2023 Canadian Premier League season
The 2023 Canadian Premier League season is the fifth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. The 2023 CPL playoff champion and 2023 CPL regular season winner will both earn berths in the newly expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Forge FC are the defending CPL champions, having beaten Atlético Ottawa in the 2022 final. Atlético Ottawa are the defending regular season winners.
Season | 2023 |
---|---|
Dates | April 15 – October 7 (regular season) |
Champions | TBD |
CPL Shield | Cavalry FC |
CONCACAF Champions Cup | Cavalry FC Forge FC |
Matches played | 112 |
Goals scored | 292 (2.61 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Ollie Bassett Myer Bevan (11 goals each) |
Biggest home win | Pacific 4–1 York United (May 14) Cavalry 3–0 Forge (August 4) HFX Wanderers 3–0 Vancouver (August 12) HFX Wanderers 3–0 Valour (August 26) Cavalry 3–0 Pacific (October 7) |
Biggest away win | Vancouver 0–5 Atlético Ottawa (May 13) |
Highest scoring | Vancouver 3–6 Pacific (June 2) |
Longest winning run | 5 matches Cavalry (September 12 – October 7) |
Longest unbeaten run | 9 matches Pacific (May 6 – June 30) Cavalry (August 20 – October 7) |
Longest winless run | 8 matches HFX Wanderers (April 15 – June 3) |
Longest losing run | 3 matches Vancouver (June 2 – June 17) Forge (June 10 – June 20) Vancouver (July 16 – July 28) Pacific (August 13 – August 27) Valour (August 18 – September 2) York United (September 8 – September 23) Atlético Ottawa (September 18 – October 1) Pacific (September 23 – October 7) |
Highest attendance | 7,042 Atlético Ottawa 1–1 HFX Wanderers (April 15) |
Lowest attendance | 822 York United 1–2 Vancouver (April 22) |
Total attendance | 421,247 |
Average attendance | 3,865 |
← 2022 2024 →
All statistics correct as of October 7, 2023. |
Team and rule changes
Eight teams are competing in the 2023 season with the debut of Vancouver FC, and the dissolution of FC Edmonton.[1][2] The player compensation budget increased by $175,000 compared to 2022.[3] Teams must spend between $750,000 and $1,025,000 on their 20–23 player rosters with a minimum of $30,000 per player. A team making full use of the U21 salary rule can reach a compensation maximum of $1,125,000. The league's play-off structure changed to a five-team Page playoff system with four elimination matches and one non-elimination match.
Teams
Stadiums and locations
Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Atlético Ottawa | Ottawa | TD Place Stadium | 24,000 |
Cavalry FC | Foothills County | ATCO Field | 6,000[4] |
Forge FC | Hamilton | Tim Hortons Field | 23,218 |
HFX Wanderers FC | Halifax | Wanderers Grounds | 6,500 |
Pacific FC | Langford | Starlight Stadium | 6,000 |
Valour FC | Winnipeg | IG Field | 33,000 |
Vancouver FC | Langley | Willoughby Community Park Stadium | 6,560 |
York United FC | Toronto | York Lions Stadium | 4,000 |
Personnel and sponsorship
Team | Head coach | Captain | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) | Kit manufacturer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlético Ottawa | Carlos González | Carl Haworth | Maple Lodge Farms[5] | CIBC[6] | Macron |
Cavalry | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | Marco Carducci | WestJet | ||
Forge | Bobby Smyrniotis | Kyle Bekker | Tim Hortons | ||
HFX Wanderers | Patrice Gheisar | Andre Rampersad | Volkswagen | ||
Pacific | James Merriman | Josh Heard | Telus[7] | ||
Valour | Phillip Dos Santos | Andrew Jean-Baptiste | OneSoccer | ||
Vancouver | Afshin Ghotbi | Callum Irving | CIBC[6] | Carlsberg[8] | |
York United | Martin Nash | Roger Thompson | Carlsberg[9] | CIBC[6] |
Number of teams by province or territory
Rank | Province or territory | Number | Teams |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ontario | 3 | Atlético Ottawa Forge York United |
2 | British Columbia | 2 | Pacific Vancouver FC |
3 | Alberta | 1 | Cavalry |
Manitoba | 1 | Valour | |
Nova Scotia | 1 | HFX Wanderers |
Coaching changes
Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HFX Wanderers | Stephen Hart | End of contract | October 13, 2022 | Pre-season | Patrice Gheisar | November 30, 2022 |
Vancouver FC | N/A (inaugural season) | Afshin Ghotbi | November 2, 2022 | |||
FC Edmonton | Alan Koch | Team folded | November 21, 2022 | N/A |
Regular season
Format
The regular season will be played as a quadruple round-robin, with each team playing the other seven teams twice at home and twice away between April 15 and October 7. The regular season winner, the team ranked first after all 28 games, qualifies for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup and the top five teams qualify for the playoffs.
Standings
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Playoff qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cavalry (S) | 28 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 27 | +19 | 55 | First semifinal |
2 | Forge | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 42[lower-alpha 1] | |
3 | HFX Wanderers | 28 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 42[lower-alpha 1] | Quarterfinal |
4 | Pacific | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 40 | Play-in round |
5 | York United | 28 | 11 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 38 | |
6 | Atlético Ottawa | 28 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 38 | 34 | +4 | 36 | |
7 | Vancouver | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 50 | −22 | 29 | |
8 | Valour | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 25 | 38 | −13 | 26 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Total wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Away goal differential; 6) Away goals scored; 7) Home goal differential; 8) Home goals scored; 9) Total minutes played by U-21 players; 10) Coin toss (2 teams tied) or drawing of lots (3+ teams tied).[10]
(S) CPL Shield winner (qualified to Champions Cup)
Notes:
- Tie resolved by away goal differential; Forge: +4, Wanderers: −2
Results
U-21 minute standings
In order to qualify for the playoffs, clubs also must accumulate at least 2,000 minutes played by U-21 domestic players during the regular season. Additionally, only 1,000 of these minutes can be played by players on loan from other clubs.[11] Clubs that do not meet the 2,000 minute threshold may also incur financial penalties from the league.
Pos | Team | Pld | Min | Playoff eligibility |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vancouver | 28 | 5,203 | Eligible |
2 | Valour | 28 | 4,390 | |
3 | Pacific (Q) | 28 | 2,674 | |
4 | Forge (Q) | 28 | 2,052 | |
5 | Cavalry (Q) | 28 | 2,044 | |
6 | Atlético Ottawa | 28 | 2,034 | |
7 | HFX Wanderers (Q) | 28 | 2,032 | |
8 | York United (Q) | 28 | 2,006 |
Playoffs
The 2023 season will use the Page playoff system. The team who finishes first in the regular-season table will play the team who finishes second, and the winner will host the final. The fourth- and fifth-placed teams will play in a play-in round, the winner of this game will play the third-placed team in a quarter-final. The quarter-final winner will play the loser of the game between the first and second placed teams for the other spot in the final.[12]
Bracket
Play-in round | First semifinal | Second semifinal | Final | |||||||||||||||
October 14 | October 28 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | Cavalry FC | 1 | 2 | Forge FC | ||||||||||||||
2 | Forge FC | 2 | October 21 | 1 | Cavalry FC | |||||||||||||
1 | Cavalry FC | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
Quarterfinal | 4 | Pacific FC | 1 | |||||||||||||||
October 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
October 11 | 3 | HFX Wanderers FC | 0 | |||||||||||||||
4 | Pacific FC | 1 | 4 | Pacific FC | 1 | |||||||||||||
5 | York United FC | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
Play-in round
October 11 | Pacific FC | 1–0 | York United FC | Langford, British Columbia |
7:00 pm PDT (10:00 pm EDT) |
Reid 90+1' | Stadium: Starlight Stadium |
Quarterfinal
October 14 | HFX Wanderers FC | 0–1 | Pacific FC | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
3:00 pm ADT (2:00 pm EDT) |
Fernandez 37' (o.g.) | Stadium: Wanderers Grounds |
First semifinal
October 14 Cavalry–Forge rivalry | Cavalry FC | 1–2 | Forge FC | Foothills County, Alberta |
3:00 PM MDT (5:00 PM EDT) |
Mason 80' |
|
Stadium: ATCO Field |
Second semifinal
October 21 | Cavalry FC | 2–1 | Pacific FC | Foothills County, Alberta |
2:00 PM MDT (4:00 PM EDT) |
Manneh 66' | Stadium: ATCO Field |
Attendance
- As of end of regular season
Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | HFX Wanderers | 81,951 | 6,413 | 4,907 | 5,854 | +0.5% |
2 | Forge FC | 74,458 | 6,917 | 3,827 | 5,318 | +55.0% |
3 | Atlético Ottawa | 69,423 | 7,044 | 3,074 | 4,959 | +21.9% |
4 | Cavalry FC | 57,265 | 4,990 | 3,189 | 4,090 | +17.1% |
5 | Pacific FC | 45,376 | 4,825 | 2,455 | 3,241 | +2.0% |
6 | Valour FC | 45,084 | 4,036 | 2,665 | 3,220 | +3.5% |
7 | Vancouver FC | 39,030 | 6,177 | 2,099 | 2,788 | n/a |
8 | York United | 15,599 | 1,607 | 822 | 1,200 | −2.8%[upper-alpha 1] |
League total | 428,186 | 7,042 | 822 | 3,858 | +21.5% |
Statistical leaders
- As of October 14, 2023
Top scorers
Top assists
Clean sheets
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[15] |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Triston Henry | Forge | 9 |
2 | Marco Carducci | Cavalry | 8 |
3 | Yann Fillion | HFX Wanderers | 7 |
Nathan Ingham | Atlético Ottawa | ||
Rayane Yesli | Valour | ||
Hat-tricks
Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terran Campbell | Forge | York United | 4–0 (A) | July 9 | [16] |
Woobens Pacius | Forge | Vancouver | 3–0 (A) | September 3 | [17] |
Awards
Team of the Week
The Gatorade Team of the Week is selected by the CPL's Kristian Jack and OneSoccer's Oliver Platt.
Team of the Week | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dates | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref |
April 15–16 |
|
|
[18] | ||
April 22–23 |
|
|
|
[19] | |
April 29–30 |
|
[20] | |||
May 5–7 |
|
|
[21] | ||
May 13–14 |
|
|
[22] | ||
May 19–21 |
|
|
|
[23] | |
May 27–28 |
|
|
[24] | ||
May 31–June 4 |
|
|
[25] | ||
June 9–11 |
|
|
|
Bevan (Cavalry) | [26] |
June 16–18 |
|
[27] | |||
June 20–25 |
|
[28] | |||
June 30–July 2 |
|
|
[29] | ||
July 7–9 |
|
[30] | |||
July 12–16 |
|
|
[31] | ||
July 21–23 |
|
[32] | |||
July 28–30 |
|
[33] | |||
August 4–7 |
|
|
[34] | ||
August 11-13 |
|
[35] | |||
August 18-20 |
|
[36] | |||
August 25-27 |
|
|
[37] | ||
September 2-4 |
|
|
|
[38] | |
September 8-9 |
|
[39] |
Monthly Awards
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Goalkeeper of the Month | References | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | Player | Club | Goalkeeper | Club | ||
April | Bobby Smyrniotis | Forge FC | Diego Gutiérrez | Valour FC | Callum Irving | Vancouver FC | [40][41][42] |
May | James Merriman | Pacific FC | Sean Young | Pacific FC | Triston Henry | Forge FC | [43][44][45] |
June | Patrice Gheisar | HFX Wanderers FC | Ayman Sellouf | Pacific FC | Rayane Yesli | Pacific FC | [46][47][48] |
July | Carlos González | Atlético Ottawa | Kyle Bekker | Forge FC | Triston Henry | Forge FC | [49][50][51] |
August | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | Cavalry FC | Daniel Nimick | HFX Wanderers FC | Nathan Ingham | Atlético Ottawa | [52][53][54] |
September | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | Cavalry FC | Daan Klomp | Cavalry FC | Marco Carducci | Cavalry FC | [55][56][57] |
Player transfers
U Sports Draft
The 2023 CPL–U Sports Draft took place on December 15, 2022. Each team made two picks in the draft for a total of 16 selections with expansion club Vancouver FC selecting first.[58]
Foreign 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. At least 50% of a team's international players must be U23 at all times. If a club wishes to utilize the maximum 7 slots, the 7th player must be U21.[59]
The following international players have signed for the 2023 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.[60]
Players in italic denote players new to their respective clubs for the 2023 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement. Players in Bold indicate players who have represented their national teams at the senior level.
2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup
The 2023 CPL playoff champion and 2023 CPL regular season winner will both earn berths in the newly expanded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup.[61] Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup is also available to CPL clubs by winning the Canadian Championship; however, the 2023 Canadian Championship was not won by a CPL team.[61][62]
If a CPL club qualifies to the CCC through multiple means, the additional berth will be awarded to CPL club with the best regular season record, not already qualified.[61]
Method | Qualified team |
---|---|
CPL champion | Forge FC[upper-alpha 2] |
CPL regular season winner | Cavalry FC |
Notes
- The attendance for York - Atletico (Oct 1) has not been announced
- If Cavalry FC win the CPL championship, Forge FC will qualify as regular season runners-up.
References
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- Kanygin, Jordan. "New 12,000-seat soccer stadium part of Spruce Meadows future plan". CTV News Calgary. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
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- Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (May 5, 2023). "After leading the league in saves during his first month with expansion side @vanfootballclub, @CallumIrving is the Canadian Premier League Goalkeeper of the Month for April 2023, presented by @AllstateCanada! 🧤" (Tweet). Retrieved August 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Pacific FC's James Merriman named CPL Coach of the Month for May". Canadian Premier League. June 7, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
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- Canadian Premier League [@CPLsoccer] (June 8, 2023). "The Goalkeeper of the Month for May 2023, presented by @AllstateCanada, is @ForgeFCHamilton's @tristonjavon! 🧤" (Tweet). Retrieved August 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Halifax Wanderers' Patrice Gheisar named CPL Manager of the Month for June". Canadian Premier League. July 6, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
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- "Atlético Ottawa's Carlos González named July's CPL Manager of the Month". Canadian Premier League. August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
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- "Forge FC's Triston Henry named Allstate CPL Goalkeeper of the Month for July". Canadian Premier League. August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
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- "Halifax Wanderers defender Daniel Nimick named CPL Player of the Month for August 2023". Canadian Premier League. September 6, 2023. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
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- "Cavalry FC defender Daan Klomp named CPL Player of the Month for September". Canadian Premier League. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
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