3 KEY Canadian Championship preliminary round matchups to watch
The 2024 Canadian Championship format was released this week, as the guidelines were laid out ahead of the latest edition of Canada’s marquee men’s club cup competition.
And thanks to some key tweaks, it promises to be one of the best editions of the tournament yet.
Gone is an accelerated schedule that led to hosting conflicts, and back are summer cup games and two-legged ties (for the quarter-finals and semi-finals), while some new changes include a re-draw after the quarter-finals to compensate for some regional imbalances that can occur in the early stages of the competition.
Given what’s occurring south of the border with the US Open Cup, where MLS is at odds with US Soccer over the existence of that tournament, it’s positive to see, as there were some worries the Canadian Championship could find itself in a similar situation with the three Canadian MLS sides.
Instead, we’re now set for one of the biggest editions of the tournament yet, one with more games than ever with the return of 14 teams and the return of some two-legged ties.
Good to see #CanChamp news today, as the 2024 format was released
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) February 22, 2024
Some notes:
-14 teams
-2 leg ties are back! Preliminaries and final are 1 leg, but the QFs and SFs are 2-legged ties
-Preliminary draw is regional+seeded
-A re-draw occurs after QFs, which determines final host pic.twitter.com/RxRoGO2vd5
Because of that, there was a lot of fanfare heading into Friday, when the tournament draw was conducted, giving an idea of the matchups we’ll get in the preliminary round and quarter-finals of this tournament.
And there, some tasty matchups revealed themselves, both in terms of the single-elimination matches that will occur in the preliminaries, as well as some of the potential two-legged quarter-final matchups that could occur, such as a first-ever Lower Mainland Derby between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Vancouver FC, or a 2022 Canadian Championship rematch between the Halifax Wanderers and Toronto FC.
With that in mind, however, here are three matchups that stood out among the six preliminary-round clashes, as we get set for what should hopefully be the best edition of the Canadian Championship yet. 
Forge FC vs York United:
OPPONENT CONFIRMED 🍁
— Forge FC (@ForgeFCHamilton) February 23, 2024
We'll be taking on 905 rivals, @yorkutdfc in the Preliminary Round of the 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship at @TimHortonsField!
🗞️| https://t.co/H4GoIqTetH#ForgeFC | #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/rEZgyC79JG
It’s always a good game when Forge and York United meet in a 905 derby, something they’ve done 21 previous times in their history, in what have usually been some pretty entertaining clashes.
Yet, while they’ve met in some big games, such as the first-ever CPL game, or in the semi-finals of the 2021 CPL playoffs, they’ve never actually met in the Canadian Championship, which is why this matchup promises to be special.
Two teams who have a pretty good history in this competition, as Forge has made one final and two semi-finals, while York has made one semi-final, they’ve somehow never met along the way on any of those journeys, which makes it ironic that their first meeting will be a preliminary round tie.
Yet, that should add intensity to this matchup, as both sides will feel like their cup campaign was a failure if they fall this early, especially against their rivals.
Because of that, there will be lots to watch out for when York makes the short trip over to Hamilton in late April/early May for this one.
Forge has had the all-time edge over this matchup, winning 12 games to York’s seven, as well as coming out on top in their lone playoff meeting, but York will feel that they’ve matched up well against them recently.
And for what it’s worth, York have also played well at Tim Hortons Field as of late, winning three and drawing one of their last six meetings to Hamilton, which is no small feat.
Therefore, it feels like this matchup could be wide-open, especially given that Forge have been prone to starting seasons slow, which could play into York’s favour if they can get off to a fast start of their own.
Plus, as a bonus, CF Montréal awaits the winner of this matchup in the quarter-finals, which could be an added motivation for both teams given that they’ve both got history with the MLS side in this competition, with Forge having been eliminated by them in 2021, 2022 and 2023, while York lost to them in 2019.
As a result, there’s a lot to watch out for in this matchup, and for good reason.
Pacific FC vs Victoria Highlanders:
The Island Derby is on! We're facing Pacific FC in the Canadian Championships' first round. Excited to showcase our skills and go head-to-head with former players like Josh Heard and Sean Young. Stay tuned for match details and tickets! ⚽️🌟 #IslandDerby #CanadianChampionships pic.twitter.com/vV6MU7ALq4
— Highlanders FC (@HighlandersFC) February 23, 2024
After we witnessed history last year in the Canadian Championship, when League 1 BC’s TSS Rovers beat Valour FC to become the first League 1 Canada team to beat a professional team in this competition, could we see some similar League 1 magic this time around?
It’s hard to say, but the team with the best chance of doing so once again comes out of British Columbia, as the Victoria Highlanders trip to Pacific FC is filled with all sorts of upset potential.
A first-ever Victoria derby between the two teams, it’ll be exciting to see how they match up, as the Highlanders get set for their maiden Canadian Championship voyage.
Having earned this spot in dramatic fashion last year, usurping those same Rovers on the last day of the League 1 BC Men’s Division regular season with two late stoppage-time goals to beat them to this spot, they’ll feel confident in their ability to surprise now in this competition.
L1BC: Victoria Highlanders win the league!
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) July 23, 2023
Victoria beats the TSS Rovers 3-2, turning a 2-1 deficit in stoppage time.
They’ve clinched a spot in the TELUS Canadian Championship of 2024.
Crazy stuff, especially this 2-2 free kick strike from David Schaefer.
Messi who? pic.twitter.com/y6ldKsCU1K
Especially against a Pacific side that has undergone a bit of a rebuild this offseason, losing key starters Amer Didić, Manny Aparicio and Easton Ongaro, the Highlanders will feel that they can potentially catch this new-look Pacific side by surprise, as they might still be figuring out new combinations and players early on in the season when they meet.
Of course, some disadvantages will also lean in Pacific’s favour, as the Highlanders won’t have had as much preparation time as they would’ve liked with their L1BC season not slated to kick off until May, while Pacific will be hosting the game, but that’s the nature of these sorts of clashes.
As a result, it could be worth keeping an eye on this matchup. Pacific are clear favourites and should take care of business, but in a single knockout match, wild things can happen, as we learned last year.
Now, the Highlanders will look to channel some of the magic that their League 1 BC compatriots found last year and bring another cupset to the table.
And for what it’s worth, that could be huge for them, as that would set them up for a two-legged tie against a CPL team in either Atlético Ottawa or Valour, which would be a huge opportunity to showcase themselves as a club, especially seeing that matchup will be later in May, when they’ll have had more preparation time under their belt.
Toronto FC vs Simcoe County Rovers:
Canadian Championship 🍁
— Simcoe County Rovers FC (@RoversFC_L1O) February 23, 2024
The Rovers will take on Toronto FC in the 1st round of the Canadian Championship!
Stay tuned for more details 👀#SCRFC #ThePeopleAreTheCounty pic.twitter.com/bgcjnjeXc2
Lastly, the big matchup to watch will involve another League 1 Canada club, as League 1 Ontario’s Simcoe County Rovers get set to play Toronto FC in a massive match for the club.
Of course, this game will be a true “David vs Goliath” matchup, as TFC are massive favourites in this matchup, but the Rovers won’t mind that at all.
Given that they’re about to enter just their third year of existence as a club, having been founded in 2021, they’ll view this game as a huge chance to showcase what they’re all about, having caught many by surprise in League 1 Ontario over the last few years.
Having done well to compete on the field, making the semi-finals of the L1O Men’s playoffs in 2022 before winning it all last year, as well as off the field, attracting an owner like Julian De Guzman and investors like Atiba Hutchinson, Doneil Henry and Janine Beckie into the fold thanks to their club ethos, the Rovers have quickly become a team to watch in the League 1 Canada ecosystem.
Because of that, they’ll see this matchup as a huge opportunity to showcase that to a bigger audience, as they’ve long said that their goal was to be regularly playing in these games when they launched as a club.
Plus, with a roster filled with some exciting L1O standouts and some former CPL names, they’ll be competitive in this game, which should be good to see, as they should showcase a good version of themselves no matter what happens on the scoreline. 
And as seen when the Vaughan Azzurri went to Montréal and put up a fight in a 2-0 loss to CF Montréal in last year’s Canadian Championship, there’s no reason why the Rovers can’t put up a similar fight against a TFC side that is fresh off finishing in the bottom two of the MLS standings for three straight years.
Of course, it’s important to note that this is a new-look TFC side, led by new head coach John Herdman, but all of the pressure will be on TFC to perform in this one, and it’s yet to be seen if the changes they’ve made will get them out of the funk they’ve been in over the last few years.
After winning one Canadian Championship in the last five years, they’ll want to change that this year, and will want to avoid any unnecessary drama early on, so they’ll put their best foot forward.
Yet, that won’t matter to the Rovers, as they’ll be eager to go and prove themselves while dreaming of an upset, and that’s what cup soccer is all about, with this matchup doing well to capture the essence of that feeling.
