CPL Predictions 2022

[Pottsy3]

Just over a week away from the season starting, I figured we'd have some fun with predictions again. 

Let's hear your predicted standings, playoff champion and award winners. I'll start:

 

Regular Season Standings:

1. Pacific FC - International signings have some pedigree and should hopefully fill the holes left in the offseason

2. Cavalry FC - Hopefully Carducci comes back, but still has a solid core and bolstered by Aird/Trafford

3. Forge FC - Think there could be some stagnancy after three years

4. Valour FC - Sirois/Romeo/AJB should be elite defense

5. Atletico Ottawa - Aleman/Ingham/Tabla/Bassett could be game changers

6. York United - Think they need young players like Wright/Ferrari to take another step forward if they want to become contenders

7. FC Edmonton - just a gut call, hope they shock us and don't suck

8. Halifax Wanderers - Disappointing lack of turnover, especially at Goalkeeper

 

Playoff Champions - Forge FC, always seem to grow into the season

 

Awards

Coach of the Year - James Merriman, if he can keep that squad elite regardless of the personnel losses he's probably going to win it imo

Golden Boot - Fraser Aird, bold take but the CPL teams he's played on haven't really been juggernauts. I think Cavalry will help him

Golden Glove - Jonathan Sirois, if he gets the full season then I wouldn't be surprised if he launches himself into the CF Montreal starter discussion

MVP - Marco Bustos, might have won the award last year if it weren't for injury. 

U21 Player of the Year - Woobens Pacius, he's shown flashes in the past and hopefully get more minutes from Bobby this season

[StillOnFire]

Hmm, always hard to make any real prediction before a handful of games to be honest.

Right at this moment I would hazard a guess at:

Forge
Cavalry
HFX
Pacific
Valour
Ottawa
York
Edmonton

But that will totally change after a few games.... not really a prediction, more just throwing names in the air (well, mostly).
 

[Bbeto]

Ottawa
Cavalry
Forge
Pacific
HFX
York
Edmonton
Valour
 

[K Edgar]

Forge
Cavalry
Valour
Pacific
York
Ottawa
HFX
Edmonton

Golden Boot: Akio

[ATM]

Forge

Calvary 

Ottawa

Pacific

HFX

York

Valour

Edmonton 

I think it will be a close one between Pacific and HFX. 

[Kingston]

My (slightly different) predictions:

Pacific - average attendance 2800

Calgary - 3200

Edmonton - 2000

Winnipeg - 4500

Forge - 5500

York - 2700

Ottawa - 5000

Halifax - 6100

[T_Bison]

Cavalry

York

Valour

Atletico

Pacific

Forge

Wanderers

FCE

 

Absolutely zero reason for this list beyond I can see Forge not being the same team they were, and Pacific not weathering their personnel changes.

 

 

[m-g-williams]

1 hour ago, Kingston said:

My (slightly different) predictions:

Pacific - average attendance 2800

Calgary - 3200

Edmonton - 2000

Winnipeg - 4500

Forge - 5500

York - 2700

Ottawa - 5000

Halifax - 6100

I think York and Pacific might actually surprise us, at least if current availability on Ticketmaster is any indication. The only ones I'm a bit concerned about at this point are Edmonton (obviously) and maybe Valour dipping a bit on the low side. 

[narduch]

I am usually bad at this but here goes:

Regular Season:

Atletico Ottawa 

Forge

Calvalry

Valour

Pacific

York

Halifax

Edmonton

---------------------

Champions: Forge

Coach of the Year: Gonzalez

Golden Boot: Campbell

Golden Glove: Ingham

MVP: Bustos

U21 Player of the Year: De Rosario

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by narduch

[Kingston]

11 minutes ago, m-g-williams said:

I think York and Pacific might actually surprise us, at least if current availability on Ticketmaster is any indication. The only ones I'm a bit concerned about at this point are Edmonton (obviously) and maybe Valour dipping a bit on the low side. 

I hesitated a bit on my guess for Pacific.  I am thinking of the entire season, though.  I expect they'll get an early bump from last year's performance but I don't know if it will last.

York I have very little faith in.  I don't really believe in the market.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

OK, might as well give this a go:

Forge: the Sigma connection providing lots of depth and an obvious willingness to spend up to the cap will continue to see them at the top end of the standings.

Cavalry: Most of the key players are back and this is also a team that probably spends up to the maximum on the cap.

York:  better coaching and plenty of wheeling and dealing on imports will finally see the GTA's team take advantage of having the largest local market to draw from in population terms.

Valour: better coaching and an ability to tap into Quebec through that should secure some respectability despite the long rumoured reluctance to spend to the extent allowed on players.

Ottawa: Ingham's arrival addresses a key issue faced last year. Mista had name recognition in a Canadian context but the new coach appears to have an impressive CV on the coaching side of things but too much to fix to be more than midtable this season.

Pacific:  lost too many key pieces to repeat. Emergence of Whitecaps 2 won't help their recruiting at the lower end of the roster and ownership might be more focused on launching the team they really wanted from the outset in the Lower Mainland.

Halifax: uninispring recruiting and out of the way location will see them continue to struggle because in this league larger crowds don't translate into a larger player budget.

FCE: will be doing well to finish anywhere other than last but at least the league made an effort to keep them reasonably competitive and might yet surprise us by doing better than this.

[T_Bison]

3 hours ago, m-g-williams said:

I think York and Pacific might actually surprise us, at least if current availability on Ticketmaster is any indication. The only ones I'm a bit concerned about at this point are Edmonton (obviously) and maybe Valour dipping a bit on the low side. 

I actually am in the reverse that I think they will outpace 2019. Restrictions off, WAY better schedule, and the team is significantly better than they ever have been.

@Kingston - I think the market will be OK. It will take time and work but I think it can come.

[Cicero]

Forge - Best coach, core down the middle are back and won't have extra Concacaf games to tire them out. Need a keeper though.

Halifax

Valour

York

Pacific

Ottawa

Cavalry - No reason, I just want to see them lose.

Edmonton - Ugh, feel sorry for the players being sacrificed for this cause...

 

[toontownman]

 

My picks

•  I "get to" be a neutral again until a team comes to SK. Hasn't helped me have soft spots for Cavalry every year and Pacific last season. I'm going full York this year. Fair-weather fan, you bet. Except the weather is rarely fair at that club and really I just love their away strip. I do think they have some very exciting young pieces at the club though.
• I have said it 3 years so 4th times the charm: Cavalry. Surely the consistency has to pay off eventually. Again they add some better pieces to an already stacked squad. Surely this year! Can't sleep on Forge having the most ridiculously stacked squad in the league either obviously but Cavalry is the 2nd most boring option to pick
•  1. Forge
   2. Cavalry
   4. Ottawa
   5. Pacific
   6. York
   7. Halifax
   8. Valour
   9. Edmonton...poor Edmonton
• Dark horse pick: tough, between Ottawa and York. There is a bit more X-factor with the coach and flair/star players, if they gel Ottawa could do very well
• Subplots..
  - Yet another year of will it gel: York (new coach, new players), Ottawa (New coach and an upgrade in players but lots of new ones) Edmonton (new everything) Pacific (turnover on and off the pitch with a slightly weaker squad depth so far imo)
  - Mavericks - who will meet their potential - Habibulah, Tabla, Assi, Graiciar, Catavolo - Or does Bustos stay king.
  - Eddies - Can the pull off something miraculous against all odds and not finish at the bottom. 
  - Older kids on the block - New coaches: Nash at York, Merriman now the main guy at Pacific, Gonzalez at Ottawa a big potential get but also don't sleep on the impact of Alejandro Dorado at Halifax who comes with some pretty big experience himself. 
   

  Awards

  Coach of the Year - Gonzalez (Ottawa)

  Golden Boot - Lowell Wright

  Golden Glove - Ingham

  MVP - Tabla 

  U21 Player of the Year - Lowell Wright - this is his year

Edited April 7, 2022 by toontownman

[ATM]

1 hour ago, toontownman said:

 

My picks

•  I "get to" be a neutral again until a team comes to SK. Hasn't helped me have soft spots for Cavalry every year and Pacific last season. I'm going full York this year. Fair-weather fan, you bet. Except the weather is rarely fair at that club and really I just love their away strip. I do think they have some very exciting young pieces at the club though.
• I have said it 3 years so 4th times the charm: Cavalry. Surely the consistency has to pay off eventually. Again they add some better pieces to an already stacked squad. Surely this year! Can't sleep on Forge having the most ridiculously stacked squad in the league either obviously but Cavalry is the 2nd most boring option to pick
•  1. Forge
   2. Cavalry
   4. Ottawa
   5. Pacific
   6. York
   7. Halifax
   8. Valour
   9. Edmonton...poor Edmonton
• Dark horse pick: tough, between Ottawa and York. There is a bit more X-factor with the coach and flair/star players, if they gel Ottawa could do very well
• Subplots..
  - Yet another year of will it gel: York (new coach, new players), Ottawa (New coach and an upgrade in players but lots of new ones) Edmonton (new everything) Pacific (turnover on and off the pitch with a slightly weaker squad depth so far imo)
  - Mavericks - who will meet their potential - Habibulah, Tabla, Assi, Graiciar, Catavolo - Or does Bustos stay king.
  - Eddies - Can the pull off something miraculous against all odds and not finish at the bottom. 
  - Older kids on the block - New coaches: Nash at York, Merriman now the main guy at Pacific, Gonzalez at Ottawa a big potential get but also don't sleep on the impact of Alejandro Dorado at Halifax who comes with some pretty big experience himself. 
   

  Awards

  Coach of the Year - Gonzalez (Ottawa)

  Golden Boot - Lowell Wright

  Golden Glove - Ingham

  MVP - Tabla 

  U21 Player of the Year - Lowell Wright - this is his year

I just don't see the hype for Wright. As I meantioned on another post, Wright is going to fight for minutes now that Osaze De Rosario has signed with the team. From what I hear DeRo"s boy is a very smart player. He is not just at the right place at the right time. He was with a Brampton/mississauga team, tfc program and NYC program. And just recently a Polish D1 team. Wright has played for woodbridge, sigma and tfc. He was cut from TFC, and was either cut by Sigma or left cause he didnt pay the fees. You don't leave Sigma to play for a York Region team unless its with Vaughan Azzuri. And you don't think a former TFC legend will have an influence on his sons play time.

[toontownman]

Yeah I will admit I didn't fully get the hype in year one but he definitely made great strides all round last year and is a tank for his age. Some of his play is far beyond his years even if he is of course far from the finished product. 

Looking forward to how he looks with the u20s.

[Bison44]

Just to be clear, we are talking about Lowell Wright who got 6 goals last year (tied for team lead) when he was 17/18??  I dont know if DERO's boy is better, but I get the hype for Wright.  

[ATM]

41 minutes ago, Bison44 said:

Just to be clear, we are talking about Lowell Wright who got 6 goals last year (tied for team lead) when he was 17/18??  I dont know if DERO's boy is better, but I get the hype for Wright.  

CPL50 Players Revealed:

50. — Dominic Samuel (Forge FC)
49. — Alessandro Hojabrpour (Pacific FC)
48. — Austin Ricci (Valour FC)
47. — Abdou Samake (Pacific FC)
46. — Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (HFX Wanderers FC)
45. — Chrisnovic N’sa (York United)
44. — Miguel Acosta (Atlético Ottawa)
43. — William Akio (Valour FC)
42. — Woobens Pacius (Forge FC)
41. — Callum Irving (Pacific FC)
40. — Nathan Ingham (York United)
39. — Marco Carducci (Cavalry FC)
38. — Andre Rampersad (HFX Wanderers FC)
37. — Amer Didic (FC Edmonton)
36. — Fraser Aird (FC Edmonton)
35. — Michael Petrasso (York United)
34. — Raph Ohin (Valour FC)
33. — Jamar Dixon (Pacific FC)
32. — Josh Heard (Pacific FC)
31. — Dominick Zator (York United)
30. — Triston Henry (Forge FC)
29. — Tobias Warschewski (FC Edmonton)
28. — Sergio Camargo (Cavalry FC)
27. — Isaiah Johnston (York United)
26. — Alberto Soto (Atlético Ottawa)
25. — Peter Schaale (HFX Wanderers FC)
24. — Tristan Borges (Forge FC)
23. — Moses Dyer (Valour FC)
22. — Kadin Chung (Pacific FC)
21. — Malcolm Shaw (Atlético Ottawa)
20. — Max Ferrari (York United)
19. — Jonathan Sirois (Valour FC)
18. — Alejandro Díaz (Pacific FC)
17. — Joe Mason (Cavalry FC)
16. — Karifa Yao (Cavalry FC)
15. — Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson (Forge FC)
14. — Manny Aparicio (Pacific FC)
13. — Kwame Awuah (Forge FC)
12. — Mo Farsi (Cavalry FC)
11. — Mo Babouli (Forge FC)
10. — Lukas MacNaughton (Pacific FC)
9. — Terran Campbell (Pacific FC)
8. — Easton Ongaro (FC Edmonton)
7. — Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)
6. — Elimane Cissé (Forge FC)
5. — Daniel Krutzen (Forge FC)
4. — Diyaeddine Abzi (York United)
3. — Marco Bustos (Pacific FC)
2. — Joao Morelli (HFX Wanderers FC)
1. — Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)

[Pottsy3]

11 hours ago, ATM said:

I just don't see the hype for Wright. As I meantioned on another post, Wright is going to fight for minutes now that Osaze De Rosario has signed with the team. From what I hear DeRo"s boy is a very smart player. He is not just at the right place at the right time. He was with a Brampton/mississauga team, tfc program and NYC program. And just recently a Polish D1 team. Wright has played for woodbridge, sigma and tfc. He was cut from TFC, and was either cut by Sigma or left cause he didnt pay the fees. You don't leave Sigma to play for a York Region team unless its with Vaughan Azzuri. And you don't think a former TFC legend will have an influence on his sons play time.

Osaze is coming over from a D1 Ukrainian team, not Poland.

Lowell Wright made his professional debut before turning 17 years old, so I'm not really concerned about the youth programs that he bounced around. 

As stated by others, the thing that stands out about Wright is that his body looks to be developed well beyond his years. There are VERY few players in the Canadian pool who are as DEEZED as Wright while also being an all-around athlete in terms of speed and technical ability. The only guy I can think of who fits that type of athletic profile is Phonzie himself.

Do I think Wright is a finished product right now? Hell no. But with his profile, his age and the improvements he already made from his first professional season to his second, Lowell Wright has to have the highest ceiling in the CPL.

McNab's comments on Osaze's signing seemed to indicate that Lowell is above Osaze on the depth chart, but the U20 callup would give Osaze an opportunity to contribute early in the season.

[MM3/MM2/MM]

Back to the predictions (which I mostly suck at) and @MtlMario won't lend me his crystal ball so here goes.

1/2 Forge and Cavalry are top 2 again, I give the edge to Cavalry this season.

3/4 York United and ATO, I like the ATO parts but to stay here they have to put them together.  York United have a great young core, the internationals will have to shine for York to stay in the playoffs.

5/6/7 Pacific, Valour and HFX in no particular order, all could challenge for a playoff spot if York and ATO falter.

8 FC Edmonton  should be a fun season

Edited April 7, 2022 by MM3/MM2/MM

[StillOnFire]

Am I the only one that quite rates Halifax? Maybe i'm just blinded by the awesome support they have. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

I have no idea how you guys do predictions. Have you actually compared preseasons and rosters? 

The only thing I would imagine is that FC Edmonton would not make the playoffs, and last year's top 3 should repeat barring something unforseeable.

Frankly, for the good of the league, I am all for seeing one of the weaker sides from last season stepping up, exciting its fans. HFX would be deserving for example. I also do not want to see any team bombing. Last year, teams were still in a hypothetical playoff hunt with 5-6 games to go, that was encouraging.

Basically, I am still thinking more about the good of the league than predicting winners. But I'll be supporting Pacific as always.

[MM3/MM2/MM]

15 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I have no idea how you guys do predictions. Have you actually compared preseasons and rosters? 

 

Personally, I attended every practice and friendly of all 8 teams, it has been an exhausting 6 weeks😎

[Aird25]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I have no idea how you guys do predictions. Have you actually compared preseasons and rosters? 

The only thing I would imagine is that FC Edmonton would not make the playoffs, and last year's top 3 should repeat barring something unforseeable.

Frankly, for the good of the league, I am all for seeing one of the weaker sides from last season stepping up, exciting its fans. HFX would be deserving for example. I also do not want to see any team bombing. Last year, teams were still in a hypothetical playoff hunt with 5-6 games to go, that was encouraging.

Basically, I am still thinking more about the good of the league than predicting winners. But I'll be supporting Pacific as always.

Pacific weren't even giving updates on their preseason matches.  I don't know how people make the predictions either, as there's a fair bit of turnover and I haven't seen any of the new players kick a ball.

[Dominic94]

My thoughts:

 

1st:Forge FC, just a well rounded deep team don’t love the GK, but man they’ve got top players. 

2nd:Valour FC, it’s a surprise pick I know but they had a strong start last year and I think Rea, Romeo, AJB and Sirois are going to take this team far.

3rd: York FC, I think a new coach helps them and they’ve got a young team with a lot of promise that is ready to explode, I expect Wright to dominate.

4th: Cavalry, they’re well coached and always good, but I’m convinced not having Carducci is going to hurt a lot. 
 

5th: Pacific, Bustos should dominate but a lot depends on their new signings, Didc is going to be huge but are the replacements good enough ?

6th: Ottawa, I think they’ve taken a step, but I just don’t think there’s enough talent.

7th: Halifax, they’ll be in tough every night, but they’ll be tough to be every night, lack of depth and star power hurts them.

8th:Edmonton, will be a very very very long season.

 

playoff champs, Valour over Forge

coach of the year Bobby

U-21 Lowell Wright

Golden Glove Sirois

Golden Boot Wright and Pacius will tie 

MVP Borges