Canadian Premier League kicks off 6th season feeling stable, looking to grow

The Canadian Premier League kicks off its sixth season this weekend, still a work in progress but with a sense of stability in most quarters.

Toronto-based York United FC, sold in November after being taken over last April by Canadian Soccer Business (which shares the same ownership as the CPL), has enthusiastic new Mexican owners and all eight clubs enter the season with the same coaches. There seems plenty to build on.

"Stability is a great word for a young league and that's where we are," said commissioner Mark Noonan. "It's stability tied with growth. That's the focus."

"We're in a good place to continue that path," he added.

Noonan calls it a "league of opportunity" with 75 per cent of its minutes going to Canadian talent.

The CPL saw five of its clubs separated by just six points, from second to fifth place, in a competitive 2023 season. And the campaign concluded in a doozy of a final that saw defending champion Forge FC win its fourth title in a dramatic 2-1 win over regular-season leader Cavalry FC with all three goals coming in extra time.

CPL FINAL OLIMPICO ARE YOU KIDDING ME TRISTAN?<a href="https://twitter.com/ForgeFCHamilton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ForgeFCHamilton</a> have the lead!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CanPL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CanPL</a> I