would open on July 12 and close on August 8 as a compromise between the CPL's and Major League Soccer's interests.[83][84]

CPL clubs were required to be fully roster compliant by April 1 at 5:00 pm ET; rosters were frozen on September 13 at 4:00 pm ET.[85]

U Sports Draft

The 2024 CPL–U Sports Draft took place on December 14, 2023. Each team made two picks in the draft, for a total of 16 selections.[86]

Foreign players

Main article: List of foreign CPL players

Canadian Premier League teams can sign a maximum of seven international players, out of which only five can be in the starting line-up for each match.[3]

The following international players were signed for the 2024 season. Note that players may be considered domestic for CPL purposes (Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or refugees) while still representing other countries in international competitions.[87]

More information Club, Player 1 ...
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7 Inactive players[A] Former players
Atlético Ottawa Northern Ireland Ollie Bassett Spain Alberto Zapater Switzerland Rubén del Campo Ecuador Liberman Torres Portugal Kévin dos Santos Spain Dani Morer Spain Jesús del Amo France Aboubakary Sacko
Cavalry Netherlands Daan Klomp Australia Jesse Daley Republic of Ireland Tom Field Germany Tobias Warschewski Germany Nicolas Wähling England Jack Barrett
Australia Lleyton Brooks
Forge Sweden Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson England Malik Owolabi-Belewu Belgium Béni Badibanga Senegal Elimane Cissé Ghana Nana Opoku Ampomah Mexico Daniel Parra Belgium Victor Klonaridis
HFX Wanderers Trinidad and Tobago Andre Rampersad France Lorenzo Callegari Brazil Vitor Dias Italy Giorgio Probo United States Christian Volesky
Pacific Trinidad and Tobago Reon Moore Romania Andrei Tîrcoveanu Colombia Juan Quintana Argentina Kevin Ceceri New Zealand Moses Dyer France Aly Ndom Netherlands Ayman Sellouf
Valour Spain Roberto Alarcón Australia Tass Mourdoukoutas Australia Jordan Swibel Germany Charalampos Chantzopoulos Portugal Diogo Ressurreição England Kian Williams
Vancouver Mexico Alejandro Díaz Brazil Renan Garcia Mexico José Navarro Uganda Allan Enyou Belgium Olivier Rommens Netherlands Ayman Sellouf New Zealand Moses Dyer
York United Liechtenstein Dennis Salanović Mexico Oswaldo León Mexico Orlando Botello Mexico Josué Martínez France Thomas Vincensini Mexico Jorge Guzmán Mexico Santiago Márquez Liberia Brem Soumaoro
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Players in italic denote players who were new to their respective clubs for the 2024 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement. Players in Bold indicate players who have represented their national teams at the senior level.

Notes

  1. [A]
    Players who remain under contract but have suffered season-ending injury and may not return to play. They do not count towards roster or cap restrictions and as such can be replaced by another foreign player.

References

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