Who are the CPL Awards frontrunners at the halfway point of the 2026 season?

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The halfway point of the 2026 Canadian Premier League season has come and gone, as all of the league’s eight teams have now hit the 14-game mark in their respective 28-game regular season campaigns after Inter Toronto finally hit that halfway milestone this past weekend (every other side has played between 15 and 18 games). 

That’s key, as often, the halfway point is a key indicator for many things. For teams, it’s a good stage to evaluate how their season has gone up to that point, and the same goes for players, who are able to look at their own performances a bit more critically when looking at a bigger sample size. 

As a result, it’s usually a good time to take a look at the league’s awards race, as 14 games is seen as a reasonable sample size to start evaluating which players have the best shot at lifting some individual hardware at the end of the season. 

Given that by then you’ve usually played most teams in the league twice, if not for scheduling anomalies, you certainly know which players have found a way to really stand out through the earlier stages of the campaign. 

Of course, with still so much time to go in the season, that’s not to say that these awards are locked in quite yet. For those who are frontrunners, they’ll know that they’ve got to maintain their play the rest of the way to remain in contention, while those who aren’t mentioned will still have time to finish the season strongly and vault their names into the conversation. 

At the end of the day, midseason awards discussions help give an idea of who has shaped the story of the CPL season at an important milestone - while setting the stage for what’s still to come. 

With that in mind, here’s a look at who is leading the race for each award. 

Player of the Year: 

A fierce race is brewing for the CPL POTY award, as there hasn’t necessarily been a standout candidate at this stage, especially compared to past seasons, making this arguably the hardest award to predict at this stage. 

There are two reasons for that. 

Firstly, it feels like there’s a pretty wide field of candidates, as several players are all having strong individual seasons. Typically, at this stage of the season, there are only a couple of players in the running for this award, but it feels like you could make arguments for any of Tobias Warschewski, Sean Rea, Ballou Tabla, Isaiah Johnston, Mohamed Amissi or Antoine Batisse could win - and even then, that list feels like it’s missing some players that some might be quick to point out after reading this piece. 

Secondly, there’s also the fact that the league’s top teams haven’t necessarily been driven by singular forces. Typically, you can look at the top teams and have a clear idea of one or two players leading their teams to success, but when you look at the top three teams in the CPL standings, Forge FC, Cavalry FC and Vancouver FC, you can make the argument that their success has been more team- and coach-driven than individually driven. 

That’s worth noting, because often in POTY conversations, the discussion quickly shifts towards the top players on the top teams, which is fair - it’s easier to argue that someone is the POTY if their contributions are pushing their teams towards trophies, versus if someone is putting up absurd numbers on a team having no collective success. 

This year, though, it feels like some of the best individual campaigns are coming from players on clubs who aren’t as high up the table, such as Rea, Tabla and Johnston, who have all been huge driving forces for their teams. 

Because of that, it's hard to predict this award, as there would likely be a huge split in voting if it were held today. 

Therefore, your guess is as good as any when it comes to projecting who might win this award at the end of the season. For now, given his status on a team that is very much in contention for the CPL Shield, Tobias Warschewski is the frontrunner to watch here. 

Given that he has six goals and six assists (although three of his goals have come from the penalty spot), Warschewski’s output is hard to ignore, and it feels like he hasn’t hit his stride quite yet when it comes to his goalscoring, which is something to watch - if he starts putting the ball in the back of the net more regularly, he could easily separate himself from the rest of the pack, given how lethal a finisher he can be when in form. 

Ultimately, though, you could make convincing arguments about several other players, especially Rea, Johnston and Tabla, who all earn nods as honourable mentions at this stage. 

Favourite: Tobias Warschewski

Honourable Mentions: Sean Rea, Isaiah Johnston, Ballou Tabla

Player’s Player of the Year:

Of course, it can’t be forgotten that there are two POTY awards in the CPL, as one is voted on by the media, and the other is voted on by the players. 

That’s worth highlighting, as there can often be a split between both parties when it comes to anointing standout players, and understandably so, given that both will see games from two very different perspectives. 

You can see that split when looking at past winners - in 2022 and 2025, both the players and the media selected the same POTY, as Ollie Bassett won in 2022 and Sam Salter in 2025, but in 2023 and 2024, they were both split. 

In 2023, the media went for defender Daan Klomp from Cavalry, while players went for Ali Musse; in 2024, the media went for Tristan Borges from Forge, while players went for Brian Wright from then York United (now Inter Toronto). 

The standout takeaway from all of that? The media are more likely to vote for the player who they think is the most important player on the best team, while the players are more likely to vote for standout offensive players. 

That’s worth noting this year, given that there is such a wide range of candidates gunning for the POTY trophy. 

Because of that, you have to think that the players would be a bit more inclined to vote for some of the flashier offensive players, such as Rea, Tabla, Johnston or Amissi, especially given that all four have had some incredibly impressive standout moments that will stand out to other players. 

Therefore, the favourite here will be Rea, given that his highlight reel has been the most impressive, and that he has the numbers (four goals+four assists) to match, as players will remember his performances from when going up against him. 

At the same time, given how good Tabla, Johnston and Amissi have been, you’d have to think they’re all in this discussion, too, and have every shot at winning if they can finish the season strongly. 

Favourite: Sean Rea

Honourable Mentions: Ballou Tabla, Isaiah Johnston, Mohamed Amissi

Golden Glove:

This might be the most fascinating race, as at the top of the league, there have been a couple of exceptional goalkeeping performances from Forge’s Dmitry Bertaud and Cavalry’s Nathan Ingham, who have put in big shifts for the league’s top two teams. 

Firstly, there’s Bertaud, who has been exceptional this year, immediately slotting in as a perfect fit for Forge after joining them this offseason. There’s a reason why Forge have conceded just nine goals in 15 games, as Bertaud has been excellent in every game that he’s played, making some huge saves along the way. 

At the same time, Ingham’s had a pretty great campaign of his own with Cavalry, doing well to slot in seamlessly in his first year at the club. Cavalry haven’t done too bad defensively, either, also conceding just nine goals - and they’ve played an extra game compared to Forge, too. 

Statistically, they’re two of the best goalkeepers in the league by the advanced models, too - Ingham is first on WyScout’s goals prevented model with 4.14 goals prevented, while Bertaud is fourth with 2.23 goals prevented. And Ingham is first in save percentage with 85.71%, while Bertaud is fourth with 75.68%, which are both exceptional numbers. 

Of course, you can argue that both benefit from the fact that they play behind excellent defences - Ingham has faced just 12.14 xG in 15 appearances, while Bertaud has faced just 11.23 xG in his 15 appearances - but as the numbers show, both have done excellent work to ensure that their team’s defensive record is even better than the advanced numbers suggest it should be. 

Based on these numbers, Ingham is going to get the edge right now (especially when considering he was unlucky not to win this award in 2025), but it’s a neck-and-neck race between these two right now, one that could come down to the wire based on how they finish the season. 

Favourite: Nathan Ingham

Honourable Mention: Dmitry Bertaud

U21 Canadian of the Year: 

It’s been a good year for young Canadian defensive players, as the two top names to watch here are both defenders on two top teams, and that’s Cavalry’s Adam Pearlman and Vancouver’s Kian Proctor. 

Granted, it’s not a surprise to see Pearlman thrive for Cavalry - the Toronto FC loanee was excellent in 2025 with the Halifax Wanderers, and has picked up where he’s left off during this loan to Cavalry. With his ability to play as both a centre back and full back, he’s been a perfect fit on a Cavalry side that asks for a lot of versatility from their defenders. 

Proctor, however, has been a huge surprise, as he’s immediately looked like a seasoned veteran in just his first season of professional soccer. Not only is he a committed and dedicated defender, one who celebrates blocks like goals, but he’s proven quite good at pushing forward, too. 

Therefore, while it feels like Pearlman has a slight edge right now, Proctor isn’t far behind him, and for good reason. 

At the same time, there are several other players to watch in this race. 

Forge’s Hoce Massunda hasn’t been as impactful offensively as he was last year in terms of his counting stats, but he continues to get regular minutes on Forge and is always dangerous in games - if he can get hot again, he’ll quickly throw his name back into discussions for this award. 

Or how about Halifax Wanderers striker Tavio Ciccarelli, who has amassed an impressive five goals in limited minutes for the Wanderers - if he can continue to score as he earns a bigger role for Halifax, he can absolutely make a late push to win this award. 

And you can’t forget Atlético Ottawa’s Sergei Kozlovskiy, who hasn’t played as much this season due to Canada U20 commitments, but looks to be a big part of new Ottawa manager Gustavo Leal’s future plans. Given Ottawa’s defensive struggles, he could be one to watch if he can help them find some stability at the back. 

Yet, that’s something worth remembering about this award - youth players are extremely volatile, so it’s highly likely that some players we aren’t talking about will vault their way into this conversation over the next few months; by the same token, there will also be some youngsters who slow down after hot starts. Such is the nature of youth development in this sport, where nothing is ever straightforward and linear. 

Favourite: Adam Pearlman

Honourable Mentions: Kian Proctor, Hoce Massunda, Tavio Ciccarelli, Sergei Kozlovskiy

Defender of the Year:

Given how good both Forge and Cavalry have been defensively, you have to think that one of those two teams will yield this year’s Defender of the Year - the only other team that has even been close to them has been Vancouver, who have conceded just 16 goals (every other team has conceded at least 26 goals). 

Because of that, you have to look at someone like Forge’s Antoine Batisse, who has proven to be an exceptional signing for the Hammers, who have greatly benefited from his experience. By the same token, Dan Nimick has been having another strong season, and could also earn a shout for his work alongside Batisse in Forge’s backline. 

At the same time, you can’t help but highlight former CPL POTY Daan Klomp at Cavalry, who has been as steady as ever. His partnership with Amer Didić has been formidable, as they might be the best duo aerially in the league, which has made Cavalry so hard to beat. 

If anything, the most interesting thing to watch here is to see how the votes get split, especially if Forge and Cavalry continue to defend at the level that they have. If they do, the race could come down to individual performances in bigger games, or other factors such as what they do on the ball and offensively (at the end of the day, the modern defender has to be good in those areas). 

Otherwise, do keep an eye on any emerging Vancouver candidates, given their rapidly improving defensive form - as it stands, Morey Doner seems to be a good candidate given the work he does on both sides of the ball at full-back, but perhaps young centre-back Matteo Campagna could vault into contention here with his form. 

Favourite: Antoine Batisse

Honourable Mentions: Dan Nimick, Daan Klomp, Morey Doner

Coach of the Year:

Often, there is a split in the Coach of the Year award - it’s either given to the coach of the best team or the coach of the team that improved the most, depending on how dominant the top team is and how much the team that went from bad to good improved. 

This year, given how close things are between Forge and Cavalry, it’s hard to say which of Forge’s Bobby Smyrniotis and Cavalry’s Tommy Wheeldon Jr., who have each won this award twice, would be seen as the best candidate. 

Because of that, it feels like a year where it’ll go to the coach of the most improved team, and the good news is that there is an excellent candidate who fits that bill - Vancouver’s Martin Nash. 

Given that he took over a Vancouver team that was en route to finishing last place last year, and has now made them one of the best teams in the league, it’s made him a clear frontrunner for this award. 

Therefore, if this red-hot Vancouver side can finish the season as strongly as they’ve started it, and can book their first playoff berth, it feels like Nash would be a no-brainer selection for this award, especially if Forge and Cavalry’s push for the CPL Shield goes down to the wire. 

And hey, you can’t forget that Vancouver is just nine points behind first-place Forge, with some big head-to-head matchups still to come… so you can’t rule them out of the Shield race quite yet, which would only further cement Nash’s strong credentials if they were to somehow get their hands on that trophy. 

Favourite: Martin Nash

Honourable Mentions: Bobby Smyrniotis, Tommy Wheeldon Jr.

Golden Boot: 

There’s quite the race brewing for the Golden Boot, as 11 players have scored five goals or more this season, putting them all within touching distance of leaders Ballou Tabla and Loïc Kwemi, who lead the CPL with eight goals apiece. 

Therefore, while the league might not have a player running away with the goalscoring record books the way that Sam Salter did last year, this race is going to be quite fascinating, as it could truly go down to the wire based on the next few months. 

Something that stands out? Everybody but Forge has a player with five or more goals, too (and Forge has Brian Wright on four goals), so each team will feel that they have a player who can contend for this award, too. 

Therefore, while Tabla and Kwemi are frontrunners at this stage, this one could quickly change if players catch form and finish the season on a high note, with each game offering a new twist to the tale.