2021 Canadian Premier League season

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]

Canadian Premier League
Season2021
DatesJune 26 – November 16
(regular season)
ChampionsPacific FC (1st title)
Regular season winnersForge FC (1st title)
CONCACAF Champions
League		Forge FC[lower-alpha 1]
CONCACAF LeaguePacific FC
Matches played112
Goals scored282 (2.52 per match)
Top goalscorerJoão Morelli
(14 goals)
Best goalkeeperJonathan Sirois
(9 clean sheets)
Biggest home winForge FC 4–0 Atlético Ottawa
(August 25)
Pacific FC 5–1 FC Edmonton
(October 26)
Biggest away winValour FC 0–3 FC Edmonton
(September 7)
Atlético Ottawa 0–3 Forge FC
(October 3)
Highest scoring7 goals
FC Edmonton 3–4 Atlético Ottawa
(October 12)
Longest winning run3 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 run10 matches
HFX Wanderers
(August 22 – October 3)
Longest winless run8 matches
Atlético Ottawa
(August 18 – September 19)
Valour FC
(August 29 – October 5)
Longest losing run4 matches
Valour FC
(July 24 – August 12)
Highest attendance12,064
Atlético Ottawa 2–1 HFX Wanderers
(August 14)
← 2020
2022 →
  1. Forge FC qualified for the Champions League as 2021 CONCACAF League semi-finalists.

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.

Team and rule changes

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]

Teams

Stadiums and locations
Locations of clubs in the 2021 Canadian Premier League season.
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

Personnel and sponsorship
Team Head coach Captain(s) Shirt sponsor Kit manufacturer
Atlético Ottawa Spain Mista Canada Milovan Kapor ComeOn! Macron
Cavalry England Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Canada Nik Ledgerwood WestJet
FC Edmonton South Africa Alan Koch Swoop
Forge Canada Bobby Smyrniotis Canada Kyle Bekker Tim Hortons
HFX Wanderers Trinidad and Tobago Stephen Hart Trinidad and Tobago Andre Rampersad Volkswagen
Pacific Norway Pa-Modou Kah Canada Jamar Dixon
Valour Canada Phillip Dos Santos Northern Ireland Daryl Fordyce OneSoccer
York United Canada Jimmy Brennan Canada Roger Thompson Macron

Number of teams by province or territory
Rank Province or territory Number Teams
1  Ontario3Atlético Ottawa
Forge
York United
2  Alberta2Cavalry
FC Edmonton
3  British Columbia1Pacific
 ManitobaValour
 Nova ScotiaHFX Wanderers

Coaching changes
Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment
FC Edmonton Canada Jeff Paulus Resigned[8] September 21, 2020 Pre-season South Africa Alan Koch November 24, 2020[9]
Valour FC England Rob Gale Sacked[10] September 23, 2021 5th Canada Phillip Dos Santos September 23, 2021

Regular season

Format

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]

Table

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
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: CanPL.ca
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins.[13]
(C) Champions; (S) Regular season winner

The Kickoff
Teams CAV EDM PAC VAL ATO FOR HFX YRK
Cavalry — 0–2 0–2 0–0 2–1
FC Edmonton — 0–1 2–0 1–0 1–1
Pacific — 4–2 1–2 2–0 3–0
Valour — 2–0 1–0 2–0 3–0
Atlético Ottawa 1–4 1–1 0–1 0–1 —
Forge 1–2 1–0 3–0 0–2 —
HFX Wanderers 1–2 2–1 0–0 1–0 —
York United 0–0 1–0 2–2 2–1 —
Source: CanPL.ca
Legend: Blue = left column team win; Yellow = draw; Red = top row team win.

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

Playoffs

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

Semi-finals
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
November 21, 2021 Forge FC 3–1 York United Hamilton, Ontario
3:00 pm EST (UTC−05:00)
Report Petrasso 38' Stadium: Tim Hortons Field
Attendance: 5,123
Referee: Juan Marquez

Final
Main article: 2021 Canadian Premier League Final
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

Awards

Canadian Premier League Awards

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]

2021 Canadian Premier League Awards
AwardRecipientFinalists[15]
Golden Boot (Hunter)Brazil João Morelli (HFX Wanderers) N/A
Golden Glove (Qimmiq or Canadian Inuit Dog)Canada Jonathan Sirois (Valour FC)Canada Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC)
Canada Triston Henry (Forge FC)
Coach of the Year (Owl)Norway Pa-Modou Kah (Pacific FC)Canada Bobby Smyrniotis (Forge FC)
England Tommy Wheeldon Jr. (Cavalry FC)
Player of the Year (Nikisuittuq)Brazil João Morelli (HFX Wanderers FC)Canada Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)
Canada Terran Cambpell (Pacific FC)
Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year (Polar Bear)Canada Alessandro Hojabrpour (Pacific FC)Canada Max Ferrari (York United FC)
Canada Victor Loturi (Cavalry FC)

Team of the Week

The Gatorade Team of the Week is selected by OneSoccer staff.

Statistical leaders
See also: Canadian Premier League records and statistics § Player records — career

Player transfers

Main article: List of 2021 Canadian Premier League transfers

U Sports Draft

Further information: 2021 CPL–U Sports Draft

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]

Foreign players

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]

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Player 7 Former Players
Atlético Ottawa Spain Viti Martínez England Vashon Neufville Jamaica Tevin Shaw Spain Miguel Acosta Dominican Republic Rafael Núñez Spain Alberto Soto Spain Raúl Uche
Cavalry Honduras José Escalante Brazil Richard Luca Republic of Ireland Tom Field Netherlands Daan Klomp Republic of Ireland Joe Mason
FC Edmonton Cameroon Jeannot Esua Spain Ramón Soria Democratic Republic of the Congo Sharly Mabussi Germany Tobias Warschewski United States Hunter Gorskie United States Roberto Avila United States Azriel Gonzalez Peru Raúl Tito
Forge Sweden Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson Senegal Elimane Cissé Belgium Daniel Krutzen Belgium Paolo Sabak Costa Rica Joshua Navarro Panama Omar Browne
HFX Wanderers Trinidad and Tobago Akeem Garcia Trinidad and Tobago Andre Rampersad Germany Peter Schaale Jamaica Alex Marshall Brazil João Morelli Brazil Eriks Santos England Cory Bent
Pacific Mexico Alejandro Díaz Northern Ireland Ollie Bassett Netherlands Gianni dos Santos
Valour Spain José Galán Republic of the Congo Arnold Bouka Moutou Haiti Andrew Jean-Baptiste Panama Amir Soto New Zealand Moses Dyer Brazil Rafael Galhardo Mexico Rodrigo Reyes
York United Spain Álvaro Rivero Jamaica Nicholas Hamilton Germany Julian Ulbricht Dominican Republic Gerard Lavergne United States Osvaldo Ramírez Colombia Sebastián Gutiérrez

Players in italic denote players new to their respective clubs for the 2021 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement.

References

  1. "Forge FC beats HFX Wanderers FC in Island Games final to repeat as CPL champions". Canadian Premier League. September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  2. Davidson, Neil (January 19, 2021). "Canadian Premier League set to open 3rd season on Victoria Day weekend". CBC. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  3. "CPL 2021 season update: Clanachan committed to 'June or early July' start at single site, full 28-game season". Canadian Premier League. May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  4. "'The Kickoff' is coming: Winnipeg chosen as hub city for Canadian Premier League". CTV News Winnipeg. June 6, 2021. Archived from the original on June 6, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  5. "CPL reveals remainder of 2021 season schedule presented by WestJet". Canadian Premier League. July 12, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  6. "CPL increasing U-21 minutes threshold to 1,500 for 2021 season". Canadian Premier League. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  7. Davidson, Neil (March 8, 2021). "Canadian Premier League opens up about finances, saying it's time for transparency". CBC Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  8. "Jeff Paulus steps down as FC Edmonton coach - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  9. John Molinaro (November 24, 2020). "FC Edmonton names Alan Koch new coach, Director of Football Operations". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  10. "Valour FC parts ways with Rob Gale, appoints Phillip dos Santos coach & GM". Canadian Premier League. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  11. Thompson, Marty (June 9, 2021). "2021 CPL 'Kickoff' schedule presented by WestJet: View all 32 matches". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  12. "CPL reveals 2021 season format: 28-game schedule to conclude with four-team playoff for championship". Canadian Premier League. June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  13. Jacques, John (October 24, 2021). "Pacific Procures Back-To-Back Playoff Positions". Northern Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2021. With the CPL tiebreaker defaulting to the number of wins
  14. "2021 CPL Final: Tentative dates set for championship match next weekend". Canadian Premier League. November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  15. Thompson, Marty (December 4, 2021). "CPL Awards 2021: Nominees unveiled, ceremony set for December 14". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  16. Jaques, John (December 14, 2020). "2021 Canadian Premier League Awards Roundup". Northern Tribune. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  17. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 1)". Canadian Premier League. June 28, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  18. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL week 2)". Canadian Premier League. July 5, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  19. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL week 3)". Canadian Premier League. July 12, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  20. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 4)". Canadian Premier League. July 19, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  21. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL week 5)". Canadian Premier League. July 26, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  22. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 6)". Canadian Premier League. August 3, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  23. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 7)". Canadian Premier League. August 9, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  24. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 8)". Canadian Premier League. August 16, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  25. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL week 9)". Canadian Premier League. August 23, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  26. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 10)". Canadian Premier League. August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  27. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 11)". Canadian Premier League. September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  28. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 12)". Canadian Premier League. September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  29. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 13)". Canadian Premier League. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  30. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 14)". Canadian Premier League. September 27, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  31. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 15)". Canadian Premier League. October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  32. Thompson, Marty (October 12, 2021). "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 16)". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  33. "Gatorade Team of the Week (CPL Week 17)". Canadian Premier League. October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  34. "Gatorade Team of the Week (Week 18)". Canadian Premier League. October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  35. "Gatorade Team of the Week (Week 19)". Canadian Premier League. November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  36. "Gatorade Team of the Week (Week 20)". Canadian Premier League. November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  37. "2021 CPL players statistics". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  38. "2021 CPL goalkeepers statistics". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  39. "Pacific FC 4-2 Atlético Ottawa". Canadian Premier League. July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  40. "FC Edmonton take UBC's Thomas Gardner 1st overall in CPL-U SPORTS Draft". Canadian Premier League. January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  41. @plattoli (November 10, 2020). "One interesting feature of this CanPL offseason: clubs are now being required to carry at least four international players, all of whom must either come through or be approved by the league and the 21st Club's centralized scouting" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. "CPL 2020 roster tracker: How all eight teams are shaping up". Canadian Premier League. March 11, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
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