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By: Duane Rollins Let’s start this by making something abundantly clear: No one – literally no one – wants the CanPL to fail. Not me, not you, not the players, not the MLS teams, literally no one. We waited far too long for a league of our own and only want it to be successful. The CanPL is the ultimate underdog story. It shouldn’t work. In fact, many people told us it wouldn’t work. Yet, here it is. That love, combined with the league’s try-hard status, makes people feel the need to protect the league from criticism. It’s as if any negative word is going to cause the whole thing to come tumbling down. That’s a dangerous attitude, as independent and engaged media is both a sign of a league’s health, as well as being useful to driving the league to make improvements to areas where they are failing. So, if you are uncomfortable with negative information about the league becoming public you should give that some thought. Those of us that are hard on the league are doing it from a place of love. As stated, no one wants to the league to fail. Caveat to justify what I’m about to write out of the way… The CanPL has a money problem. And, it’s far worse than anyone thought it would be when this thing launched. To be clear, I’m not talking about there being a danger of the league folding. The owners went into things with an understanding that they would lose money for a few years. Getting it to 2026 and seeing a World Cup bump after is what the league is working towards and there is no indication that they won’t get there. However, a lot of the players currently in the league will not. That is, they won’t without a significant bump in the average pay. Without that, you will see a lot of younger players shooting their shot for 1-2 years before “retiring” to pursue jobs that won’t require them to eat Kraft Dinner every night with their 6 roommates in a 550sqft apartment. A couple pieces of news today really drove that home. First was the announcement that Island Games standout Aboubacar Sissoko forgoing a return to Halifax to instead go to the USL to play for Indy 11. It was reported that Halifax made a decent offer, but it is also clear that Indy could afford to make a better one. But, the real kicker came later in the day when Valour’s Dylan Carriero announced his retirement. At just 26, it’s awfully young to be stepping away from the game when there isn’t an injury involved. However, Carriero went to university and with a top end salary in CanPL for a player at Carriero’s level, at best, $35,000 it suddenly it becomes very difficult to justify putting off “getting a real job.” And, that’s the best case figure. In talking to several players over the past few months, I’ve learned of some truly terrible salary figures. As always, the league is tight lipped about the money, but the numbers I consistently hear are as follows: · U-Sport player: $10,000 · Domestic rookie: $10,000 to $12,500 · Player with some previous pro experience: $15,000 to $20,000 · Established player: $18,000 to $25,000 · Star domestic player: $30,000 to $35,000 · International player $35,000 + Housing As with any list like this there will be some outlier numbers on either end, but by in large those are the ranges that I have heard. (Note to the league: I’m happy to print any disputing figures that you wish to send.) Look, everyone understands that this is a start-up league and no player was deluded into thinking that they were going to get rich playing in the CanPL. They are chasing their dreams and are more than willing to accept salaries that are reasonably modest in exchange for the opportunity to play their way into a better salary, either in the league, or elsewhere. It’s also understood that the CanPL is always going to be a league with a high churn level. Players are either going to move on or move up pretty quickly. However, the players do feel that it’s reasonable to expect a living wage. A significant amount of the league is not on that. Sure, you might be able to live on that money for a year or two in your early 20s while you scratch the itch of trying to be a pro player. But, at those numbers – even at the higher end – it is very difficult to justify staying on for much longer that that. In practical terms, that means it’s going to be nearly impossible for a “lifer” class to emerge in CanPL. As I’ve written before, having players that make up the core of teams and stay for several years is vital to the long-term success of the league. You need older players, like Carriero, to push and challenge the prospects that everyone is excited to see. As much as fans want to see the young guns, that middle class is arguably more important to cultivate. And that won’t happen without an increase in salary. It won’t be easy – no one is suggesting it will – but to start that process the league needs to first acknowledge that the need exists. Since they won’t even recognize the Professional Footballers Association Canada right now, it’s unclear if they can take that tiny step to acknowledge the problem. And, you know what they say: The first step is always to acknowledge that you have a problem…

It’s the year 2021, the CMNT are ranked the best they have ever been. The CPL is in it’s 3rd season, and has their champion qualifying for the Champions League. We got a world class kid from Edmonton part of the winning culture at Bayern Munich, a kid from Ottawa leading Ligue 1 in goals off the back of leading his team to their first championship in 10 years, and two Brampton boys lifting trophies in an Istanbul. What do these guys/clubs have in common other than being Canadian? They all developed their game on Canadian soil. But what does that mean going forward. Is this “golden generation” more than an anomaly - how do we really take control of our future? It starts by changing the overall perception of the game in Canada and maximizing the potential of our league - the Canadian Premier league, and here’s how that looks. “Breaking news Toronto FC, Montreal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps will join the CPL prior to the 2026 World Cup.” Now you’ve probably read that and thought “this guys smoking that lala land stuff” or “the MLS has done so much for the development of Canadian mens soccer, this would be a setback”….but wait, hear me out. Here’s why, let’s look at Player Development: There is a massive contingent of active national team players that are Canadian developed. (I.e they’ve played their developmental years in Canada, and went pro in Canada or USA. Miller, Waterman, Laryea, Davies, David, Buchanan, Johnston, Crepeau, Adekugbe, Henry, Kaye, Osorio, Fraser, Shaffelburg, Akinola) some are TFC, Impact, Whitecaps academy trained, some are Sigma, Vaughan SC trained, some are your regular local youth club. However a lot of these guys have “randomly” burst onto the scene just based on being given an opportunity, and I don’t believe some of these guys are who they are today solely because of MLS. We have homebred talent, we just don’t have the overall product to suffice. Which goes to my next point. Perception Yes the CPL is considered CAN D1 to the “in-the-knows”, but to the average person it is perceived as amateur, doesn’t exist or the “so do they play in the same league as Toronto FC”…Fan perception has a massive effect in our biggest metros, and it’s important piece of this league to make it more than just a developmental league. Not having the countries biggest cities, and biggest teams in it will always be a huge detriment to the overall look of the league, no matter how much it evolves. So what does the league look like if they are there. Infrastructure/Competition: Currently there are 8 CPL teams, with a future 2 clubs in Saskatchewan, and the Vancouver proper. Add Quebec City team because we all know there needs to be a team there. You add the 3 MLS Teams and it equals to 14 teams. A great base to solidify the first division footprint. The D3 leagues are building out, which will naturally facilitate with the development of building the pyramid upwards. The leagues salary rules could be a hybrid of MLS & CPL (2M + 3 Luxury Players) Here’s some of the positives: The former MLS teams can still be competitive Increased options for Canadian players An expanded Voyageurs Cup More CCL slots Argument to play in the Concacaf regional Leagues Cup. More Canadians tested on the regional stage (As of 2024, there will be a 10% chance that our “best”Canadian teams can qualify for champions league through MLS Cup. A 6% chance at qualifying through Leagues Cup) In the current & future state, our Canadian representation will be heavily affected or heavily skewed due to the fact that our “top” (MLS) teams will have a lower chance at qualifying over the likes of the CPL teams. Every iteration of the tournament will potentially have 1 MLS team, and 3 CPL teams baring a miracle if the 3 Canadians teams win one of the Supporters Shield, MLS Cup, Leagues Cup or the Voyaguers Cup - the odds will always be stacked against us. So where’s the consistent chance at testing our guys against the best in Concacaf before they reach the national team. Development will be bottled if our alleged best, most financially backed clubs aren’t consistently able to test themselves with homebred talent against the continental powerhouses. Some will say “I would hate for our league to be like La Liga or the Bundesliga, where the same one or two teams win all the time (ahem Forge) but it won’t because of the baseline parity these teams would have. We have to navigate through the hype and success of the men and woman’s national team successes, and solidify ourselves as Concacaf powerhouse. This era isn’t an anomaly. This is how we control our future. This is our USA 94 moment.

The stated goal of the Canadian Premier League is to develop Canadian talent while also helping soccer culture grow in each of the markets teams are located in. To speak to the former, this is the first monthly ranking list of the Top 25 Canadian players in the CanPL. Ultimately, the list is subjective. Please join the debate! The next list will be published on Sept 29th. Top 25 for Aug 29 25th - Nico Pasquotti (1995-Winger-Calgary) The man with the throw leads off our top 25. A key player on a stacked Calvary side. 24th - Anthony Novak (1994-Forward-Hamilton) The type of player that would have likely gone further in the game if only the league had started about 5 years earlier. Still, he’ll have a long career in CanPl should he wish with a great eye for goal. 23rd – Ben Fisk (1993-Winger-Pacific) Always a fan favourite with the NASL Eddies, he has been a key veteran presence on an very young PFC. Another guy that will have a long run in CanPL if he wants. 22nd - Nathan Ingham – (1993-GK-York) He would have been much higher a month ago, but recent mistakes drive him down. A passionate and cerebral player that might sometimes try a little too hard, but one of the league’s breakout players. 21st - Louis Béland-Goyette – (1995- Midfielder- Winnipeg) It’s been a frustrating year in Winnipeg, but you can see the talent is there. If Valour could stabilize Béland-Goyette could take off. 20th -- Kadin Chung – (1998-full-back-Pacific) Chung has put himself solidly in the Olympic qualifying conversation. Pacific isn’t good – they are so very young – but you can’t help but love the opportunity they are giving players like Chung. 19th – David Edgar (1987-defender-Hamilton) We all love the youth, but there is something to be said about the importance of veterans coming home to finish their career. Edgar’s calming presence has been key to Forge’s recent form. 18th -- Mason Trafford – (1986-defender-Calgary) Similar to Edgar, just with more time in the league. Not flashy, but key player on the best team in CanPL so far. 17th – Kadell Thomas – (1996-Forward-Hamilton) Sadly just a little too old for Olympic consideration, but still young enough to move up a level. Needs more consistency. But, that goal, man. 16th -- Kwame Awuah (1995-Midfield/Wingback-Hamilton) He came in with high expectations and has delivered. Is it enough to return to MLS, or similar? 15th – Matthew Arnone – (1994-defender-Halifax) Gritty and underrated due to Halifax’s struggles. The Wanderers have been particularly disappointing on the domestic talent front – Arnone has been an exception and a player that could be in the league for a long time. 14th -- Matthew Baldisimo – (1998-midfield-Pacific) If he’s not in the Olympic mix then someone should buy John Herdman an OneSoccer subscription. Another nice story out of Pacific. 13th - Dominic Samuel – (1994-defender-Hamilton) Everyone talks about Forge’s attack. If they are to close the gap it will because the back-line caught up. 12th -- Easton Ongaro – (1998-Forward-Edmonton) And trending up. Yes, he scores from 5-yards, but he scores. A lot. And he’s just getting started. 11th -- Luca Gasparotto—(1995-York-Defender) There have been a few OH MY GOD WHAT??? moments, but on the whole he’s been a rare bright spot for struggling York. 10th – Connor James - (1996-GK-Edmonton) Admit it. You didn’t think of James for this list. That’s because he just quietly goes out and does a solid job every game. Like a keeper should. 9th -- Elijah Adekugbe –(1996-midfielder-Calgary) If Canada wasn’t so stacked at his position, he would be in Herdman’s plans. Many in Canadian soccer have been waiting for Adekugbe to break out for a while. The wait is over. 8th –Kyle Bekker – (1990-midfielder-Hamilton) Many expected a bit more (and that others have surpassed him is a net positive for the league), but he’s hardly been poor. A key building block for Forge moving forward. 7th – Dominick Zator – (1994-Defender-Calgary) A great example of how the Whitecaps failed to take advantage of talent in their system. A massive piece of the best team in the league. 6th -- Terran Campbell – (1998—Forward—Pacific) “Whitecaps reject’ is a compliment, apparently. Olympic eligible and in the mix for the Golden Boot. Yummy. 5th -- Noah Verhoeven – (1999-Midfielder-Pacific) The best all-around talent among the Pacific kids. If they can figure the depth out they will be a power in 2-3 years (unless the kids have been sold, which would also be wonderful). Also, are we looking forward to Olympic qualifying J? 4th -- Marco Carducci – (1996-GK—calgary) A baby in Keeper years, Carducci is a good guess to the question ”Who will Canada start in goal in 2026?” 3rd -- Michael Petrasso – (1995—Mid/wingback-Winnipeg) Winnipeg really missed him for periods of the season. He might have the best raw talent in the league. 2nd – Ryan Telfer – (1994-Winger-York) TFC is delighted with his progression. A true late bloomer, Telfer will almost certainly be playing at a higher level next year. 1st -- Tristan Borges – (1998-winger-Hamilton) Quite simply the best all-around player on this list and possibly in the entire league. With a bit more offensive consistency he could play a couple levels higher. And, he’s Olympic eligible

Canada stormed out to a 2-0 lead before half time and looked a safe bet to advance to their first Gold Cup semi final since 2007. Haiti kept the faith in the second half and punished a lackluster Canadian side to keep their improbable run alive.