the CPL was founded by a small group
of investors – the most notable being
computer-software millionaire Bob
Young – working in conjunction with
the Canadian Soccer Association to help
fill a major footballing void in the country.
Although MLS boasts three Canadian
clubs (Toronto, Montreal Impact and
Vancouver Whitecaps), Young was at
a loss as to why Canada didn’t have a
domestic league, and he quickly became
one of the driving forces behind the
scenes to get the CPL up and running.
“It made no sense to me or anyone
else in the Canadian soccer community
their native country. Because
“international” roster spots are at a
premium, US clubs are hesitant to use
them in order to sign Canadian players,
who don’t have the same opportunitiesthat Canada [didn’t have its own league],
despite being one of the wealthiest
countries in the world,” says Young.
CPL commissioner David Clanachan
insists the league isn’t in competition with
MLS and points to the fact that the CPL
stayed away from the markets that MLS
is already in. However, there is no denying
that the CPL was largely born out of
a desperate need for Canadian soccer
to develop its players and give them
opportunities they otherwise might not
receive elsewhere, including in MLS.
In MLS, each team is mostly made
up of domestic players and is granted
a limited number of international roster
spots. US-born players are considered
“domestics”, whether they play for
American or Canadian teams. But
Canadians are only considered domestics
if they play for one of three MLS clubs inO28 game regular-season: 14 home
matches, 14 away matches.
OThe campaign is split into two seasons.
OThe spring season runs from April 27
to July 1 with all seven clubs playing 10
matches.
OThe table then resets for the fall season,
which runs from July 6 to Oct. 19. Clubs
will play 18 matches in the fall season.
OThe spring and fall champions will meet
in a Final – format still to be determined- to decide the overall winner.
OIf the same team wins both seasons, it
will meet the side with the second-most
cumulative points across both seasons in
the Final.
LEAGUE STRUCTURE
Driving force
...Bob Young