111-544: 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
222-809: A 1–0 victory over the Fire. From 2001 through 2005, the MLS Cup finals saw a rising of the California Clásico when intrastate rivals L.A. Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes clashed in the 2001 final. The match also saw the rise of U.S. national Landon Donovan who won a Newcomer of the Year award and tallied the equalizer in the Earthquakes 2–1 championship victory over the Galaxy. With
333-543: A 1–1 draw. Ryan Telfer of York9 FC scored the first goal in Canadian Premier League history in the third minute of the inaugural match. In advance of the 2019 Finals , the league's trophy was unveiled. The North Star Shield is a crystal shield engraved with the logo of the Canadian Premier League. The inaugural season finished on November 2, 2019, when Forge FC became the first Canadian Premier League Champions, defeating Cavalry FC 2–0 over two legs in
444-651: A 2–0 victory over HFX Wanderers. The 2021 season did not begin until June 26 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, each team was able to play a full schedule of 28 matches. The season culminated with Pacific FC defeating Forge FC 1–0 in the 2021 Final , held in December. On November 21, 2022, the Canadian Premier League announced that FC Edmonton would be removed from the league, effective immediately. The league commissioner cited poor on-field performance as well as low attendance and an outdated stadium as reasons for
555-489: A 3–1 scoreline. The match was Beckham's final MLS match. During the 2013 season, the Galaxy's chance to three-peat was thwarted by Real Salt Lake. Salt Lake defeated the Galaxy, 2–1 on aggregate, to advance to the MLS Cup final, where they eventually lost to Sporting Kansas City . The following season , the Galaxy reached the MLS Cup final again, playing the New England Revolution , making it
666-481: A 4–2 score making it the highest scoring MLS Cup final in league history (six goals). After a four-year absence, United made their fifth trip to the MLS Cup final, playing against the Wizards for MLS Cup 2004 . The match had four goals scored in the first 25 minutes, with United rallying for a 3–1 lead. Midway through the second half, United had relinquished a penalty kick. Josh Wolff scored for Kansas City, bringing
777-474: A CPL spokesperson confirmed that LSSE's exclusivity to Saskatchewan had lapsed. On January 10, 2022, the CPL announced that commissioner David Clanachan had stepped down and was awarded exclusive expansion rights for Windsor, Ontario . In June 2022, it was revealed that Clanachan had partnered with Windsor City FC owner Vancho Cirovski, setting a launch date goal of 2026. The pair had targeted Windsor Stadium as
888-739: A Canadian who was also the first employee of Toronto FC , was hired as project manager for the new league. On May 6, 2017, the creation of the league was unanimously approved and sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association. Ownership groups in Winnipeg and Hamilton were also approved. On May 5, 2018, the Canadian Soccer Association accepted club memberships for Halifax , York Region , Calgary , and "Port City" (later confirmed to be based in Greater Victoria , rather than Surrey as speculated). The unveiling of
999-634: A Sounders record attendance of 69,274. The 2020 edition , which marked the end of a season dramatically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic , saw the Sounders return to the MLS Cup Final, this time facing Columbus Crew SC at the latter's home of Mapfre Stadium in Columbus, Ohio . The Crew won 3–0 in front of a crowd restricted to 1,500, in the stadium's last playoff game. The MLS Cup Final
1110-404: A certain number of clubs per conference could qualify, and the next best overall teams regardless of conference would also qualify. That prompted debates about the league switching to a single table and a balanced schedule. The single table has yet been instituted, but in 2010 the league instituted a balanced schedule. Starting in the 2012 season , the league resumed an unbalanced schedule. At
1221-480: A championship until 2010 . Jaime Moreno was declared Man of the Match for his goal in the 37th minute of play. This season was also the first time in league history any MLS team won the regular season ( Supporters' Shield ) and postseason title in the same season. D.C. United's run ended the third year, when they made a third run to the MLS Cup finals, only to lose to the expansion side Chicago Fire by 2–0. However
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#17327870077681332-421: A fines would replace any suspensions. Although the league later announced changes to yellow card suspensions and their impact on playoffs games on the eve of the 2022 playoffs , this change did not affect the rules for the final . In the final match of the 2019 Canadian Premier League fall season, Dominic Samuel of Forge FC received a red card for two cautionable offences, and was subsequently suspended for
1443-531: A method common to every other major North American sports league . This format differs from most soccer leagues around the world, which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the champion; MLS honors that achievement with the Supporters' Shield . A U.S.-based team that wins the MLS Cup is awarded one of the country's four berths in the following season's CONCACAF Champions Cup . The three Canadian teams of MLS can only qualify for
1554-450: A new four-team single leg knockout playoff with the two first round winners advancing to the final. The higher-seeded finalist hosts the single leg game. If a match is tied at the end of normal playing time, extra time is played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and, if necessary, followed by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winners. Prior to the start of the 2022 season , the league announced that playoff semi-finals would switch to
1665-465: A new team. Also in 2022, the CPL began considering a "serious expansion bid" for Kelowna that includes a multi-use development proposal for a stadium site at the city's Recreation Avenue Park. It had been speculated that then-existing USL Championship side Ottawa Fury FC would join the league for its 2019 or 2020 season; speculation fuelled by the Fury's acquisitions of Canadian players prior to
1776-411: A potential home for the club. In October 2022, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens committed to supporting a new sports turf facility at McHugh Park to host a potential team; the city later allocated CA$ 3 million for turf upgrades at the park in its 2024 capital budget. Two trophies are awarded to teams at the end of a Canadian Premier League season. The North Star Cup (originally North Star Shield)
1887-626: A record fifth title in 2014 . Three trophy designs have been used for the MLS Cup: the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 through 1998, a redesigned Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1999 through 2007, and the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008. The MLS Cup's roots trace back to the foundation of Major League Soccer, when the league decided to hold a championship format similar to its contemporary North American sports leagues. The first few editions of
1998-529: A rematch of MLS Cup 2002 and MLS Cup 2005 . In extra-time a Robbie Keane goal propelled the Galaxy to their fifth MLS match, a victory in the 2014 MLS Cup. The Portland Timbers won the 2015 MLS Cup , defeating the Columbus Crew 2–1. Portland's Diego Valeri scored the fastest goal in MLS Cup history at 27 seconds when Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark made a fundamental error after he miscontrolled his defender's back-pass while Valeri had advanced towards
2109-430: A single season format with expanded playoffs. The Canadian Premier League regular season runs from April to October. Each team plays 28 games, including 14 at home and 14 away games. Since 2023, the top five teams in the regular season qualify for the playoffs to determine which two teams play in the final. On multiple occasions, then league commissioner David Clanachan stated his goal of having promotion and relegation in
2220-644: A size of 23 players, although up to 9 players can be signed to a team's developmental roster. Given the limit, most teams opt to carry only two goalkeepers, however, teams may sign an emergency goalkeeper, who does not count to the roster limit, when necessary. The CPL and U Sports hold an annual draft for university players. Drafted student-athletes are able to play for CPL teams in the spring and summer, and return to their university team by August 15, thereby preserving their eligibility. The first CPL–U Sports Draft took place in Vancouver on November 12, 2018, after
2331-682: A spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup competing against teams from across North America, Central America and Caribbean for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup . As of 2024, no team has yet won a CPL double ; Forge FC were CPL champions in four of the league's first six seasons but failed to win the championship in 2021 or 2024 , the only seasons to date they topped the regular season standings. While Cavalry FC have two CPL Shields and one North Star Cup, none of these championships have overlapped. No CPL team has won
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#17327870077682442-592: A successful season in which they fell short of winning the Supporters' Shield. A sellout crowd of 22,427 attended the match. Revolution forward Taylor Twellman scored an overtime goal in the 113th minute to give the Revolution the 1–0 lead. However, Dynamo captain and forward Brian Ching immediately tied the score following the Revolution's goal. The match went to penalties, in which the Dynamo won 4–3. This left
2553-462: A two-legged format but that the final would continue to be played as a single match hosted by the higher-seeded team. Beginning with the 2023 season , the league introduced a five-team Page playoff format. The league retained this format for the 2024 season . From 2019 until 2021, the CPL champion earned Canada's berth in the following year's CONCACAF League . Since 2023, the champion has qualified to CONCACAF Champions Cup . Since 2023,
2664-475: Is Prairieland Park in Saskatoon . The team was targeting a debut of 2023 at the earliest. As of April 2021, plans called for the former horse-racing grandstand at the park to anchor the north, shorter, end of the soccer pitch, with new stands facing its other sides. On September 5, 2023, LSSE and Prairieland Park Corporation announced that they had ended their efforts to bring a CPL team to Saskatoon, while
2775-400: Is given to the playoff champion and has been awarded since the league's inception. The CPL Shield was first revealed in 2023 and is won by the team that earns the most points during the regular season. An award for the regular season winner was announced during the 2022 CPL season and will be awarded retroactively for previous seasons. In addition to equal cash prizes, both trophy winners earn
2886-428: Is one pair of rivalries between teams in the same province: the 905 Derby between Forge FC and York United FC, named after the area code shared by both teams. Matches between Pacific FC and HFX Wanderers FC require the third-longest away trips of any domestic professional soccer league in the world, with the two teams separated by 4,476 kilometres (2,781 mi). The 905 Derby, between Forge FC and York United FC,
2997-680: Is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup playoffs . The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference Final. The MLS Cup winner is awarded the title of league champion. MLS uses a playoff tournament following the regular season to determine its annual league champion,
3108-403: Is the shortest distance between two clubs in the CPL at 80 kilometres (50 mi). Notes * indicates championship winning season As CPL commissioner, David Clanachan expressed on numerous occasions the league's plans to expand gradually up to 16 clubs by 2026. He also stated that the biggest issue for potential expansion teams is lack of facilities. Clanachan mentioned that the league
3219-514: Is to improve national soccer talent and the sport in Canada, with several rules in place to ensure this. These include a minimum quota of Canadian players on team rosters and starting line-ups, requirements for domestic under-21 players, and a Canadian university draft . The CPL's first season included seven teams, while an eighth, Atlético Ottawa , joined for the second season in 2020. Vancouver FC debuted in 2023, while FC Edmonton folded before
3330-425: The CONCACAF Champions Cup . The CPL uses a playoff tournament following the regular season to determine its annual league champion, a method common to every other major North American sports league . This format differs from most soccer leagues around the world, which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the champion. Since 2023, the league has honoured the regular season winners with
3441-492: The CPL Shield . The inaugural finals were played as a two-legged tie on October 26 and November 2, 2019 in which Forge FC defeated Cavalry FC . Forge FC is the most successful team in finals history, winning a second title in 2020 , a third in 2022 , and a fourth in 2023 . Different formats and methods of qualification have been used for each of the first five CPL seasons. The 2019 finals were contested between
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3552-567: The Canadian Championship , with Forge FC getting closest as runners-up in the 2020 tournament held during the COVID-19 pandemic and in which the Canadian Premier League was guaranteed a finalist. While a domestic treble is possible for both MLS and CPL teams, the sole Canadian treble to date was achieved by MLS -based Toronto FC in 2017 when the club won the Canadian Championship , MLS Supporters Shield and MLS Cup . In April 2018, commissioner David Clanachan said that
3663-532: The Colorado Rapids also wore it after their cup run in 2010 for the 2011 season. Finally, the Los Angeles Galaxy wore the scudetto after winning the MLS Cup in 2011, ironically, it was the last team to do so. After the 2012 season, MLS decided not to use the scudetto for upcoming season and instead the defending MLS Cup champions would have a gold star above one or more silver stars indication
3774-473: The Houston Dynamo , 1–0 off a 72nd minute Donovan goal. The goal was scored off a Galaxy counter where Beckham fed a through ball to Donovan who slotted it past Hall. The 2012 final featured both the Galaxy and Dynamo again, making it the first since 2007 that an MLS Cup final was a rematch of the previous final. Again, the Galaxy won the final, this time coming from behind to defeat the Dynamo by
3885-477: The Langley Events Centre . On November 2, 2022, the club announced its name as Vancouver FC along with a crest and team colours. On March 12, 2021, the CPL conditionally awarded an expansion club to Living Sky Sports and Entertainment Inc. (LSSE), a Saskatchewan-based company. The expansion was dependent on LSSE delivering a soccer-specific stadium , and the preferred location for that stadium
3996-581: The New York Red Bulls . For the Crew, being the Shield winners, their run to the final was a bit expected. The Red Bulls making the final was seen as a large surprise, possibly even a fluke. The Red Bulls did not qualify for the playoffs until the last day of the season, where they were the weakest team, in terms of regular season record, to qualify for the playoffs. The match ended up being dominated by
4107-822: The USL Championship , while the L1O and PLSQ were created as provincial-level leagues. A new version of the Canadian Soccer League was briefly sanctioned as a third-division semi-pro league by the CSA from 2010 to 2013, losing the sanction after the CSA board of directors adopted a new soccer structure in Canada. A new fully professional Canadian soccer league was first publicly reported in June 2013. The reports suggested that Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young
4218-538: The 2011 season's end, the top three clubs in each of the league's two conferences earned the six automatic spots in the Conference Semifinals. The wild card entrants, seeded seventh through tenth, entered based upon their overall position in the overall league standings. The new format was assembled so that the lowest seed to qualify out of the wild card rounds will play against the Supporters' Shield winner. The highest wild-card seed remaining will play
4329-410: The 2013 Western Conference semi-finals to eventual runner-up, Real Salt Lake . During that time, the Galaxy became the first MLS franchise to win five MLS Cups, when they won MLS Cup 2014 . These teams contained several high-profile players including Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane , Gyasi Zardes , David Beckham and Omar Gonzalez . Some claim that the Galaxy's dynasty began in 2009, when they reached
4440-608: The 2018 season. While the club remained in the USL for 2019, two of the three governing bodies of the USL (United States Soccer Federation and CONCACAF) refused to sanction the Canadian club to continue play in the US league, and the club ceased operations in November 2019. In January 2020, there had been many reports of an Ottawa -based team owned by Atlético Madrid being formed for the 2020 season. These reports were later confirmed when
4551-549: The CPL announced Atlético Ottawa as the league's first expansion team on January 29, 2020. On November 10, 2021, the CPL awarded an expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP to begin play in 2023. On April 13, 2022, the CPL and SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP announced that the club would begin playing in Langley, British Columbia at the Willoughby Community Park adjacent to
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4662-543: The CPL announced that it would hold a series of open tryouts in eight cities across Canada for players age 16 and older. The tryouts were led by Alex Bunbury and took place in front of CPL coaching staff from all teams. On September 28, 2018, Italian sportswear company Macron was announced as the official apparel supplier of the CPL. Macron supplies training gear and custom made kits for each CPL team. The CPL's inaugural match between Forge FC and York9 FC took place at Tim Hortons Field on April 27, 2019, and resulted in
4773-667: The CPL, having been members of the North American Soccer League , and also having competed in the Canadian Championship seven times before joining the league. The league expanded to eight teams with the addition of Atlético Ottawa in 2020. For 2023, Vancouver FC was added as an expansion club, while FC Edmonton was dissolved, keeping the league at eight clubs. The province of Ontario has three teams, British Columbia has two clubs, while Alberta , Manitoba and Nova Scotia each have one. There
4884-526: The Canadian Premier League and that the Hamilton team was expected to be the flagship franchise. Further details were expected following the Canadian Soccer Association's annual meeting in May 2016. Reports in June 2016 indicated that the Canadian Premier League would avoid current Major League Soccer markets. On November 14, the first official employee of the Canadian Premier League was announced. Paul Beirne ,
4995-482: The Canadian soccer league system as more teams join the league. All Canadian Premier League teams also participate in Canada's domestic cup competition – the Canadian Championship . CPL teams compete against Canadian teams in Major League Soccer and Tier 3 league champions for a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup . Since 2023, the CPL regular season and playoff champion have also qualified for
5106-637: The Caribbean for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup . All CPL teams also play in the Canadian Championship , alongside Canadian clubs from other leagues. Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup is also available to CPL clubs by winning the Canadian Championship. The league was officially sanctioned by the Canadian Soccer Association on May 6, 2017, and has played an annual season since 2019. The league's focus
5217-539: The Champions Cup through the Canadian Championship —if any of them should win the MLS Cup, the Champions Cup berth tied to game is passed on to the highest-placed U.S.-based team in the overall regular season table that did not already qualify. The inaugural MLS Cup was held on October 20, 1996, in which D.C. United defeated the LA Galaxy . The Galaxy are the most successful team in MLS Cup history, winning
5328-559: The Champions Cup. From 2019 to 2022, one CPL club participated in the CONCACAF League and competed against teams from Central America and the Caribbean for one of six spots in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. 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 all other editions,
5439-400: The Crew as Columbus defeated New York with ease, 3–1. The point gap between the two clubs was the largest in history, and the scoreline between the two clubs made it tied for the largest margin of victory in MLS Cup history. New York's run to the finals was further emphasized as a fluke when the club had the worst record in 2009. The following championship saw two intra-conference clubs meet in
5550-406: The Dynamo earned the first back-to-back MLS Cup titles since D.C. United in 1996 and 1997. Early in the 2008 Major League Soccer season , the league announced that the championship would be returning to The Home Depot Center (now known as Dignity Health Sports Park ). Throughout the regular season, the league was dominated by the Columbus Crew, who finished the season with 57 points, and secured
5661-685: The Finals. Forge midfielder Tristan Borges was named the first CPL Player of the Year. On January 29, 2020, Atlético Ottawa was confirmed to be the first CPL expansion team, joining for the 2020 season. The 2020 season, set to start on April 11, was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic . On July 29, it was announced that the entire 2020 season would be played in Charlottetown beginning August 13. The shortened 2020 season, known as "The Island Games" ended on September 19 when Forge FC won their second Canadian Premier League title in
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#17327870077685772-474: The Fire and Earthquakes, played for the final that year. The two clubs had successful regular season campaigns with the Fire winning their first Supporters' Shield, and the Earthquakes being the Western Conference regular season and post-season champions as well as having the second best overall regular season record. In a hotly contested match, the Earthquakes won with their second MLS Cup title with
5883-523: The Galaxy defeated the Revolution by a score of 1–0 thanks to a 105th-minute overtime goal from Galaxy midfielder and Guatemalan international, Guillermo Ramírez . Ramírez's goal sealed the Galaxy's second MLS Cup title, and left the Revs searching once again. In 2006, the championship was once again played in Frisco at Pizza Hut Park. This time the Revolution took on the Houston Dynamo . Both were coming off
5994-474: The Houston Dynamo wore the same triangular scudettos in 2007 and 2008 during their dual-cup run. It was redesigned after the 2008 season after the change to the MLS Cup trophy. It is now an oval-shaped black badge with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy in the middle. The MLS scudetto is worn by the winning team the season following the victory. It is only during the subsequent season (two years after winning
6105-462: The Rapids and Earthquakes, as both teams made the semi-finals. In the end, the Rapids played FC Dallas for MLS Cup 2010 , winning 2–1 in overtime. Between the 2011 and 2014 MLS Cups, the LA Galaxy appeared in three MLS Cup finals, having the most success in MLS Cup in a short period of time since United's late 1990s dynasty. The only final that the Galaxy did not win, came in 2013, where they lost in
6216-468: The Revolution for a second consecutive year searching for league glory. It was also the first time in league history that a club made the MLS Cup final and lost consecutively. In the 2007 final, the Revolution and Dynamo played each other once again for the 2007 cup. Played in Washington, D.C., at RFK Stadium, a crowd just shy of 40,000 witnessed the championship. The announced crowd of 39,859 made it
6327-483: The Revolution's favor early on, as the Revolution's captain, Twellman, netted in the 20th minute to give New England a 1–0 lead. However, midway through the second half, the Dynamo retaliated. Dynamo striker Joseph Ngwenya leveled things at one apiece in the 61st minute, and MLS Cup Man of the Match Dwayne De Rosario gave the Dynamo a 2–1 lead in the 74th. The goal proved to be the winning goal, as
6438-632: The Supporters Shield. In the 2005 MLS Cup championship, the match was won by the Los Angeles Galaxy , which won the league title while having a 9th-place overall record. The Wizards had a better record, but did not qualify for the playoffs because they finished 5th in the Eastern Conference, in spite of an 8th-place overall record. The result prompted MLS to create new wild-cards that were used starting in 2006, where
6549-442: The Supporters' Shield title with three matches remaining before the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs . Traditionally, the Shield winners only rarely made it to the league championship, in spite of usually being the heavy favorites going into the playoffs. However, for the first time in eight years, a regular season champion made it to the MLS Cup final. The Sigi Schmid -led club made their first run to the championship, along with their opponents
6660-559: The Western Conference qualified for the playoffs, whereas only two clubs from the East qualified, making it the largest disparity between the two conferences in league history. The league's seeding at the time awarded conference winners earned the top seeds, the two weakest Western Conference teams, San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids were seeded against the Eastern Conference champion, New York Red Bulls and runner-up Columbus Crew , respectively. Some cited this as an unfair advantage for
6771-455: The ball to strike at the opportunity. The Seattle Sounders FC faced Toronto FC in the 2016 MLS Cup , which was played at BMO Field in Toronto on the evening of December 10, 2016. The temperature at the start of the match was 21 °F (−6 °C) (10 °F (−12 °C), when adjusted for wind chill), with strong winds coming off Lake Ontario. The field was watered shortly before
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#17327870077686882-497: The berth was awarded to the previous year's playoff champion. Forge FC represented the CPL in CONCACAF League on three occasions. In the 2021 CONCACAF League, Forge advanced to the semi-finals of the competition to qualify for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League , becoming the first CPL club to do so. Eight clubs compete in the Canadian Premier League. Seven clubs competed in the inaugural season. Only FC Edmonton predated
6993-444: The cap (up to $ 200,000 total). There is also a separate salary cap for coaches and technical staff. The league also has several other rules to give Canadian players more opportunities. This includes a minimum of six Canadian starters per game and a limit of seven foreign nationals per team. Additionally, three of the domestic players must be under the age of 21 and play at least 2,000 combined minutes per season. Rosters are limited to
7104-470: The championship), that the team adds a star – a common soccer signifier of titles won – above the team logo. The team can display the star on other items beside their jersey in the year after winning the Cup, but only if the scudetto is not shown. The Columbus Crew was the first team to wear the redesigned scudetto. Real Salt Lake wore the scudetto in 2010 after winning their first MLS cup in 2009. A year after
7215-579: The conclusion of the U Sports men's soccer championship . The Professional Footballers Association of Canada (PFA Canada) is the union representing CPL players. Following a members vote, PFA Canada was formally recognized by the league on December 20, 2022. The Canadian Premier League has used a mix of existing, built for purpose, and upgraded stadiums, many of which are shared with other teams. Princess Auto Stadium (Valour FC), TD Place Stadium (Atlético Ottawa), and Tim Hortons Field (Forge FC) were existing Canadian Football League stadiums, and have
7326-408: The conference champion that did not win the Shield. The play-in games and Conference Finals were single matches, with the higher-seeded club hosting. The conference semi-finals were a two-leg aggregate series. The MLS Cup was held at a predetermined venue. From 2012 to 2014, the playoff structure was further tweaked with the elimination of the wild card slots. The ten playoff berths were awarded to
7437-580: The final for the second consecutive year, this time at Seattle 's Qwest Field (later CenturyLink Field and now Lumen Field ). The Western Conference regular season and postseason champions, Los Angeles Galaxy took on Real Salt Lake , who finished fifth in the West. Although the Sounders FC management had originally planned on capping the seats available in Qwest Field to 35,700, surging demand led to
7548-471: The finals have changed over time. In 2019, yellow card accumulation in regular season games resulted in a suspension of Forge FC defender Bertrand Owundi for the first leg of that year's finals . However, when the format changed in 2020, the finals had appeared to have become exempt from suspensions. The CPL's 2022 Competition Guidelines established that the league's "Championship matches" would be exempt from any yellow card accumulation suspensions and that
7659-557: The first leg of the finals . Forge FC would suffer a similar fate in 2022 when their captain Kyle Bekker was sent off in the second leg of the 2022 CPL semifinals against Cavalry , and prevented him from participating in the final against Atlético Ottawa . Canadian Premier League The Canadian Premier League ( CPL or CanPL ; French: Première ligue canadienne ) is a professional men's soccer league in Canada . At
7770-399: The first professional sports championship for the city of Atlanta since 1995. In the 2019 MLS Cup , Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders FC both overcame underdog status in their respective conferences to contest a third final in four years, this time playing at Seattle's home ground. Seattle Sounders FC duly won their second MLS Cup, taking the final match 3–1 at CenturyLink Field in front of
7881-541: The first team, York9 FC , took place on May 10. This was followed by Calgary-based Cavalry FC on May 17, 2018, Halifax's HFX Wanderers FC on May 25, Valour FC in Winnipeg on June 6, and the rebranded former NASL side FC Edmonton on June 8. After a break from announcements to accommodate the 2018 FIFA World Cup , Hamilton's Forge FC was next unveiled on July 12, followed by Pacific FC of Langford in Greater Victoria on July 20. On August 27, 2018,
7992-451: The first three seasons of the league's presence in Canada; what was then the bold network aired the 2007 Cup Final, with CBC airing the next year's Final and GolTV Canada airing the Final the year after that. Since 2010, TSN has aired the MLS Cup Final on its networks; this includes Toronto FC's victory in 2017. In French, RDS has exclusive rights to MLS, and thus the MLS Cup. Over
8103-471: The following year, United repeated their "double" of winning both the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup the same season. This time, it was a 2–0 win over the Galaxy in the 1999 MLS Cup final . For the first time since 1997, the 2000 MLS Cup final saw a new club reach the finals along with the Fire. This time the Kansas City Wizards, now known as Sporting Kansas City, won their first MLS Cup with
8214-436: The game were dominated by D.C. United , who appeared in the first four MLS Cup finals, winning three. The inaugural MLS Cup in 1996 featured D.C. United and LA Galaxy . The Galaxy went ahead 2–0 early in the second half, but their lead was relinquished towards the end of the match when Tony Sanneh pulled one back in the 72nd minute. Nine minutes later, Shawn Medved tied the match at two, resulting in overtime between
8325-483: The game within a goal. D.C. United was able to retain the lead, by winning their fourth MLS Cup title, by a score of 3–2. For the 2005 season, the Earthquakes, as the Supporters' Shield winners, fell to the Galaxy in the Playoffs. The Galaxy went on to win the MLS Cup, matching the Earthquakes at two. Until 2005, the MLS Cup championship games had been dominated by clubs that had either won or had come close to winning
8436-483: The history of the MLS Cup Playoffs, numerous formats have been used. From 1996 to 1999 and 2003 to 2006, the top four teams per conference qualified for the playoffs. In 2000 and 2001, the three division winners plus the next five teams with the next best records made the playoffs. In 2002, the top 8 teams qualified for the playoffs regardless of conference. In 2007, the top two teams per conference plus
8547-495: The largest MLS Cup crowd since 2002. The Revolution had a successful season, earning its first U.S. Open Cup title. The Revolution wanted its first MLS Cup crown, and wanted to win its first "Double" in club history. Houston, finishing just shy once again to D.C. United of winning the MLS Supporters' Shield , was determined to finish its second season with some hardware, and to defend its MLS Cup title. The match went in
8658-416: The largest capacities in the CPL. York Lions Stadium (York United FC) and Starlight Stadium (Pacific FC) are both pre-existing stadiums that were upgraded in capacity before the 2019 season. ATCO Field (Cavalry FC) and Wanderers Grounds (HFX Wanderers FC) were new stadiums in 2019, built at pre-existing venues. On February 20, 2019, it was announced that Mediapro had acquired the broadcast rights to
8769-557: The largest crowd in MLS Cup history at hand, the New England Revolution took on the Galaxy in the 2002 finals. For the match, over 61,000 fans were in attendance at Gillette Stadium to witness the final. In the second period of sudden-death overtime, the Galaxy nabbed their first MLS Cup title, and sparked the start of a string of MLS Cup losses for the Revolution. The 2003 final saw the league leaders for that season go head-to-head. Two clubs that had MLS Cup experience,
8880-513: The league across Ireland and the United Kingdom. In January 2024, the broadcast agreement between the CPL and Mediapro was terminated with five years remaining in the 10-year deal due to a dispute. Despite this, Mediapro's OneSoccer continued to broadcast the CPL in 2024 under a new agreement. The 2024 Canadian Premier League final will be broadcast and streamed on CBC's platforms in addition to OneSoccer. MLS Cup The MLS Cup
8991-463: The league as part of a ten year agreement. A streaming service established in 2019, OneSoccer , carries all of the league's matches, including the Canadian Championship . Twenty games throughout the inaugural season were also available through CBC Sports , ten of which were on broadcast television, and all 20 on CBC Gem and the CBC website. CBC extended the deal with two games every Saturday during
9102-545: The league emerged again when Young spoke to Hamilton City Council requesting permission to erect an air-dome over the Tim Hortons Field playing surface between December 1 and April 30 yearly to allow for year-round training for a professional soccer team owned by the Tiger-Cats that would call the stadium home. During questions by the elected council members, it was revealed that the name of the league would be
9213-582: The league for over a year, Beirne took on the role of managing the day-to-day league operations. On January 31, the Canadian Premier League named James Easton , a former Canadian international , as vice-president of Soccer Operations. On September 19, 2019, Clanachan announced that Beirne would step down as president of the CPL at the end of the 2019 season in October. On January 10, 2022, David Clanachan resigned from his position as league commissioner. On August 25, 2022, American sports executive Mark Noonan
9324-489: The league was looking at implementing a club-based structure for the Canadian Premier League, rather than a franchise-based system like in Major League Soccer. On January 10, 2018, David Clanachan, former president and chief operating officer of Tim Hortons , was named as the first commissioner of the league. On January 24, he announced that Paul Beirne had been named president. Having already worked with
9435-716: The league's second season, while CHCH also picked-up the rights for one game every Sunday. In August 2020, Fox Sports became the CPL's first American broadcast partner. The season was also aired by StarTimes in Sub-Saharan Africa , 1Sports in the Indian subcontinent , and Premier Football in the Philippines . The group stage and Final were broadcast in Latin America by DirecTV Go and Tigo Sports. From 2022, BT Sport started showing live coverage of
9546-401: The match, and resultant field was described as icy by players. Seattle Sounders FC defeated Toronto FC 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a scoreless match of 90 minutes regular time and 30 minutes overtime. The Sounders did not register a single shot on goal, becoming the first club to do so in an MLS Cup final. The Sounders, despite a very poor start and mid-season managerial change, became
9657-501: The next four teams with the next most points qualified. At the end of the 2008 season, the top three teams of each conference made the playoffs; in addition, the clubs with the next two highest point totals, regardless of conference, were added to the playoffs. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate goals over two matches determined the winners; the Conference Championships were one match each, with
9768-631: The other was lost on penalty kicks. The infamy gave the club the title of being the Buffalo Bills (an NFL American football team) of MLS. This was in reference to the Buffalo Bills' Super Bowl games in the early 1990s, in which they lost in four consecutive appearances. In the 2005 final, the Revolution lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy, a rematch of 2002, in the final. In a match held at Pizza Hut Park (now Toyota Stadium ) in Frisco, Texas ,
9879-417: The playoffs for the first time since 2005, and marched to the finals, only to lose on penalties to Real Salt Lake . In 2010, and again, in 2011, the Galaxy won consecutive Supporters' Shield , and completed the league double winning both the Shield and MLS Cup in 2011. This was the first time this had been accomplished since the Columbus Crew achieved it in 2008. In the 2011 MLS Cup final , the Galaxy defeated
9990-400: The playoffs. In the first round of this knockout tournament, aggregate (total) goals over two matches determined the winners; the Conference Championships were one match each, with the winner of each conference advancing to the MLS Cup. In all rounds, the tie-breaking method was two 15-minute periods of extra time, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule was not used. At
10101-518: The release of an additional 10,000 seats, expanding the total capacity to roughly 45,700. The announced crowd was 46,011. The crowd size was the first championship crowd since 2002 to draw over 45,000 spectators. Televised on ESPN , it was the first time that the MLS championship match was televised on the cable network; the first thirteen were carried on ABC . In the 41st minute, Galaxy striker Mike Magee scored, only for Salt Lake's Robbie Findley to make
10212-536: The rest of the contests – including MLS Cup – with Fox Sports. Univision, UniMás and TUDN also airs the MLS Cup playoffs in Spanish. With the new Apple TV deal beginning 2023, FOX Sports will be the only linear broadcaster of MLS, and will carry select MLS Cup playoff matches, and every MLS Cup with no alternate broadcaster starting 2023. MLS Cup coverage in Canada started in 2007, with the addition of Toronto FC to MLS. The MLS Cup bounced around different networks in
10323-485: The second team from the Pacific Northwest to win the cup, after Portland in 2015. In the 2017 MLS Cup , Toronto FC and Seattle faced off in a rematch of the previous edition, also at BMO Field. Toronto FC won the match 2–0, and became the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup, and the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble , after winning the Canadian Championship and Supporters' Shield earlier in
10434-495: The start of that season. The CPL is headquartered in Toronto , Ontario . After the closure of the original Canadian Soccer League in 1992, there was no fully professional first division domestic league of Canadian soccer . The only national Canadian competition was the Canadian Championship , a domestic cup which has been played since 2008. Canadian teams played in American leagues, such as Major League Soccer , NASL and
10545-506: The start of the 2006 season , MLS created their version of the scudetto (Italian for "small shield"), a symbol worn on the jersey by the team who won the previous season's Serie A (the top Italian league). The MLS scudetto was originally a curved, triangular badge featuring a backdrop of the American flag behind a replica of the Alan I. Rothenberg MLS Cup trophy. First worn by Los Angeles Galaxy in 2006, following their 2005 MLS Cup title,
10656-483: The team's MLS Cup wins, followed by an additional silver star added to the lined stars the following season. The Los Angeles Galaxy were the first to receive the gold star above the team's three silver stars for the 2013 season. While the Galaxy won its second MLS Cup trophy and the Houston Dynamo earned consecutive cups, the New England Revolution went on a run of making three consecutive MLS Cup finals, losing all of them. Two of their three losses were in extra time, while
10767-466: The termination. For the 2023 season , Vancouver FC from Langley, British Columbia entered the league, joining as an expansion team. The inaugural 2019 season of the league included a split season format similar to soccer leagues in Latin America. The winners of the two seasons competed in the two-legged CPL Finals . With the addition of an eighth club in 2020 , the league moved to
10878-468: The top five teams in each conference. In each conference, the No. 4 seeded hosted the No. 5 seed in a single match for a place in the conference semi-finals against the best team in its conference. The Conference Semifinals remained two-legged while the finals changed from a single match to a two-leg aggregate series. Finally, the MLS Cup was held at the home field of the finalist with the highest point total during
10989-570: 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 CPL champion and regular season winner earn berths in the CONCACAF Champions Cup , competing against teams from across North America, Central America and
11100-407: The top-seeded regular season team and the winner of a playoff between the second and third-placed teams. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , the season format was scrapped and replaced with a single-site tournament with a two-stage regular season. The 2020 final was contested in a single match between the two top-seeded teams from the four-team second stage. The 2021 season brought in
11211-457: The two sides. Four minutes into overtime, Eddie Pope gave United the golden goal victory. In 1997 , the second league cup final was contested at RFK Stadium , where United won back-to-back titles, a feat that would not be accomplished for another decade (when the Houston Dynamo won the 2006 and 2007 finals). The game ended 2–1 in United's favor over the Colorado Rapids , who would not win
11322-432: The tying goal in the 61st. The stalemate was not broken in regulation nor overtime, requiring penalty kicks to decide the match. Thanks to a strike from Salt Lake's Robbie Russell , Salt Lake won their first major trophy. By winning the championship, they gained entry into the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League . There, they made it to the final, only to lose to Monterrey of Mexico. At the 2010 season's end, six teams from
11433-413: The winner of each conference advancing to the MLS Cup. In all rounds, the tie-breaking method was two 15-minute periods of overtime, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The away goals rule was not used. At the end of the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the top two teams of each conference made the playoffs; in addition, the clubs with the next four highest point totals, regardless of conference, were added to
11544-490: The winners of the Spring and Fall seasons. The championship was contested as a two-legged tie , with each team hosting one leg at home. The winner was determined by aggregate score but if the aggregate score was tied, the team with the most away goals wins the series. A penalty shoot-out was the final tiebreaker. The 2020 season saw the end of the split season format, with the 2020 finals scheduled to be contested between
11655-633: The winning team has been presented with the North Star Cup . The trophy was designed by ÉPICO Studios, a design agency that had previously designed trophies for the Copa América Centenario , CONCACAF Champions Cup , CONCACAF Gold Cup , CONCACAF Nations League , and MLS Cup . The North Star Cup replaced the North Star Shield which had been awarded from 2019 to 2022. Rules concerning yellow card accumulation in regular season and playoff games and its impact on suspensions in
11766-536: The year. Atlanta United FC , in their second season as an expansion team, won the 2018 edition of the MLS Cup by defeating the Portland Timbers 2–0. The match, hosted in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium , was attended by 73,019 spectators and broke the MLS Cup attendance record set in 2002 by New England. The club became the second-youngest to win an MLS Cup, behind the 1998 Chicago Fire, and brought
11877-763: Was aired on English-language networks ABC from 1996 to 2008 and ESPN from 2009 to 2014. ESPN/ABC and Fox alternate as MLS Cup Final broadcasters since 2015, with the MLS Cup 2019 on ABC, their first MLS match since 2008. ABC also air four playoff matches including the MLS Cup 2021 . The MLS Cup has also been aired on Spanish-language networks TeleFutura in 2007 and 2008, Galavision from 2009 to 2011, TeleFutura/ UniMás from 2012 to 2018, and Univision in 2019. ABC previously had Spanish announcers under secondary audio program . From 2015 to 2022, all MLS Cup playoff games are televised on ESPN, Fox Sports , or Univisión networks. UniMás will air two exclusive playoff matches, while ESPN and its affiliated networks will split
11988-426: Was announced as the league's new commissioner as well as the new CEO of Canada Soccer Business effective September 1. The Canadian Premier League uses a salary cap . As of the 2024 season, clubs are required to spend between CA$ 750,000 and $ 1,212,500 on player compensation, with a minimum salary of $ 30,000 per player. For players aged 21 and younger on standard contracts, only 50% of their salary counts towards
12099-646: Was looking at regions and owners in St. John's , Moncton , Laval , Quebec City , Kitchener-Waterloo , the Niagara Region , the Durham Region , Mississauga , Regina , Saskatoon , and Kelowna as well as the Fraser Valley area of British Columbia. Other areas with CPL interest include Barrie , Montreal , and Saint John . On August 25, 2022, ARS de Quebec's Director General Philippe Bernard
12210-484: Was part of a core group of investors working with the Canadian Soccer Association and its president Victor Montagliani to create a new set of fully professional teams or a league in Canada. The Tiger-Cats ownership group was granted exclusive rights by the Canadian Soccer Association until 2017 to establish a team that would play in the under-construction Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton . In February 2016, reports of
12321-469: Was quoted in Le Journal de Québec announcing that Léger Marketing had been commissioned to launch a market study to verify interest in the province for a CPL team. He also confirmed that Soccer Quebec had determined that Quebec City was the best market in the province for a new team. Although there isn't an ownership group yet, Bernard explained that the market study would help facilitate investment in
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