Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 27. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode:  an interview with economist Dr. Duane Rockerbie.  Results League Play The first-ever CanPL finals are set! Forge FC will take on Cavalry FC in a two-legged tie Oct. 26 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, with the decisive second leg slated for Nov. 2 at ATCO Field at Spruce Meadows in Calgary. Cavalry won the spring season Forge and Cavalry are now guaranteed to finish 1st and 2nd “Even though the winner of the Fall season should choose their home match according to CPL rules, and that winner hasn’t been decided as of yet, the League office and the two clubs agreed on the match dates because of a scheduling conflict that exists with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, the primary tenant at Tim Hortons Field,” Clanachan explained. Only 14 games left as of September 30 Canadian Championship Congratulations to Montreal Impact for winning the 2019 Voyageur's Cup! Montreal beat TFC on penalty kicks 3-1 after going 1-1 on aggregate. Interesting to note that Montreal only beat York 9 by one goal on aggregate, and that both legs against Cavalry FC were 1 goal games. CONCACAF Nations League Up next for Canada is a two-leg tie against the United States. Canada host the Americans in Toronto on Oct. 15 Next, they play in Orlando on Nov. 5. This will likely determine who wins Group A and advances to the finals News FIFA 20 FIFA 20 is out, but the only CanPL player represented is David Norman Jr., who's with PFC on loan from Inter Miami. He's got an overall rating of 53. No sign of Ryan Telfer or Blake Smith who are also on loan from MLS teams, so hopefully we'll see them soon. Thanks to the Northern Tribune for digging into that - check them out at NorthernTribune.ca. Interview with Duane Rockerbie Tell us about yourself How did you get into sports economics? How did you get involved with the CanPL? I understand you were asked to complete two reports. What were they? What did you think of the project before you really did your analysis? How has the league compared to your expectations? What do you think the league needs to do next in order to ensure long-term success? Where should we be by the time we co-host world cup 2026? How do you envision promotion and relegation working?   Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Jeff responded to last episode's QOTW: Best and most promising is Jonathan David. Most will say Phonzie, and yes, he's a phenom, but David's ceiling is winning the Champions League as a starting striker. Not sure the same can be said of Phonzie. Crystal wrote via email: I've been collecting the podcast episodes since it started, and decided that it was time to start actually listening to them. While the season is not finished, it's been interesting to listen back to the excitement that we had, with the eyes of what we've since experienced.   The Week Ahead League Play Sep 11 - Wednesday 10:00 pm ADT Edmonton   vs.   Cavalry Clarke Field TICKETS Sep 11 - Wednesday 11:00 pm ADT Pacific   vs.   York9 Westhills Stadium TICKETS Sep 12 - Thursday 9:00 pm ADT Valour   vs.   Forge IG Field TICKETS Sep 14 - Saturday 4:00 pm ADT Pacific   vs.   Edmonton Westhills Stadium TICKETS Sep 15 - Sunday 2:00 pm ADT Forge   vs.   HFX Wanderers Tim Hortons Field TICKETS Sep 15 - Sunday 4:30 pm ADT York9   vs.   Valour York Lions Stadium TICKETS Sep 18 - Wednesday 6:30 pm ADT HFX Wanderers   vs.   Forge Wanderers Grounds TICKETS Canadian Championship Next game is September 18 at Stade Saputo CONCACAF Nations League No more games in September. Announcements Thank you to everyone who signed up for the Northern 90 Premium Channel - I love you guys. Credit to my very first supporters Adam Blair Josh Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast

How the CanPL Came to Be with Dr. Duane Rockerbie

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 26. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: A round-up of CPL players playing international games Canada's performance in CONCACAF Nations League A special interview with FC Edmonton's Jeff Paulus Results League Play Forge at the top of the table with 20 points, with the fewest games played at 9. Terran Campbell now leads the league with 10 goals Canadian Championship No action Next game is September 18 at Stade Saputo CONCACAF League Forge FC lost their last match to CD Olimpia 4-1 Lost 4-2 on aggregate SV Robinhood also lost 3-2 on aggregate. CONCACAF Nations League Canada got underway on Saturday night while Hurricane Dorian was trying hard to prevent me from watching the game Beat Cuba 6-0 Junior Hoilett - Hatrick Jonathan David - Beautiful goal Jonathan Osorio - Finished a nice pass from Hoilett Doniel Henry with his first goal for Les Rouges Important because: Qualifying for Qatar 2022 is a function of FIFA rankings as of June 2020. Top 6 go into a hexagonal round, top three automatically qualify The fourth-place team plays against the winner of a tournament between teams ranked 7-35. News Forge FC Assistant Coach Peter Reynders To Appeal CSA Ruling - Northern Tribune (https://northerntribune.ca/forge-fc-assistant-coach-racial-allegations/) Rumour: CPL Ownership Group Targeting Fraser Valley - Northern Tribune (https://northerntribune.ca/canadian-premier-league-fraser-valley/) National Team Action Ryan Telfer is now cap-tied for Trinidad and Tobago Abdelaziz Youssef - First start for Somalia Quillian Roberts was called up again to represent Guyana Marco Carducci - First CanPL player to get called up to CanMNT Jeff Paulus Jeff Paulus is someone I've wanted on the show for a very long time Today, my wish comes true - kind of Thomas Nef, a brand-new journalism student at NAIT reached out to see if we could collaborate Win-win - I get great CPL content, and Thomas gets to build up a portfolio. It's great! Next up, an interview with Jeff Paulus of FC Edmonton Thanks Thomas, thanks Jeff! You'll be hearing more from Thomas over the coming months - thanks, again! Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. James from the N90 Premium Channel asked: Thoughts about Ottawa Fury joining the CPL for the 2020 season? Ed Johnson wrote on the N90 Facebook Page: Kurt Larson said the 8-0 score "will never be repeated in the CPL". Do you agree or disagree? Liam Pritchard had some great comments on the N90SG Facebook Group about a survey that was being circulated suggesting that Canadian MLS clubs join the CanPL. He said: Yeah not a good idea yet. Maybe one day. Just need to look at Scotland to see what good two teams dominating the league would look like... Being a Brit, I love North American sports because of the parity. I love that anyone can win each year because anyone can beat anyone. QOTW: Who is Canada's best player? Most promising player? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode26 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety   The Week Ahead League Play Sep 11 - Wednesday 10:00 pm ADT Edmonton   vs.   Cavalry Clarke Field TICKETS Sep 11 - Wednesday 11:00 pm ADT Pacific   vs.   York9 Westhills Stadium TICKETS Sep 12 - Thursday 9:00 pm ADT Valour   vs.   Forge IG Field TICKETS Sep 14 - Saturday 4:00 pm ADT Pacific   vs.   Edmonton Westhills Stadium TICKETS Sep 15 - Sunday 2:00 pm ADT Forge   vs.   HFX Wanderers Tim Hortons Field TICKETS Sep 15 - Sunday 4:30 pm ADT York9   vs.   Valour York Lions Stadium TICKETS Sep 18 - Wednesday 6:30 pm ADT HFX Wanderers   vs.   Forge Wanderers Grounds TICKETS Canadian Championship Next game is September 18 at Stade Saputo CONCACAF Nations League No more games in September. Announcements Thank you to everyone who signed up for the Northern 90 Premium Channel - I love you guys. Credit to my very first supporters Adam Blair Josh Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Jannes Glas on Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Jeff Paulus on Expansion, Academies and More

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 25. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: a review of Canada's top young talent in the CanPL. Announcements Thanks for supporting the Northern 90 Premium Channel! Lots more to come on that, including some lower-priced tiers later on. Results League Play Forge lead the league with 16 points HFX Wanderers the only team under 1 PPG at 0.88. Neither York 9 nor Halifax have earned a point on the road during the fall. Approaching the 50% mark of games played. Not quite there yet. Canadian Championship Cavalry FC lost to Montreal Impact 3-1 on aggregate TFC beat Ottawa Fury 5-0 on aggregate 401 Derby for the final CONCACAF League Forge FC beat out Antigua GFC 2-1 on aggregate. Recently played CD Olympia at home to a 1-0 win. Nice goal by Chris Nanco who beat 'keeper Edrick Johnson short side Next leg will be played behind closed doors in Olympic Stadium in San Pedro Sula. 6 hour drive from Olympia's regular home stadium This was a CONCACAF decision after riots broke out in advance of the Classico Capitalino between Olympia and cross-town rival Montagua. Reported that four people died and at least 10 injured during the riots. Could be a major boost for Forge. During the last episode I predicted that Olympia's fans would be hostile. Turns out I was right. News Canada Soccer have ruled on the allegations of racial slurs being used during a Canadian Championship match between Cavalry FC and Forge FC. Forge FC Assistant Coach Peter Reynders has been found guilty of breaching Canada Soccer’s Code of Conduct and Ethics and has been suspended for 45 days, and cannot participate in any soccer-related activities. (https://www.canadasoccer.com/canada-soccer-disciplinary-committe-rules-on-canadian-championship-qr2-allegations-of-racial-comments--p162338) The hydro pole will disappear in 2020! Congratulations to Max Mowbray @PFCOntario Condolences to Xav Ouellette @TheHydroPole Check out the Purple Reign podcast on the NSXI Network if you're a Pacific FC supporter Next up - the power of Youth Youth Performance in CanPL I've noticed you find young Canadians at the top of most important metrics in the league. Today, I'll go through some stats and talk a bit about the young Canadian talent that is shining. Goals Lots of young Canadian talent 2 top goal scoreres are Tristan Borges and Terran Campbell. Both 20-year old Canadians Easton Ongaro is 21, and tied for 4th in the league with 5 goals. Assists Elijah Adekugbe is 23 years old, tied for first with Kyle Bekker at 4 assists Kwame Awuha also 23 and tied for 2nd with 3 assists Minutes Diyaeddine Abzi - top 10 minutes played as a 20-year old Canadian Many Aparicio - top 10 as a 23-year old Canadian Shots Taken Tarran Campbell - top 10 Tristan Borges - top 10 Chances Created Marco Bustos - 28 chances created, good for 4th place. 23 year-old Canadian. Manny Aparicio - 23 chances created. 6th in the league Tristan Borges - 21 chances Louis Beland-Goyette and Kwame Awuha both had 19, tied for 10th. Both 23. Tackles Zoom Langua - 21 year-old Canadian leads the league with 63 tackles and 45 tackles won Diyaeddine Abzi - 20, ranked 8th in tackles For the record - Tristan Borges is tied for 11th with 36 tackles. Three Take-aways Canada's got talent The "Play your kids" rule has value Teams are giving kids a chance Terran Campbell asked to play as a 9 and was given the chance Easton Ongaro has worked his way into a starting role - after getting a spot on the roster in the first place. Success of youth will determine the success of the league and of Canadian soccer CanPL will want to strive to become a selling league Players will see opportunity to go on to bigger clubs and will develop in CanPL The men's national team's performance will improve as more young Canadians get their chance. See also: Terran Campbell interview on Young Gaffers Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Michael Elder wrote on the Northern 90 Supporters' Group FB Group: Forge FC has a really tough run of games in the next couple months. They play something like 7 in the next three weeks including away to Olimpia. Then they have a break before playing another 6 in just over 2 weeks. Less than half are home games as well. And that's assuming they don't advance further in the CONCACAF League. I honestly wonder if they can keep their pace up; that's just an exhausting series of matches. If they do hold on and win the Fall season kudos to them; they'll definitely deserve it. One advantage they have is no other team behind them really seems to be making a push at the moment. Carlos Barrera wrote, also on the N90SG FBG: At the beginning, and without a #CanPLteam in Ottawa, I liked #HFXWanderersFCand still support them. But as the games keep coming, I really, really like #ForgeFC. I enjoy watching them play in the #CanPL. #ForgeFC go for goals. I like their style, passing and possession with purpose. Their games are entertaining. Very talented, unselfish, and creative players. They create spaces, look for channels and the teammate who's in better position to take a shot. The beautiful game! #ValourFCis giving #ForgeFC a good test right now. The games are very entertaining. This week's question: What does Forge FC's success in CONCACAF league tell us about the CanPL's place in the world of soccer? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode25 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety   The Week Ahead Aug 28 - Wednesday 9:00 pm ADT Valour   vs.   HFX Wanderers IG Field TICKETS Aug 28 - Wednesday 10:00 pm ADT Cavalry   vs.   Pacific Spruce Meadows TICKETS Aug 29 - Thursday 11:00 pm ADT CONCACAF League Olimpia   vs.   Forge Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano Announcements Thank you to everyone who signed up for the Northern 90 Premium Channel - I love you guys. Credit to my very first supporters Adam Blair Josh James In the future, I'll be opening more spots and different price points to make things more accessible for folks. Fan Guide - northern90.ca/fanguide Stadiums Teams Key information about the league Blogs, podcasts, video channels   Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Click and Booon Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Let the (Canadian) Kids Play

In this episode, I discuss all of the things that happened during and after Murrell's on-pitch fit, and dissect the leadership qualities he displayed after the fact.

Unpacking Leadership Lessons from the Jordan Murrell Meltdown

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 23. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: The best of last week's AMA with Kurt Larson Announcements Very special announcement coming about going even deeper Results League Play Rodrigo Gattas scored the first hat-trick in league history. All in the first half. Canadian Championship Cavalry FC beating VWFC marks the first time a CanPL club has ever won against MLS competition. Both York 9 and the Wanderers could have advanced if not for defensive lapses For York, an errant back back and needless foul in the 18 gave away two goals in the first leg For Halifax, they were up 2-0 and let in two soft goals in the final leg. Overall, I think both York 9 and Halifax have a lot to be proud of. They fought hard, and took the game to their opposition. In the end, the difference was in the mistakes that were made. Cause may be inexperience as a squad, fatigue... who knows? As for Cavalry, the next tie against Montreal will be interesting. Montreal only won after being gifted all three goals. Cavalry will be real opposition for them. X factor: Ignatio Piatti is back with Montreal after recovering from a knee injury. If Piatti stays healthy, Cavalry will have to work hard to contain him. News Transfers York 9 FC have sign forward Stefan Lamanna. 23-year old from Pickering, Ontario Recently played for Iceland's UMF Tindastoll https://york9fc.canpl.ca/article/york9-fc-signs-forward-stefan-lamanna Partnership with Kinduct Kinduct provides an Athlete Management system used to track player injuries. The partnership is meant to "[limit] the risk of soccer-related injuries in the Canadian Premier League by logging and tracking soccer-related illnesses and injuries on a league-wide scale". https://canpl.ca/article/canadian-premier-league-to-partner-with-kinduct Pacific FC Youth Call-up Pacific FC's 17-year old Ahmed Alghamdi earned a call-up to Saudi Arabia's U-20 team for a couple of friendlies https://www.timescolonist.com/sports/pacific-fc-prodigy-alghamdi-earns-saudi-call-up-1.23898671 If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group! Next up - you asked, he answered: Kurt Larson answers your biggest questions about the league. AMA with Kurt Larson Last Thursday, I was joined by OneSoccer analyst and head of content Kurt Larson for a live AMA. It was a blast! Great turnout, even better questions. Kurt answered 25 fan questions. Here are some my answers from that night. Thanks so much for joining us, Kurt! Thanks to the fans for great questions and support! Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Last week's question: Who's the best attacking duo in CanPL? Bekker and Borges Adekube and Camargo Shout Outs Aaron from Martinsburg, West Virginia All those who attended the AMA - thanks! This week's question: What does your team need most desperately during this transfer window? Do you think they'll actually get it done? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode23 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety Announcements I've mentioned a couple of times that I have a special project in the works. I'm not quite ready to share all the details yet, but what I can say is that it'll go live starting next week. I'm really excited about it, but you'll have to wait for another week to get the details. Stay tuned! Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

You Asked, He Answered: Salary Caps, Expansion and More with Kurt Larson

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 22. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: Recent signings A recap of three wonder strikes this week OneSoccer's Crew calling it an early night Main content: the problem with the CanPL schedule Announcements AMA with Kurt Larson - https://Northern90.ca/AMALarson What it's about 100 seats July 25, 8PM EST This way, we can watch the Canadian Championship Matches   Results League Play Jul 17 - Wednesday   Forge 2 - 0 HFX Wanderers Tim Hortons Field Jul 17 - Wednesday   York9 2 - 1 Pacific York Lions Stadium Jul 17 - Wednesday   Edmonton 0 - 0 Valour Clarke Field Jul 20 - Saturday   Forge 3 - 1 Valour Tim Hortons Field Jul 20 - Saturday   Pacific 3 - 1 HFX Wanderers Westhills Stadium Jul 21 - Sunday   Cavalry 1 - 0 York9 Spruce Meadows   Canadian Championship Starts again this week Jul 24 - Wednesday 8:30 pm ADT CanChamp Ottawa Fury   vs.   HFX Wanderers TD Place Stadium TICKETS Jul 24 - Wednesday 8:30 pm ADT CanChamp Montreal Impact   vs.   York9 Stade Saputo TICKETS Jul 24 - Wednesday 11:30 pm ADT CanChamp Vancouver Whitecaps   vs.   Cavalry BC Place Stadium TICKETS   News Transfers Valour FC make another signing in Italian Striker Michele Paolucci Played most of his early career in Italy's Serie A Most recently in the Maltese Premier League with Tarxien Time will tell if Paolucci is the answer to Valour's scoring woes Northern Tribune reporting that FC Edmonton is about to make a big signing https://northerntribune.ca/fc-edmonton-signing-july-2019/ OneSoccer FC Edmonton/ Valour FC game on Wednesday delayed due to severe thunderstroms One hour delay, then eight minutes of play, then another 2 hour delay No explanation right away Eventually came out that the call was made to keep OneSoccer staff safe Hard to reconcile that with the fact that players and fans were allowed to be there. Really hope that this is part of growing pains. If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group! Next up - tackling the issue of game congestion.   Game Congestion in Canadian Premier League After Forge FC's dismantling of HFX Wanderers last Wednesday, coach Hart had some pretty blunt observations to share (courtesy of The Merchant Sailor): We know things we need to work on from an individual and collective perspective, but we have no time to work on it because you have to give players time to rest, and then you have maybe a half of a training session the day before you play a team like Cavalry–or any team. So we need to sit down and talk about it. The schedule is way too compact. There are three teams that play nine games this month and one that plays ten.” We've seen plenty of players go down to injury over the last several weeks, and the fall is just getting started. Hart isn't the first to raise a flag about fixture congestion. The concern also has some sound science behind it. A 2010 study in the American Journal of Sports Medicineinvestigated the effects of playing 2 matches per week compared to one The study showed no real impact on gameday performance, but didshow an injury rate over six times higher when playing two games a week. So if we can agree that injuring players is bad, what do we do? Three ideas Make the season longer Eliminate mid-week games Eliminate back-to-back midweek games Longer season Pros Keep the same number of games - no lost entertainment or revenue Improves rest Cons Risky to push earlier than end of April or past early November. Wet/ cold weather would be hard on players and on grass How to make it work Focus games on artificial surfaces MLS starts in March, ends in December, though with limited games in Canada Eliminate mid-week CanPL games Pros Only 4.4 midweek games per team - not much lost gameplay 24 week season with 28 season games Creates room for CanChamp Effect of reduced attendance is minimized - poor showing during the week anyway Makes for a more balanced schedule Cons Fewer games = less revenue, less entertainment Mitigation: maybe the weekend games would be even better attended Eliminate back-to-back midweek games If we eliminated two mid-week games for each team, you could eliminate, for the most part, teams playing on short rest twice in a row. Pros Minimal impact on the season Better rest Cons Fewer games   [caption id="attachment_577" align="aligncenter" width="934"]An analysis of rest between games for the CanPL 2019 season.[/caption] I'd like to know what you think: is the schedule a problem? How would you fix it? Write me to let me know! Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Last week's question: What should the Canadian Championship and Canadian Premier League trophy be called? Lots of votes for the Voyageur's Cup - Alex and Febrian Michael Miller of the Premier Podcast suggested the CanPL trophy be called the Joe Kennaway Trophy. Look him up - very cool bit of Canadian soccer history Best suggestion I heard was from Jeff who wrote me an email suggesting: Can Champ: Voyageur's Cup CanPL Champion: Canadian Shield This week's question: Who's the best attacking duo in CanPL? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode22 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety   The Week Ahead Jul 24 - Wednesday 8:30 pm ADT CanChamp Ottawa Fury   vs.   HFX Wanderers TD Place Stadium TICKETS Jul 24 - Wednesday 8:30 pm ADT CanChamp Montreal Impact   vs.   York9 Stade Saputo TICKETS Jul 24 - Wednesday 11:30 pm ADT CanChamp Vancouver Whitecaps   vs.   Cavalry BC Place Stadium TICKETS Jul 27 - Saturday 2:00 pm ADT Valour   vs.   Cavalry Investors Group Field TICKETS Jul 27 - Saturday 4:30 pm ADT York9   vs.   HFX Wanderers York Lions Stadium TICKETS Jul 27 - Saturday 7:00 pm ADT Edmonton   vs.   Forge Clarke Field TICKETS     Announcements AMA with Kurt Larson is now on July 25 at 8PM Eastern. https://Northern90.ca/AMALarson   Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Curtis MacNewtonon Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Fixture Congestion in the CanPL and Three Ideas for Fixing It

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 21. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: I go deep into the league's stats to sort out what the CPL's best teams are doing that nobody else is. Announcements AMA with Kurt Larson - https://Northern90.ca/AMALarson What it's about 100 seats July 24, 7PM EST Something special in the works for people who want live events and to go deeper into the CanPL. Results League Play Wanders fell to Cavalry 0-1 Nice goal by sub Oliver Minatel in the 85th minute Pacific 2 - Forge 3 Brace by Tristan Borges All goals in the 2nd half Watch the highlights for Borges' 2nd goal, and the Fisk/ Blasco set piece at the end. York 9 FC 2 - FC Edmonton 1 Awesome counter-attacking goal by Aparicio and Telfer Of note: Almost 2.5 times as many fans in Halifax this weekend as in Langford or North York. Canadian Championship Halifax 2 - Ottawa Fury 3 Back and forth game Halifax tied it up twice Bona should have tied it up, but it was offside York 9 FC 2 - Montreal Impact 2 York had two very pretty goals in this one Also gave away two goals Bad foul in the box by Ingham Cavalry FC 0 - Vancouver 0 Marc dos Santos very complimentary of the CPL side Equestrian activities before the match - bad pitch News Transfers Emery Welshman may be leaving Forge FC for Isreali Side Hapoel Haifa. No details - and Forge is saying that the deal isn't done FC Cincinnati has the final call Israeli league starts in August Northern Tribune suggesting that former TFC and Sigma FC product Mo Babouli would be a likely target. https://northerntribune.ca/emery-welshman-hapoel-haifa/ Stephen Hoyle and Valour FC agree to part ways Never really worked out 1 goal in 238 minutes of league play https://canpl.ca/article/valour-fc-release-forward-stephen-hoyle Valour FC sign Jose Galan to a multi-year contract 33 Midfielder Spanish Ryan Brandt reporting that he's played in 12 countries Could possibly line up as a D-mid Possibly to help offset the issues with midfielder Josip Golubar CONCACAF's Suprise World Cup Qualifying Arrangement On Wednesday, CONCACAF changed the rules on how teams would qualify for World Cup Top 6 teams by FIFA rankings in June 2020 will play in a hexagonal round robin. Top three qualify automatically. Fourth team enters a playoff against a team from the group ranked 7th to 35th This second group will be split into 8 groups who will play a round-robin. The winners of each will then play home and away knock-outs. THAT winner will play the fourth place finisher. Criticised for being complex, and for overemphasizing FIFA rankings at a point in time. Canada were ranked 8th in the region in June. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2019/07/10/mexico-and-usa-fastrack-surprise-concacaf-announcement-mens-world-cup-2022/#6f0ca171145c OneSoccer More love for OneSoccer! Starting July 20, Liga MX games will be aired on OneSoccer. Slow clap. https://us6.campaign-archive.com/?u=a8a1c3422d9152f5b1199bce6&id=1d532b46e4 If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group! Next up - the spring season's top headlines. What Separates the Best from the Rest Cavalry and Forge Used Subs Both teams used every available sub every game So did Valour Cavalry was the median for touches over 10 games 6291 for Cavs 5700 for FCE 6786 for Pacific Cavs picked their moments and hung on to the ball when they needed to Cavs and Forge middle of the pack for passing accuracy and passes completed Cavs: 78.3% accurate Forge: 77.8% Balancing tough balls with playing it safe Pacific FC had best accuracy (82.8%) and most passes completed (3962). Didn't help them. Cavalry had average chances created - middle of the pack at 77. York 9 was the best at 100 When you compare those chances to goals scored, Cavalry was best in the league with a 19.5% conversion rate. Better chances? Better shooting boots? Who knows. Forge FC was second best at 15.9% Valour and York 9 had the two highest chance creations, with the worst two conversion rates at 8.8% and 7% respectively Cavs and Forge took their shots from closer and put them on frame Cavalry was 3rd for shots, 1st for shots on target (51) Forge was 5th for shots, 2nd for shots on target (45) Cavalry was 1st for shots inside the box with 91. York 9 had most shots, 3rd most on target, and 2nd most from inside the box. This is what the numbers said, but what do you think? Leave me a note in the show notes, or on social media! Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Last week's question: Who's the MVP of the spring season? Hfx home crowd fans. Definitely mvp. — Willin80 (@Willinfisherman) July 10, 2019   @nicopasquottiis a game breaker in many areas of the game. Does alot of little things. Bekker would be my non Cavs pick. In 4 games of seeing him he has scared me the most as an opponent. — ??CPL Horsemen?⚽️ (@CplHorsemen) July 10, 2019   Stanley Stan voted for Borges for obvious reasons, which had some additional support. Also a couple of votes for Carducci.   Welcome to: Jonnie The Firths and De Carolis' who I met after a recent Wanderers game Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode21 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety   The Week Ahead Tons of soccer! CanPL Three mid-week games Wanderers visit Hamilton York 9 hosts Pacific FC Edmonton welcomes Valour FC at Clarke Field Three more games this weekend Forge v Valour Pacific takes on their coastal rivals Halifax out west Cavalry plays against York 9 in Hamilton Announcements AMA with Kurt Larson on July 24. https://Northern90.ca/AMALarson Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by William Iven on Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

45,000 Data Points - 5 Lessons Learned

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 20. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: A review of the spring season and the five stories that defined it. Results League Play Cavalry FC won the spring title Spring standings: Cavalry - 24 Forge FC - 19 FC Edmonton - 14 Halifax - 11 Pacific - 11 York 9 - 11 Valour FC - 9 Fall season Cavalry 3 : Pacific FC 2 Halifax Wanderers 1 : York 9 0 Forge FC 1 : FCE 2 Canadian Championship No action since the last episode Starting this week: HFX v. Ottawa York 9 v. Montreal Impact FC Cavalry FC v. Vancouver Whitecaps Women's World Cup Sadly, the Canadian women were eliminated by Sweden in the round of 16 Congratulations to the USWNT, who beat Netherlands 2-0. Gold Cup The Canadian MNT also crashed out of their tournament prematurely. The lost to Haiti 1-0 in the quarter-final Congrats to Mexico who won their 8th Gold cup, beating the US 1-0 in the final. CONCACAF League Forge FC will be playing Antigua GFC on August 1 at Tim Horton's field. The return leg will be on August 8. News One Soccer Extends Coverage Chinese Super League Chinese FA Cup Home legs for CONCACAF League AppleTV app is now live Roku is coming soon In August, the global streaming service will expand its supplementary CPL content in the form of daily news programs, mid-week magazine shows, interviews, features, and more. Kurt Larson, who had been the head of the CanPL editorial team has become the head of content with OneSoccer. Secondary Transfer Window Opening Nothing official from the league, but FIFA lists the open of the secondary window in Canada as July 9. It will run to August 7. This allows players to move within Canada and allows international players to move to Canada. If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group! Next up - the spring season's top headlines. The Headlines That Defined the Spring League Launch & Inaugural Match 17,611 fans at Tim Horton's Field Ryan Telfer scores first goal ever Bekker's elbow These guys can ball! OneSoccer Great quality overall, but some room for growth Views on the business model Views on CSL #WipeTheLens showed up on a OneSoccer broadcast Biphasic Standings Cavalry and Forge, then everyone else Five points separated 3rd from 7th. Five points from 3rd to 2nd Five points from 2nd to 1st Cavalry and Forge represented more than 40% of the goals scored. Cavalry FC's Dominance Won the first seven games Outscored opponents 16-7 Scored 10 away goals compared to 6 at home. For comparison, HFX didn't score a single away goal this spring. Only shut out once in league play Recorded 5 shutouts FC Edmonton's Turnaround For most of the season, the pundits were scratching their heads trying to figure out what to make of FCE. Turns out, there wasn't anything wrong really - but a small sample size made it look like things were bad. Went five games in a row without scoring. In the last four games, only one goal against, and scored 6 Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Last week's question: How seriously should Forge FC take their CONCACAF League run? Ed (who wrote lots in the last week) said that Forge would sacrifice CONCACAF league in favour of league performance, citing brutal travel, fixture congestion, and a hostile environment. Colin also wrote to say that, while he'd love to see Forge make a push, it would be better to rotate the squad and secure a spot in the league final. On the other side, both @Crowandcat1 and @alexanderupert vote that they go as far as they can! Adam (@flameboy84) left a lovely comment about the show on Twitter, saying he liked the last two episodes - thanks, Adam! This week's question: Who's the MVP of the spring season? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode19 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety   The Week Ahead Tons of soccer! Canadian Championship Jul 10 sees Wanderers take on Ottawa Fury, Cavalry will host the Vancouver Whitecaps, and York 9 will take on Montreal Impact CanPL July 13 Wanderers host Cavalry (watch on CBC online) Forge visits Pacific July 14 York 9 face off against FC Edmonton The Ultimate CanPL Fan Guide I made a fan guide! Check it out at northern90.ca/fanguide Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Mari Carmen Del Valle Cámara on Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Five Stories that Dominated the Spring Season

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 19. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode: An interview with Allan Gorman, president of the Barton Street Battalion Supporters' Group Details on a fan guide that I've published Much more Results League Play Limited action during the international break Canadian Championship Women's World Cup The women have earned a birth into the round of 16. Gold Cup Canada beat Martinique handily Jonathan David with two goals Nervy moments on the back line Next game is against Mexico on the 19th. News Forge FC and Cavalry FC players facing disciplinary action Fight after leg 1 Allegations of racial slurs being used by a member of Forge’s coaching staff Cavs’ Jordan Brown and Forge’s Tristan Borges facing separate misconduct related to the fight The matter is before Canada Soccer’s Disciplinary Committee. https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/calgary-and-hamilton-s-soccer-teams-face-sanctions-for-misconduct-1.4463290 Ryan Telfer was recalled by TFC TFC game against SKC, where he provided the game-tying assist. Check it out the highlights in the show notes: https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2019-06-07-toronto-fc-vs-sporting-kansas-city/recap Telfer spoke very highly of the league and how it’s afforded him the opportunity to get meaningful minutes https://northerntribune.ca/ryan-telfer-loan-comment/ Forge FC Qualify for CONCACAF League Forge FC have clinched their spot in CONCACAF League. There's still one more game to be played between Forge FC and FC Edmonton, but mathematically, Forge is already in. First game will be July 30th against Antigua GFC. If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group! Next up, an interview with Allan Gorman, President of the Barton St. Battalion. Interview with Gordon Allan of the Barton St. Battalion Caught up with Allan ahead of leg two of Forge's CanChamp matchup with Cavalry FC. Talked about what it's like to start a supporters' group with no previous experience The supporters' group's relationship with the club and owner Bob Young Impressions of the first game and the league so far Much more Allan was as passionate as anyone I've spoken to so far on the podcast. He's not just a fan of Forge, but a fan of the league. Here's my chat: [Interview] Thanks again to Allan for making the time ahead of heading to the pub for his club's Canadian Championship game. Tell me what you thought of what Allan had to say by leaving a comment in the show notes. Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Last week's question: Can Cavalry FC possibly continue their streak of dominance? Ugh, probably. — Crow_and_Cat (@CrowandCat1) June 7, 2019   Short answer: No. I think they'll lose 3 games in the back half of the spring season. — T Bison (@T_Bison) June 7, 2019   A couple of their games have been extremely close with goals coming late in the game and stoppage time tipping the game in their favour. - in particular Forge and Valour. That requires skill and a dose of luck to keep that up. I can see them either drawing or losing about 2. — Joe (@lwos_joe) June 7, 2019   Welcome to new members of the Northern 90 Supporters' Group who wrote to me this week: Pierre-Alexandre Sebastien This week's question: How seriously should Forge FC take their CONCACAF League run? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode19 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety   The Week Ahead Tons of soccer! CanPL - Lots! Only two weeks left in the spring season. Gold Cup - Canada play Mexico on the 19th and Cuba on the 23rd Women's World Cup - against the Netherlands on the 20th to determine who takes top spot in the table. The Ultimate CanPL Fan Guide I made a fan guide! Check it out at: northern90.ca/fanguide Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Paul Hendren with permission. All other rights reserved. Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

The King of Barton Street

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 18. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode, I interview Steve Hemphill and Ian Fellows of the Lake Side Buoys who just completed a cross-Canada tour on their motorcycles of every CPL city. First, of course, let's dig into this week's CPL news and results. Top Stories League Standings It's been a little while since the last episode, so I'll just do a recap. Here's a list of things that haven't happened yet: Cavalry FC hasn't stopped winning York 9 FC hasn't won Every team has played at least 5 league matches Standings Cavalry - 15 Forge - 13 Valour - 9 Wanderers - 7 Pacific - 5 FC Edmonton - 4 York 9 - 3 Cavs have only one home game left in the spring. Away teams have averaged only just over 1 point per game so far this season, so a long road stretch will be tough. And Tristan Borges, a 20-year old Canadian kid leads the league in scoring with four goals to his name.   Canadian Championship Matchups Cavalry FC, HFX Wanderers FC and York 9 FC all advanced. First games of round 2 start this week. Cavalry vs. Hamilton Halifax vs. Winnipeg York 9 vs. FC Edmonton News Pacific FC's front-office shuffle- four staff are gone who covered marketing, sales, and daily operations. A CanPL club will take on Antigua GFC in the first round of CONCACAF League. Forge FC is currently the frontrunner for the "Canada 2" spot. CONCACAF League starts up July 31. If a CanPL team doesn't make it deep into the tournament, I'll be rooting for A.S. Robinhood from Suriname. In some sad news, Canadian Referee Carol Anne Chenard was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and will be missing the Women's World Cup in France. Chenard recently made history with the first all-female officiating crew to manage a first division men's game in Hamilton not long ago. Women's World Cup kicks off in France on June 7 and will run until July 7. The Canadian women are currently ranked 11th in the world and are up against the Netherlands (17), New Zealand (24), and Cameroon (72). The Canadian Men's National Team will compete in Gold Cup starting June 15. Sadly, but not surprisingly, no CanPL players were included in our national team. However, there are four players playing for other squads: From Forge FC - Quillan Roberts and Emery Welshman (Guyana), From Halifax - Jan Michael Williams (Trinidad and Tobago) From Edmonton - Kareem Moses (Trinidad and Tobago) If you like the headlines, check out the Northern 90 Supporters Group! Next up, an interview with Steve Hemphill and Ian Fellows of the Big Country Footy tour. Interview with Steve Hemphill and Ian Fellows of the Big Country Footy Tour Have you ever had an idea that was too crazy to actually do, but other than that, you had no good reason not to do it? Lake Side Buoy member Steve Hemphill knows that feeling. What makes Steve different, is instead of pushing the idea aside, he doubled down and made it happen. By now you've probably heard of Steve's CanPL tour, but if you haven't, the premise was simple: ride your motorcycle to see a game in every CPL host city in a month. Along the way, his friends Ian Irving and Ian Fellows joined him for legs of the tour. I caught up with Steve and Ian Fellows in their Halifax hotel where they were waiting out the rain before hitting the road to make it back home. We had a great chat that covered the league, the venues, supporter culture in Canada, and how things look for the future of soccer in this country. The first voice you'll hear is Steve's. Ian comes in next. Here's my chat with the guys. [Interview] After I turned the mic off, we sat and chatted for a few more minutes about all sorts of things - more soccer, how to get great train ticket prices in France, and whatever came up. The guys were great and had such a passion for the game. I imagine there are a lot of Steves and Ians out there - or at least people who want to do something big like this. Here's my call to action - do it. Don't wait. If you ask these guys, it was the trip of a lifetime. Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Tons of mail! Thanks, everyone! Barry Fitzpatrick - a Scot who's madly in love with the game and is following the league with great interest wrote me a book on the league set up in Scotland. It's incredible. He's given me permission to post his explanation of how Div 1 football works there, and it's a fascinating set-up. Liam Pritchard from Wales wrote to say that he's become a regular listener. Welcome, Liam! Liam weighed in on the question of the week about how people felt about the apparent lack of a gap between Canada's semi-pro teams and the CPL. He argued that it's actually not such a bad thing. Allows for easy measurement of league progress in the future Also shows that there is still talent in lower levels - great for expansion. Edward Johnson from Toronto also weighed in on the question of the week and expressed similar sentiments to Liam. Said that he was pleasantly surprised with the quality Also mentioned that it's good for expansion - there's continuity between the leagues. Also suggested I tackle league salaries - great idea. This week's question: Can Cavalry FC possibly continue its dominance, or will the away games and compressed schedule derail them? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode18 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety Of course, I love hearing from you on any topic - so whatever you want to share, just drop me a line. The Week Ahead No league matches over the next couple weeks over the international break, but a couple of Canadian Championship matches. Wednesday, June 5 Can Champ Valour FC at Halifax York 9 hosts FC Edmonton Friday, June 7 - Women's world cup starts Tuesday, June 11 Cavalry FC hosts Forge Wednesday, June 12 Halifax at Winnipeg FC Edmonton hosts York 9 Saturday, June 15 League play resumes Gold cup starts Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by arivoli tamilarasan on Unsplash Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

The Great Canadian Motorcycle Soccer Tour

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 17. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode, we do deep into the 2019 edition of the Voyageur's cup, including some special attention on the CPL matchups in round 1. First, of course, let's dig into this week's CPL news and results. Top Stories Results Wednesday, May 8 Pacific FC 0 @ Hamilton 3 Valour FC 0 @ Calvary FC 1 Sunday, May 11 Halifax 0 @ Valour FC 1 Sunday, May 12th, Cavalry FC 2 @ Forge FC 1 Pacific FC 0 @ Edmonton 0 May 15 (Canadian Championship) Halifax 3 @ Vaughn 2 York 9 0 @ AS Blainville 0 Cavalry 2 @ Pacific 0 Insights Only Cavalry FC is undefeated in league play Meanwhile, Pacific FC and Forge FC have dropped 8 points already Average PPG for the league is 1.4 Home field advantage is real with the home team winning 6 of 11 competitions so far News Great article in the Edmonton Journal aboutt Commissioner Clanachan's plans for expansion. 10 - 12k fans a game would be a top 10 league in Europe (Think Scotland, Sweeden, Turkey, Portugal) Current average is 6,249 per game, according to @CPLKitDatabase on Twitter Canada Soccer Announces two-game suspension and fine for Kyle Bekker As you may have noticed, Mr. Bekker didn't play on May 8 or 12. This is for the elbow he threw at Joseph Di Chiara Glad something happened - it sets a precedent Interesting that discipline is not a league function Case closed CPL Makes history with all-woman officiating crew When Cavalry FC visited Forge FC on May 12, the head ref and crew were all women The Northern Tribune is reporting that this may be the first time in history that a top-flight domestic league game has been reffed by all women. Carol Anne Chenard was in charge of the match, and also happens to be the first woman to have ever reffed at Wembly. Up next, a preview of the first round of the Canadian Championship. Canadian Championship Preview What: The top competition among Canadian teams from all professional leagues Who: All Canadian MLS teams, Canadian Premier League teams, USL’s Ottawa Fury, and the champion from Ontario League 1 (Vaughan Azzuri) and the Premiere Ligue de Soccer du Quebec’s champion (AS Blainville). Format Three home and away qualifying rounds. Semifinal round Final round Winner on aggregate moves on for each round In the event of a tie, away goals wins Schedule: First games are on May 15 and the final match is on September 25. What’s new? New format with several more teams than before: all the CanPL teams are new, other than FCE. What’s interesting The fact that CanPL teams are in this year is interesting There’s a great deal of controversy over the seeding. Valour FC, FCE, and Forge FC all got buys into the second qualifying round by virtue of having signed up for the league first. Very strange. CanCon: Each team needs to field at least three Canadian starters. Why is this important Hardware The winner gets a birth in the CONCACAF Champions League – one of two ways to get in. Round 1 Details Round 1 started this week and featured 4 CPL teams: HFX Wanderers (3) vs. Vaughn Azzurri (2) Calvary FC (2) vs Pacific FC (0) York 9 FC (0) vs A.S. Blainville (0) The winner of each of these two-legged ties goes on to meet Valour FC, Forge FC, and FC Edmonton, respectively. Those winners then move on to compete against Ottawa Fury, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Montreal Impact. I'll add a graphic to the show notes for reference. Game Reactions Having watched the games between CPL and L1O/ PLSQ teams, I found it very interesting CPL teams had to fight - it was a real competition Wanderers blew their lead and were lucky to win on a penalty in the dying moments of the game A.S. Blainville was happy to let York 9 have possession - nothing ever came of it. Makes me think Pro/ Rel is closer than we think. Have a listen to what the coaches had to say about the game. These clips courtesy of Robin Glover. The first set is from before and after the first Halifax/ Vaughn match. Before the match May 5 clip (Patrice Gheisar) @1:00 - 2:30 After the match May 15b (Stephen Hart) - @-3:40 is Robin's question May 15b (Patrice) Interesting to hear the respect that Stephen Hart has for the L1O team. He scouted, watched video. He already knew some of these players and wanted them for his squad. Next up, I've got some audio related to the York 9 versus A.S. Blainville match. I had a chance to interview Wandrille Lefevre, who prior to playing with A.S. Blainville was with the Montreal Impact. He's also a former Canadian International. Have a listen to his perspective on his first match against Wanderers FC. Looking forward I found it interesting to see just how tight the games were. There's real skill in both division 3 leagues. Heck, many of the CPL's players came from these leagues. The cohesion and history of the semi-pro teams really showed. At the same time, however, the CPL teams definitely moved faster and had better individual skill. My predictions for who goes through at this point: Wanderers FC Cavalry FC A.S. Blainville Why A.S. Blainville? Didn't concede at home Got their chances Could contain York 9 and wait for their moments Nothing to lose Also, Kudos to One Soccer for doing a good job with the commentary and coverage. It wasn't perfect (there were technical glitches here and there), but all things considered, I was able to enjoy watching the broadcast. Next leg of round one will be played on May 22, which you can watch at home through One Soccer dot ca. Alternatively, go to the game! Season ticket holders - you've got tickets! Other people can get tickets on Ticketmaster. Good luck to all the squads! Next up, the mailbag: Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Thanks so much for your answers to the question last week. This week's question: What has surprised you the most so far about the league? For the question of the week - lots of comments from people who are excited about the quality of play and officiating. Completely agree with all of that for sure. Gordon from Winnipeg recently joined the Northern 90 Supporters' Group and wrote to say he's brand new to the game but got really interested in the sport when the league launched. Welcome, Gord! Helen also joined the Northern 90 SG - so welcome to you, too! Very glad to have you along. This week's question: How do you feel about L1O and PLSQ teams giving CPL teams a run for their money in the opening days of the Canadian Championship? What did you expect? What are your predictions? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode17 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety Of course, I love hearing from you on any topic - so whatever you want to share, just drop me a line. The Week Ahead There are a few games to look forward to over the next week or so: Friday, May 17 Valour FC is home to Forge FC Saturday, May 18 Pacific FC hosts York 9 FC, who are still looking for their first win. Cavalry FC is home to FC Edmonton for the first Al Classico. Wednesday, May 22 (Canadian Championship) HFX Wanderers FC play Vaughan Azzurri York 9 FC take on A.S. Blainville Cavalry FC will be home to Pacific FC All games will be broadcast on One Soccer, and the May 18 game between York 9 and Pacific will be streamed online on CBC Sports and CBC Gem as well. Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash. Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Going Deep into the Canadian Championship

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 16. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. In this week's episode, I interview Julian Buscher of Calvary FC. First, of course, let's dig into this week's CPL news and results. News Results Since we last spoke: Thursday, May 2 Pacific FC 1 - Valour FC 2 Saturday, May 4 HFW Wanderers FC 2 - Forge FC 1 Cavalry FC 2 - York 9 1 Valour FC 1 - FC Edmonton 2 Five teams tied for top spot with three points with FC Edmonton and Calvary FC leading on points per game. York 9 and Forge are the only teams who've yet to pick up a win, putting them at the bottom of the table. League leader in goals: Kadel Thomas League leader in assists: Trick question - there are 8 players with one assist each Most tackles: Ndzemdzela Langwa with 18, and 13 of those won Obviously, there's more to come, but I'll keep an eye on these things as the season progresses. News HFX Wanderers FC has signed a former member of the Vaughn Azzurri in defender Matthew Arnone. Arnone joins former Azzurri teammate Thomas Skublak. Arnone will provide defensive depth, and will no doubt be called on for scouting notes ahead of the Wanderers' matchup with the Vaughn Azzurri in Canadian Championship action starting May 15. Of note is the fact that York 9 FC, the other CPL team facing off against a semi-pro team, in this case, A.S. Blainville, also has a former member of their opposition on their roster - Diyaeddine Abzi. There was an interesting article in the Hamilton Spectator about Forge FC's schedule congestion and playing 4 games in 13 days. The article made the point that by the end of that stretch, their spring season will be half over. Other Business I went to my first CPL game! Forge FC visited Halifax last weekend, and I had a blast. A few observations: Great game - high energy. The crowd was into it in a big way. ONEOKODAI and PeterSchaale we’re excellent for the home side. Kyle Bekker had a much better game today. The place was packed. You could hardly turn around in there. Quote of the night was from the school kid behind us saying that seeing this game was a dream come true. I met two of the guys from @FromAwaysHFX and one of the guys from @SeaToSeaPodcast and they are awesome I got to go to the press conference after the match, and it was interesting - neither coach was particularly happy. Have a listen to what the coaches had to say. Stephen Hart was pleased with the win, but still sees a lot of room for improvement. Bobby Smyrniotis was obviously looking for more from his squad. So, I had a blast, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more games in the future. If you don't have plans to see a game yet - do it. You'll be amazed at the level of play and how great the atmosphere is. If you want even more CPL content, including the most important headlines delivered straight to your inbox, then sign up for the Northern 90 Supporters' group. When you join, you get a weekly newsletter with the top headlines, podcast notifications, access to private supporter's group Facebook group, and much much more. Also, it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Next up, I have a chat with Calvary FC's Julian Buscher on his deck. Interview with Julian Buscher I caught up with Julian a few weeks prior to the beginning of the CPL season. He's a really interesting player with respect to his experience prior to coming to the CPL - he'd featured regularly for DC United of the MLS and was captain of L.A. Galaxy II, and is someone that has come up on the podcast a couple of times already as someone to watch this year. Here's my interview with Julian Buscher. In talking to Julian it was clear to me that he saw the CPL as an excellent opportunity to reinvigorate his career. This is one of the more interesting things for me as an interviewer - the question of why people join this league. Some are getting their start, others are trying to get back into the groove, while others are making this where they spend their prime and make their mark. I really want to thank Julian again for his time and his candor! If you have ideas for someone you'd like to hear on the podcast, please do let me know in the show notes at northern90.ca/episode16. Next up, the mailbag. Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. Last week, my question of the week was about what you thought the good, the bad and the ugly were in the first week of the CPL. I got lots of good responses, but I'll share a few of the best on the show here: Febrian posted in the Northern 90 SG Facebook group that he thought the Good: positive play used by all 5 teams so far. With some highlight-worthy stuff. Bad: number of players cramping. Players tackling are not so refined that it often cross to the point of recklessness. Ugly: Bekker late tackle and that no disciplinary review has been made (yet). The Haber: back to back post. (he's not that bad otherwise though) Joe wrote me an email to say: The good - no team seems to be running away with the league so far. - the officiating has been outstanding. - officiating #2: not restricted to only males. Very impressed that a female was the head ref in Halifax. She was very good. - player conduct - so far very little if any diving  The bad - player maturity - mostly in the Valour PFC game. One Valour player was chirping at a down player. I think he got a yellow and hen chirped the ref. Gale was caught on camera telling his player to stop (which was good). - HFX vs Forge - not quite sure what was going on at the end of the game. There was a lot of blatant time-wasting followed by pushing and shoving on both sides. Do not want to see that The Ugly- nothing from the league yet on Kyle Bekker's elbow. It doesn't matter if he's a perceived star. It needs to be dealt with - fans chanting 'ref you suck'. Really? Let's leave the hockey hooliganism at the rink, which even there is not good. Heard that at a few games. Question of the Week Thanks so much for your answers to the question last week. This week's question: What has surprised your the most so far about the league? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode16 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety Of course, I love hearing from you on any topic - so whatever you want to share, just drop me a line. The Week Ahead There are a few games to look forward to over the next week or so: Wednesday, May 8 Pacific FC Visits Hamilton to play Forge FC and Valour FC take on Calvary FC at Spruce Meadows on These game will have been played by the time this episode airs. Sunday, May 11 Halifax travels to see Valour FC in Manitoba at 2:30 local time Sunday, May 12th, Cavalry FC is at Forge FC at 1PM local time. FC Edmonton takes on Pacific FC for their first game of the season at Clark Stadium. All games will be broadcast on One Soccer, and the Calvary versus Forge game will also be broadcast on CBC TV, CBC Sports, and CBC Gem. Take note also that the Canadian Championship gets underway next week with Halifax Wanderers FC visiting Vaughn Azzurri at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughn, Ontario. Meanwhile, York 9 FC will travel to Blainville to take on A.S. Blainville. Finally, Cavalry FC and Pacific FC will duke it out in Westhills stadium. All games will be played on Wednesday, May 15th, and will be available through One Soccer. Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. Next week, we'll be talking all about the Canadian Championship, and digging specifically into the non-CPL teams that are competing in the first round. I've got interviews lined up with the President of A.S. Blainville and former Impact de Montreal player Wandrille Lefevre, as well as some recordings from the Vaughn Azzurri, so you'll definitely want to tune it to that. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Thanks so much, Canada. Have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Wuilmar Matias-Morales on Unsplash. Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Down by Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabe by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunno by grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

An Interview with Julian Buscher of Calvary FC

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 15. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. Before I say another word, I'd like to share this: Woohoo! We've had our first games and I am pumped! This week's episode is going to be all about the games in Hamilton and Langford, British Columbia, including an interview with Maxwell Mowbray, who's a contributor to Northern Starting XI dot com and the man behind the PFC Ontatio Twitter handle. First, of course, let's dig into this week's CPL news. News Results I've been waiting a long time to say this: here are the results from the weekend's matches. York 9 visited Forge FC in Hamilton to play in front of 17,611 fans for the first ever game on Saturday. York 9's Ryan Telfer will go down in history as scoring the first goal in league history in the 3rd minute. Hamilton's Kadell Thomas tied it up later on, for a 1-1 tie. Also of note is that Manny Aparicio saw red in the dying moments of this game for a second yellow. Kyle Bekker somehow escaped the referee's book despite a very aggressive, very late challenge on Joseph Di Chiara. That's something I'll be discussing with Max later on in the show. A very entertaining game. On Sunday, HFX Wanderers FC visited Pacific FC at Westhills Stadium. Pacific FC dominated this match, and were able to hang on to a 1-0 victory despite going down a man when Lukas MacNaughton picked up his second yellow for his foul against Kodai Iida. Attendance in BC was 5,154. News In this week's news, CanPL has partnered with Opta. Opta is the global leader in sports analytics, and they'll be in charge of "[collecting] and [managing] data from all Canadian Premier League matches". It's very cool stuff - goals, shots, duels, takles, clearances, just about everything you can think of is there. Check it out on the highlights page for whatever game you're interested in on CanPL.ca. I'll have a link in the show notes. There was a great article in the Guardian about the CPL and how it might help Canadian soccer at the international level. If you want even more CPL content, including the most important headlines delivered straight to your inbox, then sign up for the Northern 90 Supporters' group. When you join, you get a weekly newsletter with the top headlines, podcast notifications, access to private supporter's group Facebook group, and much much more. Also, it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Next up, we go deep into the league's first matches with Maxwell Mowbray. Questions for Max Maxwell Mowbray is a huge football fan living in Ontario who decided to rep his west coast roots and join the Lake Side Buoys in Support of Pacific FC. I caught up with Max to ask what the inaugual match was like, and what he thought of his team claiming the first win in league history. Forge FC v York 9 FC What was the atmosphere like in Hamilton? What did you think of the quality of the match? Who impressed you the most? What was it like to see the first goal? Was it a bit odd for it to be an away goal? Should Kyle Bekker have seen red? What was the atmosphere like after the game? Pacific FC v HFX Wanderers FC Looked one-sided to me - what are your take aways Who stood out to you? Marcus Haber doesn't have much of a reputation for hard work, but he definitely seemed to be putting in the effort during that match. What does he bring to this team? What was Halifax missing? What was promising about their squad? General questions/ my own thoughts Very impressed with the quality of play. Not all that different from MLS. Just wait until the nerves settle. Red cards in both matches - what do you make of that? OneSoccer was great - production was very good. Forge Players that impressed Nanco Welshman could have had a few goals Borges deserved a goal York 9 Players that impressed Ingraham was amazing Manny/ telfer beautiful Rollocks is crazy fast York 9 v. Forge FC game Forge movement was really nice once they settled First 15 was all York. All Hamilton after that. Bekkers elbow to Di Chiara is going to get him suspended Refs allowed play to be a bit rough Combination play from Forge is great No one was rolling around after fouls. Loved that. Thanks again to Maxwell Mowbray for that interview. If you'd like to check out Max's work, you can follow him @PFCOntario on Twitter, and check out his work on nsxinetwork.com. Next up, the mailbag. Mailbag You know how this works - you send me mail and messages and I read every single one of them. If what you send is extra good I read it on the podcast. David wrote to ask what kind of engineer I am - I'm a systems engineer working in the defence industry - I'd love to tell you more but I'd have to kill you. Paul Henderson, who's a photojournalist covering the game in and around Toronto and Hamilton, and a good friend of the show, sent some incredible pictures of the inaugural game. I've set up a gallery in the show notes, so please do visit to check those out. What do you think? I'm going to start something new here and ask a question of the week. The question this week: What was the good, the bad and the ugly about the first games? Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode15 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @northernninety Of course, I love hearing from you on any topic related to Canadian Soccer and the podcast, so please do drop me a line. Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Enjoy your very first CPL matches this weekend, Canada. I'll be back again next week to break them all down. Until then, take good care. Credits Featured Image Photo by Paul S. Hendren. Intro music Move Like This by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Downby Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabeby spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunnoby grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica(wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

First game, first-hand account - an interview with Max Mowbray

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 14. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. This week, I convene the first annual Northern 90 Predictions Panel, featuring The Young Gaffers, Curtis Marshall from A.F.C. Curtis, and Ryan Brandtfrom TSN 1290 in Winnipeg and a contributor to CanPL.ca. Also very exciting is the fact that the panel discussion will be cross posted on the Young Gaffers podcast, so that's very cool. And extra thanks to all the guys who took part. News In this week's headlines: First and foremost - the league launches this weekend! Saturday at 1PM Eastern it's York 9 at Forge FC, which will be broadcast live on CBC TV and through their streaming services. On Sunday the Wanderers travel to Pacific FC for a game at 7PM Eastern On Wednesday, May 1st, Pacific FC plays a second home game again Valour FC. All games should be available for free through onesoccer.ca, though the details have not yet emerged on that. Best to sign up for their mailing list. Cavalry FC sign 17-year old Victor Loturi. He's from Calgary, and will be one of the youngest players in the leauge. Tommy Wheeldon Jr. is very high on Loturi saying "He’s doing things with a ball that I haven’t seen in a long time.” Some mascots have been introduced, including Stewie the Starfish for Pacific FC, Sparks the dragon for Forge FC, and Rover the giant duck tolling retriever here in Halifax, who my Paw Patrol-obsessed four-year old is super pumped about. I'd love to hear what you think about the mascots - write me in the show notes. If you want even more CPL content, including the most important headlines delivered straight to your inbox, then sign up for the Northern 90 Supporters' group. When you join, you get a weekly newsletter with the top headlines, podcast notifications, access to private supporter's group Facebook group, and much much more. Also, it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Next up, predicting the league with the first ever CPL Predicitons Panel. CPL Predictions for 2019 For the main content today, I invited some of the best and brightest CPL content creators to join me to have a chat about the league and what we can expect for 2019 - who will win the golden boot, who will win each of the half seasons and the overall championship, and much, much more. You'll hear the voices of Adam Kostanuick and Jason Paul of the Young Gaffers podcast, Curtis Marshal from the A.F.C. Curtis YouTube channel, and Ryan Brandt who's a contributor to CanPL.ca and works for TSN 1290 in Winnipeg a well. For ease of reference (and to keep us honest), I'm posting a table to summarize everyone's predicitons to the show notes. That'll make it easy to see how we fared by the end of the season. [caption id="attachment_387" align="aligncenter" width="858"]CPL Predictions for 2019[/caption] Without further adieu, here's my discussion with the CPL Predicitons Panel. I hope you enjoyed that conversation. Be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a comment in the show notes - what did you agree with, not agree with, and what categories should we discuss for next year. Next up, the mailbag. Mailbag Some great messages and ideas this week to share with you. Those of you who hear the show last week will remember Sam from the UK who was looking to adopt a club as his own. Well Fabien reached out on Facebook to make his case for York 9. He made the point that Jimmy Brennan played in England, so there's a connection there, and that, compared to their neighbours Toronto FC, they look a lot like an underdog, which was one of the things Sam was looking for. Thank you, Fabien! Joe wrote to suggest that I start a  CPL pool or fantasy league, which I am definitely working towards, so stay tuned for that. And finally, Robin Glover wrote to offer to help with sound clips and insight into L1O, which is very cool because of the matchups that will be coming for the Canadian Championship, so I'll definitely take you up on that, Robin. What do you think? If you've listened to the show, you know I love to hear from you guys I'd love to know what you think. You can: Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode14 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter @northernninety Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. Before I go, I just want to thank everyone for your support for the league and this show - it's been incredible. Please do check out the guys that joined me: The Young Gaffers, Curtis Marshall from A.F.C. Curtis, and Ryan Brandt If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Enjoy your very first CPL matches this weekend, Canada. I'll be back again next week to break them all down. Until then, take good care. Credits Featured Image Photo by Adi Goldsteinon Unsplash Intro music Move Like Thisby spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Downby Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabeby spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunnoby grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica(wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

CPL Predictions Panel for 2019

Introduction This is the Northern 90 Podcast with Pat Sweet, Episode 13. Welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast, covering the beautiful game in the great white north. For more Canadian Premier League content, head over to Northern90.ca. That’s Northern Nine Zero dot ca. Welcome Hello, Canada, and welcome to the Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast! I'm your host, Pat Sweet. This week, I take you backstage to meet the HFX Wanderers FC. At the end of the show, I'll also announce the winner of my CPL Jersey Contest, so stay tuned for that. News In this week's headlines: It's now official that CBC will be broadcasting 20 gamesover the course of the season. Twenty game will be streamed through CBCSports.ca, GEM, and the CBC Sports App. Ten of those games will also be broadcast on CBC TV. I love this. It's very Canadian and will make the league accessible - everyone gets CBC. In other exciting news, we've learned that OneSoccer, the league's streaming service, will be made available for free for a "generous amount of time". Halifax has officially sold out it's home opener, which makes it the first sellout in league history. Halifax is going to be one happenin' spot when it comes to football this summer. Some interesting signings in the last week: FC Emonton ink Amer Didic, a 24 year old centreback with lots of USL experience and some MLS experience with Sporting Kansas City. Pacific FC sign left back Blake Smithon loan from FC Cincinnati. Valour FC land midfielder Louis Beland-Goyetteon a one year contract following a stay at his hometown Montreal Impact. Finally, on Men's National Team news, the Gold cup group stage schedule is out, and it's not very kind to Les Rouges. June 15 v. Martinique in Pasadena, CA. June 19 v. Mexico in Denver, CO. June 23 v. Cuba in Charlotte, NC. Three time zones in a little more than a week, playing Mexico at altitude. If you want even more CPL content, including the most important headlines delivered straight to your inbox, then sign up for the Northern 90 Supporters' group. When you join, you get a weekly newsletter with the top headlines, podcast notifications, access to private supporter's group Facebook group, and much much more. Also, it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Next up, an interview with members of HFX Wanderers FC. HFX Wanderers FC Interview I recently had the opportunity to meet several of the players and coaches from the Wanderers at a pre-season party hosted by Privateers 1882. The place was packed. It was loud and people were excited. The whole point of the party was to allow people to meet and mingle with the players, and to give members of the supporters' group early access to their kits. As for the kits, I'm happy to report they're very nice, and I think people are going to be impressed when they get their hands on their own. I was able to catch up with a number of the players, including: Kouame Ouattara Peter Shaale Vincent Lamy Zachary Sukunda First up, Kouame "The Beast" Ouattara. Very easy to talk to Down to earth Was born in Ivory Coast but calls Moncton, NB his Canadian hometown - that's where he studied and where his wife is from. That being my hometown, too made it easy to hit things off. Next we have an interview with Peter Shaale When I had interviewed Peter, it had just been announced that he had won the Cape Breton University male athlete of the year award Very down to earth, mature and well spoken Finally, I interviewed both Zachary Sukunda and Vincent Lamy. Interesting to hear the differences in the answers between the two Despite their differences in the stages of their careers - Zachary is an experienced player with quite a bit of time in Europe under his belt while Vincent is getting his first opportunity as a professional - their answers align very well. There really seems to be a strong comradery and alignment amoungst the players. General observations The players all love playing for Stephen Hart The club seems to be treating them very well The level of support these guys are getting is almost overwhelming. These guys mentioned expecting to see twenty people show up to the party - there were easily two hundred. Next up, the mailbag. Mailbag Some great messages and ideas this week to share with you. Tim wrote to ask if I thought the kits would be changed up every season like other leagues. Yes, I think so Keeps things interesting Fans will want it Revenue opportunity Macron gets to keep showing off their stuff Sam from the United Kingdom wrote to share his debate on which team to support. This is an interesting question - he didn't want to necessarily chose the closest club on that basis alone, or the one with the nicest kits. He'd love to cheer for an underdog, but there's no clear choice on that front yet, either. I put it to you, dear listeners. Who should Sam support? Also, I'd love to hear who you support, if not your most geographically handy club, and why. What do you think? If you've listened to the show, you know I love to hear from you guys - especially with this being my first episode featuring an interview. I'd love to know what you think of this deal. You can: Leave a comment at northern90.ca/episode12 Write to me at pat at northern90.ca Fire me a note on Twitter @northernninety Jersey Contest Winner The winner is: Verushka Cabradilla of Calgary, Alberta. Outroduction That's all we've got for the show today. I've got a very special episode planned for next week, where I join forces with a who's who of CPL commentators to convene the first annual CPL Predictions Panel to make a number of audacious claims as to how the league will unfold this season. That'll be a special episode so be sure to stay tuned for that. If you liked the show, don't forget to subscribe to it, and when you do leave an honest review. That helps me make the show better and others find it. Also, if you've been enjoying this show, you should join my supporters' group. When you join you get a weekly newsletter with curated CPL content, access to a members-only Facebook group, contests, giveaways, fantasy leagues, all sorts of good stuff. And it's free. Check it out at northern90.ca/join. Until then, have a great week. Credits Featured Image Photo by Patrick Sweet. Intro music Move Like Thisby spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Texas Radio Fish, Alex Beroza, and Snowflake CPL Headlines Music Calm the F*** Downby Broke for Free (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Main Content Intro Music 260809 Funky Nurykabeby spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2010 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Mailbag Music I dunnoby grapes (c) copyright 2008 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: J Lang, Morusque Outro music Urbana-Metronica(wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza

Playing with Hart - Interviews with the HFX Wanderers

The Northern 90 Podcast covers the Canadian Premier League - Canada's professional men's soccer league. We share the latest CanPL news, scores, stories, rumours and more.

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Northern 90 Canadian Premier League Podcast

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