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The 2019 Canadian Premier League finals determined the winner of the Canadian Premier League's inaugural 2019 season. It featured Cavalry FC of Calgary, Alberta, and Forge FC of Hamilton, Ontario, and was the culmination of a rivalry that had developed between those teams.

It was contested over two legs between the winners of the spring and fall seasons, with the fall season winners choosing which leg to host. Since Cavalry won both split seasons, the team with the second-best overall season record, Forge, also competed in the Championship.

Forge won the inaugural Canadian Premier League title 2–0 on aggregate following a pair of 1–0 victories. This earned the club the right to compete in the 2020 CONCACAF League where they ultimately reached the quarter-finals.

Path to the finals

The 2019 Canadian Premier League season used a split season format where each team played 10 games in an opening spring season and 18 games in a closing fall season. At the end of the full season, the spring season winner would face the fall season winner in a two-legged tie for the league title. If one team won both the spring and the fall seasons, that team would face the team with the highest cumulative points total across both seasons for the title.

On June 26, 2019, Cavalry won the spring season and qualified for the championship. On September 28, 2019, Forge secured the second best overall season record, and thus clinched the second spot in the finals.

Cavalry FC

Cavalry started the inaugural 2019 Canadian Premier League season as one of six newly-formed teams competing in the league. They started their spring campaign with a 2–1 win over York9 FC on May 4. They went on to win the first seven games of the ten game spring season before suffering a 1–0 to Forge FC. Their 2–0 victory in their next game against York9 on June 26 clinched the spring title and a berth in the finals.

Cavalry finished the spring season with a 8–0–2 record. They also won the fall competition by one point with a 11–5–2 record, giving the finals berth for that season to the second-placed overall record.

Forge FC

Forge was another one of the newly-formed teams for the inaugural season. They finished the spring season in second place with a 6–1–3 record. In the fall season, Cavalry and Forge cemented themselves as the top two teams in the standings. Forge was able to clinch the finals berth after a 3–0 victory over Pacific FC on September 28, 2019.

Despite not clinching the fall title, Cavalry and Forge's dominance ensured that no other team could catch them in either the fall or overall standings. Forge would go on to finish second in the fall season by one point, winning the finals berth not as the fall title winner but the second-placed overall finisher.

Head-to-head

Going into the finals, Cavalry and Forge had played each other seven times in 2019; winning three matches each, with one draw, and scoring seven goals apiece. In June, Cavalry defeated Forge 3–2 on aggregate in the second qualifying round of the Canadian Championship.

In the final week of the regular season, Forge and Cavalry faced-off in Hamilton. With both teams having clinched their positions in the overall table, each side rested key players in advance of the finals. Forge won the game 1–0 but defender Dominic Samuel picked up two yellow cards and was automatically suspended for the first leg of the finals.

Venues

Forge's home of Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, with a reduced seating capacity of 10,016 hosted the first leg. Opened in 2014, the multi-purpose stadium is shared with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The second leg was held in Cavalry's home of ATCO Field in Foothills County. It is a 5,288 capacity stadium part of the Spruce Meadows equestrian facility.

Match details

First leg

Summary

The first leg of the finals was played on October 26 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ontario. Forge FC entered the game without defenders Dominic Samuel and Bertrand Owundi who were serving suspensions. Forge had the first close chance when captain Kyle Bekker's long shot hit the crossbar in the 35th minute. Minutes later, Cavalry defender Joel Waterman handled the ball in his own penalty area while sliding to prevent a scoring chance. Waterman was sent off and Forge was awarded a penalty kick. CPL-leading scorer Tristan Borges took the penalty kick but it was stopped by Marco Carducci to keep the game scoreless. Late into first half stoppage time, Borges would beat Carducci with a left-footed strike to give Forge the lead going into halftime. Early in the second half, Forge controlled possession with the man-advantage. In the 69th minute, a challenge between Borges and Jay Wheeldon of Cavalry sent both players to the ground. As a result of the play, Borges was shown a red card and both teams finished the match with 10 players.

After the match, Cavalry and Forge appealed their respective red cards to the Canadian Soccer Association. The governing body's disciplinary committee upheld the red card to Cavalry's Joel Waterman for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, and confirmed he would be suspended for the second leg of the finals. The red card and suspension to Tristan Borges was overturned, with the committee citing that his actions "did not meet the threshold of a violent conduct offence."

Details

Forge FC	1–0	Cavalry FC
Borges 45+1'	Recap Report

Forge

Cavalry

Forge FC: GK 1 Triston Henry RB 8 Giuliano Frano CB 30 David Edgar CB 5 Daniel Krutzen LB 6 Kwame Awuah  63' CM 13 Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson CM 10 Kyle Bekker (c) RW 3 Elimane Cissé  77' AM 19 Tristan Borges  69' LW 11 Chris Nanco  90+3' CF 23 Anthony Novak  75' Substitutes: GK 18 Quillan Roberts MF 7 David Choinière  77' FW 9 Marcel Zajac  75' DF 16 Klaidi Cela FW 17 Kadell Thomas  90+3' MF 20 Justin Stoddart DF 22 Monti Mohsen Manager: Bobby Smyrniotis

Cavalry FC: GK 1 Marco Carducci RB 4 Dominick Zator CB 15 Joel Waterman  37' CB 5 Mason Trafford  75' LB 3 Nathan Mavila CM 8 Julian Büscher  85' CM 6 Nik Ledgerwood (c)  88' RW 17 Nico Pasquotti AM 7 Oliver  24'  46' LW 11 José Escalante CF 23 Dominique Malonga  61' Substitutes: GK 22 Niko Giantsopoulos FW 9 Jordan Brown  61' MF 10 Sergio Camargo  85' DF 14 Jay Wheeldon  69'  46' MF 16 Elijah Adekugbe MF 20 Carlos Patiño DF 21 Malyk Hamilton Manager: Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Second leg

Cavalry

Forge

Cavalry FC: GK 1 Marco Carducci RB 4 Dominick Zator CB 14 Jay Wheeldon  86' CB 5 Mason Trafford LB 3 Nathan Mavila  69' CM 8 Julian Büscher CM 6 Nik Ledgerwood (c)  51' RW 17 Nico Pasquotti  18' AM 10 Sergio Camargo  90' LW 9 Jordan Brown  73' CF 23 Dominique Malonga Substitutes: GK 22 Niko Giantsopoulos FW 7 Oliver  73' MF 11 José Escalante  75'  69' MF 16 Elijah Adekugbe MF 20 Carlos Patiño DF 21 Malyk Hamilton FW 24 Aribim Pepple  90' Manager: Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Forge FC: GK 1 Triston Henry  90+2' RB 4 Dominic Samuel CB 30 David Edgar CB 5 Daniel Krutzen LB 6 Kwame Awuah CM 13 Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson CM 10 Kyle Bekker (c) RW 2 Jonathan Grant  60' AM 19 Tristan Borges LW 11 Chris Nanco  67' CF 23 Anthony Novak  42'  86' Substitutes: GK 18 Quillan Roberts MF 3 Elimane Cissé  60' MF 7 David Choinière  73'  67' MF 8 Giuliano Frano  86' FW 9 Marcel Zajac FW 17 Kadell Thomas DF 21 Bertrand Owundi Manager: Bobby Smyrniotis

Broadcasting

First leg

• OneSoccer
• CBC Sports

Second leg

• OneSoccer

See also

• 2019 Canadian Championship final
• Cavalry FC–Forge FC rivalry

References

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2. "Weather History for CYYC". Weather Underground. The Weather Company. November 2, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
3. "Canadian Premier League announces 2019 Championship format". Canadian Premier League. June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
4. "FAQ: A primer on the CPL's format and season rules". canpl.ca. February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
5. ^ Molinaro, John (October 26, 2019). "HIGHLIGHTS: Borges, Carducci shine in red-card laden Leg 1 tilt". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
6. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (November 2, 2019). "HIGHLIGHTS: Forge FC crowned CPL champions in win over Cavalry". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
7. "Forge FC converts late penalty to beat Panama's Tauro FC in CONCACAF League play". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. November 5, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
8. "A guide to the format for the 2019 season". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. April 25, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
9. Bedakian, Armen (June 22, 2019). "Cavalry FC wins Spring title! Here's how they did it". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
10. "Forge clinches Finals 2019 berth after Saturday's triple slate". CanPL.ca. September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
11. Gordon, Stuart (May 4, 2019). "Cavalry FC beat York9 FC in its first-ever Canadian Premier League". Total Soccer Project. Archived from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
12. "Cavalry FC picks up first loss of CPL season with 1-0 loss to Forge FC". Global News. The Canadian Press. June 23, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
13. "Calgary Cavalry win spring title with 2-0 win over York9 FC". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. June 27, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
14. ^ "Cavalry down Eddies to clinch Fall title with Al Classico triumph". CBC Sports. October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
15. "Forge FC knock off Cavalry to climb to top of CPL Fall table". CBC Sports. August 25, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
16. "Forge clinches Finals 2019 berth after Saturday's triple slate". Canadian Premier League. September 28, 2019. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
17. Spencer, Donna (June 11, 2019). "Cavalry beat Forge FC, face Vancouver Whitecaps in 3rd round of Canadian Championship". Global News. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
18. ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (October 16, 2019). "HIGHLIGHTS: Forge strikes back at Cavalry with tight home win". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
19. Jaques, John (October 27, 2019). "Forge Takes First Leg Of CPL Finals". Northern Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
20. Milton, Steve (October 28, 2019). "Forge downs Cavalry, but loses top scorer for second half of CPL final". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
21. "Forge FC and Cavalry FC both appeal controversial red cards from CPL Finals leg one". Waking The Red. October 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
22. "Forge FC's Tristan Borges wins appeal, will play 2nd leg of final". Sportsnet.ca. Canadian Press. October 31, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
23. "News: The 1st Leg of the CanPL Finals will be broadcast live on @onesoccer, with pre and post game coverage, and on @cbcsports". Twitter. @CanPL. Retrieved October 23, 2019.

External links

v t e Cavalry Football Club
Foothills County, Alberta The Club History Crest and colours Club culture Stadium ATCO Field Spruce Meadows Affiliated teams Cavalry FC U21 Rivalries Al Classico (FC Edmonton) Forge rivalry Key personnel Owner Spruce Meadows Sports & Entertainment General manager and head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. Matches 2019 CPL finals 2023 CPL final 2024 CPL final
Major honours (3) CPL Championship (1) 2024 CPL Shield (2) 2019 2023
Seasons Canadian Premier League 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Category

• 2019 Canadian Premier League season
• Canadian Premier League Finals
• October 2019 sports events in Canada
• November 2019 sports events in Canada
• 2019 in sports in Ontario
• 2019 in sports in Alberta
• 2010s in Hamilton, Ontario
• Forge FC matches
• Cavalry FC matches
• Sports competitions in Hamilton, Ontario
• Sports competitions in Calgary