CPL Newsroom

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Benedict Rhodes, Marty Thompson, and Brady Reid recap The Kickoff in Winnipeg, which ended Saturday, with a massive quiz! This is a must-listen as the four wrack their brains to remember everything that happened in the bubble.

Plus, the gang recap the Canadian men’s national team’s monumental Gold Cup win over Costa Rica Sunday night and wrap up the CanPL games from Winnipeg, taking a look at HFX Wanderers FC’s win over Valour FC and York United’s triumph in The Kickoff closer vs. FC Edmonton.

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Benedict Rhodes, Marty Thompson, and Brady Reid recap a whirlwind three-match midweek at The Kickoff in Winnipeg, Man.

The gang applaud Cavalry FC’s comprehensive win over Forge FC, commiserate with Atlético Ottawa after they saw a two-goal lead disappear vs. Pacific FC, and ask what’s next for Easton Ongaro following the lanky FC Edmonton striker’s opening goal of the season in a tight 1-0 win over HFX Wanderers.

Plus, Canadian women’s national team Tokyo Olympics looks ahead and reviews their 1-1 draw to hosts Japan and preview the men’s team’s quarter-final tilt with Costa Rica at the Gold Cup.

In the latest episode of CanPL.ca Newsroom's Beyond the Pitch, CanPL.ca's Kristian Jack goes deep with Pacific FC starlet Marco Bustos in an emotional discussion about tearful nights with the Vancouver Whitecaps, why he's enjoying football now more than ever, and how maturity can strike at different times in a footballers career.

Plus, Marco and Kristian talk about the footballers he models his game after, why PFC coach and former teammate Pa-Modou Kah is a crucial motivator, and why he hopes to one day return to BC Place.

In the first episode of Beyond the pitch, CanPL.ca's Kristian Jack chats with York United wideman Diyaeddine Abzi about his blistering start for The Nine Stripes in 2021, his past in futsal, and what's next for the 22-year-old.

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Benedict Rhodes, Marty Thompson, and Brady Reid return to recap the Canadian men’s national team’s 4-1 win over Haiti and the Gold Cup and discuss a low-scoring week in Canadian Premier League action.

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O'Connor Clarke, Benedict Rhodes, Marty Thompson, and Brady Reid return to recap the weekend's CanPL action but start with the Canadian men's national team's opening win over Martinique at the 2021 Gold Cup.

Tajon Buchanan's impressive showing marked a rebound for John Herdman's side who, as the gang debates, are craving any sort of challenge. Kudos also go out to attackers Theo Corbeanu and Junior Hoilett, the latter of which became Canada's all-time assist leader with the win.

Up first in CanPL action was Atlético Ottawa's shock 2-0 win over Cavalry FC. Goals from Malcolm Shaw and 17-year-old Antoine Coupland gave coach Mista lots to smile about and gave the gang lots to dissect Ottawa's direct style of play and how it could be the key to results moving forward.

Valour FC's 1-0 win over Forge FC also offered lots of talking points from Austin Ricci's worldie to Rob Gale's side's impressive run of form. At the other end, the Newsroom discusses Forge's current state of affairs as the return to home market lingers.

Marco Bustos (there, we said it) shined brightly for Pacific FC this weekend and the gang just had to talk about it. His well-worked brace against York United – which came in front of his parents at IG Field – was a thing of beauty. But he wasn't the only star for PFC on the day…

Finally, Brady carves out some time for HFX Wanderers FC's 2-1 win over FC Edmonton. Joao Morelli's two-goal output gave the Wanderers their first win of the season – the last team at The Kickoff to achieve such a feat. Marty sheds some light on Morey Doner and one sequence in particular while, again, FC Edmonton only scores beautiful goals, don't they? Take a bow again, Fraser Aird.

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Benedict Rhodes, and Marty Thompson take in a late night edition of the podcast… Moments following Forge FC’s 2-0 win over Cavalry FC at IG Field (2:02).

The gang start by returning to Forge’s return to championship form, starting with reigning Player of the Year Kyle Bekker and his two-goal performance. Has Bobby Smyrniotis’ side dispelled any early worries? Or what does the “bubble experience” in Winnipeg have to do with their killer instinct as two-time defending champions.

Up next is York United’s 2-1 win over Valour FC (15:50) which saw the long-awaited return of fans to Canadian professional soccer stands. Unfortunately for the hometown Valour faithful, it was Jimmy Brennan’s side who captured all three points with their talented young players catching the eye of the Newsroom crew. Which one of York’s under 21 players, who lead the Jones Deslauriers/Navacord U-21 Minutes Leaderboard by quite a margin, have impressed the most so far; Lowell Wright, Isaiah Johnston, Cedric Toussaint, or someone else?

Finally, the Newsroom closes with Pacific FC’s 1-0 dismantling of Atlético Ottawa (29:36), specifically Marco Bustos and Kadin Chung’s brilliant combination up the right-hand side. Bustos’ brilliance led to the match’s lone goal and led Kristian, rightfully so, ask how do you stop Marco Bustos?

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Brady Reid, Benedict Rhodes, and Marty Thompson digest The Kickoff in Winnipeg's third matchweek.

The gang starts things with the first match of the weekend: a scoreless draw between HFX Wanderers and Cavalry FC (3:08). When will Halifax find the back of the net? How about Cavalry FC’s depth – centreback Karifa Yao, midfielder Elliott Simmons… the list goes on.

Valour FC’s 2-0 dispatching of Atlético Ottawa (13:01) followed with praises once again going to Rob Gale and his side who, don’t look now, went top of the table with this result. Keven Aleman’s performance as a false nine and Gale’s shifting tactics left Kristian and Charlie cooing while questions of Ottawa’s ability in the final third left more questions than answers.

Forge FC’s 3-0 win over Pacific FC (25:18) left the gang relived, if anything, for Hamilton’s first win of the season. Goals from Mo Babouli, Chris Nanco, and Tristan Borges allowed the two-time defending champions to “play free” against a rotated Pacific side.

Finally, the Newsroom closes with FC Edmonton and York United’s 1-1 draw (34:01) on Sunday night which gave us a stunning goal from Fraser Aird and a surprising shush celebration from Michael Petrasso. Also, of course, they had to talk about that penalty that Easton "Oh No" Ongaro failed to convert.

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Brady Reid, Benedict Rhodes, and Marty Thompson digest a blistering second matchweek at The Kickoff in Winnipeg.

The gang starts things with the first match of the weekend: a scoreless draw between HFX Wanderers and Cavalry FC (3:08). When will Halifax find the back of the net? How about Cavalry FC’s depth – centreback Karifa Yao, midfielder Elliott Simmons… the list goes on.

Valour FC’s 2-0 dispatching of Atlético Ottawa (13:01) followed with praises once again going to Rob Gale and his side who, don’t look now, went top of the table with this result. Keven Aleman’s performance as a false nine and Gale’s shifting tactics left Kristian and Charlie cooing while questions of Ottawa’s ability in the final third left more questions than answers.

Forge FC’s 3-0 win over Pacific FC (25:18) left the gang relived, if anything, for Hamilton’s first win of the season. Goals from Mo Babouli, Chris Nanco, and Tristan Borges allowed the two-time defending champions to “play free” against a rotated Pacific side.

Finally, the Newsroom closes with FC Edmonton and York United’s 1-1 draw (34:01) on Sunday night which gave us a stunning goal from Fraser Aird and a surprising shush celebration from Michael Petrasso. Also, of course, they had to talk about that penalty that Easton "Oh No" Ongaro failed to convert.

In the latest episode of the CanPL.ca Newsroom, the CanPL.ca editorial crew of Kristian Jack, Charlie O’Connor Clarke, Brady Reid, Benedict Rhodes, and Marty Thompson digest a blistering second matchweek at The Kickoff in Winnipeg.

First up, the gang take off from FC Edmonton’s historic 2-0 victory over Forge FC (4:20) Thursday – the club’s first win in over 600 days. From stanch defending to Ramon Soria and Jeannot Esua’s goals, Alan Koch’s first win in CanPL was one to be remembered. Forge, on the other hand, lose back-to-back matches without scoring for the first time ever – what needs to change for the two-time defending champions?

Next up is York United and Pacific FC’s highly-entertaining 2-2 draw (15:05). What’s to like about York’s young group? What about Pa-Modou Kah’s Pacific side – how did they handle their cagey affair?

Cavalry FC’s 4-1 romp over Atlético Ottawa followed (23:01), with Charlie gushing over Tommy Wheeldon Jr. and his side’s ability to press and pass freely (second-most passes completed in CPL history, we may add). How did Cavalry seem to out-fit an Ottawa side with a proper pre-season so effectively and, after two wins from two, are they early favourites?

Finally, we needed to talk about Valour FC and specifically Rob Gale, who captured their second-straight 2-0 win Wednesday by dispatching HFX Wanderers (34:11). Just how long can the Winnipeg side continue this underdog narrative with Andrew Jean-Baptiste and standout midfielder Raph Ohin – dubbed the Winnipeg Kante by Gale – among their ranks?

Plus, the gang banter through an extra time segment: Greatest goal you’ve ever scored? Which celebrity will Gale mention in his next press conference?