Is the future of soccer a Canadian one?

Toronto FC lit the spark, but the Canadian Premier League may be the fire that keeps soccer alive in Canada

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Football—or, as some prefer to call it, soccer—is one of many sports I’ve followed since I was young. My favourite team is Liverpool FC, the reigning champions of England’s Premier League. I also follow FC Bayern Munich (Germany’s Bundesliga), Juventus FC (Italy’s Serie A) and FC Barcelona (Spain’s La Liga).

Which isn’t to say that I don’t keep up with the North American soccer scene.

Major League Soccer (MLS) has become an enormous success in attendance, merchandise sales and box office. Established European and South American soccer stars like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Luis Suárez, Éverton and Zlatan Ibrahimović have all played in MLS. The league’s biggest signing was the legendary Lionel Messi with Inter Miami CF during the 2023 season.

Another important moment was the rise of Toronto FC.

The Canadian team was a disaster in its early years. They missed the MLS playoffs from 2007 to 2014 and always hovered around the bottom of the league table. The team finally made the playoffs in 2015, was runner-up in the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, and won it all in 2017. What made Toronto FC’s championship season memorable was that it became the first (and, to date, only) MLS team to win the coveted domestic treble: MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship.

Success in the beautiful game served as a form of inspiration to other Canadian squads playing in different leagues across North America. This included a fledgling soccer league that aimed to replace the defunct Canadian Soccer League as the highest level of the Canadian soccer league system (or pyramid).

What am I referring to? The Canadian Premier League (CPL).

The CPL was founded in 2017, the year that Toronto FC won it all, and officially started play in 2019. There were seven original teams: Cavalry FC (Foothills County, Alta.), FC Edmonton (Edmonton, former member of the North American Soccer League), Forge FC (Hamilton, Ont.), HFX Wanderers FC (Halifax), Pacific FC (Langford, B.C.), Valour FC (Winnipeg) and York9 FC (Toronto, now called York United FC). Things have remained fairly consistent. Atlético Ottawa joined in 2020, FC Edmonton folded in 2022 and Vancouver FC, based out of Langley, B.C., started operations in 2023. FC Supra du Québec, based out of Laval, Que., is scheduled to join in 2026.

The powerhouse club has been Forge FC. It’s won four league championships, known as the North Star Cup (2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023), been runner-up twice and captured two regular season titles, the CPL Shield (2021 and 2024). Pacific won the North Star Cup in 2021, Cavalry FC took the North Star Cup in 2024 and two CPL Shields (2019 and 2023), and Atlético Ottawa won the CPL Shield in 2022.

I was recently invited by Mark, a friend and neighbour, to watch York United FC play Valour FC on Sept. 28. He enjoys watching the CPL and has adopted HFX Wanderers FC as his favourite team during family trips to Nova Scotia. (Mark has been to several games at Wanderers Grounds, located on the historic Halifax Common, created in 1749.) I don’t follow the league as closely as he does, but I thought it would be fun to see what a game would be like.

Here are some observations.

York United FC plays at York Lions Stadium, which is located on the York University campus. It has a capacity of 4,000, which gives it a small, intimate feel. Attendance for home games is only between 1,500 and 2,000, which is among the lowest in the league. As a season ticket holder for the Toronto Argonauts, which has had the worst attendance in the CFL for several seasons, I know this feeling all too well.

The fans were very friendly. We spoke to several people who seemed quite enthusiastic about both teams and the CPL. It was also nice to see several families with young children at the game, including a fair number of young girls who are clearly interested in soccer. Future superstars in the making, perhaps?

The game itself was quite good. York United FC beat Valour FC 1–0 on a fine goal by Julian Altobelli in the 44th minute. Both teams played hard, earning 10 shots on goal apiece and a few decent scoring chances. The home team was clearly the stronger side, however. York United FC had five shots on target, compared with one shot by Valour FC. York also held possession for 58 per cent of the game and dominated play in the second half.

The CPL is at the lower end compared with MLS and leagues in Europe, South America, Africa and elsewhere. What’s encouraging to see is the overall level of play has improved over seven seasons. The teams are getting better, players are becoming more skilled and confident, and the game quality has increased significantly. That’s why CPL teams have become more competitive at the Canadian Championship. Forge FC reached the final in 2020, albeit in an isolated manner due to COVID-19. Vancouver FC equalled this accomplishment in this year’s tournament and will play the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC in an all-B.C. final on Oct. 1.

The Canadian Premier League is attempting to shine a bright light on the future of soccer in the Great White North. Will it succeed? Based on what I saw, there’s a good chance it will.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.