8 CPL Thoughts: Cavalry's historic CONCACAF victory, CPL expansion, cap compliance, the return of Alessandro Hojabrpour and much more
And just like that, after months of transfer speculation, new signings across the league and a lengthy hiatus for a certain 8 CPL Thoughts columnist, Canadian football is back in all its Wild Rose-coloured glory. The off-season, mercifully, is at its end.
Like a bear awakening from its winter slumber or a work from home employee unexpectedly called into an office meeting, CPL clubs are rubbing their eyes and dusting crumbs off their coats as training camps kickoff across the country. Many will then travel to warmer climates in search of sun and competition in the coming weeks. (The Halifax Wanderers, curiously, have made the decision to seek out more of the same ghastly weather by flying to England). Opening matchday is just around the corner.
As the North Star Cup and CPL Shield winners, Cavalry FC and Forge FC are a little ahead of their peers, having dressed up for their home legs of the CONCACAF Champions Cup last week. The opening stanzas of the competition had a little something for everyone, with Cavalry producing one of the most memorable nights in CPL history and Forge having a wardrobe faux-pas — their kit literally coming unstuck — that will live forever.
All joking aside, it feels good to have Canadian football back; there's a lot to discuss. So, without further ado, welcome back to 8 CPL Thoughts, the column where I round up the news and tidbits I'm hearing around the league. Enjoy.
1. A historic night at Starlight Stadium
A year ago, having dropped their Champions Cup series to MLS side Orlando City SC, Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said his squad aspired to return to the continental competition. They were, he said, addicted and wanted to become of fixture in the tournament.
Well, after an impressive showing Thursday night, Cavalry have done more than live up to their head coach's words: they made history as the first CPL club to defeat a Liga MX's side, beating Pumas 2-1 at Starlight Stadium.
It was, said Wheeldon Jr. post-match, a victory for Canadian football.
“I think you’ve seen with our national team able to do it at the Iceteca, as it was once called, now we’re able to rise and as a CPL team that’s on a fraction of what they’re on, to go and produce that result is a mature performance from this group,” he said. “And I think that gives everyone else belief in this country.”
Although the job is not done, with Cavalry now travelling for the second leg of their tie in Mexico City, there's no mistaking the importance of what the Albert-based club achieved: despite the disparity in wages, CPL clubs can compete with some of the most storied clubs in the Americas. Sometimes, they'll even win.
And, like Cavalry supporters at the Ship and Anchor pub in Calgary, it's important to remember that's worth celebrating.
I spoke to several people across the league — be they agents, execs, or supporters — on Friday and all were buzzing from what Cavalry achieved at Starlight Stadium.
Now, it's worth noting that Pumas didn't start their strongest lineup, but the fact is the club sporting their shiny new Wild Rose kits looked good and did something no one expected them to do. And that's a victory for the CPL as a whole because, whether you like Cavalry or not, moments like Thursday do a lot to grow the reputation of the league. It means more eyeballs, be they from clubs in Mexico or around the world, and that translates to more conversations.
I interviewed Wheeldon Jr. last year ahead of their tie against Orlando and he spoke about how, since the inception of the league, the club's profile has grown to the point that he was talking to clubs around the world, getting players on loan from the EPL's Everton (Jack Barrett) and Portugal's Sporting CP (Lucas Dias). That wasn't possible during his first year at the helm and there's no doubt that Cavalry's profile, and therefore the league's, will have grown following their win over Pumas.
We'll see if they can make history again in Mexico City.
2. Forge still finding their feet
There's no question that the conditions in Hamilton on Wednesday were tough and, as a result, didn't produce the prettiest football. On multiple occasions, players slipped or lost their footing in key moments, with both Brian Wright and Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson missing sitters they'd normally convert on.
Conditions aside, it's important to remember that this was Forge's first official match of 2025. And unlike Cavalry, they very much looked like a squad that was getting re-acquainted as they dealt with significant turnover, especially on their backline.
Not that Forge's new faces looked out of place; I thought Rezart Rama, Dan Nimick and Marko Jevremović played admirably. Wright and Mo Babouli, to my eye, were still getting up to speed (to be fair, I think the attackers had the harder job on Wednesday). Ultimately, CF Monterrey capitalized on their chances and the Hammers didn't. It's as simple as that. I expect we'll see the best version of head coach Bobby Smyrniotis' squad in Mexico.
I did reach out to ask about Forge's kits as Cavalry were able to get their new threads in time for the tournament. Like last year, Forge made the decision to recycle their old kits for Champions Cup. However, unlike last year, they had a sponsor change and, to tide them over until the regular season, opted to put the Weather Tech patches over their Tim Hortons' insignia. There was no delay from Macron.
3. CPL decides on two expansion locations
Understandably, this has generated a lot of discussion.
I think it's important to point out that the two most newsworthy things to take from the piece are that the league has decided where they'd like to try and expand and that, should they be successful, they're exploring adding Eastern and Western conferences in a 10-club league.
Concerning the first part, executive vice-president Marni Dicker said the CPL had picked their locations during a presentation to the City of Kingston's council; the fact that the league had identified their desired markets is a huge shift from the public comments from Commissioner Mark Noonan, who has been very open about the difficulties surrounding expansion. But identifying where you want to expand is not the same thing as expanding; by no means is this a done deal and a lot can go wrong in short order. Expanding in time for the FIFA World Cup has been both the league's internal and external objective for some time and I have a hard time imagining them miss that window, especially if league officials are on the record saying they've picked their spots. But it remains to be seen if its Kelowna or Windsor or some other city that gets an expansion club over the line.
The other important bit of news is, of course, discussion around creating conferences. As mentioned, I'm told this idea is only in the discussion phase and hinges on the premise that the league successfully adds one club out East (it's funny, as an Atlantic Canadian, what people consider East given it'd mostly be clubs in Ontario) and another out West. If the league gets their desired split, I understand the idea of halving into conferences. On one hand, it should reduce travel costs and fosters rivalries between clubs in the same geographical area. But on the other, there's the likelihood that clubs like the Wanderers will end up facing Forge, Atlético Ottawa, York United and some unnamed club more than they already do, which is hard to fathom.
I think the important thing to consider is what, from a league perspective, can you put into place to ensure a healthy league, both financially and on the pitch? Canada is an unimaginably vast country. If conferences helps to keep the CPL sustainable, that'll be the price to pay for a long-term domestic league. Ultimately, it'll come down to what the owners can stomach.
4. CPL executive vice-president Costa Smyrniotis and the salary cap
Last week, CPL executive vice-president Costa Smyrniotis made the media rounds, speaking to The Wanderers Notebook, as well as outlets like FootyPrime.
Smyrniotis is well-versed in business speak, meaning it can be hard to get a straight answer on questions. However, when asked about the salary cap and how the league office go through cap compliance, he was able to share that an update is coming soon.
"This happens well in advance," he said when asked about communicating the league's cap increase to clubs. "Obviously, there’ll be a public announcement coming shortly in terms of the 2025 season but a lot of times these are done a year in advance. The big picture planning parameters are put in well in advance so that everyone can properly manage their rosters."
The question, of course, is how much is the cap going up?
Having asked around, I haven't been able to confirm an exact figure but have been told not to expect anything significant.
I also asked Smyrniotis how his department, which consists of five people, was coming with their cap compliance check: he said, although it's early, he expected all clubs to fall within compliance. I plan to circle back closer to the beginning of the season to confirm.
5. Alessandro Hojabrpour returns to Forge after MLS trial
It felt like the news was a little lost in the days leading up to Champions Cup but the return of midfielder Alessandro Hojabrpour to Hamilton is a big coup for the Hammers.
As I previously reported, Hojabrpour had been in Florida trialing with MLS side Orlando City following the expiration of his contract with Forge. However, it's not like the two sides cut ties: I'm told Hojabrpour and Forge were in communication throughout the off-season as the 24-year old explored his opportunities. Now, I think Hojabrpour has the skill to contribute in MLS but cracking Orlando's squad was always going to be a tough task. So, when Hojabrpour wasn't invited to the Lions' destination camp (which saw them square off against Forge, ironically), it was only natural for him to return to the club where he'd won two league titles the past three years.
"Forge was always an option for me," Hojabrpour told CanPL.ca. “They showed me a lot of support at the end of last season and allowed me to see what my options were out there. Forge is a great club and I don’t consider it a backup plan, it’s just another option."
I don't believe Hojabrpour ever entertained playing for another CPL club.
6. The Wanderers' growing French connection
I plan on writing a story on this later in training camp, which starts on February 10, but the Wanderers have taken on a distinct French flair this off-season.
It's true that the club has often recruited from the Province of Québec, something sporting director Matt Fegan has said is part of the Wanderers recruiting strategy; the gap between CF Montréal's academy and first team is one they've tried to exploit over the years.
However, this off-season has seen the Wanderers add Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and Rayane Yesli from Québec, as well as Yohan Baï and Jason Bahamboula from France, meaning the squad now boasts a dozen or so francophones.
I interviewed Baï earlier in the month and had the chance to ask him about his decision to come to the CPL. When questioned, he said that Wanderers midfielder Lorenzo Callegari was a huge help in making him feel comfortable with the decision. And although having multiple francophones on the squad is something he thought would help with his transition, Baï said he ultimately chose Halifax for the energy around the project.
Although the province doesn't appear close to getting its own CPL club, it's good to see that young Québec-born players, who are some of the best in the country, are getting professional opportunities in the league.
7. Vancouver FC looking to showcase young players
The sale, of course, is the first in club history but is one Vancouver FC's brass worked hard for; when they lured McDonnell from the Vancouver Whitecaps academy, it was always with the idea of moving him on given his potential and passport situation.
And McDonnell may not be the only player sold by the club this season. Veth also reported that T.J. Tahid was training in Belgium with RWD Molenbeek, the same club that bought attacker Kwasi Poku from Forge last year. Lastly, defender James Cameron, who has been training with MLS side Colorado Rapids, may also get a move, although I've heard several conflicting reports on this one.
If Vancouver FC manages to sell one of Tahid or Cameron, in addition to their work with McDonnell, it will be the realization of what co-owner Rob Friend has been preaching since his end of season press conference.
“We’re committed to being a home for top Canadian talent to develop, improve, and compete at a high level,” said Friend in McDonnell's transfer press release. “We know Grady will be the first of many Vancouver FC players to reach new heights with the support of our club.”
Earning a reputation for selling ambitious young players is all well and good but I do worry about how the club will perform on the pitch given the exodus of players this off-season. So far, the likes of Gabriel Bitar, Austin Ricci, Rocco Romeo, Kadin Chung and Renan Garcia have all walked out the door while Ben Fisk has hung up his boots for an office role. With the prospect of more players being sold, one has to wonder who will actually be around to help the Eagles compete for a playoff spot. There's still plenty of time for player announcements but Vancouver FC is currently looking thin.
8. Pacific working on new deal to play at Starlight Stadium long-term
As noted previously, I've been committing the last question of this column to fan questions and — thanks to the querying mind of Wanderers supporter Denton Froese — reached out to several people concerning the future of Pacific and Starlight Stadium.
I've been told that Pacific and the City of Langford are deep in negotiations, with a new five-year deal on the table. But as is always the case with municipalities, things are moving glacially, meaning the timeline for an announcement is uncertain.
The good news is that things are trending in the right direction.
As always, thanks for the question, Denton.
Cover Photo Credit: CONCACAF
