3 KEY storylines from the preliminary round of the 2024 Canadian Championship (+ BEST XI, Round 1)
Once again, the Canadian Championship’s preliminary round lived up to the billing, as six entertaining games were played across two weeks to determine who would join 2023 winners Vancouver Whitecaps and 2023 finalists CF Montréal in the quarter-finals of this tournament.
Now, the final eight is set and will kick off next week, as the race toward the Voyageurs Cup heats up with some intriguing two-legged ties in that round.
And if they’re going to be anything like the preliminary round games, that should be quite something to behold, as this round nearly had it all - cupsets, late drama, records and more.
Yet, it shows the continued growth of this tournament, one that seems to add a different layer of unpredictability each year, which is key from an entertainment standpoint, adding an element of drama that makes for great viewing.
Speaking of, here’s a look at three key storylines from this preliminary round of action, an updated bracket, and the team of the matchday.
CS-Saint Laurent adds a cupset for the ages to the tournament’s lore
At surface value, the Halifax Wanderers matchup with Ligue 1 Québec’s CS Saint-Laurent looked pretty straightforward - a matchup between a CPL side that finished tied for second in the CPL’s regular season last year and a League 1 Canada side making their debut in this competition seemed to heavily favour the Wanderers, especially given that they were playing at their home pitch, Wanderers Grounds.
A place where they had the second-best home record in the CPL last year, it’s proven to be a tough place for many over the years, including CF Montréal in 2021, who only won 3-1 on two late goals, and Toronto FC in 2022, who only won 2-1 on a late goal.
Because of that, most would’ve likely written off Saint-Laurent, who had a lot of work to do if they were to join the TSS Rovers as the only League 1 Canada side to eliminate professional opposition in this tournament.
Yet, for those who were familiar with the Montréal-based Saint-Laurent, who were founded in the 1980s, they were quite confident in their chances of getting a win, having seen them dominate Ligue 1 Québec ever since they joined that circuit in 2022, amassing a record of 34W-2D-8L across 44 regular season games, while making two deep runs in the league’s cup, winning it once and making it to the semi-final the other time.
Une raison pour créer une équipe #CanPL au Québec?
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 2, 2024
Pour donner des opportunités aux joueurs Québécois, qui selon Loïc Kwemi, sont parmi les meilleurs au 🇨🇦, de se prouver au niveau professionnel proche de chez eux
ÉCOUTEZ EPISODE 2 DU BOUCLIER CANADIENhttps://t.co/yiBvy8ybQK pic.twitter.com/JygtlcW139
The same club that once upon a time pushed Ismaël Koné through the ranks before he joined CF Montréal’s academy, they had a group filled with ex-professional players and those who many felt could’ve at least tested the waters at that level if not for a lack of opportunities, especially in Québec, where there is just an MLS side and no CPL outfit.
Therefore, as they faced off against a Wanderers side who had sputtered out of the gates in CPL play with three straight losses, those in the Saint-Laurent camp were filled with belief, as they looked to prove what those back home were saying to anyone who would listen - these guys can play at this level.
They quickly showed that, too. The game started in the Wanderers' favour through five minutes, but then Saint-Laurent started to grow and were the better team through 25 minutes.
Unfortunately, however, they fell asleep in a key moment in the 29th minute, as they gave away a clumsy penalty, which Dan Nimick put away to give his team the lead. That seemed to spell the end for Saint-Laurent, as in all of the previous matchups between League 1 Canada sides and professional outfits, the only four instances where those sides were able to win a match (Vaughan Azzurri 2019, TSS Rovers 2023) or draw (AS Blainville 2019, TSS Rovers 2024) had come because the League 1 Canada side had scored first or had not conceded at all.
GOAL ⚓️@HFXWanderersFC open the scoring vs. CS Saint-Laurent as Dan Nimick gets the 1-0 lead in this TELUS #CanChamp clash via the penalty spot 🎯
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 2, 2024
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/ss6x7JIFpb
That didn’t faze Saint-Laurent, however. Just minutes later, Mamadou Kane, who joined Saint-Laurent this offseason after failing to stick in the CPL after spells with York United, FC Edmonton and Vancouver FC, won and converted a penalty in just the 32nd minute to tie things up.
GOAL 🍊
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 2, 2024
CS Saint-Laurent STRIKE BACK! 👀
Mamadou Kane draws and scores a penalty vs. @HFXWanderersFC and we are 1-1 at the half-hour mark of this TELUS #CanChamp battle 🇨🇦
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/CRdUGyHQHC
With that, Saint-Laurent perked right back up and returned to where they were before the Nimick goal - defensively sound and organized out of possession, and aggressive and free-flowing when with the ball. As a result, they were all over Halifax, who didn’t seem to have an answer for what they were seeing unfold in front of them.
That led to a moment of magic in the 62nd minute. There, Loïc Kwemi, a 27-year-old forward who had won Ligue 1 Québec’s Golden Boot and Golden Ball in 2022, and who is also a Canadian National Team futsal player regarded as one of the best semi-professional players in Canada to never play professionally, scored a goal from outside of the box as his strong strike was deflected in to make it 2-1.
GOAL 🍊🍊
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 2, 2024
Loïc Kwemi makes it 2-1 for CS Saint-Laurent vs. @HFXWanderersFC 🤯
Do we have a TELUS #CanChamp cupset on the cards in this one? 👀
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/xtIGkIbWS5
There, it seemed like Saint-Laurent would hold on the rest of the way, as the Wanderers were down, but it turns out they were not out - Halifax’s Ryan Telfer scored a goal in the 83rd minute despite a hint of offside from Christian Volesky, who seemed to get a touch on Telfer’s shot right before the goal line, but the goal ended up standing in Telfer’s name to make it 2-2.
GOAL ⚓️⚓️@HFXWanderersFC EQUALIZE 💥
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 2, 2024
CS Saint-Laurent go back to the drawing board as Ryan Telfer scores from a corner kick to bring this TELUS #CanChamp clash to 2-2... and about 10 minutes away from penalties 👀
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/CXxVFOWJV9
With that, it brought the game to penalties. After a remarkably even match, one that saw Saint-Laurent finish with more Expected Goals (xG) than Halifax with 2.25 to the Wanderers 2.24, the game had deserved to go to penalties and could have argued to have been unlucky not to finish in Saint-Laurent’s favour, really.
Despite that, Saint-Laurent didn’t let their heads sag. Instead, they still believed in the cupset and showed that in their penalties - they went first in the shootout and converted their first four penalties, which put the pressure on the Wanderers each time after them - eventually leading to a fourth-round miss from Volesky.
That set up a perfect ending from Kane, who had to score to win the tie, and much as he did with his penalty in the game, he put it away calmly, completing the cupset for his team.
💥 LA VICTOIRE 💥
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 3, 2024
CS SAINT-LAURENT HAVE DONE IT 🤯@HFXWanderersFC have been eliminated in the 2024 TELUS #CanChamp as the League 1 Quebec side saves the fourth penalty and buries their fifth straight to orchestrate a CUPSET ✨
🔴 Watch POST-GAME SHOW on OS YouTube pic.twitter.com/nAykqf29xP
With that, they became the first Ligue 1 Québec side to advance past a professional side in this championship, joining the 2023 Rovers as the only League 1 Canada side to accomplish that feat, doing so on the road, no less (the Rovers 3-1 defeat of Valour in 2023 was at their home pitch of Swangard Stadium).
Just a night after those same Rovers had almost completed a similar upset on the road to Pacific FC, falling on penalties after nearly winning the tie with a 75th-minute goal, one that was only cancelled out by a Pacific equalizer in the 90+8th minute, it was a remarkable result from Saint-Laurent.
Yet, it served as an important reminder of a few things.
First, these League 1 Canada sides are littered with talent, with plenty of players who tasted the professional game and weren’t able to stick around, or those who didn’t even get that opportunity, and CS Saint-Laurent is a prime example of all of that.
Once again - there's talent to be mined there in League 1 Canada. It's not a lack of skill, it's opportunity
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) May 3, 2024
CS Saint-Laurent's magical upset tonight shows that these guys can play and just need the platforms to show it
And Québec, man. So much talent there. Need a #CanPL team
Then, there’s the reminder that Québec is a hotbed for soccer, yet doesn’t have the professional infrastructure to match it, showing why it remains a crucial place that the CPL needs to expand to in the future.
CS Saint-Laurent head coach Nicholas Razzaghi:
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) May 3, 2024
"It's everything, even our rivals were supporting us tonight (...) everyone understands at the end of the day, we're all on the same page, we know what we have to offer in QC, we deserve a (#CanPL team), and that's bigger than us"
Lastly, it showed the beauty of cup competition, and why these games can be so special. From the celebrations of the players to the reaction of the fans of the club, and then most heartwarmingly, the scenes from a watch party organized for youth players of the club back in Montréal, this game was a perfect example of what can happen when you give players the opportunity to dream big.
🥳🎉🍾 Les membres jeunes du Club de Saint-Laurent ont pleinement savouré cette qualification.
— Nilton Jorge (@NiltonJorge) May 3, 2024
Crédit vidéo: CS Saint-Laurent pic.twitter.com/taJDSATPWc
Saint-Laurent certainly carried big dreams, and now they’ve set themselves up for a tie to remember against Toronto FC, who they get to take on in a home-and-away quarter-final, in what will be a massive showcase for the club, the sport in the province and much more.
Now, however, a big question remains after back-to-back years of these ‘cupsets’ - might it be time to expand the competition to include more League 1 Canada teams? It will take some creative thinking to find the best format to accommodate more teams, but more of these games could be huge for those respective leagues, which is something to consider given their importance to the player pipeline in this country.
Atlético Ottawa sets a record as part of a high-scoring round
If you like goals, this round was the one for you, as the six games produced a total of 23 goals, an average of nearly four a game.
Yet, to be fair, two games carried the load in that regard - Atlético Ottawa’s 7-0 drubbing of Valour, and Toronto FC’s 5-0 trouncing of League 1 Ontario’s Simcoe County Rovers.
To begin, Ottawa’s game was probably the statement match of the round, from any team. In fact, it was a record-setting match, too, as the previous biggest margin of victory in this competition had been a 6-0 CF Montréal (then the Impact) win over Toronto FC in 2013.
Despite facing off against a Valour side who nearly beat Forge on the weekend, Ottawa showed no mercy and probably could have pushed for 10 on the day with how dangerous they looked in the attack.
GOAL 🏡x7@AtletiOttawa go up 7-0 over @ValourFootball and we can only imagine John Herdman is looking at this TELUS #CanChamp scoreline with envy 😉
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 2, 2024
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/tEI9VS4hZ4
After a busy offseason, one that had made them an early favourite to push for the CPL’s regular season and playoff title, and one that made them believe they could become the first CPL side to win this competition, it was a statement win, one they’ll look to ride into the next round.
As for Valour, however, it was a loss to forget, one made more frustrating by the fact that it comes from a fellow CPL side. Given how tight and competitive the CPL usually is, a scoreline of this margin isn’t just a reflection of Ottawa’s dominance in the game, but one that indicates Valour’s effort wasn’t up to par, which is a bigger worry as they try and turn things around in CPL play after a slow start.
Otherwise, the Toronto FC game was a bit more straightforward, as Simcoe were always going to be in tough against an MLS side who were in decent form as TFC have been to start their regular season. In fact, Simcoe’s loss looks pretty good in context - TFC’s head coach, John Herdman, admitted after the game that they were gunning for their club and competition’s goal record (both seven) and were disappointed not to hit, a statement that ruffled a few feathers (and makes it ironic that Ottawa then hit that mark a week later).
GOAL 🦝🦝🦝🦝🦝
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 25, 2024
Tyrese Spicer makes it 5-0 for Toronto FC vs. Simcoe County Rovers as this 2024 TELUS #CanChamp clash winds down to an inevitable conclusion 😳
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/vIHzq5EMyp
Yet, what it shows is that Toronto doesn’t want to mess around in this competition, having only won it once in the last five years, something Herdman wants to change, so don’t be surprised if he continues that guns-a-blazing approach, which should lead to more goals - either for his side or for their opponents if they play too open in the chase of those targets.
And as seen by the inflated goal tally across the board in this round, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way, so it’ll be intriguing to see if the goals keep flowing in the quarter-finals, too.
Form (mostly) proves to be crucial for advancing sides
Sometimes, cup competition can be a way for teams who are struggling in league play to find their feet again, while those in great form can sometimes be guilty of overconfidence and struggle in these games.
For the most part, however, the preliminary round ended up being a fair reflection of those who are in form right now, and those who aren’t.
When looking at those who advanced, Toronto FC, Atlético Ottawa, Forge FC, Pacific FC and Saint-Laurent are all in good form in their respective leagues, while those who they eliminated have struggled (or in the case of both Rovers, Simcoe County and TSS, were yet to play a competitive game). Even in the case of the Saint-Laurent cupset, that was the case, for example, with Saint-Laurent fresh off a 7-2 win over St-Hubert in Ligue 1 Québec play, while the Wanderers were struggling to start the year.
GOAL 🔨🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 1, 2024
David Choiniere makes it 2-0 for @ForgeFCHamilton vs. @YorkUtdFC in this 2024 TELUS #CanChamp clash, with Tristan Borges playing provider once more for this crossbar-and-down finish 😎
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/038UVhs9vd
The only matchup where form didn’t seem to play a factor was in Cavalry’s clash with Vancouver FC, as Cavalry, who had lost one and drawn one of their two games to start the year, defeated Vancouver, who had won two straight to start the year.
Other than that, however, those who won headed into their matches filled with confidence and that helped them massively, which is something to keep an eye on in the next round, especially with the red-hot Vancouver Whitecaps now joining the mix, as well as a CF Montréal side in decent form themselves.
Bracket update:
Speaking of the quarter-final matchups, those all start on either May 7th or 8th with the first leg, while the return legs will either be played in the week of May 21st and 22nd, or in the case of just one tie, Pacific vs Ottawa, on May 29th.
There, the defending champions Vancouver Whitecaps will face Cavalry FC for the third time, Pacific will face Ottawa for the first time in this competition, CF Montréal will face Forge for the fourth time, and Toronto FC will face Saint-Laurent for the first time.
In terms of scheduling, Cavalry, Ottawa, Forge and Saint-Laurent will all host the first leg, while the Whitecaps, Pacific, CF Montréal and Toronto will all host the second leg. That was determined by Canada Soccer’s new Canadian Championship Club Ranking Index, which uses clubs’ past performance in this competition to rank them, with the higher-seeded clubs getting to host the second leg of their ties.
From there, the four quarter-final winners will be redrawn ahead of the semi-finals, which are projected to take place in July or August across two legs, before the single-legged final takes place in September.
TEAM OF THE MATCHDAY:
Lastly, here’s our team of the matchday from the preliminary round, looking at 18 players who stood out from these six games of action.
