The 2022 Canadian Premier League season is the fourth season of the Canadian Premier League, the top level of Canadian soccer. Pacific FC are the defending champions, having beaten Forge FC in the 2021 final.[1]
| Season | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 7 – October 9 (regular season) |
| Champions | Forge FC (3rd title) |
| Regular season winners | Atlético Ottawa (1st title) |
| Matches played | 112 |
| Goals scored | 280 (2.5 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Alejandro Díaz (13 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Forge 5–1 FC Edmonton (July 19) |
| Biggest away win | Atlético Ottawa 1–6 Valour (April 24) |
| Highest scoring | Atlético Ottawa 1–6 Valour (April 24) FC Edmonton 3–4 Forge (May 31) |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches Forge (July 8 – August 6) |
| Longest unbeaten run | 11 matches Cavalry (May 1 – July 14) |
| Longest winless run | 11 matches FC Edmonton (April 10 – June 14) |
| Longest losing run | 5 matches FC Edmonton (April 30 – May 31) |
| Highest attendance | 6,574 Atlético Ottawa 2–1 FC Edmonton (August 7) |
| Lowest attendance | 600 FC Edmonton 1–1 York United (April 15) |
| Total attendance | 355,696 |
| Average attendance | 3,176 |
← 2021 2023 → | |
The regular season ran from April 7 to October 9, 2022. Each team played four games against each of the seven opponents for a total of 28 matches.[2] Atlético Ottawa won the regular season championship on October 8, securing the club its first trophy.[3][4]
The top four teams from the regular season qualified for the playoffs where they competed for the league title. Forge FC defeated Atlético Ottawa in the 2022 Final to win their third title.
Team and rule changes
The eight teams that competed in the 2021 Canadian Premier League season returned for the 2022 season. This was the last season to feature FC Edmonton and the last season before the debut of Vancouver FC in 2023.[5]
The maximum team compensation for this season remained at $1.2 million split between players and coaching staff. The required spend on player compensation was $650,000 to $850,000. In 2022, the U21 player salary rule was introduced which counts financial compensation to players aged 21 or under at 50% towards the cap (up to a maximum of $100,000).[6]
Teams
Stadiums and locations
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlético Ottawa | Ottawa | TD Place Stadium | 24,000 |
| Cavalry FC | Foothills County | ATCO Field | 6,000 |
| FC Edmonton | Edmonton | Clarke Stadium | 5,100 |
| 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 |
| York United FC | Toronto | York Lions Stadium | 4,000 |
Personnel and sponsorship
Number of teams by province or territory
| Rank | Province or territory | Number | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ontario | 3 | Atlético Ottawa Forge York United |
| 2 |  Alberta | 2 | Cavalry FC Edmonton |
| 3 |  British Columbia | 1 | Pacific |
 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York United |  Jimmy Brennan[7] | End of contract | November 23, 2021 | Pre-season | Martin Nash[8] | December 21, 2021 |
| Atlético Ottawa |  Mista[9] | December 28, 2021 | Carlos González[10] | February 24, 2022 | ||
| Pacific |  Pa-Modou Kah[11] | Signed by North Texas SC | January 21, 2022 | James Merriman[12] | January 21, 2022 |
Regular season
Format
The regular season took place from April 7 to October 9. The schedule format is a quadruple round robin with each team playing two matches at home and two matches away against each of the seven opponents for a total of 28 games. The majority of matches were played on weekends.[13]
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Ottawa (S) | 28 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 36 | 29 | +7 | 49 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Forge (C) | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 47 | 25 | +22 | 47 | |
| 3 | Cavalry | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 47 | |
| 4 | Pacific | 28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 36 | 33 | +3 | 46 | |
| 5 | Valour | 28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 34 | +2 | 37 | |
| 6 | York United | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 34 | |
| 7 | HFX Wanderers | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 24 | 38 | −14 | 29 | |
| 8 | FC Edmonton | 28 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 31 | 51 | −20 | 20 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) goal differential; 4) goals for; 5) away goals differential; 6) away goals for; 7) home goals differential; 8) home goals for; 9) U-21 minutes; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots.[14]
(C) Champion; (S) Regular season winner
Results
Playoffs
The top four teams from the regular season qualified for the playoffs. The first-place team played against the fourth, and the second-place team played against the third in two-leg semifinals on October 15 and 23. The away goals rule was not used in the semifinals. The winners advanced to the CPL Final, a single match hosted by the higher-seeded team on October 30.[13]
Bracket
| Semifinals October 15 & 23 | Final October 30 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Pacific FC | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 1 | Atlético Ottawa | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| 1 | Atlético Ottawa | 0 | |||||||||
| 2 | Forge FC | 2 | |||||||||
| 3 | Cavalry FC | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 2 | Forge FC | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
Semifinals
Summary
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific FC | 1–3 | Atlético Ottawa | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| Cavalry FC | 2–3 | Forge FC | 1–1 | 1–2 |
Matches
| Atlético Ottawa | 1–1 | Pacific FC |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Atlético Ottawa won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Cavalry FC | 1–1 | Forge FC |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Forge FC won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
Awards
Canadian Premier League Awards
| Award | Recipient | Finalist |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Boot (Hunter) |  Alejandro Díaz (Pacific FC) | N/A |
| Golden Glove (Qimmiq or Canadian Inuit Dog) | Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC) | Nathan Ingham (Atlético Ottawa) Callum Irving (Pacific FC) |
| Coach of the Year (Owl) | Carlos González (Atlético Ottawa) | James Merriman (Pacific FC) Bobby Smyrniotis (Forge FC) |
| Player of the Year (Nikisuittuq) |  Ollie Bassett (Atlético Ottawa) |  Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge FC) Manny Aparicio (Pacific FC) Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa) Sean Rea (Valour FC) |
| Best Under 21 Canadian Player of the Year (Polar Bear) | Sean Rea (Valour FC) | Woobens Pacius (Forge FC)  Osaze De Rosario (York United FC) |
| Defender of the Year (Walrus) | Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson (Forge FC) | Amer Đidić (Pacific FC) Dominick Zator (York United FC) |
| Players' Player of the Year (Muskox) | Ollie Bassett (Atlético Ottawa) | Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa) Alejandro Díaz (Pacific FC) |
Team of the Week
The Gatorade Team of the Week is selected by OneSoccer staff.
| Team of the Week | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref |
| April 7–10 | Oxner (HFX) | Fernandez (HFX)
| Bassett (Ottawa)
| Díaz (Pacific) | [15] |
| April 15–17 | Ingham (Ottawa) | N'sa (York)
| Bustos (Pacific)
| Shaw (Ottawa)
| [16] |
| April 22–24 | Giantsopoulos (York) | Romeo (Valour)
|  Akio (Valour)
|  Dyer (Valour)
| [17] |
| April 27–May 1 | Carducci (Cavalry) | Fernandez (HFX)
| Tabla (Ottawa)
| Salter (HFX)
| [18] |
| May 6–7 | Irving (Pacific) | Dada-Luke (Pacific)
| Aparicio (Pacific)
|  Gutiérrez (York)
| [19] |
| May 14–15 | Sirois (Valour) |  Sissoko (Forge)
| Bassett (Ottawa)
| Rea (Valour)
| [20] |
| May 20–22 |  Vaikla (Edmonton) | N'sa (York)
| Hojabrpour (Forge)
| Fisk (Cavalry)
| [21] |
| May 28–June 1 | Carducci (Cavalry) | Beckie (Ottawa)
| Haworth (Ottawa)
|  dos Santos (Pacific) | [22] |
| June 4–5 | Vaikla (Edmonton) | Acosta (Ottawa)
|  Hernández (York)
| Tabla (Ottawa)
| [23] |
| June 11-15 | Ingham (Ottawa) | Loturi (Cavalry)
| Sissoko (Forge)
|  Pepple (Cavalry) | [24] |
| June 18-19 | Vaikla (Edmonton) | Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific)
| Abzi (York)
| Gonzalez (Edmonton)
| [25] |
| June 25-26 | Oxner (HFX) | Klomp (Cavalry)
| Riggi (Valour)
| Rea (Valour)
| [26] |
| June 29- July 3 | Sirois (Valour) | Beckie (Ottawa)
| Timoteo (Edmonton)
| dos Santos (Pacific)
| [27] |
| July 8-10 | Henry (Forge) |  Rama (Forge)
| C. Trafford (Cavalry)
| Dyer (Valour) | [28] |
| July 14-20 | Giantsopoulos (York) | Dada-Luke (Pacific)
|  Musse (Cavalry)
| Diaz (Pacific)
| [29] |
| July 22-24 | Irving (Pacific) | Acosta (Ottawa)
| Rama (Forge)
| Campbell (Forge)
| [30] |
| July 27 - August 1 | Carducci (Cavalry) | Rama (Forge)
| Sissoko (Forge)
| Diaz (Pacific)
| [31] |
| August 3-7 |  Yesli (Valour) | Rama (Forge)
| Hojabrpour (Forge)
|  Forbes (Valour)
| [32] |
| August 12-14 | Henry (Forge) | Samake (Pacific)
|  Warschewski (Edmonton)
|  Heard (Pacific)
| [33] |
| August 17-21 | Himaras (York) | Timoteo (Edmonton)
| Lamothe (HFX)
| De Rosario (York) | [34] |
| August 27-28 | Irving (Pacific) | Timoteo (Edmonton)
| Bassett (Ottawa)
| Warschewski (Edmonton) | [35] |
| September 2-5 | Carducci (Cavalry) | Zator (York)
| Levis (Valour)
|  Babouli (York)
| [36] |
| September 9-11 | Baskett (HFX) |  Krutzen (Forge)
| Young (Pacific)
| Salter (HFX)
| [37] |
| September 16-18 | Irving (Pacific) | Krutzen (Forge)
| Poku (Forge)
| Borges (Forge)
| [38] |
| September 23-27 |  Murasiranwa (Edmonton) |  Mourdoukoutas (York)
| dos Santos (Pacific)
| Tabla (Ottawa)
| [39] |
| September 30- October 2 | Ingham (Ottawa) | Alarcón (Cavalry)
| Bahous (Ottawa)
| Bustos (Pacific)
| [40] |
Monthly Awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| April | James Merriman | Pacific FC | Marco Bustos | Pacific FC | [41][42] |
| May | Tommy Wheeldon Jr. | Cavalry FC | Ollie Bassett | Atlético Ottawa | [43][44] |
| June | Carlos González | Atlético Ottawa | Aribim Pepple | Cavalry FC | [45][46] |
| July | Bobby Smyrniotis | Forge FC | Woobens Pacius | Forge FC | [47][48] |
| August | Phillip Dos Santos | Valour FC | Sean Rea | Valour FC | [49][50] |
| September | Martin Nash | York United FC | Mo Babouli | York United FC | [51][52] |
| October | Bobby Smyrniotis | Forge FC | David Choinière | Forge FC | [53][54] |
Attendance
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HFX Wanderers FC | 81,547 | 6,500 | 4,332 | 5,825 | n/a |
| 2 | Atlético Ottawa | 56,961 | 6,574 | 2,571 | 4,069 | n/a |
| 3 | Cavalry FC | 48,883 | 4,743 | 2,943 | 3,492 | n/a |
| 4 | Forge FC | 48,027 | 5,129 | 1,187 | 3,431 | n/a |
| 5 | Pacific FC | 44,459 | 4,107 | 2,420 | 3,176 | n/a |
| 6 | Valour FC | 43,547 | 5,227 | 2,395 | 3,111 | n/a |
| 7 | York United FC | 17,272 | 1,802 | 1,002 | 1,234 | n/a |
| 8 | FC Edmonton | 15,000 | 1,613 | 600 | 1,071 | n/a |
| League total | 355,696 | 6,574 | 600 | 3,176 | n/a |
Source: [1]
Statistical leaders
Top scorers
Top assists
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[57] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triston Henry | Forge | 11 |
| 2 | Marco Carducci | Cavalry | 10 |
| 3 | Nathan Ingham | Atlético Ottawa | 9 |
| Callum Irving | Pacific | ||
| 5 | Niko Giantsopoulos | York United | 6 |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tristan Borges | Forge | FC Edmonton | 4–3 (A) | May 31 | [58] |
| Alejandro Díaz | Pacific | York United | 4–2 (A) | July 15 | [59] |
| Woobens Pacius | Forge | FC Edmonton | 5–1 (H) | July 19 | [60] |
Player transfers
U Sports Draft
The 2022 CPL–U Sports Draft was held on January 20, 2022, with Atletico Ottawa selecting José da Cunha of Cape Breton University first overall. Each team made two picks in the draft, for a total of 16 selections.[61]
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. Teams are required to carry a minimum of four international players, either signed through or approved by the league's scouting partner, 21st Club.[62] The following players were considered foreign players for the 2022 season. This list does not include Canadian citizens who represent other countries at the international level.[63]
Players in italic denote players new to their respective clubs for the 2022 season, sorted chronologically by their announcement.
Notes
References
